Northwestern head coach head coach Pat Fitzgerald had his boys ready to play. They were aggressive, disciplined and didn’t know how to quit. If they can convince more athletes to sign with them, the Mildcats may surprise some Big 10 teams in the next few years.
Missouri head coach Gary Pinkel, on the other hand, apparently took his team down to the River Walk for tequila slammers right before the game. They didn’t sober up until the second half. If they were playing a team from somewhere other then the Big 10 Conference, they probably lose.
It’s a tough call as to who does less with more talent in the Big 12 Conference, Missouri or Texas A&M. Missouri clearly has more talent, but they rarely show up for big games.
The Aggies have less talent, but they rarely show up for any games.
Never would have expected the defense to win it for them. Great penetration by Sean Weatherspoon and William Moore on the third down play in overtime. Simply huge.
Jeremy Maclin is an amazing talent. The punt return for a touchdown right before the half may have made the difference between Missouri’s being able to gut out a win, and fading horribly in the second half. Can’t imagine him coming back next year. There’s too much talent waiting for him in the NFL.
Chase Daniel’s final performance was unimpressive. Just 27 of 44 passing for 200 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions. Sorry, Chase, no matter how much fluffing the ESPN announcers try to give you, you’re not NFL quality.
Speaking of ESPN, did they really need to show the Daniel family between each and every play? Here’s a sample of some of the coverage: