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Missouri resolves to take next step
Talented Tigers still haven't won league title
KANSAS CITY --- There is no denying in the space of a few short years the Missouri football program has gone from afterthought at preseason media days to the team with star power.
It was evident Monday when the buildup to the 2008 Big 12 Conference football season officially began with representatives from four of the league's teams meeting with reporters to discuss the coming season and all the promises it holds.
Senior quarterback Chase Daniel was mobbed for at least 45 minutes and peppered with questions for two hours about everything from seven-on-seven summer football in his home state of Texas to his chances to improve from fourth to first in the Heisman Trophy balloting.
Missouri coach Gary Pinkel was the only coach to bring four players because, how could he not bring Daniel, fellow Heisman candidate Jeremy Maclin, All-American-caliber tight end Chase Coffman or All-Big 12 defensive back Williams Moore?
The Tigers were a unanimous pick by the media to win the Big 12 North Division this year and advance to their second straight conference title game.
But even as the Tigers strutted their stuff coming off a season in which they went 12-2 with a Cotton Bowl win, they begin another year with atleast one big question to be answered. Do they finally have what it takes to win the conference championship and beat the likes of Oklahoma or Texas, teams against whom the Tigers have gone a combined 2-10 in conference history?
" "I think we can play anybody," said Maclin, who finished a remarkable redshirt freshman season last fall by setting an NCAA record for all-purpose yards by a freshman. "It's not even about that, about the team name you're playing. We're to the point that it's about what we do. We're going to determine the outcome of the game."
Oklahoma handed the Tigers their only two losses last season and did so in convincing fashion both times. Yet, Daniel said the Tigers learned lessons from both of those games that can help them this season.
Daniel said seeing no panic in the faces of his teammates after a loss in Norman, Okla., last season was the first time he truly began to believe the Tigers were building a special program. Daniel said he has noticed the intensity has reached a new level in the offseason and no one really talks about minor team goals the way past Missouri teams did.
Daniel has a chance to eclipse the 12,000-yard mark in career passing this season and already holds most major Missouri passing records, including a career 148. 80 passer rating. But he is the first to acknowledge he and the Tigers still have to prove they can beat the big boys if they have any hope of finishing in a Bowl Championship Series game or the national title picture.
The Tigers won't play Oklahoma this season unless it's in the Big 12 title game in Arrowhead stadium here, but they do travel to Austin to play the Longhorns, a program Daniel loved growing up but one that did not recruit him hard until he had already pledged to Missouri.
"We definitely need to get better against Oklahoma," Daniel said. 'They've had our number the past three or four years."
Pinkel has 17 starters returning and 23 seniors he credits with propelling the program to unseen heights such as the No. 1 national ranking the Tigers enjoyed for one week last season. He is confident the team is mature enough to build on the success of last season, but he isn't counting on anything.
"Right now I think we're doing the right things, and hopefully the experience of last year of playing at a higher level, playing with a lot of pressure situations, hopefully we can play at a higher level again," he said.
Posted by SnowBuff on July 22, 2008 at 1:57 a.m. (Suggest removal)
17 starters returning? 23 Seniors? Pinkel better use this year to get a new job cause next year his team will be lucky to break .500
Posted by archalon on July 22, 2008 at 8:23 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Memo to Ringo,
Why dont you update us on recruiting, Celestine, Fataagi and others instead of writing about Mizzou ?
Camp is quickly approaching and it appears you are last in the know quite frequently of late. You should be scooping other sites, not vice versa.
Get on the ball
Posted by montanabuff on July 22, 2008 at 8:36 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I'm not sure Missouri will be able to get past Illinois in the opener. The Illini had their chances in last season's first game - and that team was coming off of a 2-10 season. Plus, Missouri hasn't won in Lincoln since when? The Nixon administration?
Still, Missouri is the class of the division. If you had to rank CU's schedule by difficulty, Missouri would be at the top of the list. The best thing going for CU is that the Buffs play Missouri the week after their trip to Austin, and the Tigers may not be up for the Buffs.
Posted by extrapoint on July 22, 2008 at 8:50 a.m. (Suggest removal)
........and Kansas is still lying in he weeds
Posted by rnorthro14 on July 22, 2008 at 9:12 a.m. (Suggest removal)
archalon - Ringo is covering the Big 12 media days. Mizzou is a key opponent for CU this season, and Ringo is providing a snapshot of their attitude via their comments, as well as the attitude of other teams reporting. CU reports today. We'll have plenty of time to hear specifics on CU. But Fataagi is eligible as far as I know. I believe Celestine also is eligible.
Posted by archalon on July 22, 2008 at 9:15 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Texas could easily lose to both Mizzou and CU, they are one of the two youngest teams in the nation. Pure talent may not get them past either.
KU is more likely to have have a down year
Posted by BuffMan6236 on July 22, 2008 at 9:16 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Montana Buff, beg to differ. WVU will be the best team we play this year, followed by OU in the Big 12 Championship game.
Posted by bufflover on July 22, 2008 at 9:38 a.m. (Suggest removal)
we dont go to texas this year, they come here. i think we got out facts a little mixed up kyle ringo.
Posted by bufflover on July 22, 2008 at 9:41 a.m. (Suggest removal)
wait nevermind. hes talking about missouri. my bad. keep up the good work ringo.
Posted by extrapoint on July 22, 2008 at 10:07 a.m. (Suggest removal)
DS will be looking to pound TX
After beating OU last year, there wont be any name intimidation factor for the rest of the team as well.
Posted by buff4life on July 22, 2008 at 10:22 a.m. (Suggest removal)
dont worry taligal wel be ready for the shorthorns-homecoming game in boulder, gonna be fun yes sir!!!!....you should be worried how your "pinkshirts" gonna stop those stud backs from kearney city college and omaha tech early in the season. KU was a fluke but mizzou errrr misery in columbia will be tough and the nebs will be another "gimme" game--another end of the season scrimmage game for the buffs as we get ready for the big 12 title game v OUtlaw U. 2008 will be known as the YEAR OF THE BUFFALO!!!!
Posted by montanabuff on July 22, 2008 at 11:44 a.m. (Suggest removal)
BuffMan6236 - I think our positions are compatible. You indicated that WVU would be the best team we play this year - I don't disagree. My thought was that Missouri would be the most difficult game. We get WVU at home, on national TV (extra adrenalin), after two weeks of prep (even longer if you consider that we could go very vanilla against Eastern Washington, so as not to show anything to the Mountaineers). The Missouri game, though, is on the road, and comes after a very difficult stretch of games. Also, CU hasn't fared particularly well in Columbia over the years, even in those years when the Tigers were tame.
I'll take a win over either - but if you ask me for the best bet for an "upset" win this year, I would say Texas.
http://www.cuatthegame.com
Posted by buffalo_flyer on July 22, 2008 at 11:53 a.m. (Suggest removal)
You all saw Major Applewhite commanding the offense for Alabama in the Independence Bowl. He's at UT now and should be a difference maker for the Longhorns. Combine that with the fact that OU's DC is going to be spending way more time this year looking at head coaching opportunities than at the bums in the backfield and the balance of power is definately shifting in the south.
The north shouldn't change much....MU, KU and CU will be fighting for the title, ISU will improve and KSU and NU will be fighting for the basement
Posted by RalphieRepresentah4 on July 22, 2008 at 12:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)
buff4life it's not the pink shirts it's the pink skirts!
Posted by buff4life on July 22, 2008 at 1 p.m. (Suggest removal)
skirts is a must better fit. mizzou is def gonna be tuff on the road and i usually make one big 12 road trip a year, so might have to go to lawrence as well as lincoln. and im completely "stoked" over a thursday night ESPN game with moutaineers in boulder, are you kidding me!!!! of course you could always move to lincoln and watch thursday night game between the bugeaters and hastings community college, whoooooop eeeeeeee!!!!!!go big red!!!!!
Posted by buff4life on July 22, 2008 at 1:13 p.m. (Suggest removal)
and im not sure minor applewhite is over his PTSD from that 2001 big 12 title game---cant wait for thousands of jubilant buff fans singing GLORY, GLORY COLORADO as those burnt face arrogant shorthorns exit folsom after hawk and crew dismantle em and if your not sure what that scene might look like ask barb stoops-a great sports illustrated photo by the way, 27-24!!!... and make sure that ugly bevo thing is outta the way when ralphie comes a charging outta his "shute"- a buffalo trampling is not a pretty sight, ask herbie husker
Posted by buff4life on July 22, 2008 at 1:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)
70-3, thats what makes this years game so much better and i guess that score really impacted DS from going there, huh?? at least i can remember the last time we beat texas and/or ou, how about the nebs???? better google it son, that is if google goes back to the big 8 days...and by the way that 70-3 score is usually what happens when college ahtletes play against balco using, paid to play, no class attending "cattle" athletes at texas, ask roger clemmens and roy williams...
Posted by buff4life on July 22, 2008 at 2:12 p.m. (Suggest removal)
coach hawk gonna get as much sleep as he did after 27-24 and 65-51....its the sleep patterns of that cheater mack brown and that hothead pelini i would be worried about. have you googled those scores of the last nu wins over texas and oklahoma yet????? probably "crashed" your computer.
Posted by buffalo_flyer on July 22, 2008 at 2:22 p.m. (Suggest removal)
That Texas team sure was good though, a FAR cry from what they'll be fielding this season
you gotta figure if the seniors circled any game this year, it would be homecoming
Posted by bufffan8 on July 22, 2008 at 2:41 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Al is Tall - You made that exact same post last year right before the OU game. You copied and pasted it and changed out Stoops for Brown and OU for UT.
Posted by buff4life on July 22, 2008 at 2:44 p.m. (Suggest removal)
hawk dont need your hints....some folks said that buff team in 2001 had lil talent also...and im sure that team that got "bombed" in boulder last year 65-51 and that team that lost 27-24 had way more "talent"---those so-called high school "blue-dip" players than the buffs....well leave the "we got more talented kids and better facilities" to the excuse having progams like yours...what has all that "talent" and better facilities gotten that team in linclon in the past 10 years???-----several fired coaches and a complete change in offense, maybe after pelini gets the same fate--the nebs can bring in turner gill and revive the option and fumbleruuskee. got those scores yet????? taligal--"stressing" that poor google system to the max.....
Posted by bkrug on July 22, 2008 at 4:03 p.m. (Suggest removal)
buff4life
Nebraska beat OU in '97 and Texas in '99 not quite the Big 8 days
Posted by bufffan8 on July 22, 2008 at 4:06 p.m. (Suggest removal)
So it's been 10 years (9 for UT). That's a long time.
Posted by extrapoint on July 22, 2008 at 4:22 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I'm saving all of Tall's posts.
and as for nightmares, I would have hated to be Tall's lover boy Barnett after that 70-3 game Tall referred to. Gary is gona be mad at you Tall....or is he just another one of you schizophrenic faces?
Posted by extrapoint on July 22, 2008 at 4:23 p.m. (Suggest removal)
oh yeah
and just so everyone knows ahead of time....bowhunting season is before the Texas game.
Posted by extrapoint on July 22, 2008 at 4:27 p.m. (Suggest removal)
as for Tall's comment on coaching, he is bankrupt leaning on Mack Brown. Now that those frauds Callahan and Carr have been shown the door, Brown is the biggest talent waster in college football.
He has always been in the top 3 in recruiting classes and has only one NC....excuse me....VY has one NC. His improvisation was way ahead of Mack's coaching that year.
Posted by buffalo_flyer on July 22, 2008 at 5:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)
We didn't lose to VY. We lost to a very good Texas team. That 70-3 score is way too often blamed on Barnett when alot of credit should go to the Longhorns. They did go on to break USC's 38 game win streak after all.
Posted by mewag28 on July 22, 2008 at 5:18 p.m. (Suggest removal)
what will the West Va line be?? I already have CU and 12 1/2 for $100 with a UWV friend.
Posted by extrapoint on July 22, 2008 at 5:25 p.m. (Suggest removal)
dang it flyer
why are you taking my tall bait out of the water?
please dont tell me you are one of his personalities too!
Posted by oz_in_cali on July 22, 2008 at 6:09 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I have said this before, but I am convinced that tallisal has a real name and that name is Shawn Watson.
Notice, the love for Nebraska, the love for Barnett, the hate for Hawk, the hate for Cody, the baseless cries of nepotism...etc...
Judge for yourself.
Posted by rodrigo on July 22, 2008 at 6:51 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Kenny's biggest fear, his doomsday scenario, is success for CU with Hawkins (Dan and/or Cody).
Hunker down, old man. The apocalypse is near!
Posted by reallifeshocker on July 22, 2008 at 7:45 p.m. (Suggest removal)
colorado will beat texas this year, and likely next as well. i can tell you, scott is not the least bit worried, or even concerned, about any so-called "hurt" the horns will try to "lay" on him. tough-as-nails running backs do not fear contact, they live for it. texas will be thinking "sooners in dallas", and "shredded" may be the word.
Posted by archalon on July 23, 2008 at 12:54 p.m. (Suggest removal)
If Buffs dont overlook the lambs in the opener, They'll start 3-0. WVU game is setup as a coming out party: 2 weeks to prepare, beatable opponent in game 2,WVU has the rep but is missing playmakers, new head coach,etc.
If they get to 3-1 (assuming road loss to FSU), watch out. Splitting KU\MU, beating a very young Texas team at home and a gimme win against ISU are strong liklehoods. Then it boils dow to how you do against OSU, A&M and NU and are chances are strong in each regard.
We know they'll lose one they should win and win one they shouldnt. KU is the later, A&M might be the former.
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