When the Defense Roars: Missouri Tigers Dynasty

[Kcordloh]

Missouri's offense only scores 50, but their defense gets 37 in 87-7 rout

Already dubbed the "Quarter of Hell", there is no way anyone will ever forget the 3rd quarter of the 2015 game between Arizona State and Missouri.

The Missouri Tigers (7-0, 3-0) walked into Sun Devil Stadium as heavy favorites. Still seeking their first shutout of the season the Tiger defense sprung into action early, sacking M. Bercovici twice in the first quarter and picking him off another two times enroute to a 21-0 lead after one quarter.

C. Graham hauled in his 7th career INT

Steele breaking the endzone barrier is no strange sight as he has done it a lot this year. He broke his 24th touchdown this season in this game, and barring any injury will set the NCAA season record soon.

A familiar sight: D. Steele in the endzone

The Tigers finished 9 for 11 for passing in the first quarter and 6-for-6 on third down.


The second quarter brought troubles for the Missouri offense, but their defense held strong, and they took a 33-0 lead into the locker room. In the second half the offense contributed, but the defense did the heavy lifting, turning a big lead into a huge one.

The Missouri Tigers defense forced 6 turnovers in the third quarter, 5 of them which they converted into points immediately, and the 6th one led directly to points as it started a short drive.

D. Mackey giving the Tigers great field position to take a 40-0 lead at the beginning of the third quarter with his interception

The Tigers came 53 seconds short of achieving everything their defense has been seeking all year. The had the Sun Devils on 3rd and goal, on the 8 yard line, when they Sun Devils ended the shutout with a short slant that M. Wilson failed to knock down, and the shutout ended and the Sun Devils avoided that fate at least in the 87-7 shellacking.

Even the defensive line got involved, a lot, as Lawrence grabbed this fumble for a TD

Missouri POTG: D. Steele ran 32 times for 183 yards, 2 TD, had 5 catches for 51 yards and 2 more TD, and 1 fumble

A. Harrell had 20 carries for 104 yards and 1 TD, and 2 fumbles

B. Moore had 12 tackles, K. Hall had 10, and D. Washington had 9
Hall, Washington, Graham, Mackey, and Roach all collected interceptions for the Tigers

Missouri Tigers at Arizona State Sun Devils
Oct 24, 2015	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
#1 Missouri Tigers (7-0)	21	12	38	16	87
Arizona State Sun Devils (2-5)	0	0	0	7	7

Team Stats Comparison
	MIZZ	ASU
Total Offense	512	277
Rushing Yards	311	-11
Passing Yards	201	288
First Downs	24	17
Punt Return Yards	22	8
Kick Return Yards	45	193
Total Yards	579	478
Turnovers	5	11
3rd Down Converstion	9-16	4-15
4th Down Conversion	0-0	0-1
2-Point Conversion	0-0	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	9-6-1	4-1-0
Penalties	3 for 47 yards	1 for 10 yards
Posession Time	25:43	22:17

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		MIZZ	ASU
9:02	(MIZZ) D. Steele 0 yard run (PAT)	7	0
3:17	(MIZZ) D. Steele 19 yard pass from R. Lewis (PAT)	14	0
0:01	(MIZZ) D. Steele 9 yard run (PAT)	21	0
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		MIZZ	ASU
7:02	(MIZZ) M. Coleman 39 yard FG	24	0
3:17	(MIZZ) M. Coleman 37 yard FG	27	0
0:17	(MIZZ) D. Steele 17 yard pass from R. Lewis (missed kick)	33	0
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		MIZZ	ASU
8:45	(MIZZ) S. Ray returned fumble 8 yards (PAT)	40	0
5:10	(MIZZ) M. Coleman 36 yard FG	43	0
4:40	(MIZZ) M. Lawrence returned fumble 34 yards (PAT)	50	0
4:17	(MIZZ) D. Washington returned fumble 17 yards (PAT)	57	0
3:33	(MIZZ) K. Hall returned fumble 32 yards (PAT)	64	0
2:51	(MIZZ) D. Washington returned interception 57 yards (PAT)	71	0
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		MIZZ	ASU
8:17	(MIZZ) A. Harrell 1 yard pass from P. Peoples (PAT)	78	0
7:01	(MIZZ) Safety (Missouri team forced safety)	80	0
3:19	(MIZZ) A. Harrell 6 yard run (PAT)	87	0
0:53	(MIZZ) K. Mitchell 8 yard pass from M. Bercovici	87	7

[Kcordloh]

Missouri continues as #1, only 6 unbeaten teams left

After Missouri's total dominance over Arizona State they stayed #1, but Ohio State keeps gaining steam as they shortened the lead to a single point in the Coaches Poll.

Missouri faces Kansas State this weekend while Ohio State faces Wisconsin, so if they both win expect Ohio State to be #1 next weekend.

Kansas is still #3, but Georgia Tech is moving up the polls quickly, and ranks #4 in all major polls. Kansas is tied with Ohio State in the AP Poll for #2/3, but Ohio State won #2 because they had more first place votes.

Middle Tennessee State is still ranked behind Michigan, despite being 7-1 compared to Michigan's 4-3 record and holding a victory over Michigan.

Air Force moved up to #13, and Nevada debuted at #18. Both are undefeated, and if they stay that way, which will be hard because Boise State faces Nevada in a few weeks, then the MWC Championship will be the only championship featuring two undefeated teams.

With Bowling Green's double overtime loss to Ohio, there are only 6 teams left. We are guaranteed to have no more than 4 at the end of the season, since Air Force and Nevada are in the same conference; and Missouri and Kansas are also in the same conference.

If everyone that can stay undefeated does, the end of the season looks like Ohio State will be #1, and Kansas/Missouri will be #2. Georgia Tech will most likely take #3, and Air Force/Nevada will most likely slide into place at #5, behind 1 loss LSU.

Georgia Tech could steal the #2 spot from Kansas/Missouri, depending on who they face in the ACC Title game if they go undefeated. The Big XII South looks weak in Top 25 teams this year, which means if the Big XII North Representative is undefeated that the other teams will have a chance to leap frog thanks to a strong conference championship game.

Top 25 results from October 22-24th, 2015

Results

#1 Missouri (8-0) 87, Arizona State (2-6) 7

#2 Ohio State (7-0) 42, Penn State (2-6) 7

#4 LSU (7-1) 42, #14 Auburn (4-3) 21

#9 Georgia Tech (7-0) 24, #5 Miami (6-2) 21

#6 Boise State (6-1) 31, Houston (4-3) 10

#7 Utah (7-1) 35, #21 TCU (4-4) 24

#10 Wisconsin (6-2) 38, Indiana (1-6) 10

#11 Oregon (4-3) 38, BYU (3-4) 35

Boston College (6-2) 31, #12 Virginia Tech (4-3) 28

#13 Rutgers (5-2) 42, UL Monroe (1-5) 21

USC (5-3) 34, #15 Notre Dame (6-3) 31

#16 Air Force (7-0) 20, Fresno State (3-4) 17 OT

Baylor (6-3) 27, #17 Oklahoma State (5-3) 21

#18 Michigan (4-3) 45, Minnesota (5-3) 21

Florida State (5-2) 40, #20 Georgia (5-3) 33

#21 Middle Tennessee State (6-1) 38, UL Lafayette (2-4) 0

Purdue (5-3) 34, #24 Illinois (4-3) 31

#25 Ohio (7-1) 63, Bowling Green (6-1) 56 in 2OT

NCAA Football Rankings - Coaches Poll - Updated: Oct 25, 2015
RK	LW	TEAM (VOTES)	W	L	POINTS
1	1	Missouri (40)	8	0	1504
2	2	Ohio State (21)	7	0	1503
3	3	Kansas	8	0	1209
4	9	Georgia Tech	7	0	1209
5	4	LSU	7	1	1196
6	6	Boise State	6	1	1111
7	7	Utah	7	1	1109
8	8	Michigan State	5	2	1013
9	10	Wisconsin	6	2	950
10	5	Miami	6	2	887
11	11	Oregon	4	3	886
12	13	Rutgers	5	2
13	16	Air Force	7	0
14	18	Michigan	4	3
15	19	Arkansas	4	4
16	22	Middle Tennessee State	6	1
17	14	Auburn	4	3
18	23	Maryland	5	2
19	--	Nevada	8	0
20	--	USC	5	3
21	15	Notre Dame	6	3
22	25	Ohio	7	1
23	--	California	7	2
24	12	Virginia Tech	4	3
25	--	Stanford	7	2

NCAA Football Rankings - BCS Rankings - Updated: Oct 25, 2015
RK	LW	TEAM (VOTES)	W	L	POINTS
1	1	Missouri	8	0	1.000
2	2	Ohio State	7	0	.994
3	3	Kansas	8	0	.989
4	10	Georgia Tech	7	0	.983
5	4	LSU	7	1	.978
6	7	Utah	7	1	.967
7	6	Boise State	6	1	.966
8	8	Wisconsin	6	2	.957
9	9	Michigan State	5	2	.953
10	5	Miami	6	2	.942
11	11	Oregon	4	3
12	15	Air Force	7	0
13	13	Rutgers	5	2
14	19	Michigan	4	3
15	21	Arkansas	4	4
16	20	Middle Tennessee State	6	1
17	12	Notre Dame	6	3
18	16	Auburn	4	3
19	25	Maryland	5	2
20	24	California	7	2
21	--	Nevada	8	0
22	--	USC	5	3
23	--	Ohio	7	1
24	--	Stanford	7	2
25	17	Georgia	5	3

[Kcordloh]

Quote: Originally Posted by Tazer19

Love your updates, good stuff. Nice job with Mizzou.

Thanks man! It's been a fun ride, I can't believe how long I have stayed with the DC position. I figured I would get bored after 2 years, but the CPU has developed the offense quite nicely and with a few position changes and just patience this defense has easily become the best I have ever seen in NCAA 2012. Getting near shutouts on 10-12 minute quarters has always been impossible for me with this sliders, but this team, it's close.

[Kcordloh]

Bailey to be back against Kansas State

Nick Bailey has been gone for the last two games, but despite Rico Lewis having two decent games he hasn't won the starting position away from Bailey.

"Bailey wasn't gone because of issues. This isn't a time where he would lose his job, even if Lewis had gone 70 for 70, 800 yards, and 10 touchdowns. Bailey is my starter until he loses the job, or Lewis takes it. Lewis wouldn't want to win the job that way, and he won't," HC Gary Pinkel said.

Bailey will start against Kansas State.


In not so great news, Missouri's starting running back David Steele and starting right end S. Ray have been implicated in a laptop theft scandal. Steele and Ray claim the facts are false, but both have been pulled from the depth chart for the game against Kansas State.

Steele is still way out in front for Heisman consideration.

[Kcordloh]

Matchup Preview *|* October 31, 2015
	@
#1 Missouri Tigers (8-0 (4-0), 4-0 Away)		Kansas State Wildcats (4-3 (2-2), 2-2 Home)
Offensive Stats Comparison 63.0 (#1) Points Per Game 38.1 (#24) 4938 (#3) Total Offensive Yards 3223 (#47) 2627 (#8) Passing Yards 2122 (#30) 2311 (#1) Rushing Yards 1101 (#75) 23 Passing TD 19 31 Rushing TD 15 213 First Downs 148 73 Red Zone Attempts 35 42-7 Red Zone TD-FG 28-5 67 Red Zone Percentage 94 Defensive Stats Comparison 2927 (#66) Total Yards Allowed 2896 (#62) 2475 (#111) Passing Yards Allowed 2153 (#102) 470 (#1) Rushing Yards Allowed 743 (#5) 171 Points Allowed 189 Injury Report LG. S Taylor 1 week WR. T Lockett Season WR. B. Hannah 1 week Game Notes This game is a matchup of two Big XII style teams. The best defense is to hurry up and score. Missouri should dominate, but they are down their record setting running back David Steele and their dominant RE S. Ray. KSU needs more than that to get a victory, but with Missouri's entire unit not clicking they have a chance. They need to score more than 30 points though, as KSU is 4-0 when they have scored more than 30 points, and 0-3 when they have scored less. Missouri's defense is improving, and you cannot run on the Tigers. Whether the Wildcats can pass on them is yet to be seen. So far only Texas and Middle Tennessee State have had a chance to beat the Tigers. Missouri is projected to win 45-25.

[Kcordloh]

Missouri puts up 41 but only wins by 3

In college football any team can win any given game. Kansas State, the laughing stock of the 70's and early 80's, knows that better than anyone.

They set out to prove themselves against the #1 Missouri Tigers, and despite playing from behind almost the entire game were within striking distance of the upset the entire game.

The game started off as many Missouri games do, relatively quiet offensively. Without David Steele the Tigers offense struggled to start clicking as the Wildcats focused on defending the pass and not the run.

Missouri took an early 7-0 lead, but it was almost tied up except for K. Hall knocking down a pass in the endzone on third down for the Wildcats, forcing a field goal.

K. Hall makes a crucial knockdown that directly affected the outcome

Missouri took a 21-10 lead at halftime, but Kansas State hung close, not letting Missouri get ahead by more than two scores.

With Missouri ahead 31-24 entering the fourth quarter nobody thought it was over. But the defenses clamped down, and nobody scored until M. Coleman sent a kick right through the uprights, making it 34-24 with just over two minutes left.

C. Russell got loose, and J. Bowsers hit him for a 31 yard touchdown. The PAT missed wide right, and it was 34-30.

C. Russel cuts it to 4, 34-30 with just over 60 seconds left

Missouri tried to run out the clock, but B. Mays got handed the ball and rumbled 40 yards, breaking 5 tackles enroute, to score a touchdown and after the PAT Missouri had a commanding 41-30 lead with just over 20 seconds left.

Mays sealed the game with this run

Kansas State got the ball back to their offense with 11 seconds left. A hail mary heavy, an amazing run by Russell, and a 2 point conversion later it was 41-38 with 1 second left. The Wildcats needed some sort of miracle to get the ball back without time running out, but it didn't happen as the onside kick was picked up, the clock started running, and the upset was prevented..



Missouri POTG
N. Bailey 31 for 41 for 350 yards, 3 TD, sacked twice
C. Babcock 8 tackles, 6 TFL

KSU POTG
C. Russell 10 catches for 258 yards and 3 TD


After the game DC Joey Davis was caught for a few words.
"Never thought Kansas State would do what they did today. They went run first today, instead of pass first, and we held them. If they had passed first they probably would have won. They gifted us a lead, and we held it the entire game. They played extremely well."

Missouri Tigers at Kansas State Wildcats
Oct 31, 2015	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
#1 Missouri Tigers (8-0)	7	15	10	10	41
Kansas State Wildcats (4-3)	3	7	14	14	38

Team Stats Comparison
	MIZZ	KSU
Total Offense	604	490
Rushing Yards	254	125
Passing Yards	350	365
First Downs	27	18
Punt Return Yards	16	8
Kick Return Yards	28	101
Total Yards	648	599
Turnovers	0	1
3rd Down Converstion	10-18	3-11
4th Down Conversion	0-0	0-0
2-Point Conversion	0-0	1-1
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	6-4-1	5-1-1
Penalties	4 for 45 yards	4 for 32 yards
Posession Time	28:03	19:57

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		MIZZ	KSU
3:20	(MIZZ) B. Mays 1 yard run (PAT)	7	0
0:37	(KSU) D. Wilson 39 yard FG	7	3
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		MIZZ	KSU
8:37	(MIZZ) A. Harrell 6 yard pass from N. Bailey (PAT)	14	3
5:04	(KSU) N. Gunn 1 yard run (PAT)	14	10
2:44	(MIZZ) J. Thomas 19 yard pass from N. Bailey (PAT)	21	10
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		MIZZ	KSU
10:01	(KSU) B. Williams 68 yard pass from C. Bonds (PAT)	21	17
7:40	(MIZZ) M. Coleman 24 yard FG	24	17
3:22	(MIZZ) J. Ross 18 yard pass from N. Bailey (PAT)	31	17
0:01	(KSU) C, Russell 26 yard pass from J. Bowser (PAT)	31	24
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		MIZZ	KSU
2:30	(MIZZ) M. Coleman 38 yard FG	34	24
1:08	(KSU) C. Russell 31 yard pass from J. Bowser (missed kick)	34	30
0:21	(MIZZ) B. Mays 40 yard run (PAT)	41	30
0:02	(KSU) C. Russell 86 yard pass from J. Bowsers (2pt)	41	38

[Kcordloh]

Current BCS Contracts set to expire
What does 2016 hold for a national championship?

According to all sources, the BCS will continue into 2016 and beyond. A plus 1 is currently on the table, but the 2 year continuation of the BCS from 2013 is almost over.

Currently the system rewards 7 conferences with automatic berths to big money bowl games. The Big East, Big XII, ACC, Big 10, Pac-12, and SEC were all founding members of the BCS. The MWC was granted exempt status back in 2012, and have sent a team to a BCS Bowl since 2008, despite not having automatic access until 2012.

Arguably the MWC is a top 4 conference, behind only the Big XII, Big 10, and Pac-12 lately for consistently producing top teams.

The Big East has lagged behind the other 6 conferences for years, and haven't had a truly great season since 2009 when their champion went 12-0, only to be embarrassed by SEC #2 Florida.

The Big East is ranked 7th or worse in all categories lately, and most expect the Big East to lose their AQ status after 2015. This brings into question whether SMU will stay with the Big East, the primary reason they joined was for AQ status. Where would they go? Well the MWC could always come calling, or perhaps even the Big XII, trying to shore up their position.


What will 2016 look like? Here are the two most likely scenarios:

1. The BCS adds a plus one. #1 vs #4, #2 vs #3 for berths into the championship game.
The Big East is dropped as an automatic qualifier.


2.
Automatic qualifiers are scrapped entirely.
A plus one is added



The Big XII and SEC are heavily pushing for a Plus 1. The Big 10 and Pac 12 are opposed, and the MWC has sided with the Plus 1. The ACC and Big East are also against the Plus 1, but haven't spoken out about it much yet.

[Kcordloh]

Halloween Weekend Brings Few Surprises
Ohio State unanimous #1, Missouri solid #2

Ohio State needed a 21 point fourth quarter, including a hail mary on 4th and 11 with 27 seconds left to tie the game, then won after a fumble was scooped up and returned for a touchdown with 2 seconds left. Their 38-31 victory over #9 Wisconsin was enough to boost them to #1 in all the major polls, especially after Missouri clawed past unranked Kansas State 41-38.

Air Force, Nevada, Kansas, and Georgia Tech all remained undefeated, and all rose some in the standings. Non-AQ's Middle Tennessee State and Ohio, both win a lone loss to current #2 Missouri, are slowly rising, and hope to gain the automatic berth for being the highest ranked non AQ providing they are in the top 12 of the final BCS standings or ranked in the top 16 and above one AQ champion. Currently no Big East teams are ranked.

Top 25 results from October 29-31st, 2015

Results

#1 Missouri (9-0) 41, Kansas State (4-4) 38

#2 Ohio State (7-0) 38, #9 Wisconsin (6-3) 31

#3 Kansas (9-0) 59, Arizona State (2-7) 33

#4 Georgia Tech (8-0) 31, UCF (2-6) 3

#6 Boise State (7-1) 34, #18 Maryland (5-3) 28 OT

#8 Michigan State (6-2) 31, Northwestern (1-8) 24

#10 Miami (7-2) 27, Virginia (2-6) 24

#11 Oregon (5-3) 41, Washington State (3-6) 14

#12 Rutgers (6-2) 37, Purdue (5-4) 34 OT

#13 Air Force (8-0) 42, Hawaii (3-5) 38

#14 Michigan (5-3) 35, Indiana (1-7) 28

#15 Arkansas (5-4) 41, Iowa State (5-3) 14

#16 Middle Tennessee State (7-1) 56, FAU (3-5) 17

#17 Auburn (5-3) 28, Texas A&M (1-7) 16

#19 Nevada (9-0) 66, North Texas (1-6) 20

#20 USC (6-3) 34, Alabama (4-3) 29

#21 Notre Dame (7-3) 38, Navy (2-6) 3

#22 Ohio (8-1) 35, Akron (3-5) 18

#24 Virginia Tech (5-3) 41, Duke (4-4) 24

NCAA Football Rankings - Coaches Poll - Updated: Nov 1, 2015
RK	LW	TEAM (VOTES)	W	L	POINTS
1	2	Ohio State (36)	8	0	1500
2	1	Missouri (22)	9	0	1445
3	3	Kansas (2)	9	0	1341
4	4	Georgia Tech (1)	8	0	1213
5	5	LSU	7	1	1015
6	6	Boise State	7	1	1001
7	7	Utah	7	1	936
8	8	Michigan State	6	2	888
9	10	Miami	7	2	826
10	11	Oregon	5	3	777
11	13	Air Force	8	0
12	12	Rutgers	6	2
13	14	Michigan	5	3
14	15	Arkansas	5	4
15	16	Middle Tennessee State	7	1
16	9	Wisconsin	6	3
17	17	Auburn	5	3
18	19	Nevada	9	0
19	20	USC	6	3
20	21	Notre Dame	7	3
21	22	Ohio	8	1
22	23	California	7	2
23	24	Virginia Tech	5	3
24	25	Stanford	7	2
25	18	Maryland	5	3

NCAA Football Rankings - BCS Rankings - Updated: Nov 1, 2015
RK	LW	TEAM (VOTES)	W	L	POINTS
1	2	Ohio State	8	0	1.000
2	1	Missouri	9	0	.994
3	3	Kansas	9	0	.989
4	4	Georgia Tech	8	0	.983
5	5	LSU	7	1	.978
6	6	Utah	7	1	.967
7	7	Boise State	7	1	.967
8	10	Miami	7	2	.950
9	9	Michigan State	6	2	.949
10	11	Oregon	5	3	.946
11	12	Air Force	8	0
12	13	Rutgers	6	2
13	14	Michigan	5	3
14	15	Arkansas	5	4
15	8	Wisconsin	6	3
16	16	Middle Tennessee State	7	1
17	17	Notre Dame	7	3
18	18	Auburn	5	3
19	21	Nevada	9	0
20	20	California	7	2
21	22	USC	6	3
22	23	Ohio	7	1
23	--	Virginia Tech	5	3
24	24	Stanford	7	2
25	19	Maryland	5	3