Insight Bowl 2010: 10 Things to Know About Missouri
The Missouri Tigers will be playing the Iowa Hawkeyes in the 2010 Insight Bowl on December 28.
The game features two teams heading in opposite directions, as the Tigers have won their last three games while the Hawkeyes have lost their last three.
On paper, this game looks pretty lopsided when you look at the teams' respective records, with Mizzou at 10-2 and Iowa at 7-5.
But the Big 12 had five teams with records of at least 9-3 while the Big Ten had a noticeable drop-off after Wisconsin, Ohio State and Michigan State.
That means the Tigers and Hawkeyes will be matched up in a battle of black and gold teams.
Here are 10 things you should know about Mizzou heading into the Insight Bowl.
10. Dave Steckel Is a Great Defensive Coordinator
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When Dave Steckel took over the Missouri defense in 2009, he took over a unit that was the weak spot on a high-powered team.
In just two seasons, he has turned that unit into one of the best defenses in the country.
If that trend continues next season, Steckel could land a head coaching gig in 2012.
9. Tim Barnes Runs the Offensive Line
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Tim Barnes is one of the few seniors that start for the Tigers, but he is a very important one.
As the center, he is the guy who runs the offensive line, and Missouri will certainly miss him next season.
The play of the offensive line is a big reason the Tigers were able to upset No. 1 Oklahoma this season.
8. Kevin Rutland and Carl Gettis Are Good Corners
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Rutland and Gettis have been fixtures in the Missouri secondary for a couple years now, but both of them will be graduating and moving on after the season.
The improved play of the defensive backs has been one of the biggest reasons for the improvement of the Missouri defense.
The secondary will certainly miss the leadership Gettis and Rutland provide.
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7. One Bad Quarter Doomed the Tigers
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The Tigers allowed Nebraska to score 24 points in the first quarter of their 31-17 loss to the Cornhuskers.
If it wasn't for that one bad quarter, the Tigers would have won the game 17-7 and improved to 8-0 and probably won the Big 12 North.
Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be. That loss sent the Tigers reeling, and they'd drop their next game to Texas Tech before getting back to their winning ways against Kansas State.
One of the greatest "what-ifs" of this college football season is, "What would have happened had the Tigers won the Nebraska game?"
6. Henry Josey Is a Game Changer
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Josey, a freshman tailback for the Tigers, has the speed and vision to be a home run threat.
Anytime he touches the ball, he is capable of taking it to the house.
If he breaks free for a long run early against the Hawkeyes, it has the potential to set the tone for the rest of the game.
5. Gary Pinkel Deserves More Recognition
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I don't always agree with the things Pinkel does.
For example, I hate the bubble screen pass. I also think we need to run the ball more inside the opponent's 5-yard line.
But I definitely respect him as a coach. You have to. The results speak for themselves.
Pinkel has taken a program that had very little going for it and turned it into one of the better programs in the Big 12 and college football in general.
4. Mizzou Has Beaten Two Conference Champions
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The Tigers beat the Big 12 champion Oklahoma Sooners on October 23 for one of the biggest wins in program history.
However, back on September 25, the Mizzou beat another eventual conference champion: the MAC champion Miami (OH) RedHawks.
Back in September, the win was nothing special. But now the RedHawks are MAC champions, finishing with a decent 9-4 record.
Besides Mizzou, only Florida, Cincinnati and Ohio were able to beat Miami (OH).
3. Mizzou Has Beaten Six Bowl Teams
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Including wins over Oklahoma and Miami (OH), Mizzou has beaten six teams that will be participating in bowl games.
Here's a list of the bowl teams and which bowl games they will be playing in:
Illinois: Texas Bowl
San Diego State: Poinsettia Bowl
Miami (OH): GoDaddy.com Bowl
Texas A&M: Cotton Bowl
Oklahoma: Fiesta Bowl
Kansas State: Pinstripe Bowl
That's a pretty impressive résumé if you ask me.
2. The Missouri Defense Is Stout
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If I told you going into the 2010 college football season that Mizzou would have the nation's sixth-ranked defense, allowing only 15.2 points per game, you would have laughed at me.
"No way a defense that lost its leader, Sean Weatherspoon, is going to be better than last year," you would have said.
But you would have been wrong. (For the record, I never would have said that Mizzou was going to have a good defense before this season.)
The defense has been the main reason the Tigers have been so good this year. They've shut out two Big 12 opponents thus far and will set their sights on beating their second Big Ten team on December 28.
1. Missouri Will Be Even Better Next Year
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No matter what happens in the Insight Bowl, the Tigers are heading in the right direction as a football program.
Blaine Gabbert, T.J. Moe, Henry Josey, Michael Egnew and several other key pieces will be returning on offense, and the defense will stay mostly intact despite losing Rutland and Gettis.
Gabbert should be an even better quarterback too as he continues to get more comfortable in the pocket.
Iowa should be very concerned heading into the game on the 28th. Mizzou is a team that is peaking at just the right time.
But with nearly a month of practice before the game takes place, anything can happen. It should be a fun game to watch.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
