WELCOME BACK TO PREGAMIN’ HERE’S YOUR JAM OF THE WEEK
REST IN POWER, D’ANGELO, AND THANK YOU FOR THE SOUL
Rock M-ixology
Guess what, folks, we’ve got another beer this week.
I had a few cocktails in mind for this week’s
matchup, but my mind kept coming back to the comments of previous posts, where Straight to Ale in Huntsville, Alabama, kept getting raised. Funny enough I’ve got a very loose family connection to that brewery and had the chance to visit while in Huntsville a few years back. It’s got a solid seasonal rotation with an excellent kitchen, so check it out if you’re ever in the area. This week, now that fall weather is coming, I’m shouting out my favorite Straight to Ale brew: Stout at the Devil.
I’m a sucker for a good oatmeal stout, and this one is as good as they come.
- Are you planning on attending church in Alabama at some point soon? Do you have a mischievous streak, specifically as it relates to novelty mustaches? Well, you damn heathen, you better not bring that mustache to church for the purpose of making someone laugh because that, my friends, is against Alabama LAW!
- Fun little history lesson about Auburn football I found on Reddit, and apparently a favorite local legend amongst natives: In 1896, Auburn students greased the train tracks that the Georgia Tech team’s train would be rolling in on. The train skidded to a stop 5 miles past the station and after making the trek back, the Georgia Tech team went on to lose 45-0. That’s dedication. Take notes, Antlers.
- Not trivia per se, but I did think it was worth revisiting one of the great moments of Mizzou’s SEC history for our last bullet point of the post:
I also considered EJ Gaines scoop-and-score earlier in the game, but something about this play really hits for me.
It’s always hard to lose your first game of the season, but you have to learn from them. What do you think Mizzou learned last weekend?
Josh Matejka, Deputy Site Manager: Mizzou learned the standard they need to meet to be considered amongst the sport’s elite. It’s wonderful that the Tigers played a less-than-perfect game and stuck with Alabama. But the best teams in the sport are able to play those types of games and still win. Better still, they don’t play those games all that often and are able to elevate against the best competition. A loss like that will be useful to the program, but only if they apply those lessons
Nathan Hurst, Football Writer: They learned that going away from your strength on offense is a surefire way to fail. They also learned that they can play a B- game and compete for four quarters with the blue bloods of the sport.
True Deck, Football Writer: Mizzou learned a lot about what its going to face the rest of the season. It learned that the run game won’t be able to win every single football game and, most importantly, I think it learned what it felt like to lose. This is Beau Pribula’s first year as a starting quarterback in college and he started undefeated through five games. Having a close, strong loss early isn’t the worst thing in the world.
Sammy Stava, Staff Writer: Mizzou didn’t play their best game and still had a chance to beat an elite team like Alabama in the end. Though it sure is frustrating and annoying that they had their chances and couldn’t capitalize. Having said that, if Missouri consistently plays their “A” game the rest of the way — they have shown they have the talent in order to make the CFP.
Nate Edwards, Football Writer: It learned that every game going forward is going to be more like that and they better get comfortable playing out of their comfort zone.
It’s been a wild college football season, with upsets, firings, and chaos galore. What’s been your favorite part of the season so far?
Josh Matejka: Truthfully, it’s been sort of fun to be outside the chaotic fray. The amount of resources that are being sunk into college football programs means instant gratification is becoming the name of the game. Guys like James Franklin are figuring that out the hard way. Mizzou, on the other hand, is one of the most consistent programs in the country these days. It’s been relaxing as a fan to watch other programs descend into madness and not have to worry about if/when it happens to us.
Nathan Hurst: My favorite part has been the number of non-perennial powers that are taking advantage of modern college football rules to find themselves at the top of the sport. Indiana, Ole Miss, Texas Tech, Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt, Virginia, South Florida… all historical afterthoughts that are excelling this year.
True Deck: My favorite part of the season has been the competitiveness of these top level games. I feel like almost every Top 25 game (IU vs. Illinois does NOT fall into this category) has been entertaining and fun all the way through, not just one team blowing out another. Hoping to see more exciting games down the stretch.
Sammy Stava: The Ahmad Hardy buzz to start the season. His Heisman profile took a hit on Saturday vs Bama (but not his fault he only had 12 carries).
Non-Mizzou: I’ll go with the struggles of Texas and Penn State.
Nate Edwards: Easily UCLA looking like total garbage, firing their coach, and then having the magic of Tim Skipper turn them into a competent, middle of the pack team. And beating Penn State despite the fact that their OC couldn’t send in half the plays because he forgot to flip his mic down onto his mouth, forcing Nico Iamaleava to just make shit up on the field. Magical.
Auburn isn’t the dominant team they used to be, but they’re still a threat, especially on The Plains. What makes you most nervous about Saturday’s road trip?
Josh Matejka: I’m a little worried about Mizzou’s mentality going into the game. The Tigers had all the early momentum against Alabama, but let some really stupid, avoidable penalties push the Tide back into the game early on. To me, that suggests a team that wasn’t mentally prepared for the energy of big games like that. Maybe they learned their lesson and will be better prepared for Auburn. But going on the road is a different beast, and I wonder how the crowd will affect them.
Nathan Hurst: Mizzou’s historical inability to perform consistently on the road under Eli Drinkwitz. Auburn has a lot of talent and Jordan-Hare is a tough environment. That said, based on what is going on off the field for Auburn right now, there there is little excuse for Mizzou to not show up and win this game. Whether they will or not remains to be seen.
True Deck: I’d say Jordan Hare Stadium. We saw how tough they played against Georgia just last week. This is going to be a serious test for Missouri, especially for the teams first road game. Not many environments are like Jordan Hare Stadium and you can’t replicate it with a mock-road trip to St. Louis.
Sammy Stava: How is this team going to respond after the tough loss to Alabama? Are they going to come out firing or does their body language look like one loss is going to turn into two. Overall, Drinkwitz’s teams tend to struggle on the road. A night game at Jordan Hare isn’t exactly an ideal spot to play your first road game of the season, either.
Nate Edwards: It’s on the road versus a team that is nothing but a factory of chaos. The anxiety doesn’t end until it’s zeroes on the clock.
PICK ‘EM! Mizzou opened as a -1.5 dog on the road, but the line has shifted toward the Tigers, who are now a -1.5 favorite. We’re in for a tight one… how do you see it playing out?
Josh Matejka: I think this will become the defining game of the season, one way or the other. If Mizzou wins, the weight of an impressive road win likely erases any harm done by losing to one of the country’s best teams at home. A loss puts them squarely out of the College Football Playoff conversation and the narrative becomes, “can the Tigers get back on track before the season turns into a total loss?”
Ultimately, I think Mizzou is the better team, probably by a significant amount. That doesn’t always matter on the road, but I do think it’s worth pointing out. And after five years at the helm, I think Drinkwitz knows enough about going on the road to prepare his team appropriately. Auburn has a lot of bullshit magic on their side, but I think it’s not enough to upset the good guys. Mizzou wins a close one, 23-20.
Nathan Hurst: The Tigers will definitely win this one by more than 1.5 points.
True Deck: I think the Tigers are pissed, and the better team. Mizzou has the pieces to win this game its just a matter if they can execute when it matters. I think they will. I’ll take the Tigers to win and cover, 31-21.
Sammy Stava: Missouri looks like the better team on paper and Auburn might have just given up on Hugh Freeze at this point. Mizzou wins a close one 24-20 with a Daylan Carnell INT to seal it.
Nate Edwards: Auburn has a ton of off field distractions right now and Mizzou is motivated. But none of that crap matters when Auburn is involved, they have a nasty habit of taking clear cut narratives and having the opposite outcome occur. First team to 17 points wins. I hope it’s the good guy Tigers.
