Combined with our recent bad juju against Mizzou is the fact that yesterday was the 20th anniversary of the "Fifth-down" game. While I would contend that it should be called the "Mizzou was so terrible that they had to resort to destroying their own field to get an edge" game, it is what it is. You would think 20 years would be enough time to get over an officiating mistake, but the citizens of the Show-Me-State have a long history of never letting shit die. Some people were speculating that this 20th anniversary would be the last time the collective football world would have to hear about it, but I wouldn't count on it.
(He got in, end of story)
The Buffs enter the contest off the heels of their yearly emotional home-victory over a team that has more physical talent. Even when taken in the context of the opponents record, the Georgia win was very impressive. So, has CU really turned the corner, or was it just another isolated blip on an otherwise static EKG monitor?
I might just be ready to buy this teams exit from futility. CU out-played those SEC dawgs from the opening kick-off (which Hawk chose to receive, thank God). The Buffs controlled the line of scrimmage, running the ball 47 times for 235 yards. I'll tell you right now, I didn't expect us to put up 200+ yards rushing against a SEC team. CU has created a run-first identity that looks to be here for good.
(Rodney can be a hell of a weapon when used right. From: the BDC)
For a team that has been identity-less for 4 years, to finally have something that they can point to as a legitimate strength is encouraging. The Buffs didn't seem to care that they were playing a bigger/stronger opponent then they had played all season; they just wanted to pound the ground game until Georgia begged for mercy. In the two games since CU switched up the offensive line, the Buffs have gained a total of 487 rushing yards on 99 attempts. That is a dedication to the ground game that we haven't seen since 2002. And we're going to need that same dedication this week.
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T-I-Double guh-Errrr
Missouri is, once again, a strong team. While they have bought into the Big XII North tradition of playing a soft out of conference schedule (they haven't left the state of Missouri yet), and even hiccuped against Sand Diego St., they are a good football team hoping to compete for the north crown.
Before the season started they were forced to deal with team leader Derrick Washington, who had assaulted his former tutor. The Tigers kicked him off the team and went into scramble mode to replace his running production. So far, so good as their running back by committee has yielded 154 yards per game. RB's De`Vion Moore, Henry Josey and Kendial Lawrence have stepped up to put up some impressive numbers, and the constant rotation keeps their backs fresh and ready for big gains.
While the trio of young running backs has stepped up, passing is what the Tigers do best. QB Blaine Gabbert (who spurned Nebraska to go to MU) has a plethora of talented targets to throw to in WR's T.J. Moe, Michael Egnew and Jerrell Jackson. While they only get 277.5 yards per game through the air, this offense is capable of much more. While they may not have the Chase Coffman's, Chase Daniel's, or Jeremy Maclin's of the world on the team anymore, they are still a talented and explosive offense that needs to be respected.
(Gabbert is turning into one hell of a QB)
Defensively, the Tigers have struggled a little bit this year. While playing a soft schedule, the MU defense has given up almost as many yards on the ground as their offense has gained (699-680). Slightly inconsistent, they allowed big TD runs of 75 and 93 yrds to spur a SDSU comeback that almost stunned the Tigers at home 2 and a half weeks ago. On the edges it's a slightly different story. The Tiger defense is slightly stauncher against the pass, holding opponents to under 200 yards per game.
Overall, their defense could be considered a weak point. Yards can be gained here; If SDSU can run for 250 yards, CU's emergent run attack should rack up as many (if not more) against this Missouri d-line. Team leaders are LB's Zaviar Gooden and Andrew Gachkar, and while they can play, they have allowed some big "gashers" on the ground.
Prediction Time
It would be foolish of me to pick CU to win. Foolish. With our recent road woes combined with the Missouri burr up our ass, anyone coming out and flat predicting victory is looking through the rosiest of rose-colored glasses. You just simply can't ignore 3 years of road losses and a 137 point 4-game deficit to these Tigers. That is not to say that I don't think that CU will be competitive.
The key is staying in the game. Part of the cause of the Cal disaster was falling behind early. Because of our offensive proclivities, it will be very hard for this team to come from too far behind. While we have come from behind in each of the past two weeks, the 10 point deficits in each game were relatively small. Should Missouri get ahead early, watch out.
If CU stays close through, let's say, the 1st quarter, then the ground game can start to go to work. I fully expect CU to get over 200 yards rushing on Saturday, and with those numbers we might just keep it close. Who knows, if CU gets those 200 rushing yards, and limit special teams mistakes (long-shot), maybe we could pull the upset.
What's funny is, should CU win, the schedule sets up of a hell of a year. With home games against Baylor and Texas Tech, CU could be 6-1 heading into the Oklahoma game. After that, with an easy-ish trip to KU and home games against ISU and Big XII north strongmen Kansas St., CU could make that final trip to Nebraska actually mean something.
Of course, for that to happen, CU would need to beat Missouri.... on the road.... at night. Not going to happen.
CU falls, but competes: MU 31 CU 20
GO BUFFS!
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