Missouri Tigers: Telling Quotes Before South Carolina Game

As they do every week, the Missouri Tigers held a Media Day to look ahead to their next opponent on Monday, and with No. 13 South Carolina being that next opponent, it is fruitful to look at some of the most telling answers to get a better understanding of the team’s overall mentality.

In its second trip to Gamecock country since joining the SEC, Mizzou will be playing for a chance to take complete control of the SEC East– a division in which the Tigers won in 2013.

Tigers head coach Gary Pinkel. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports

Last season, South Carolina upended Mizzou on homecoming in Columbia, Missouri.

The Gamecocks are 3-1 (1-1 SEC) and would love nothing more than to win its third straight game in which College GameDay is visited their campus.

The story lines for Mizzou are ten-fold.

We all know about what happened last week.

We all know about what happened last year between these two teams.

So what can we glean from these players and coaches’ responses to get a sense of where their heads are.

As we touched on earlier this morning, Mizzou made some big changes to the depth chart this week. The team has suffered some significant injuries. And other players have struggled. Thus, some roster moves were in order. Because of this, there are some big questions about preparation for this game.

In case you didn’t notice, Mizzou was not prepared for its last tilt with lowly Indiana.

Here are some things we heard in the press conference on Monday, and observations as we look forward to this weekend’s game.

Running back Marcus Murphy on the team’s spirits after the tough loss against Indiana:

"“It was different than I expected. I expected some guys to be down about the loss but everyone was enthusiastic in practice. The guys were ready to just let it go and focus on South Carolina. I can see the urgency to come out, compete, and get back on track.”"

This is surely a good sign for the Tigers. Mizzou’s loss to the Hoosiers was ugly. To know that the rest of the team is not only finding a way to remain positive but is enthusiastic and focused on the next game is crucial. It is possible that Mizzou was looking ahead to South Carolina. Now, they can put everything into this game. Urgency, enthusiasm, focus, all good words to hear being used about this team.

Head coach Gary Pinkel’s opening statement about South Carolina:

"“South Carolina is a very good football team. I’ve got great respect for head coach Steve Spurrier and what he has done there. It’s a great place to play (Williams-Brice Stadium). We opened up there a few years ago and it’s a great environment. We’re entering the SEC schedule now and we’re excited about that. We’re going to work real hard and play our best.”"

A few things to note here. First, acknowledging your superior is an important first step. Respecting the hostile environment is another. But I think that last sentence about being in the SEC schedule– and the subsequent excitement– and “we’re going to work really hard and play our best” are kind of throw away sentences. I’d like to see the same urgency we saw from Murphy in the team’s head coach.

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Pinkel and quarterback Maty Mauk on the roster changes before this week’s game:

"Pinkel: “We’re not the only ones that do that. Everybody is probably going to play still. We’re trying to get the right combination in there and see how it works out. We think this new set has a good chance and we’ll see where it goes.”Mauk: “It doesn’t matter. I’m comfortable with any of those top eight, nine, or 10 guys. They’re here for a reason, so they’ve got to put that extra work in this week, study some film, and know what their job is. They’ll come out ready to go.”"

I think this is a smart move by the coaching staff– in most cases. It’s important to know when things aren’t working or could use a fresh change of pace. The only thing I question here is the timing. I wish that his had happened earlier. The first game of the SEC schedule, on the road, isn’t the best time for experimentation. I do love the confidence from Mauk though.

Pinkel on getting the running game going against South Carolina:

"“I don’t think it’s just the offensive line. The better you throw the ball the more it opens up the running game too. A lot of times the running backs have to hit the crease the right way. It’s a combination of a lot of things. I think it’s going, but just not consistent enough. We’re getting yardage out of it, but we’d like better consistency and positive plays. You always strive for that and we look at that all the time.”"

Here’s where Pinkel really grinds my gears. Your passing game is the least experienced and has a ton of young guys trying to make plays, especially with injuries that the receivers have suffered. And your running backs are arguably the best part of the offense. Mizzou– as it often does– is getting things completely backwards here. You run the ball to open up the passing game.

This may sound like a typical or outdated scheme. But when the players’ talent and experience are the perfect combination for it, you don’t put it all on the passing game to make the running game better. You run the ball better– and more often. I really hope we see balance in this game, or we’re in for a rude awakening.

After all of this, what did we learn? We learned that this game is a “toss-up” if there ever was one. Hopefully the Tigers have gained enough confidence to go and make this game a competitive one.