In case you didn’t see it (and for your sake, I hope you and the entire College Football Playoff Committee didn’t), Mizzou was given a boat race these days in College Station. The final score turned into Texas A&M 41, Mizzou 10. And it wasn’t truly even that near.
There’s not sufficient lipstick within the midwest to use for this pig, but I signed up to deal with the post-sport five takeaways, so here is going:
1. Wow. Just wow.
I sat through seventy-three-zero. If you’re too young to comprehend that reference, congratulations, do yourself a favor and don’t hassle to look it up. I never thought I’d see that once more, but while it was given to 34-zero, this sport had a similar feeling. Thank goodness that A&M was referred to as off the dogs after that point.
Welp. The dew is off the lily. It’s a disgrace, but Mizzou can be considered a fraud nationally, and there’s no longer a rattling element any people enthusiasts can say to counter it. And that’s too horrific because this program is really better than it was confirmed on Saturday. Drink may have a pretty hard job of motivation going ahead – both with the crew and with the fan base – because this team was given flat-out embarrassment on the national stage. It’s the type of outcome that could sink a group’s season if the leadership isn’t tight. The Tigers entered 2024 with dreams of attaining the playoffs, and they’ve faced some massive adversity from which they ought to regroup.
Are the playoff opportunities absolutely out the window simply because of one week? Technically no, however let’s play it out. Let’s say that Mizzou is capable of winning each closing game other than at Alabama (let’s be sensible) and ends at 10-2 normal. Is that playoff-worthy? Absolutely, on paper. However, the bloodletting they are skilled in today is worse than one loss in the eyes of the CFP committee. It’d be one component to go into adversarial surroundings against an exceptional crew and have a back-and-forth game that doesn’t go your manner. But to be manhandled so absolutely in each facet of the sport, this turned into now not the audition tape they had been looking to position out there. If Mizzou is going 10-2 with both losses in blowout fashion, there may be a variety of reasons to go away them out of the 12-group discipline in the end.
There are still masses of seasons left, but I think we can all loosen up on the playoff discussion. If the Tigers can play their way lower back into the conversation, that’s extremely good. Let’s just take it week-by-week and see how this crew chooses to respond.
2. Mizzou’s manhood was given challenges. They weren’t up to the challenge.
I’m absolutely surprised that the Aggies had been so bodily-dominant. That’s not something we’ve seen for a while, and I think this software has turned beyond having that happen to them. A&M seemed like they’d a one-of-a-kind degree of athleticism, and it turned into honestly sudden to peer. On offense, the QB run sport is non-existent, and there are no brief slants, monitors, or swing passes to take the stress off Brady Cook. The passing game looks as if all lengthy-developing routes, and at the same time as there had been some that must have hit, universal the offensive line couldn’t protect nicely enough to provide Cook time to find his second or third options.
And why can’t Brady scramble successfully anymore? Even while he attempted to pull the ball down and pass, he didn’t seem to be rapid and difficult like he’s been the past couple of years. Even more surprising was the truth that Connor Weigman of A&M regarded manner greater fleet afoot – and he is supposed to be a statue pocket QB. It was irritating to see him pull it and run and not be touched until he was 10 yards downfield, while Cook may want to slightly get past the road of scrimmage when he determined to go.
3. One play CAN’T tank a game find it irresistible did. But it did.
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One play on the primary power of the game SHOULDN’T determine the eventual outcome. However, it’s tough to think of something apart from that with the overturned protecting bypass interference name that should have stood. I’m now not a fan of blaming officers, mainly while you get your tails kicked; however, wow, this officiating team has a few explaining to do as that opened the floodgates for A&M. You understand that Mizzou will ask the SEC for an evaluation of that sequence at some stage in the week. You also know it changed into a horrendous call when the rules observer on the telecast comes on and acknowledges it became incorrect to circulate. He’s a former reputable person who will do the entirety he can to try to guard the constantlyreferees, but he had no way to shield that one.
In the stop, would it not have made a difference? Probably not now; however, it’d have been great not to get hosed like that. It genuinely set the tone for the day.
4. What will the fan response be?
I’m almost as interested in seeing how Tiger Nation will respond to this beatdown as I am in the group itself. The team has had such high-quality fan assistance the past year, but it’s been smooth, proper? The Tigers have been amusing, dominant, resilient and tough. Even though things didn’t go their way in 2023 in losses in opposition to LSU and Georgia, Mizzou became competitive and changed into the most effective play or away from prevailing in each video game. And in no second in both of these losses did the Tiger’s appearance outclassed like they did nowadays. How warm will the takes be on the fan forums this week?
I hope that one certainly, actually, absolutely bad, lousy day will not dampen the general enthusiasm of the fan base, but I additionally won’t be stunned if a few people take a wait-and-see approach going ahead. The home games are sold out, and I’m hopeful that everyone will still decide to show up. They need to because there’s nonetheless lots of exciting motion to come back.
5. Is it the offensive line?
There numerous factors of this offence aren’t for it to look as disjointed as it does nowadays, but I think the biggest problem is the play of the offensive line. Certainly, the sports script allowed A&M to pin its ears back on defence and stress the hell out of Brady after the Aggies were given up large early, but the line just didn’t pass the eye take a look at at all on Saturday. When your QB doesn’t have any time, long-growing skip routes just aren’t going to work, and we noticed that all day is lengthy.
So what’s the overarching takeaway on the quit of the day? There is nothing left to do, however, to lick our collective wounds this week. The Tigers will have to regroup and select themselves up off of the mat. It’s the same for the fanatics. We’ll all put on the sting of this one for a while.
