Mizzou Preview

With so much negative press the past few years, it's refreshing to finally see the good things someone can accomplish with the help of steroids. Not only was QB Chase Daniel able to lead his HS team (SL Carroll) to a couple of state championships, he's now lead Mizzou to it's best start in decades.

reason to be very afraid:

• the mizzou defense
  this defense, ranked 10th against the run and 11th overall, absolutely obliterated the Texas Tech offense last week. Coming out of halftime, with the momentum completely in Tech's favor, Mizzou pulled what can only be described as a Morpheus with a sword vs. Escalade Truck (see Matrix: Reloaded), deflating and destroying any chances for a Tech comeback.


• inconsistency from A&M:
  the term "a 2nd Half team" would be an understatement. Sometimes i wonder if the maroon team on the field is merely a huge optical illusion meant to give Fran and the team more time to rest in the locker room and feast on their favorite snacks. If the Aggies want a chance at beating this team, they gotta show up and stop giving away the first half.


• Balance:
  Mizzou averages 179yds rushing and 245yds passing per game....f*ck.

reason for hope:

• Michael Bennett and Chris Harrington
  if these two guys can play like they did against KU last week (like they should), putting constant pressure on Daniel and limiting the run game, the Ags will have a chance.


• Stephen McGee
  this guy is a straight up leader. he will find a way to win.


• Mizzou overinflated
  if you thought A&M's pre-conference schedule was easy, take a look at Mizzou's. The only non-terrible team that Missouri has played was Texas Tech, and thanks to Tech's 5 tunovers, the Tigers never even had to struggle. To summarize, Mizzou hasn't played a close game all season, and when they find themselves in a dogfight Saturday, it's hard to say how they'll actually play.

If Fran comes out and decides to go straight for the jugular instead of his usual strategy of playing not-to-lose until 5:00 left in the 4th, then A&M will have a fighting chance.

Big XII Power Rankings - Week 7

with a 1/4 of the conference schedule already in the books, it's time to start tracking the race for Arrowhead.

The North

1. Missouri
   as much as i've been hyping them this season, they're a lil overinflated, yet they're the only consistently impressive team in the North.


2. Nebraska
   to be honest, i don't think the Cornhuskers are the second best team in the North. If only Kansas had been able to seal the deal in OT.


3. Kansas
   don't let the 3-3 record fool you, this team is talented and tenacious. the Jayhawks are a mere handful of plays from being 6-0. yet, until they sort out their QB situation, KU might be in for more close losses and "moral victoris".


4. Iowa State
   their play has been woefully flat and inconsistent. QB Brett Meyer has simply not been able to deliver the level of play that the ISU offense demands. The Cyclones are finding themselves struggling for bowl eligibility, instead of the Big XII title.


5. Kansas State
   with freshmen and backups playing for much of the game, K-State managed to squeak by with the win in Manhattan last weekend. Despite their 4-2 record, a glance at the remaining schedule doesn't bode well for their bowl hopes.


6. Colorado
   is anyone else hoping they go 0for, just to see if that could really happen to Big XII school...other than Baylor.

The South

1. Texas
   with their obliteration of Oklahoma and the overnight maturing of QB Colt McCoy, the South is theirs to lose.


2. Oklahoma
   you just have to assume a QB will mature and improve after handing out turnovers like that against the team's biggest rival


3. Texas A&M
   what!? how dare i place them above a team they lost too!! the reason i do this is because the Ags match up very well with the rest of the teams on their schedule, whereas Tech does not.


4. Texas Tech
   as i was saying..Tech has shown to the conference it's two major weaknesses, absolute dependence on one guy to power the offense and the defense's inability to contest the run. I see atleast two more losses in store for the Red Raiders.


5. Baylor
   Baylor has played several close games against very good teams, coming out on top on a few of them. Don't let this team fool you, this is not the Baylor, bitch of the Big XII, this is the Guy Morris spread offense Baylor.


6. Oklahoma State
   the Cowboys are consistently scoring 25+ per game, yet against legitimate opponents, the defense is allowing over 30ppg. Until coach Mike Gundy can recruit the players he needs for his D, the best OSU can hope for the rest of this season is a major upset or two (be very afraid Aggies..)

Top 25: Week 7

My Top 25 for Week 7:

1. Ohio State
2. Florida
3. Michigan
4. USC
5. Texas
6. Louisville
7. West Virginia
8. Tennessee
9. Cal
10. Auburn
11. Clemson
12. Notre Dame
13. Iowa
14. LSU
15. Missouri
16. Ga. Tech
17. Oregon
18. Georgia
19. Va. Tech
20. Nebraska
21. Arkansas
22. Oklahoma
23. Washington
24. Washington St.
25. Texas A&M

• Auburn takes a nasty tumble with it's loss to Arkansas. Although the Razorbacks aren't some bottom of the barrell team, the #2 team in the nation can't get shutout for the 3 quarters in their own place.


• i'm keeping USC out of my top 3 because that's an inflated stock that is bound to bust. I admire the tenacity they've shown in finding ways to win, but right now, the only thing getting them votes is the name of the program and not their play on the field.


• i'll admit, i was skeptical of the Texas hype this season, and for good reason. not anymore. provided that the Colt McCoy of the Red River Shootout is the one that continues to lead the Longhorn offense (..and not the McCoy of the Ohio State game), they could find themselves in the running for another BCS bowl.


• since stumbling early in Boston, Clemson has waged a Shermanesque campaign of destruction up and down the coast. Look for Clemson to bust into the Top 10 this weekend as they make like the Romans and destroy (the) Temple.


• a win over the Ags this Saturday will give Mizzou the legitimacy it needs to sky rocket in the polls and truly contend for the conference title.


• there must be something in the water up in Washington this year. Both schools (Washington and Washington State) have done exceptionally well against very respectable schedules, and both came within 6(!) of USC. Could the balance of power in the Pac-10 be shifting northward?


• Texas A&M....big whoop wanna fight about it? and don't give me any of that Boise State or Rutgers trash, of all the 5-1 teams left unranked, i like the Ags' chances of salvaging their Big XII hopes, starting this Saturday.

ScalpEm.com's actual Top 25

Kansas Roadtrip: update 2

just got back from Midnight Yell...in Missouri?
it was intimate to say the least, there were maybe 60 people there.

gotta punch out now

i gotta get to the game a few hours early (shooting for the Battalion)..and the game is about an hour away, with an 11:00 am start time, sweet.

BTHO KU!

Preview: @ Kansas

Kansas

until last week, my only worry about the Kansas game was the drive there and Fran's terrible record when it comes to the first road (real road game, Army was a "road" game with a home crowd) game of the year (0-4). Then, backup QB Adam Barrman took the Jayhawks to the brink of upsetting Nebraska..in Lincoln, throwing for over 400 yds. If memory serves correctly, Barrman was the QB that stepped in half-way through a run away aggie victory at Kyle in 2003 and made the game much more interesting than it should've been.



The question for Saturday's game between the Aggies and Jayhawks is NOT "will Meier or Barrman be the starter?" rather, it will be "which Barrman will show up to the game, the one that almost beat Nebraska or the one that has been plagued with inconsistency and a severe case of the choke's (the Barrman of 2003-last week)?"

Assuming Barrman's performance in Nebraska was not a fluke, but rather a sign of long overdue maturity, his aerial attack combined with a tenacious and adaptive defense should give the Ags fits.

Yet, will the recent improvement in Kansas' play be enough to stop the Ags' offensive prowess? Not likely, the 2006 LB corps is still a shadow of its former self, look for the J-Train to make multiple stops in the end zone.

This one looks to be a shootout, the team with the defense giving up the fewest big plays and the offense that turns the ball over least will walk away with the victory.




"[A&M's]..first road game of the season at a venue that is tough as nails on the visiting team."
- PhogBlog.com


..rock-chalk this.

ahh..wesuckagain!

Texas Tech - 31
Texas A&M - 27

gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawd damnit

before we go setting fire to the the already charred FranWagon, stuffing his mailbox with Little Debbies, and petitioning our state representatives for a coaching change, let's take a deep breath and look back at what transpired last saturday.

The Bad:

• the Defensive Line:
  the most heralded unit on the defensive side of the ball failed to make an impact against the Red Raider blitzkrieg offense. Harrell dropped back 45 times, going untouched on all of them.


• Stephen McGee:
  i don't know whether it was the concussion in the first half or if he was just terribly off, but our hero, our golden boy was the main reason we lost the game. His utter inability to make the correct reads or to get the ball in the hands of our recievers left our offense crippled and without an aerial option...leaving us with just..the option. Had McGee been able to throw the ball on saturday, A&M would be 5-0 and the FranWagon wouldn't be taking fire.

The Good:

• Coaching:
  the gameplan was brilliant and effective. The defense utilized the 4-2-5 and zone coverage efficiently, allowing Tech to take the short yardage passes while preventing any big deep strikes (...with the exception of a certain 4th Qtr play with 25 seconds left). The offense feasted on clock and despite being constipated in the first half...eventually started shitting TDs. For those who want to blame Fran for the failed 3rd down conversion in the 4th, would you have had McGee attempt another pass with the game on the line? If anything, i would question Fran for not putting Branyon in the game...but then again, we don't know how well Branyon runs the option compared to a concussed McGee.


• the Ground Pounders:
  Tech was absolutely helpless to stop the running attack. play after play, J-Lane, Lewis, Goodson (0 fumbles!!), Leone & Co. smashed the red raiders in the teeth, averaging 5.3 yds a play. Starting on their own 1 yd line, the Ags drove it 99 yds for a TD, rushing the ball on 98% of the plays.

To build on:
Although the defense played "well" against what was probably the toughest match-up (zone shredding pass attack vs. weak secondary) it will face all season, a loss is still a loss. The Ags are no longer in control of their Big XII championship dreams, not only do they need to win every game from here out, they need Tech to lose atleast two more. The experience gained against Tech will prove valuable against the up & coming Mizzou spread attack in two weeks. If the Ags can continue to run the ball with the same authority seen this past Saturday, expect only a d-line the likes of Texas' to offer any legitamate challenge. Until then, our biggest enemy: inconsistency on offense



This week: Kansas

MIA

much apologies for my MIA status this past week.

i could blame it on the blackouts across the brazos valley, an increase in my course and work load, or severe depression after the Tech loss... but i think we all know i'm just a lazy bastard.




i'm currently driving through Kansas with my dad (trip #89540 to KS, yes it's still very rolly and very plains-y), i'll post as soon as i can find another hotspot.