Consistency is key for Tigers

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Consistency is key for Tigers By SHAWN GARRISON, MOP Squad Sports Staff Writer Sep 13, 2006 - 8:46:00 PM	Email this article Printer friendly page
First things first, all the Missouri football team has done is defeat two very poor opponents. So keep that in mind before ordering your Big 12 Championship tickets. That said, it is taking everything I have to contain the excitement I am feeling about this team after watching its first two games. The most telling series of events about this team occurred at the beginning of the second half on Saturday. The Tigers had just missed a golden opportunity to put Ole Miss away after running back Marcus Woods fumbled on a punt return and Rebel quarterback Brent Schaeffer followed with a 30-yard touchdown pass to Marshay Green to cut the Missouri lead to 17-7 going into the half. It seemed the momentum had shifted in favor of the Rebels. In years past, this is the kind of letdown that spelled doom for MU. It�s the kind of letdown that led to the disappointing losses to Kansas, Troy, New Mexico, Kansas State, etc. But at the start of the second half, the Tigers forced a quick three-and-out, and the offense responded with a five play, 54-yard touchdown drive. Just like that, the Rebels went from having a chance to being down three scores. Consistent effort, on both sides of the ball, for four quarters, all season long. That is what coach Gary Pinkel has preached to his team since the end of last season, and it appears that his team has bought into it. �I think the focus is on every game, putting all your efforts into one game at a time,� senior team captain Brad Ekwerekwu said before the game against Ole Miss. Safety Cornelius �Pig� Brown had something similar to say after the victory Saturday. �We went out there today focusing on one play at a time and that was about it,� he said. Talk to any player on the roster and they�re likely to say something similar, and though their answers might sound clich�-ridden, it�s obvious that Pinkel is trying to make consistency and balance the trademark of the team. Those are the two qualities that separate decent Independence Bowl-bound teams from the very good Big 12 Championship Game-bound teams. It is hard to find a considerable weakness on this team after the first two games. Quarterback Chase Daniel is spreading the ball around to all of his receivers, and they have made big plays once they get the ball. The running game has been solid. The defensive line has dominated, and the secondary has been forcing turnovers. As balanced as this team has been, it�s made it difficult to determine what the biggest strength of this team is. When tight end Martin Rucker was asked whether the offense or defense has been more dominating, his response was less than insightful. �I don�t know, you guys decide, I guess,� he said. I�m still not entirely sold on this team, and I won�t be until I see how it performs against a good team, which it won�t until Oct. 7 on the road against Texas Tech. But I�d recommend, at the very least, to pay attention to this team, because something special might be about to happen. And if it happens to drop one of its next three games, then forget I said anything. Copyright 2007 - MOP Squad Sports Top of Page