Missouri takes lessons from last week's game
The Tigers take on the Furman Paladins on Saturday.
Published Sept. 18, 2009
On Saturday night, the Tigers avoided embarrassment in front of more than 65,000 screaming, gold-clad fans by coming from behind to beat the Bowling Green Falcons 27-20.
It was not the kind of game coach Gary Pinkel was hoping for from his team.
"I don't think you could say our football team got better from week one to week two," Pinkel said. "It didn't. That's disappointing to me. You don't excel in our league unless you get better all the time."
Even with the struggles, the team found some positives to take from the game.
"(The game) showed that everybody out there on the field has heart and a desire to win, regardless if we're down by 14 like we were," junior running back Derrick Washington said. "But we came back. We fought hard and we won. And I like being in situations like that."
Week three will bring the Furman Paladins to Faurot Field and another chance for the Tigers to improve. Playing in the Football Championship Subdivision, the Paladins sit at 2-0 for the season.
And though they not might be a powerhouse like some of Missouri's other opponents, the Tigers are taking them just as seriously, especially after last week's struggle to win.
"Every college football team out there deserves to be treated the same way," sophomore quarterback Blaine Gabbert said. "We're going to over-prepare for them like we would for any other team."
The Tigers will have to be sharp on the defensive side of the ball.
Furman senior quarterback Jordan Sorrells has completed over 71 percent of his passes to a variety of receivers. The Paladins are also converting on 72 percent of their third downs — the best in the FCS.
Missouri will have a little extra incentive this week as well. Even though the Tigers beat Bowling Green, the shaky win knocked them out of the Associated Press Top 25.
This weekend, the Tigers will have a chance to redeem themselves.
"That makes us hungrier," Washington said. "We think we should be ranked, but it's not up to us. We've just got to go out and do what we do on Saturdays."
After having their confidence squashed for two and a half quarters last week, the Tigers are more than aware of their upcoming opponents. Missouri knows mistakes were made against the Falcons.
During the weekend, the team had time to review game tape and pick up on areas that need improvement.
Heading into this weekend's game, they will continue to dissect the film.
"We had a scare last weekend, so we definitely don't want to have that again," senior linebacker Sean Weatherspoon said. "So the key is getting in the film room and fixing the mistakes which we assessed yesterday. It's not about Furman, man. It's about us. We've got to go out there and do what we've been coached to do and do it the right way."