When the Defense Roars: Missouri Tigers Dynasty

[Kcordloh]

Let's talk 2015!!

Missouri Tigers Depth Chart - 2015
Regular Offense
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
WR	Matthew Smith (JR)	Brandon Hannah (SR/RS)	Martin Moore (SO/RS)
TE	Jack Ross (SO)	Sean Smith (SR)	William Carter (JR/RS)
LT	Josh White (SO/RS)	George Williams (SR)	Carnell Robinson (SO)
LG	Stephen Taylor (SO)	Shawn Jackson (FR)	Carnell Robinson (SO)
C	James Jenkins (SO/RS)	Quinn Curry (SO)	Carnell Robinson (SO)
RG	Lamar Connor (JR)	Quinn Curry (SO)	Carnell Robinson (SO)
RT	Bobby Wade (SR)	Taylor Chappell (SR/RS	Sean Smith (SR)
WR	Jimmy Thomas (JR/RS)	Wes Leftwich (SR/RS)	Jack Ross (SO)
QB	Nick Bailey (SR/RS)	Rico Lewis (FR)	Perry Peoples (SO/RS)
FB	Ben Mays (JR/RS)	Jack Ross (SO)	Sean Smith (SR)
HB	David Steele (JR)	Andrew Harrell (SO)	Ben Mays (JR/RS)
Base 4-2-5 Defense
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
LDE	Terrence Leach (SO)	Chauncey Babcock (SO)	Ernest Fender (SO/RS)
LDT	Mike Lawrence (JR)	Ernest Fender (SO)
RDT	Lewis Callahan (SO)	Marques Smith (JR/RS)
RDE	Shane Ray (SR/RS)	Darius Gray (SO/RS)	Ernest Fender (SO/RS)
SLB	Jayson George (JR)	Joel Johnson (JR)	Darren Mackey (JR/RS)
WLB	Matt Wilson (SR)	Michael Taylor (FR)	Brandon Durant (SR/RS)
CB	D.J. Washington (SR)	Andy Roach (JR)	Luke Mitchell (SO)
SS	Ben Moore (SR)
FS	Keith Hall (JR)	Nate Stewart (SO)	Luke Mitchell (SO)
SS	Luke Walters (JR)
CB	Corey Graham (SR)	Brian Caldwell (SO)	Darren Mackey (JR/RS)
Special Teams
	STARTER	2ND	3RD
K	Matt Coleman (FR)	Ray Woods (SO/RS)
P	Ray Woods (SO/RS)	Matt Coleman (FR)
PR	Ben Moore (SR)	Keith Hall (JR)	Nate Stewart (SO)
KR	Keith Hall (JR)	David Steele (JR)	Ben Moore (SR)
LS	James Jenkins (SO/RS)	Stephen Taylor (SO)	Josh White (SO/RS)

[Kcordloh]

2015 Pre-Season Top 25

NCAA Football Rankings - Pre-Season Top 25 - Updated: Aug 1, 2015
RK	TEAM (VOTES)	W	L	POINTS
1	Missouri
2	TCU
3	Oregon
4	LSU
5	Ohio State
6	Arkansas
7	Michigan
8	Wisconsin
9	Boise State
10	Michigan State
11	Kansas
12	Miami
13	Virginia Tech
14	Auburn
15	USC
16	USF
17	Utah
18	Oklahoma State
19	UCLA
20	Rutgers
21	Stanford
22	Oklahoma
23	Maryland
24	Penn State
25	Arizona

Our thoughts:
Missouri being ranked #1 is not a surprise. There are so many returning starters and key players from that team it's amazing their second string is not ranked #2!!

TCU fans should be happy with their #2 ranking, and if they go 13-0 this entire season they will be in the national championship. And nobody deserves it more.

[Kcordloh]

Missouri Tigers 2015 Outlook

Missouri Tigers 2015 Schedule
DATE	OPPONENT	RESULT
Aug 29	at #4 LSU
Sep 5	vs Middle Tennessee State University
Sep 12	vs #8 Wisconsin
Sep 26	at Ohio
Oct 3	vs #22 Oklahoma
Oct 10	at #18 Oklahoma State
Oct 17	vs Texas
Oct 24	at Arizona State
Oct 31	at Kansas State
Nov 14	at #6 Arkansas
Nov 21	vs Iowa State
Nov 28	vs #11 Kansas

Tigers Schedule Analysis

Expectations
Are last year's National Championship 12-1 season most people are expecting a national championship. Is that reasonable? Yes. There are too many playmakers here for the Tigers to do worse than 10-2 this year. They are in a very loaded Big XII North, so a 10-2 finish not be better than the Cotton Bowl, or even worse.

Gut-check game: @ #4 LSU (Chick-Fil-A kickoff)
Whoever wins this game is the favorite to win the 2015 college football season national championship.
The Tigers from Louisiana are loaded also, and it should be a thrilling game of two defensive teams. That Tigers spread against the Tigers defense should be an amazing spectacle to witness.

Must-win game: @ #6 Arkansas
Arkansas and Kansas play in September, and at that point we will know who is the team Missouri is in the running against for the Big XII North title. Arkansas's offense looks better than last year, and their defense is much improved. They return 8 starters from last year's unit, and added several players that redshirted last year.

Cup-cake Game:
Three of Missouri's opponents in 2015 are ranked outside of the top 40. Those are #55 Kansas State, #58 Texas, and #100 Iowa State. Guess which one is our pick for cupcake?
That's right, the Cyclones of Iowa State. Missouri is on a different level right now.

Most difficult stretch:
From traveling to face #4 LSU, hosting #31 Middle Tennessee State, hosting #8 Wisconsin, going to #37 Ohio, hosting #22 Oklahoma, and finally traveling to #18 Oklahoma State.

After that they get a well deserved break!

[Kcordloh]

Pre-Season Heisman Leaders, Project All Americans

Pre-Season Heisman Watch - Updated: Aug 10, 2015
NAME	POS	SCHOOL		SEASON STATS
Michael Cummins	QB	Kansas
Travis Williams	QB	Arkansas
David Steele	HB	Missouri
Jeff Bradley	QB	Central Michigan
Jerrard Randall	QB	LSU

2015 Pre-Season NCAA 1st Team All-Americans
Pos	Player Name	Ht	Wt	Year
QB	Michael Cummings , Kansas	6'0	202	Sr.
HB	David Steele, Missouri	6'0	206	Jr.
HB	Tra Carson, Oregon	6'1	224	Sr.
WR	Johnny Smith, Kansas	6'1	180	Jr.
WR	Jerod Dawson, Arkansas	6'2	191	Jr.
TE	Jeff Burns, Texas Christian	6'1	230	Sr.
OL	Josh White, Missouri	6'2	210	So.
OL	Stephen Taylor, Missouri	6'4	317	So.
C	Quinn Curry, Missouri	6'1	298	So.
OL	John Bower, Alabama	6'4	312	Sr.
OL	A.J. Sanders, Ohio State	6'5	275	So.
DL	Shane Ray, Missouri	6'4	237	Sr.
DL	Kyle Rose, West Virginia	6'4	257	Sr.
DL	Marques Smith, Missouri	6'4	281	Sr.
DL	Joey Paris, Virginia	6'0	281	Sr.
LB	Matt Wilson, Missouri	6'1	245	Sr.
LB	Chris Parrish, Oklahoma State	6'1	237	Jr.
LB	Tony Jones, Oklahoma	6'2	235	So.
DB	Bobby McCain, Memphis	5'11	179	Sr.
DB	Carl Jones, Missouri	5'11	191	Jr.
DB	Keith Hall, Missouri	6'1	189	Jr.
DB	Ben Moore, Missouri	5'11	194	Sr.
K	Kevin Lemoni, LSU	5'9	188	Jr.
P	Antwuan Barbour, UCF	5'10	189	Sr.
RS	,			Fr.

[Kcordloh]

This might be the last season of this dynasty.
I just got a high school teaching job and am moving close to Kansas City. Which is about 1.5hrs from most of my friends, and 2.5 from my gf. Which means weekends will be spent driving, and week days spent teaching, grading and working out.

So, that warning out of the way, cannot believe how easy it was to route Michigan for the NT. Bailey is a much better passer than Torres was, but I can't believe he transferred after being benched one game (my decision, I moved him to #2 on the depth chart because he went 2 for 5 to start the game.)

I can't wait for Pink to retire or move on either, I wanna play offense! Besides tOSU's lol.


Middle Tennessee State scares me, they have 3 WR's with 80+ catch and 90+ speed. As a sun belt school!!!

[Kcordloh]

Matchup Preview *|* August 29, 2015
	@
#1 Missouri Tigers (0-0, 0-0 Away)		#4 LSU Tigers (0-0, 0-0 Home)
Game Notes The Missouri Tigers and Louisiana State Tigers have only met once on the football gridiron. That was in 1978 when they met in the Liberty Bowl, and the more respected are 15th ranked Missouri Tigers won the game 20-15. The LSU Tigers have come a long way since then, winning the BCS National Championship in 2003 and 2007 for a total of 3. LSU is always in the talks at the beginning of the year as a team that could run the table and win the national championship. Missouri on the other hand is just recently coming into their own. They have only been bowl eligible 16 times since the first and only LSU/Missouri game. Prediction: LSU is the most hated place to visit, and the Tigers are ranked 4th in the nation for a reason. They have a deadly crew of linebackers, and their offensive line is one of the largest and meanest in the nation. So the LSU Tigers will win this low scoring battle 16-14.

[Kcordloh]

#1 Missouri Tigers route #4 LSU 36-3

It's rare for two top 5 teams to meet early in the season. Missouri has been making it a trend lately, and so has LSU, so it was only right they kicked off the season in a Chick-fil-A kickoff game to start the 2015 season.

Both teams were returning a lot of talent, and both were pre-season national championship contenders. Whoever won would be an inside favorite to win the national championship. And losing would not prevent a team from earning their way back into the national championship hunt.

Missouri started the game by forcing LSU to punt after a 3-and-out. They then drove the field and punched it in for a 6-0 lead when D. Steele broke the plane with a 7 yard run. A PAT later and Missouri had a nice 7-0 lead.

D. Steele broke the plane to give MU a 6-0 lead

Missouri's relentless defense forced another 3-and-out. Nick Bailey hit W. Leftwich for a 21 yard pickup, and then Bailey hit M. Smith for the 24 yard touchdown, gaining a 14-0 lead in the process.

LSU's defense held until the end of the first quarter, but their offense faltered, never gaining a first down.

LSU's offensive line could not stop the Missouri pass rush

The second quarter was a D. Steele show, as he rushed for 93 yards and Missouri used a short playaction pass to M. Smith make it a 28-0 game with 3:16 left in the second quarter.

The Junior Steele just kept pounding, and LSU had no answer

Finally, with 0:17 left, LSU managed to gain their fourth first down of the game, and got to the 20 yard line. They nailed the 37 yard field goal, and the shutout was over as LSU pulled to 31-3 as the first half ended.

Halftime:
#1 Missouri (0-0) 31
#4 LSU (0-0) 3

Both defenses locked it down in the second half, Missouri only allowed LSU to gain give more first downs for a total of 9 in the game.

K. Hall nailed a sick interception and had a nice return against LSU

LSU kept Missouri from running up the score, as they held the second string Tigers to just 5 points. A 41 yard field goal by M. Coleman, and a safety forced by DE. Leach. Unfortunately for the LSU Tigers the second string of defense for Missouri also held the 1st string of LSU to no points.

Allowing Leach to go unblocked is costly

Missouri finished the game with a huge advantage on offense and defense. It looks like these Tigers are upstoppable in 2015.


Missouri POTG
N. Bailey 21 of 27 for 273 yards, 3 TD, and 1 INT
R. Lewis play a few snaps and finished with 2 of 4 passing for 20 yards
D. Steele had 24 carries for 125 yards and 1 TD
T. Leach anchored the defense with 7 tackles and 2 sacks

Missouri Tigers at LSU Tigers
Aug 29, 2015	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
#1 Missouri Tigers (0-0)	14	17	3	2	36
#4 LSU Tigers (0-0)	0	3	0	0	3

Team Stats Comparison
	MIZZ	LSU
Total Offense	498	159
Rushing Yards	205	30
Passing Yards	293	129
First Downs	22	9
Punt Return Yards	33	7
Kick Return Yards	60	74
Total Yards	591	240
Turnovers	3	5
3rd Down Converstion	6-13	2-9
4th Down Conversion	0-0	0-0
2-Point Conversion	0-0	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	6-3-0	2-0-0
Penalties	3 for 25 yards	6 for 42 yards
Posession Time	17:32	14:28

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		MIZZ	LSU
5:51	(MIZZ) D. Steele 8 yard run (PAT)	7	0
1:37	(MIZZ) M. Smith 24 yard pass from N. Bailey (PAT)	14	0
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		MIZZ	LSU
6:02	(MIZZ) J. Thomas 19 yard pass from N. Bailey (PAT)	21	0
3:16	(MIZZ) M. Smith 11 yard pass from N. Bailey (PAT)	28	0
1:22	(MIZZ) M. Coleman 38 yard FG	31	0
0:00	(LSU) K. Lemon 37 yard FG	31	3
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		MIZZ	LSU
1:52	(MIZZ) M. Coleman 41 yard FG	34	3
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		MIZZ	LSU
2:47	(MIZZ) Safey (LSU Team safety)	36	3

[Kcordloh]

Results from last weekend, updated polls

Opening weekend is rarely excited. Usually we get one big matchup, a few upsets, ans a bunch of teams playing over matched teams.
This year though we got a high profile matchup of #1 Missouri at #4 LSU in a Tiger vs Tiger battle, Syracuse upset highly touted #2 TCU, and a nice shootout between two top 25 Big XII teams who opened with conference play.

Arizona got little respect from their win over Arkansas, moving up one spot from 25th to 24th. Arkansa dropped 7 spots, from #6 to #13.

TCU got it worse, falling from 2nd to 19th.

Top 25 results from opening weekend

Results

#1 Missouri (1-0) beat #4 LSU (0-1) 36-3

Syracuse (1-0) shocked #2 TCU (0-1) 49-28

#25 Arizona (1-0) upset #5 Arkansas (0-1) 49-45

#11 Kansas (1-0) survived Kentucky (0-1) 49-42

#21 Stanford (1-0) staved off SMU (0-1) 29-28

NCAA Football Rankings - Coaches Poll - Updated: Aug 30, 2015
RK	LW	TEAM (VOTES)	W	L	POINTS
1	1	Missouri (33)	1	0	1497
2	3	Oregon (21)	0	0	1265
3	5	Ohio State (1)	0	0	1165
4	7	Michigan (1)	0	0	1068
5	8	Wisconsin (1)	0	0	1020
6	9	Boise State	0	0	973
7	10	Michigan State	0	0	926
8	11	Kansas	1	0	893
9	4	LSU	0	1	848
10	12	Miami	0	0	834
11	13	Virginia Tech	0	0
12	14	Auburn	0	0
13	6	Arkansas	0	1
14	15	USC	0	0
15	16	USF	0	0
16	17	Utah	0	0
17	18	Oklahoma State	0	0
18	19	UCLA	0	0
19	2	TCU	0	1
20	20	Rutgers	0	0
21	21	Stanford	1	0
22	22	Oklahoma	0	0
23	23	Maryland	0	0
24	25	Arizona	1	0
25	24	Penn State	0	0