Column:
Tigers must keep momentum
Published Nov. 17, 2009
Just couldn't let me go, could you, Gare-Bear?
OK, some clarification is in order. In no way was my previous column calling for the guillotine on coach Gary Pinkel. I understand how it can come off that way, but that's not what it was about. It was merely about me basically giving up on the season. A lot of disappointments, a lot of lost "should've won" games, a lot of bad mistakes and bad decisions.
Now, I will be the first to admit I'm feasting on my own words right now. Where the hell did that win over Kansas State come from?
If this was on the Las Vegas line, I'd put my money on that nice, calm pep talk senior offensive lineman Kurtis Gregory and senior linebacker Sean Weatherspoon laid on the rest of the team.
If you didn't hear about it, according to multiple publications, the two seniors got in every player's ear about fully committing to the team and basically getting their heads out of their asses.
I'd say a 38-12 thwacking is getting your head out of your ass.
Not only did we rob Kansas State of any confidence going into next Saturday's game against Nebraska to determine the winner of the Big 12 North — which is always fun — but we qualified for a school-record fifth year of bowl eligibility.
That can be extremely misleading.
If the Tigers implode against Iowa State at home like they did against Baylor, it's going to be very difficult to land a bowl.
If you think about it, you lose to Iowa State, now you're the one who's bankrupt on confidence, which is lethal going up against Kansas. Then again, you might be able to rebound against the Jayhawks, it being a rivalry game and all.
Look, what it boils down to is the Tigers have to win one of the two remaining games to, effectively, secure a decent bowl. You lose both, you're in trouble. But one game is all you need.
Is that asking too much, Gary?
In other news, shame on the selection committee for the NCAA Women's Soccer Championship for leaving out Missouri.
One loss against the Big 12 in the regular season? Tying one of the best teams that made the tournament, Texas A&M, in College Station, Texas? Turning around what was a dismal (and what turned out to be a destructive) beginning of the year? Seriously?
The Tigers became the first team to be declined an invite to the national tournament after winning the regular season title in a BCS conference.
I quote from the Columbia Daily Tribune: "Committee Chairman Paul Bradshaw, an associate athletic director at Baylor, said the committee gave little weight to conference accomplishments. Rather, the committee placed a particular emphasis on teams' performances against Top 25 competition."
That's where the Tigers get left in the dust, losing to UCLA and tying Texas A&M.
I do see where the committee members are coming from, but I'd still slap them with a five-pound red snapper (it's my personal mace) if I saw them on the street.
