Following a dominant 24-10 road victory over Ole Miss on Saturday, the Missouri football team finds itself one win away from playing for the SEC title. The Tigers improved to 10-1, limiting the …
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Mizzou On Brink of Greatness
Posted
By Derrick Forsythe, Record Sports Editor
Following a dominant 24-10 road victory over Ole Miss on Saturday, the Missouri football team finds itself one win away from playing for the SEC title.The Tigers improved to 10-1, limiting the Rebels’ typically potent offense to just one touchdown.Mizzou will host Texas A&M on Senior Night this Saturday during a primetime matchup on ESPN. If the Tigers win, they would travel to Atlanta for the SEC Championship game on Dec. 7. A loss would instead place South Carolina into the title contest.Henry Josey was particularly efficient against Ole Miss, scoring a pair of rushing touchdowns while running for 95 yards on 15 carries.The Rebels teased the end zone on multiple occasions, but Mizzou’s goal line defense was resilient, stopping Ole Miss after it reached the seven-yard line and also blocking a field goal. Each time the host team attempted to shift the momentum, the Tigers were poised to respond.Ole Miss did manage success in the passing game, with quarterback Bo Wallace completing 26 of 42 tries for 244 yards.Saturday’s win was unique on several levels.It showcased the return of starting quarterback James Franklin, who had been sidelined since injuring his shoulder against Georgia on Oct. 12 The absence didn’t seem to hinder him, as he connected on 12 of 19 passes for 142 yards. He and Wallace each threw one interception.The victory was also the 100th win at Mizzou forcoach Gary Pinkel and lifted the Tigers to their fourth 10-win season over the past seven years.But while beating Ole Miss was both impressive and substantial, the more important test awaits this weekend during Missouri’s highest stakes game since playing for a chance to advance to the BCS Championship in 2007.That resulted in a deflating loss to Oklahoma, which sent the Tigers plummeting from the title game to the Cotton Bowl, seeing Kansas secure a BCS bid.Mizzou has a history of squandering games of this magnitude, but the circumstances line up well for the Tigers.Texas A&M is coming off a demoralizing 34-10 loss at LSU — its largest margin of defeat since the 2009 season. Furthermore, Heisman trophy winner Johnny Manziel had one of his worst performances, completing just 16 of 41 passes with two interceptions. His chances of reclaiming the award were shot, along with any opportunity for the Aggies to play in a BCS bowl.But plenty is still on the line for the Tigers.A win would secure a trip to their first-ever SEC Championship during just their second season in the conference, despite being ridiculed for what many perceived as an ill-advised move to the conference.And while it’s a longshot, Mizzou is still in the running to reach the BCS Title Game on Jan. 6 in Pasadena. The Tigers will need either Auburn to beat Alabama this weekend or to defeat the Crimson Tide themselves in Atlanta.They may also need one of the other three remaining undefeated teams to fall, with Ohio State being the most likely candidate. However, if Mizzou wins out, there is a considerable chance the Tigers would jump the Buckeyes based upon strength of schedule and quality victories.Ultimately, it’s important not to look past this weekend and for Missouri to focus on the task at hand — not worrying about how everyone else is faring around the nation. The Tigers still control their own destiny, and in the past, that circumstance has produced unsettling results.
The Missouri football team is one win away from playing for its first SEC Championship.
