Looks like Missouri has found a D, quotes from the Corn game.

[aurorasooner]

I can see a pretty good chess match setting up in Norman between 4 coordinators. I'm wondering if we're going to get any big plays Sat. Night or we will be stifled and frustrated like up in Boulder. It's going to be interesting to see if KW implements more motion with MK & JI, and if we can run between the tackles, on 1st and 2nd down in the 1st half, or if we're going to be in 2nd/long & 3rd long all the time.
In the 41-6 victory, a Missouri defense that routinely gave up big plays through its first four games held the Cornhuskers to a season-low 297 yards total offense and didn’t surrender a single play from scrimmage longer than 18 yards.

That, in itself, marked significant progress.

Only three times in the last four years has Missouri held its opponent without a 20-yard play from scrimmage. The other two occurred last season against Murray State and, coincidentally, Oklahoma, MU’s next opponent. The Sooners produced 358 yards in last year’s 26-10 win in Columbia, but their longest run was 15 yards and longest pass 18.

"I just thought we hit harder, we were more aggressive," said Missouri Coach Gary Pinkel, whose No. 11 Tigers (5-0, 1-0 Big 12) play at No. 6 Oklahoma (5-1, 1-1) at 5:30 p.m. Saturday. "I thought we attacked more, each player did. It was just a different defense. We saw spots of that throughout the four previous games. To me, that was the story of the evening, how well our defense played against a really, really good offense."On the Missouri offense. Chase Daniel can obviously pick apart a zone even with 8 defenders protecting that zone, especially if he's got all day to throw. I think we have much better athletes on D than Nebraska, but if our previous games are any indication, we may be chasing a lot of underneath stuff on Sat. night. Hopefully we'll come out fired up at home like MissOU did against Nebraska and not only get a couple of picks early, but also be able to move the ball on offense, especially on 1st down. I would like to us be in position to get some pass-break-ups on the catch (or in front of the catch) instead of us chasing them the whole game, as well.
"I was a little bit surprised that they went just about the entire game getting pressure on us with a three-man rush," Missouri offensive coordinator Dave Christensen said. "Obviously, it didn’t work very well. I don’t foresee Oklahoma doing that or at least making a living doing that."

Daniel was less subtle in his reaction to Nebraska’s game plan.

"They’re very stubborn," Daniel said. "Cosgrove’s a very stubborn guy. It’s always been that way. … That’s just how he is, that’s how they are. They’re a bunch of confident guys in what they do, and they felt they had the best chance doing that, so they stuck with it."

"You can’t just play one defense the whole entire game," Daniel added. "That’s like high school stuff that I faced in high school, so it’s nothing new for me." OUCH, that's not going to go over very well with the corn faithful this week.

[Blitzkrieg]

I'll believe they have a defense when I see it for the first time this season. Nebraska was shellshocked, and ave up on their coaches, other than Keller.

They rely on getting a 14 to 21 point first half lead and taking you out of your offense. Our ball control with Brown and AP will be important. Play action to Kelly will be deadly.

[pott_2]

I think C. Daniel is a much better QB than the 12-year-old tejas wonder boy. The wonder child did a pretty good job passing in the holes in OUr zone. It kills me to say that...but we gave up to many yards. Since Daniel is better,IMO, blah blah blah. You get where I am going.

[Desert Sapper]

Mizzou has good Tight End play. We got smoked by a Tight End against Tejas. Think Chase might throw to his Tight Ends? A lot? We better figure out how to cover that hole in our zone behind the middle backer. Now.

[aurorasooner]

Interesting. I see Missouri pulling everything out of their azz they can to win on Sat.
Missouri’s record against ranked foes is even worse. Coach Gary Pinkel is just 2-15 against teams in the AP Top 25 - including 0-6 on the road - in his seven years at Missouri, with both wins against Nebraska. The Tigers have lost 13 straight road games to ranked opponents. I just flipped through the CSTV listings and can't find the Bob Stoops show this week (to DVR). they've got every other Big 12 show, Leach, Mangino, inside Texas Football, Cowboy Football, Callahan, This week in Mizzou, Ron Pince show, Chizek, Nutt-job, Aggie sports connection. There it is, not 'till Friday Morning. I would like to see SoonerSports get with FCSC and get this on a little earlier in the week. By the time Fri. rolls around you usually could care less about last weeks game. The Tech/ Iowa State game is on right now, and Tech went through Iowa State in the 1st Qtr like s*&t thru a goose. Crabtree is a helluva receiver.

[OUDoc]

To me, this is setting up just like Iowa State in 2002. I hope it works out the same way.

[Rock Hard Corn Frog]

Mizzou has good Tight End play. We got smoked by a Tight End against Tejas. Think Chase might throw to his Tight Ends? A lot? We better figure out how to cover that hole in our zone behind the middle backer. Now.


They have probably the best 1-2 punch at TE and they are the strength of MU's offense...but

They are really used more like WR than TE. Finley for Tejas was also a real good TE but the difference is that we had to respect the run from Texas and he was getting in between the zone. MU has NO power running game and the only play action they have is when they fake a reverse. With Tejas the TE got open because we focused on taking away the WRs and the running game. I think MU's TEs will get plenty of attention.

MU's defense will wilt under any pressure at all. The fact that Neb mailed it in after falling behind in front of a loud MU crowd does not mean MU is ready to line up and stop OU. If they don't have 8 in the box we will run all day. If they put 8 in the box Kelly and Iglacias will both have big days.

[sooner518]

I watched about 15 minutes of the Callenberger show and was not all that impressed by Mizzou. The plays I saw, NU was blowing their D-line off the ball and producing huge holes for the RB's. On offense, Mizzou seemed to convert alot of 3rd down and longs. It just seems like a better team than NU would exploit that kind of stuff.

[MojoRisen]

They definitely use the TE more like recievers - We have typically been able to mix it up on MIZZOU - they are a totally different team than playing a texas who can run the ball.

On Offense - I would just go ahead and roll up half a hundred on them and not worry to much about tottal ball controll other than moving the ball and scoring as often as possible-

My prediction if we play well would be 38 -21 OU

[Sooner Among The Pack]

To me, this is setting up just like Iowa State in 2002. I hope it works out the same way.

Owen Field-- Where Heisman Candidacies from the Big XII North go to DIE!!!!!!!

IN THE RAIN!!!!!!!!! :D

[soonerinabilene]

The fact that they gave up no big plays to nebraska is due more to the fact that they were playing against a team coached by this guy than anything else:http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n289/soonerinabilene/72704159.jpg

[BoomerJack]

From Rock Hard above:

"MU has NO power running game...."

I believe I read in the local fishwrapper that a Mizzou RB was injured last week and will be less than 100 per cent. Anybody else read/hear that???

[Larry&Leisa]

saw that also about the injuried running back..

This is from the St Louis paper..

INJURY REPORT

Running back Tony Temple, who suffered a sprained ankle last week, said he expects to play against Oklahoma and that he's probably about 90 percent right now. Temple left last week's game before halftime and did not return. ... Receiver Danario Alexander was without a cast on his broken left hand during Monday's media day and said he was getting the hand examined Monday evening to see whether he needed to put the cast back on. Alexander said he tried to lift weights without the cast and that his wrist was weak, but the hand didn't hurt. Alexander made a 48-yard touchdown catch with the cast on last weekend.

[Scott D]

Daniel's been most of Missouri's running game this year, the same as last year, the same as how Brad Smith was most of their running game the four previous years.

[Blitzkrieg]

Funny story, the day we got AD to sign his LOI, I mentioned it to a bro in law who lives in KC. He said, who cares about Adrian Petersen, we just signed the best back in country! That would have been Tony Temple, a KC football legend, but pretty much a disappointment in college.

They have some decent backups, the run will not be there for them saturday.

[Stitch Face]

To me, this is setting up just like Iowa State in 2002. I hope it works out the same way.


In the rain...that would be teh awexome.

[GoTigers]

Temple did sprain his ankle late in the 2nd quarter vs Nebraska. I think he will play, but won't be 100

I don't think this will have a very big effect on the game. It's true, Chase Daniel was our leading rusher last weekend, and Derrick Washington, our true freshman RB is looking like a strong guy who'll be able to carry the load. Not to mention All-purpose guy Jeremy Maclin.

[Desert Sapper]

MU has NO power running game

They average nearly 200 yards/game on the ground. Temple is their leading rusher. Don't get me wrong. If we play a complete game, we'll murder Mizzou. If we don't, we'll pay.

[Rock Hard Corn Frog]

They average nearly 200 yards/game on the ground. Temple is their leading rusher. Don't get me wrong. If we play a complete game, we'll murder Mizzou. If we don't, we'll pay.

Yes, they have run the ball some once they have had a lead but I said that they have no power running game. Everything is from the spread, shotgun whether it is 3rd and 15 or 3rd and 1. I meant it as it relates to their TEs. I'm not saying our LBs won't ever have to cover their TEs but it isn't the same as Reynolds or Lofton coming up to support the run and then getting hit with a PA pass up the seam. Temple is the leading rusher however Daniel is the top rushing option.

I basically point it out because it seems like the conventional wisdom among those who think we will struggle on defense is that because Finley burned us 3 times on PA that MU is just going to throw to Rucker and Coffman and we won't have an answer for it. Also I say it because MU's offense is about as far from ball conrol as ou get. If they score they score in 1-2 minute drives ,or else they turn the go 3 and out.

If I'm concerned at all about defending against MU it is Daniel scrambling. Tony Temple will be a complete non-factor, unless it is fumbling away to us.

I can understand being nervous about the game because I think it is probably our best chance of losing a game in the regular season. I'm nervous only because I live in MO and I expect to hear from several of my MU buddies if OU loses. I just think that there is big potential for a home blowout if I were laying money on the game I'd put quite a bit on OU to cover. Between still being very much in the NC hunt,MU not being able to sneak up on us, the game getting national attention on Gameday and 85,000+ OU fans making a lot of noise Sat night I just can't see the team going out and going through the motions.

I'll just say I wouldn't want to be playing against us Sat night.

[Crucifax Autumn]

I think it shapes up to be an excellent game that will be close for the first half.

Then in the second half, we're gonna roll.

58-20

[jeepdad]

From Rock Hard above:

"MU has NO power running game...."

I believe I read in the local fishwrapper that a Mizzou RB was injured last week and will be less than 100 per cent. Anybody else read/hear that???


Stats:

Mizzou averages 35 rushes for just under 200 yards per game.
OU averages 41 rushes for about 216 yards per game.

OU's rushing offense is ranked 15th nationally.
Mizzou's rushing offense is ranked 24th nationally.

My point is that Mizzou DOES have a running game that, statistically, is not far behind OU's. Expect them to use it often to test OU and open up the passing lanes for Chase Daniel. They will not rely on Temple as much as they will some of the quicker, more elusive talent they have on the bench. If Mizzou has even marginal success on the ground, look out -- it may be a big night for Daniel and the Tigers.

[illinisooner]

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/stories.nsf/mizzou/story/25C5DF479D4C3EFA862573710013CE27?OpenDocument

This shouldn't inspire alot of confidence if you're a Mizzou fan.

[aurorasooner]

My point is that Mizzou DOES have a running game that, statistically, is not far behind OU's. Expect them to use it often to test OU and open up the passing lanes for Chase Daniel. They will not rely on Temple as much as they will some of the quicker, more elusive talent they have on the bench. If Mizzou has even marginal success on the ground, look out -- it may be a big night for Daniel and the Tigers. I think in this one we've got to get our inside running going....somehow. In the 1st half I look for Missouri to stop our inside running game at all costs, just like Colorado and Texas did. If we dick around on 1st and 2nd down and are hell-bent on getting inside yards straight-on out of that one-back set, and our OL aren't opening any holes putting us 2nd long/3rd medium/long, then it's going to be a tight 1st half. JMHO, but we're going to have score at least 35 points (and maybe more) to win this, and I hope KW comes in with that attitude. If we somehow get the inside running game going in the 1st half and are making 1st downs, then we can't get down in the red zone and run on 1st down, run on 2nd down and pass on 3rd down and screw around with FGs.
Throwing across the middle and crossing patterns over the middle and out to the flats will be Missouri's MO, because we haven't shown we can cover anyone there. It's pretty simple on defense for us, If BV's blitzes are being picked up easily, then we're going to be chasing a lot after the catch. I look for C. Daniel to have long snap counts to try and make our blitzing player(s) get impatient (like they have have been) and tip him off when they're coming. Again this week, our DL need to keep their heads up on the rush and pursue C. Daniels if he's out of the pocket and they need to get into the lanes with their hands up, if they can't get to the QB, and knock some balls down. I wouldn't be surprised to see Missouri run a double reverse, pitch back to the QB, then a deep-ball (as well as all kinds of tricky stuff). We need to keep downfield coverage. Also, we need to do the exact same thing, instead of just running the reverses, and trick stuff for show when we're 30 to 35 points ahead of opponents. If KW has a good game with his play calling and BV doesn't just use the same blitz package which will be constantly picked up, then I think we win this game by a minimum of 21, unless we start putting the ball on the ground and our receivers (and DBs) get the brick hands back.

[Desert Sapper]

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/stories.nsf/mizzou/story/25C5DF479D4C3EFA862573710013CE27?OpenDocument

This shouldn't inspire alot of confidence if you're a Mizzou fan.

I like what their Cornerbacks coach said:

Their whole wide receiver corps has NFL written all over it.


...the Tigers still rank 100 out of 119 teams in pass defense.


The Tigers' biggest challenge this week will be staying at home on the play-action pass. Because the Sooners' running game is one of the best in the nation, most teams bite on the fake. Oklahoma has burned several teams with the play action, and Missouri has not been the best at reading it.

"You come up on the run, stop the run, and then they go deep on you," MU coach Gary Pinkel said. "They're great players, so it's going to present a problem, there's no question about it. Hopefully, we'll have a good plan. We want to minimize the number of big plays."

Hope is not a method.

[toast]

A lot is being read into mu's thrashing of nebraska, but they had two weeks to gameplan for them.