Mizzou Football: PREGAMIN ‘SOUTH CAROLINA

Keep calm and wear a mask!

All aboard the Hype train!

I do not intend to criticize this. I am very happy to have exaggerated videos back!

So fresh and so clean, clean

I … I don’t hate it! I’ve never been a fan of showing yellow as a primary color, but it actually works very well with the white shirt.

Of course, Block M is back and it’s a perfect configuration with the yellow cap. As I said on Twitter, all it took for the program to make the complete transition to Block M was a week screaming about it on Twitter.

Do we ever feel powerful?

What the Experts Are Saying

It seems silly to start with anything else, except the obvious. COVID-19 prevented Missouri from playing for several weeks, and it is difficult to say for sure if any games will be played until the beginning. What are your expectations for the rest of the year regarding the Missouri schedule?

Josh Matejka, Deputy Manager: I think it’s reasonable to expect Missouri to go at least 3-2 in these last five games, assuming they still play Georgia in the last week of recovery. But the real question is, are they really going to play all five? And to be honest, I don’t see how that is possible.

COVID-19 is not improving across the country with infections increasing by the day. Some schools are doing preventive work by removing students from campus, but it seems naive to think that this will completely remove the threat. My expectations are almost entirely out of the window at this point, but if I am forced to choose, I would say that Missouri has at least two games canceled immediately. Tigers are likely to be selected for a game of bowling if they get four wins; so if you get at least two of those last, how many games, I’ll be satisfied.

Nate Edwards, football editor: My expectation at the moment is to win two games. As of now it is South Carolina, Arkansas, Mississippi, Vanderbilt, then possibly / probably Georgia. Beat all four / five and you can go ahead and let your expectations soar; three would be incredibly impressive, and two is almost certain. One is not great, but, as I said a thousand times, I just don’t care enough about this season to pick up any long-term negative issues and extrapolate for future seasons. And, just to be a huge negative again, I hope that at least one other game will be canceled by COVID before 2020 ends.

Brandon Kiley, principal football writer: It is so difficult to say something with certainty. We know that – Missouri is not in the same place as many other SEC schools. It is not that the Tigers are having some violent outbreaks among the team. They are starting at a disadvantage. Recruitment sanctions, withdrawals and transfers have officially impacted the Tigers’ list. The team is reduced to 54 stock market players before any problems related to COVID. This certainly makes it difficult to field a list of 53 men on Saturdays. They have zero margin of error. Hopefully, they are able to maintain that. We are going through a pandemic. It will be difficult to do that.

Another major piece of news fell this weekend, when South Carolina disbursed nearly $ 15 million to send Will Muschamp away. Coach layoffs tend to have one of two effects on a team – galvanizing them for greater success or giving them reasons to balance. How do you see Gamecocks reacting to the expulsion of their coaches?

NCAA Football: South Carolina in Mississippi

Josh Matejka: I don’t want to be lazy, but I think we are already seeing the response from South Carolina before they take to the field. Several players, including arguably the team’s three best defenders in high school, have already opted for the rest of the season. As Nate pointed out in his full view, Gamecocks are 107th against the pass and 113th on the downs. To be honest, I can’t imagine that losing three starters (and two NFL candidates) outside of high school will help a lot in morale.

Of course, you can never take anything for granted against a Division I team. The guys around are likely to have some kind of problem and may want to fight. But it is difficult to see a team like South Carolina – which already faces a losing season and a long transition ahead – preparing for a game against another team under reconstruction like Missouri.

Nate Edwards: In a normal season, you might be able to convince yourself of the Gamecocks by fighting the interim Mike Bobo and ending up strong. But I find it hard to believe in this case: they already have five defeats, there is no way they can win the division and, since all teams are eligible for a bowl, no matter how much, no effort is needed to work towards to a post-season game. Does this two-win team really want to be quarantined and sacrifice their entire university life for a team that does not need any effort to achieve its staggering goals for a coaching staff that will not exist next year? No way. I imagine that several guys choose [editor’s note: this was submitted Monday, four players opted out by Wednesday] and the team’s sleep goes on until the end. Of course, now that I said it out loud, South Carolina is going to win every game on its schedule

Brandon Kiley: Well, we have seen some players transfer since their resignation, including several junior high school players. So this is not good for South Carolina! I’m sure they’ll be shooting. We will probably see some tricks. They are going to try things that we haven’t seen in the film at any time this season. What does Mike Bobo have to lose? He knows he won’t get that job. It is better to throw everything on the wall to see what sticks.

That said, this is not a very good team from South Carolina. There is a reason why Muschamp was fired. The Tigers had every opportunity to win this game with Muschamp and before transfers. This does not change after the movements.

It’s been a few weeks since we saw Missouri on the field, and it’s hard to know what to expect. What are you most concerned about with the Tigers getting out of the three-week layoff?

Josh Matejka: Are you ready for some ugly football? I’m ready for some ugly football.

I cannot imagine how this will manifest itself in the countryside. Too many covers broken in the secondary? I could see that. Blown readings from linebackers and the defensive line? I could see that. Lack of chemistry between Bazelak and his recipients? I could see that. Abundance of fatalities? I could veeeeeeeefinitely.

More than anything, I just want the Tigers to play a solid game. There will definitely be an adjustment period in the beginning, and I would love for Missouri to have a bad quarter instead of a bad half. But my basic expectation is that things are going to be bad at first, and that can extend well into the game.

Nate Edwards: Execution is going to suck. We practice with the zoom and the depth on both lines is incredibly fine. I think it will take a few moments for both sides to wake up and remember how the football tackle looks and feels, and that would be a shame, as this is the period of games where Missouri has a legitimate chance of winning.

Brandon Kiley: I am more concerned with depth. There are clear issues in both the offensive and the defensive line. This is a major concern. Otherwise, it must be basically the same team that we saw the last time they entered the field. It is true that this was not very good for Tigers. But South Carolina is certainly not on a par with Florida. I don’t expect many problems that we haven’t seen yet.

CHOOSE THEM! It looks like a great guessing game, but the line opened up with Missouri as a 6-point favorite. It is the first time in the entire season that Missouri is the favorite. Can they cover?

Josh Matejka: Who has 10 typing fingers and doesn’t have confidence in this choice? That’s right – it’s this guy!

There are a myriad of ways in which I could see this game developing, and I don’t think that any scenario is off the table. Perhaps the least likely is an explosion in South Carolina, but I still wouldn’t be shocked by anything. It all comes down to how long it takes Missouri to wake up. They are the best team at the moment, but they are coming out of a longer layoff than the Gamecocks. However, they are likely to have more confidence as a group, which can help speed up the recovery process.

Ultimately, I think Missouri has a better chance of winning than South Carolina, but I don’t think it’s a fun game to watch. I especially don’t see Missouri moving away at any time. I would probably be more likely to push a -6 line, but it has since changed to -6.5, so I have to make a choice. I think Mizzou ends up covering … maybe? Idk, guys, who knows anything else?

Nate Edwards: I find it hard to believe that any team wins by more than 3 here. Do you trust a team that hasn’t practiced for at least a week or a team that is bad enough to kick the coach to the curb? I will say it is the ugliest 28-27 victory you can find, with the advantage going to Missouri. But, wow, I have no confidence in reading this game.

Brandon Kiley: I have been absolutely terrible at choosing games in Missouri this year. I don’t think I chose a single game correctly against spread, honestly. But I go ahead and take Missouri to win immediately and South Carolina to make up the difference. A 6.5-point spread seems like a lot for a team like Missouri, which still has a lot of weaknesses. I think they take care of business. But 6.5 points on the road is too much to cover.

Missouri 31, South Carolina 26.

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