soonercastor
10/20/2010, 03:28 AM
GAME OF THE WEEK
Oklahoma (6-0) at Missouri (6-0) Oct. 23, 8:00, ABC
Here’s The Deal … Well look at that? Guess who’s No. 1 in the BCS? Forgetting that Oklahoma has been really, REALLY shaky at times against mediocre competition, blowing away Florida State and obliterating Iowa State appears to have been enough to be in the top-dog spot. But Missouri could make a run of its own for one of the coveted top two rankings with a win in one of the biggest spotlight games of the weekend.
Bad things happen when Missouri faces Oklahoma. The Tigers have lost seven in a row in the series, with the last victory coming in 1998, and they’ve lost 19 of the last 20 going back to 1983. This year’s team has flown under the radar, with an opening day win over Illinois looking stronger now than the 23-13 final score did in early September, and the comeback win over San Diego State better than it appeared at the time. Beating Colorado and Texas A&M by a combined score of 56-9 over the last two weeks has shown how MU has started to come into its own, but now come the real games with a trip to Nebraska next week to all but decide the North title, and with a date at Texas Tech to follow. But first, the Tigers have to take care of business and get the biggest win in the Gary Pinkel era.
Bad things happen when Oklahoma gets out of Oklahoma. The Sooners continue to crush and kill just about everything in their path inside the state’s borders, with the last loss coming to TCU at the beginning of the 2005 season, but the struggles away from home are becoming more and more apparent having problems to get by Texas two weeks ago, and beating Cincinnati by two. Last year, OU went 2-5 away from home, and now the trend will be put to one of its biggest tests. This has been a good team overall, and jaw-dropping at times, but the consistency isn’t there and there have been way too many problems closing out average teams. Will the No. 1 ranking flip a switch meaning the Oklahoma that was almost perfect against Iowa State will now show up every week? It’s time to earn that top spot, and beating Mizzou would do that.
Why Oklahoma Might Win: Missouri QB Blaine Gabbert will be under more pressure than he has seen all season long. Texas A&M got into the backfield last week, but it wasn’t enough to keep Gabbert from throwing for 361 yards. OU’s pass rush is even better and the front seven even faster than A&M’s, and Gabbert, who’s still trying to get past a hip pointer, isn’t going to be all that mobile. Missouri’s run defense hasn’t been a total rock, allowing 200 yards to Illinois and 250 yards to San Diego State, and OU will come out looking to establish the ground game with DeMarco Murray hitting his stride at just the right time. The senior has run for 100 yards or more in four of the first six games with 11 touchdown runs and two scoring grabs, and he could give the Tiger front four fits being used in a variety of ways. Missouri’s stats against the run aren’t quite as good as they appear with several sacks bringing the overall number down, but it’s about to be pounded on.
Why Missouri Might Win: Fine, so Mizzou hasn’t faced a who’s who of running games, but it has only allowed three rushing scores all season long -- all of them from San Diego State. The Oklahoma secondary has been a disaster at times, and while it has made up for most of its mistakes with key interceptions, it has also given up yards in chunks giving up 341 yards to Utah State and 305 to Cincinnati. Gabbert has been almost flawless so far, playing like the mature, confident passer with a year of experience under his belt, and he’s not going to melt down under the weight of the OU pass rush. The Sooner offensive line was able to neutralize the phenomenal Florida State pass rush and Landry Jones threw for 380 yards and four touchdowns in the blowout, but Missouri’s defensive line should play up to its billing and camp out in the backfield. The Sooner offensive line has allowed ten sacks so far, and it could have its hands full with …
What To Watch Out For: … the possible return of Aldon Smith. The Missouri sophomore is one of the nation’s top pass rushers when he’s healthy, but he’s not back to 100% yet after suffering a broken leg a few weeks ago. Practicing with the team and expected to be used in key situations, the breakout star of last year, who made 11.5 sacks and started out this year with three sacks in just two games, could shine for 10-to-15 plays. While he has been out, Brad Madison and the rest of the Tiger defense has picked up the slack with pressure coming from all sides.
What Will Happen: Oklahoma falls inexplicably flat away from home, and the defense will breakdown late after a strong first half. In the past, the Sooners have been able to survive by forcing mistakes, but the Tigers aren’t going to give them up and will end up finishing ahead in the turnover margin. Neither offense will get comfortable with the respective pass rushes controlling things for stretches, but Mizzou’s offense will mix it up just enough, and the defense will come up with just enough key stops, to pull off the Wisconsin-over-Ohio State-like win and take on the Big 12 spotlight … before losing at Nebraska next week.
we're ****ED!!! ;)
Oklahoma (6-0) at Missouri (6-0) Oct. 23, 8:00, ABC
Here’s The Deal … Well look at that? Guess who’s No. 1 in the BCS? Forgetting that Oklahoma has been really, REALLY shaky at times against mediocre competition, blowing away Florida State and obliterating Iowa State appears to have been enough to be in the top-dog spot. But Missouri could make a run of its own for one of the coveted top two rankings with a win in one of the biggest spotlight games of the weekend.
Bad things happen when Missouri faces Oklahoma. The Tigers have lost seven in a row in the series, with the last victory coming in 1998, and they’ve lost 19 of the last 20 going back to 1983. This year’s team has flown under the radar, with an opening day win over Illinois looking stronger now than the 23-13 final score did in early September, and the comeback win over San Diego State better than it appeared at the time. Beating Colorado and Texas A&M by a combined score of 56-9 over the last two weeks has shown how MU has started to come into its own, but now come the real games with a trip to Nebraska next week to all but decide the North title, and with a date at Texas Tech to follow. But first, the Tigers have to take care of business and get the biggest win in the Gary Pinkel era.
Bad things happen when Oklahoma gets out of Oklahoma. The Sooners continue to crush and kill just about everything in their path inside the state’s borders, with the last loss coming to TCU at the beginning of the 2005 season, but the struggles away from home are becoming more and more apparent having problems to get by Texas two weeks ago, and beating Cincinnati by two. Last year, OU went 2-5 away from home, and now the trend will be put to one of its biggest tests. This has been a good team overall, and jaw-dropping at times, but the consistency isn’t there and there have been way too many problems closing out average teams. Will the No. 1 ranking flip a switch meaning the Oklahoma that was almost perfect against Iowa State will now show up every week? It’s time to earn that top spot, and beating Mizzou would do that.
Why Oklahoma Might Win: Missouri QB Blaine Gabbert will be under more pressure than he has seen all season long. Texas A&M got into the backfield last week, but it wasn’t enough to keep Gabbert from throwing for 361 yards. OU’s pass rush is even better and the front seven even faster than A&M’s, and Gabbert, who’s still trying to get past a hip pointer, isn’t going to be all that mobile. Missouri’s run defense hasn’t been a total rock, allowing 200 yards to Illinois and 250 yards to San Diego State, and OU will come out looking to establish the ground game with DeMarco Murray hitting his stride at just the right time. The senior has run for 100 yards or more in four of the first six games with 11 touchdown runs and two scoring grabs, and he could give the Tiger front four fits being used in a variety of ways. Missouri’s stats against the run aren’t quite as good as they appear with several sacks bringing the overall number down, but it’s about to be pounded on.
Why Missouri Might Win: Fine, so Mizzou hasn’t faced a who’s who of running games, but it has only allowed three rushing scores all season long -- all of them from San Diego State. The Oklahoma secondary has been a disaster at times, and while it has made up for most of its mistakes with key interceptions, it has also given up yards in chunks giving up 341 yards to Utah State and 305 to Cincinnati. Gabbert has been almost flawless so far, playing like the mature, confident passer with a year of experience under his belt, and he’s not going to melt down under the weight of the OU pass rush. The Sooner offensive line was able to neutralize the phenomenal Florida State pass rush and Landry Jones threw for 380 yards and four touchdowns in the blowout, but Missouri’s defensive line should play up to its billing and camp out in the backfield. The Sooner offensive line has allowed ten sacks so far, and it could have its hands full with …
What To Watch Out For: … the possible return of Aldon Smith. The Missouri sophomore is one of the nation’s top pass rushers when he’s healthy, but he’s not back to 100% yet after suffering a broken leg a few weeks ago. Practicing with the team and expected to be used in key situations, the breakout star of last year, who made 11.5 sacks and started out this year with three sacks in just two games, could shine for 10-to-15 plays. While he has been out, Brad Madison and the rest of the Tiger defense has picked up the slack with pressure coming from all sides.
What Will Happen: Oklahoma falls inexplicably flat away from home, and the defense will breakdown late after a strong first half. In the past, the Sooners have been able to survive by forcing mistakes, but the Tigers aren’t going to give them up and will end up finishing ahead in the turnover margin. Neither offense will get comfortable with the respective pass rushes controlling things for stretches, but Mizzou’s offense will mix it up just enough, and the defense will come up with just enough key stops, to pull off the Wisconsin-over-Ohio State-like win and take on the Big 12 spotlight … before losing at Nebraska next week.
we're ****ED!!! ;)