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The straight scoop from
Colonel Mustard

Oct. 11, 2002

Well, we have another must-win game. I believe we need this one to ensure that we can go to a bowl game. The nine-win streak is in peril, but for sure we have to make a bowl for the extra practice time.Mizzou is an odd team, blown out by Bowling Green and pushing Oklahoma. Like with Colorado, you don't know what to expect week to week.

Our strategy has to be as always establish the run, but attack these nine-man fronts with play-action and take advantage of our improved receiving corps. The receivers will be open; the wild card is will Lord find them. He must at least stop throwing into coverage or he will throw a ton of picks. If his primary guy isn't open he needs to pull it down and run. We need him to have a tunover-free game.

On defense, I will say it again: Groce on Gage and let the young QB work without his best guy. See if he doesn't make mistakes. The worry is he is a better runner than Mills, and he tortured us out of the shotgun options. These guys run that.

The bottom line is that we must win the turnover battle and the crowd has to be in the game. We have a better team, but they are confident and we are not. We have a good team that is poorly coached and playing poorly. Our biggest problem is not the opponent, it is ourselves. Frank has got to get this team to believe in him and play with confidence.

On the QB situation, I don't know for sure whether Dukes should have taken his redshirt off or not. I do know that it should never have been put on him. He should have been playing some from the first game on, like Frazier as a frosh. This situation was botched from the start of the season, not now. Stuntz was used as a pawn in this game, and that was really unfortunate. I cannot remember ever being as worried and uncertain about one of our teams in my life as I am now. Go Big Red, keep the faith.
 
-- The Colonel

 

 
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