Mizzou News for Wednesday, September 1

“It’s Time to Put Up”

I’m not sure if you knew this, but there’s a football game on Saturday. Pretty cool, right? Personally, I’m just waiting in the wings for my Hoops squads to get started, but that doesn’t mean I’m not happily anticipating the start of the Tigers’ college football season. After all, how could I NOT be pumped up? Rock M has had all sorts of pieces to get us hyped up for the season ahead (or, in Nate the Realist’s case, knocking us down a few notches, ha).

Anyway, during Drink’s first game week press conference of the new season, he made sure to remark upon the need for crowds. This IS, as Dave Matter pointed out in a piece for the St. Louis Post-Disapatch, that the first time since Drink’s hiring some 21 months ago that he’s been able to pack a stadium. Last year, if you remember (and the article reminds readers of this stat), Memorial Stadium was capped at 19%, and the season attendance average was only a bit more than 11,000… in a stadium with a capacity of 61,620. It was pretty empty, y’all— I went to a few games and can attest.

From Drinkwitz, in the article:

“We’re excited to put a great product on the field and we’re excited to play. Our guys have put a lot of blood sweat and tears into this season and to this moment. Some guys have sacrificed a lot to come back. Some guys are sacrificing their bodies right now to try to get back in time. It’d be awesome to be rewarded with a great crowd.”

The Tribune’s Eric Blum also wrote about the team’s hope for a great crowd, talking about what Columbia has done to put itself behind the hometown Tigers:

There’s been a lot of people engaged in a lot of things over the last 18 months to try to get this thing going. A real credit to the city of Columbia. They’ve painted ‘Mizzou’ downtown. We’ve got Tiger paws on Champions Street. We’ve got some downtown initiatives. We’ve just kicked off Black and Gold Fridays… It’s time. It really is time. Let’s put it all together. I’m not promising victories and all that every Saturday. I’m just saying, ‘Hey man, it’s time to get in and let’s get the fans here and let’s go. Let’s see what we can be.’”

So yeah….. please go to the game if you can to support the Tigers. But regardless of the guidelines (or lack thereof, as no other SEC school took LSU’s lead yet) be safe, consider wearing a mask— even outdoors, try to spread out, and please get vaxxed.

On to the Links!

Can you believe it’s freaking SEPTEMBER already? My mind is blown.

---

Yesterday at Rock M

• WE HAVE A DEPTH CHART, folks! And Nate (the Great/Realist) has some silly commentary to go along with it.
• Kortay attended Tuesday evening’s press conference and got some quotes for the recap.
• Because the basketball previews will NOT be overlooked, Sam previewed the SMU game.
• IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Josh wrote one of my personal favorite pieces recently, on the need for Mizzou to make the return game exciting again, while Sam opined about the state of the program over the weekend, now in Year 2 under Eli Drinkwitz.
• COMING UP: A preview from Nate, some reasonable expectation setting from Josh, and betting lines for Week 1 (if wagers are your thing) from Nate & Kortay
• LATER THIS WEEK: (mostly doing this because this is my only Links post this week & Sammy is pulling double duty for me)— The return of Pregamin! The annual Rock M Roll Call! A Q&A with a Central Michigan football writer! A Three & Out with Aaron! The weekly BIG costume reveal! A podcast— maybe two? And so much more!

---

More Links:

Football

• Dave Matter of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch was busy on Tuesday, giving readers a brief snapshot of the weekend ahead for Mizzou, analyzing the depth chart — which blends youth and experience, and writing about how Wilks’ Extreme Makeover: Defensive Line Edition is ready for its first test.
• And in case you missed the new Ten Hochman video, Benjamin Hochman of the Post-Dispatch said that Mizzou Football is in good hands with Bazelak.
• In an updated Tiger Extra piece, the Tribune’s Eric Blum wrote about Connor Bazelak’s confidence in his growth as Mizzou’s starting quarterback, while also identifying Mizzou’s path to eight wins in the regular season.
• Saturday Down South’s Stacey Mickles identified keys to victory for Saturday: What Missouri must do to avoid disaster against Central Michigan, while Grant Bricker laid out the injury report.
• In a super fun piece for The Athletic ($$), Brian Hamilton and Joe Rexrode took readers through “Beers of the SEC: From Druid City to Jackalope Brewing, a guide for your college football road trips.”
• Well, I like the looks of this.

Hoops

• Cannot wait for November! These players are TOUGH.

• ME. I’M excited, Boogie.

• Mizzou made the cut for Chandler Jackson, who trimmed his list to 10. And they’ll be getting an official visit from 6’7 Texas forward, Robert Jennings, Sept 3-5. He’s a 3-star in the class of 2022, for those keeping track.

Other Mizzou Sports

• Desiree Reed-Francois has been on the job at Missouri for a week now, and she sat down for a one-on-one interview with PowerMizzou’s Gabe DeArmond. This is a good read.
• Men’s Golf has released its schedule, according to MUTigers.com. The Tigers will open their fall schedule, which consists of six events, this weekend (Sept 5-6) at the Turning Stone Tiger Intercollegiate in Verona, NY.
• Another day, another transfer for Steve Bieser’s squad.

Mizzou in the Pros

• Sophie Cunningham & Co. clinched their playoff spot for the Mercury as PHX beat CHI 103-83 on Tuesday evening. Soph’s stat line? 16 minutes off the bench, 4 points on 2-4 shooting (0-1 from three), 1 rebound, 2 steals, 2 TO, 1 foul, for a +16 (!!)

• In absolutely fabulous news, Larry Three-Sticks was added to the Chargers’ 53-man roster and joined another Mizzou fan favorite!

• Awwww…. Memories. Not long after, Damarea Crockett was released by the Broncos, according to Dave Matter, but he could still end up on the practice squad.

• According to the Missourian’s Anthony Kristensen, former Missouri soccer player Sarah Luebbert has joined Club America of Liga MX Femenil on loan from the Chicago Red Stars. She’ll be with them for the remainder of 2021.

————————————————————————————————————————————————

If you’re looking to sign up for ESPN+, Rock M Nation now has an affiliate link: click Here for ESPN+ Now!

If you’re looking to sign up for a new streaming service, you can try FuboTV: click HERE for FuboTV access — FuboTV now has ESPN, CBS, FS1 and more sports channels.

(** RockMNation has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though RockMNation may earncommissions for products purchased via affiliate links.**)