Fan Blog: Tigers take out Buffs

After Mizzou got back into the winner’s circle following three disappointing weeks, it was nearly impossible for me to chalk this weekend up to anything other than great. I was headed out with my fiancee’s parents, and I knew this trip was going to be a lot less nerve wracking than the last time it was just the three of us (when I asked permission to marry their daughter). It all started with taking a half day off work on Thursday and getting out to Colorado in the early evening, only to find a foot of snow on the ground. We checked into the hotel and called it a night. Friday morning we woke up to a snow-covered mountain view that never got old over the course of the weekend. After picking up my fiance at the airport, we headed up to Estes Park for some sightseeing. I am unable to do the Rocky Mountain scenery justice with words, so I’ll fast forward to Saturday.

Saturday morning consisted of drinking entirely too much coffee and catching up with a few old friends in the athletic department that I hadn’t seen in a year or two. We headed to Boulder around 9 a.m. to check out the campus and take in the gameday experience. CU has a beautiful campus, and a 60+ degree day didn’t hurt. As expected, the place was devoid of any rabid fans, but at least most people were friendly. I guess when you’re surrounded by the mountains, a crappy football team hardly seems worth the effort of getting upset. It was nice to see a pretty good turnout for Mizzou fans, and those that made the trip weren’t disappointed (well, most were not, at least).

Mizzou took the opening possession as usual, and I could almost hear the crying from cyberspace when we opened up in a 5 wide formation. Miraculously, we put together an impressive opening drive and went up 7-0. The defense looked to have its ears pinned back from the beginning, and it rarely faltered most of the day. Early on, it never felt like it was going to be a close game. Colorado looked terrible from the start and Missouri looked like a motivated team with something to prove. On Mizzou’s second offensive possession and facing a critical 3rd and 3, we once again emptied the backfield. A guy a couple rows behind me started an expletive-laced tirade, not understanding “why the f*&# would you ever empty the backfield?” One mismatch and 73 yards later, the rhetorical question was answered. It took every moral fiber in me to not turn around and solicit a response.

From there, the rout was on. Aldon Smith looked nearly unstoppable, and he’s a guy that is worth watching on every single play. His stats were impressive, but he altered many more plays that didn’t show up in the Sunday paper. Will Ebner is a lot of fun to watch. Spoon was impressive as usual. Minus one drive in the third quarter, Mizzou’s defense absolutely handled the Buffs all game long. The thing that stood out most to me about the defense was the overall physicality. They just handled Colorado’s offense.

In the second half, Colorado made some adjustments offensively and had an impressive opening drive. Mizzou committed to the run, and Colorado committed to stopping it. Colorado seemed to catch on to the fact that Gabbert was staring down his receivers, and they started to make him pay for it. The pick six was a slight change in momentum, but the game never felt too much in doubt. The offense got a little sloppy in the second half and clearly had problems moving the ball, but Colorado’s offense was never much of a threat to capitalize on the opportunities.

While the second half was a little stagnant overall, it felt like Mizzou was in control for the entire game, and the team took care of business. I was satisfied with the effort and result, and it was refreshing to see the young team focused after three weeks of adversity. I left the stadium thinking that there wasn’t a whole lot to be upset about (although some will try to convince me otherwise). After the game, we headed to Buffalo Wild Wings near the hotel to enjoy the rest of the day’s football. Between watching my future father in-law pound Blue Moons and kU peeing down their leg in the 4th quarter in Lubbock, it was a great finish to a great day. My fiancee sure was glad to get back home and not have to watch any more football. After she paid her dues this weekend, I get to look forward to a week of watching Desperate Housewives, Glee, and every bridal show being aired on TLC. And it will still be worth it.