Game Recap from Tiger Fan

On the Field:

-Chase Daniel certainly seems to be living up to the hype. I know he hasn’t played a really solid defensive unit yet, but his accuracy is deadly if he gets enough time. Can’t complain about 332 yards of total offense and two TDs.

-We all knew the defensive line was good, but who knew the rest of the unit would be so solid? After two games, the Tigers are giving up a mere 156 yards per game and rank second in the NCAA in total defense. Say what you want about Ole Miss, but Schaeffer, McCluster and Green-Ellis are legitimate weapons who accomplished pretty much nothing on Saturday. And how about Marcus Bacon? Twelve tackles, a forced fumble and an interception. Nice work from the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week. Massey’s second pick in as many weeks was also ridiculous.

-After the second heart stopping punt return by Marcus Woods, half the stadium was waving, showing him how to call fair catch. He chose not to listen and fumbled away the next one. I don’t care what green light the coach gives you… if there are two guys on the other team standing in front of you, call the fair catch!

-Speaking of bad coaching, Pinkle’s clock management at the end of the first half was about as bad as the Seahawks in last year’s Super Bowl. What a disaster.

-Clearly we are getting a lot of offensive production, but we’d be getting even more if our players would spend less time juking and more time running north-south. Our guys like to dance after they catch a ball rather than lower their shoulder and pick up a couple more yards. Running backs on sweep plays are the worst offenders. They are looking for the 80-yard run instead of the 7-yard run… and ending up with the 2-yard run.

-I didn’t see the block in the back on Pig Brown’s punt return TD (mainly because they didn’t show the replay… more on that later). But I don’t think it matters: Pig should be returning our punts… and not just because his name is Pig.

-Nice to see Brandon Coleman finally get a TD. How long has he been here now? Seven years? Eight?

-Mark it down: Mizzou will lose at least one game this year because of the inconsistent kicking game.

Seen and Heard in the Stands

-I noticed that the Ole Miss fans removed their hats for our alma mater. Very classy move. Half our fans don’t even do that.

-Everything you hear about the elaborate tailgating set-ups at Ole Miss is true. Example? One group had a three-foot high ice sculpture of Colonel Reb in Columbia on Saturday.

-“That’s a terrible kick,” says Born-a-Tiger as Adam Crossett’s kickoff lands in the back of the end zone for a touchback. Yeah, we figure he’s one of those guys who jumps up every time Albert Pujols hits a pop-up to the centerfielder.

-I found the Ole Miss band to be somewhat annoying. You basically couldn’t hear either band because they spent the whole game playing over each other. But I guess that’s pretty typical any time a band travels. Remember when Mizzou’s band used to go places?

-Not sure what exactly it said, but apparently part of the Tiger’s Lair message was directed at a big-name recruit in attendance on Saturday. Nice work guys!

Pleasant/Irritating Athletic Department Notes:

-Who the hell is wearing No. 16? And why? Before anyone freaks out, I’m not asking you to retire Brad’s number. I’m aware of the “rules” on that. But how can the coaching staff and the veteran players let this happen? I don’t know anything about freshman DB Kevin Rutland, but unless he’s the second-coming of Deion Sanders, he should not be wearing No. 16 the year after Brad graduated. It’s that simple. At least they haven’t given out No. 25… yet.

-I noticed an unusually high security presence at Saturday’s game. Not sure why. But at least they are actually doing something… one cop made me turn out the contents of my cargo shorts. Apparently my camera was riding a little low.

-Why do we have Band Day? What purpose does it serve? Is there a big demand for out-of-sync drumming at half time? Am I the only one who hates this every year?

-Obviously they did this last week, but this is the first time I saw it: I love the smoke when the team is coming out of the tunnel. Really cool effect. Plus, if we’re going to dress like an Arena League team, why not go all out with the transformation?

-Show some freakin’ replays! There were several plays in the game that were questionable, but I don’t know if the refs made the right call because the folks running our Jumbotron don’t show replays of controversial calls. What do they think is going to happen? If we see an incorrect call, are we going to run onto the field, grab the ref, take him to Harpo’s and cut him up? By not showing it, you give fans no option but to boo. At least if we saw a replay, we could make an intelligent decision. Grrrr….

Probably being heard around the water cooler this morning...

“I don’t care if I have to quit my job, I’m going to the game at Ole Miss next year”… and lest you think I’m joking, my friend Mike actually did say that this morning.