SB Nation - Chase Daniel

Alabama-Birmingham Statistical Preview

Beergut — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 10:57:46 -0000

Let's take a look at the University of Alabama-Birmingham Blazers:

The first player you need to know about is senior QB Joe Webb.

		Passing									Rushing					Sacks
	G	Rating	Comp	Att	Pct	Yds	Y/G	Y/A	TD	INT	Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD	Sack	YdsL
2009 - Joe Webb	3	73.0	44	77	57.1	561	187	7.3	5	5	57	367	122.3	6.4	3	-	-

Webb is both the team leader in passing and rushing; he is basically their whole offense. The bad news is that he is an effective dual threat QB, averaging 309 yds per game total offense, rushing and passing. The good news is that he hurts his own team as much as he helps it, with his 5 TD passes being offset by his 5 interceptions.

Webb's favorite targets are WR Frantrell Forrest

G	Rec	Yds	Y/G	AVG	TD	KR	YDS	AVG	Lng	TD	PR	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD
	Receiving							Kickoff Returns					Punt Returns
3	10	165	55.0	16.5	3	4	91	22.8	26	0	0	0	0	0	0

and TE Jeffrey Anderson

G	Rec	Yds	Y/G	AVG	TD	KR	YDS	AVG	Lng	TD	PR	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD
	Receiving							Kickoff Returns					Punt Returns
3	9	136	45.3	15.1	2	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Together, they are responsible for 53% of his passing yardage, and all of his TD passes.

When Webb isn't carrying the ball, Dexter Barnett is the one he hands off to.

		Rushing					Receiving
	G	Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD	Rec	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD
2009 - Dexter Barnett	3	15	58	19.3	3.9	1	3	3	1	1	0

Controlling Webb and Barnett will be the key to shutting down the Blazers running game.

Defensively, the Blazers are pedestrian to poor, giving up an average of 459.7 yds per game total offense (126 rushing, 333.7 passing), and allowing opponents to score 28.7 points per game on them. Defensively, the Blazers are led by CB Terell Springs and S Chase Daniel (apparently Missouri's former QB has been located after he disappeared off the Washington Redskins roster). I've always said when your top two tacklers on defense are members of your secondary, you have some real issues on defense, and UAB has some real issues on their defense.

Offensively, our no-huddle spread attack should be able to move the ball and score on UAB's defense. We should be able to run the ball, and we should be able to go to the air early and often. With Jeff Fuller injured, I expect us to go to Uzoma Nwachukwu, Jamie McCoy, Howard Morrow, and Kenric McNeal often as we work on building depth and try to replace his production.

Defensively, we need to focus on containing Webb, so he isn't able to run wild and move the chains. We need to force the Give read in their option game, so we can target stopping Dexter Barnett. If we can cover Forrest and Anderson in the passing game, we should be able to slow their passing game, and force Webb to go to his other receivers.

Ultimately, I think we'll win this game somewhere along the lines of 42-20.

SB Nation Big 12 Roundtable - 2009 Season - Week 2

Beergut — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 14:28:14 -0000

This is the second installment of the 2009 Big 12 Roundtable, a weekly feature during the season. Each week, an SB Nation Big 12 blogger will host the Roundtable and submit a series of questions to all Big 12 bloggers. This week, the Roundtable is being hosted by Rock M Nation. Listed below are I Am The 12th Man's answers.

1. A solid 10-2 showing for the Big 12 this weekend. Which of these wins was biggest for the Big 12 and why?

I'm sure most people will point to Oklahoma State's win over Georgia as a key win, and while I must admit it was nice to shut up the ESS-EEE-SEE lemmings for one week, I don't think that victory counts as the most significant for the conference. I may sound like I am tooting our own horn here, but I actually thnk the most significant wins for the conference last weekend were Baylor over Wake Forest and A&M over New Mexico. Baylor's win over a solid ACC team shows that they are to be taken seriously, that signs of progress in their program last season were not a fluke, and that they may very well be a bowl contendor this season. A&M's win over New Mexico shows that they are taking steps in the right direction under Sherman, and that they are improving as a team. Both of these wins are significant because these are the two teams expected to bring up the bottom of the Big 12 South; if both of these two teams are solid this year, it means the Big 12 South may be ridiculously tough, and by extension, it makes the Big 12 Conference look very good.

2. Conversely, the Mountain West did its damage against Colorado and Oklahoma. What's more disconcerting -- a sleeper in Colorado coming unglued, or a power in Oklahoma getting knocked off?

I am not sure if either of these games can really be considered disconcerting, in that the losses weren't huge upsets. BYU is a ranked team, it was known coming in that Oklahoma was going to struggle some with an inexperienced offensive line, and if you take away anyone's starting QB, there are going to be issues. The fact that BYU won given the circumstances in the game really isn't a surprise. However, a weak Oklahoma is not good for the conference as a whole, because one of the storylines this season was going to be a top 5 Oklahoma team fighting with a top 5 texas team for conference supremacy; if Oklahoma loses multiple games before facing texas in October, it does not help the reputation or image of the conference. It also may mean there is a clear field for texas for the division and conference title.

Seeing Colorado come unglued against Colorado State wasn't disconcerting at all; after the previous three years, I think we've all become used to seeing Dan Hawkins' team perform poorly. Sunday's loss to Colorado State was just another another drop in the overflowing bucket of disappointment that has been the Dan Hawkins tenure in Boulder. Oklahoma's loss to BYU was a fluke win for the MWC that could have been avoided by better preparation of a backup QB by the Sooner staff; Colorado's loss is just another disappointing loss to add to Hawkins' resume.

3. Right now, the college football world is rotating around a shoulder that can't rotate itself. What does the Sam Bradford injury mean for the conference right now?

It means the conference's best storyline coming into the season (Bradford vs. McCoy for the Heisman) is dead before the first chapter was even written. Bradford's absence means Oklahoma is significantly weakened, and it means that there is one less serious contendor for the national title in conference. With Bradford, even with a poor offensive line, Oklahoma is a threat to win the conference and compete for the BCS title. Without Bradford, Oklahoma might only be an 8-win team. Bradford's injury could cost the conference millions in lost bowl revenue, and that is not an exaggeration.

4. How, if at all, did your perception of your team change after week one, both for better and for worse?

I think all Aggies were pleasantly surprised at how well we performed in our first game. I think we all expected to win the game, but to dominate the way we did, to set a record for total offense for a season opener (606 yards), to hold the opposition to only 21 yards rushing; I don't think any of us expected that. I think it is safe to say that our perception of the team has changed for the better, although I think all Aggie fans are still a little cautious; it was only New Mexico, after all.

5. Give us your offensive player of the week, defensive player of the week, and coaching move of the week, including justifications for your selection. You ARE eligible to vote for your own program.

Offensive Player of the Week: Blaine Gabbert, QB, Missouri

25-33 passing for 319 yds and 3 TDs, 10 rushes for 39 yards and 1 TD against a BCS conference team in a border rivarly season opener that is also his first collegiate start ever is enough to convince me he deserves this week's accolades. Gabbert may make Missouri fans completely forget who Chase Daniel was by the time October rolls around.

Defensive Player of the Week: Von Miller, Jack LB, Texas A&M

He had 3 sacks, almost equalling his total production from last season, and helped hold New Mexico to 21 yards rushing on the game. He ~~is also~~ ~~the current Big 12 leader~~ leads the nation in QB sacks. If he continues to improve as the season goes on, he will be a difference-maker every opposing offense will need to account for.

Coaching Move of the Week: The best coaching move I saw all week was the two-point conversion call by Chris Peterson as Boise State went up on Oregon, 8-0. However, neither of those squads play in the Big 12, so I'm left to go with Art Briles pulling out all the stops in Baylor's win over Wake Forest. I especially liked the shovel pass to Kendall Wright, which he turned into a Sportscenter highlight.

6. Big 12 Power Poll! Rank the teams from 1-12. (Again, the simple criteria for this is power, i.e. who would beat who on a neutral field?)

Oklahoma State Cowboys
texas longhorns
Missouri Tigers
Oklahoma Sooners
Nebraska Cornhuskers
Texas A&M Aggies
Texas Tech Red Raiders
Baylor Bears
Kansas Jayhawks
Kansas State Wildcats
Iowa State Cyclones
Colorado Buffaloes

Four Star Quarterbacks, Success, Failure, and What Michigan Football can Expect out of Tate Forcier

Maize n Brew Dave — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 17:33:59 -0000

As a general rule, highly rated quarterback recruits are the crown jewel of any school's recruiting class. Sure you can bring in a #1 Linebacker or a #1 Offensive Tackle, but those guys don't score points and their faces aren't plastered all over ABC or CBS every fall Saturday. Offenses simply don't work without an able bodied/minded signal caller under center.

But high school kids rarely turn out to be the person we thought they'd be coming out of high school. While Dr. Saturday has pointed out on numerous occasions (link no longer available) that a 5* player is far more likely than a 4* or 3* player to make the NFL, for some reason a 5* is far more likely to get himself arrested than a 4* or 3* (from the 2005 class at least). You get your five star flame outs (Ryan Perrilloux) far more often than your #1DC's like Matt Stafford, and you're just as likely to be starting a three star quarterback that you recruited as "insurance" than your four/five star savior.

For Michigan, this is not welcome news. Since the departure of five star rated Chad Henne, Michigan has gone from five star rated Ryan Mallett to no star rated Nick Sheridan to four star rated Steven Threet, back to Sheridan, then to two star Justin Feagin, to Threet, to Sheridan, and now, finally, to four star rated Tate Forcier. Looking at the preceding list, it's easy to disillusioned by the rankings process. Mallett transferred, Threet transferred (again), Sheridan was basically useless, and Feagin is being switched to receiver. As a result, Michigan will be starting a first year quarterback for the second straight year.

Despite Michigan's string of bad luck under center last year, it has failed to temper the enthusiasm of the Wolverine faithful when talking about Tate Forcier's first snaps. While (thankfully) this enthusiasm hasn't gone all Beano Cook, it is palpable when you talk to a Michigan fan. And to his credit, Forcier has done something to stoke that fire. Four passing touchdowns and one running touchdown in your spring game, your first anything against college competition, will get people excited.

Oddly, in watching that video the first thing that jumps out at me is not, OMG Savior!, it's "our defense is going to be baaaaaaaaaaad." But I digress. Watching this video is incredibly reassuring for any Michigan fan who had to sit through or pour over bad video of last year's spring practice. Combined, IIRC, Threet and Sheridan combined for 6 turnovers and no touchdowns via the air in 2008. And that performance was turned in against what proved to be the worst Michigan defense in Michigan history. I'm just saying.

So it's kind of hard to truly judge what we can expect out of Forcier against live competition, you know, the kind that will actually try to tackle him. Last year's quarterback play set the bar very low. But, Forcier seems to have the unique abilities required to run Rodriguez system. Tate showed the ability to throw on the run. Go deep. Scramble out of a sack. Not spike himself. These are good things.

Last year Michigan quarterbacks combined to go an abysmal 165/338 for 1718 yards, 11TD/12INT and a miserable combined QB rating of 95.2. Nick Sheridan's numbers alone make you cringe, a QB rating of 81.1 and a 2/5 TD/INT ratio despite starting a handful of games. If you just threw up a little in your mouth, you're not alone. Say what you want about changing systems, these guys were not and are not good quarterbacks in any system with numbers like that. Last year Forcier's numbers look like a shiny beacon in comparison. 208/326 for 3424 yards, 23/15 TD/INT ratio, 783 yards rushing on 92 attempts, and 12 rushing TDs. But lets break this down a bit.

For context on the competition, Forcier's High School, Scripps Ranch, is a Division II South school in California. Scripps is in the middle tier high school division for California schools with enrollment between 2400 and 1100 kids. The bigger Division I schools have enrollment from 2400 and up [some almost reaching 5000 enrollment]. Scripps is one of the larger Division II schools with enrollment around 2100. So he definitely facing decent competition, he's just not facing a Long Beach Poly kind of talent pool (4600+ kids).

Now, onto the numbers. One thing that jumps out at me is the 2 to 1 TD/INT ratio in 2008. Forcier, if you look at his numbers, had his best season as a HS junior where he was 21/5 TD/INT. But that's two years ago, with different personnel. Last year in 12 games, Forcier had just three games without an INT, and threw 2 picks or more in five games. Tate's playoff numbers were a mixed bag, throwing for over 300 yards in one game, but tossing a combined 5 picks in both play off games he played in. The glass half empty kind of person can take that as Tate wilting under pressure.

But the reality is that's far from the case. Scripps was a good, but not great team last year going 8-4. Their second round bow-out from the DII playoffs was against 12-0-1 Oceanside, the defending state champs, who won their fifth consecutive Division II section title in 2008. Forcier scored both TDs in the loss for Scripps, and a look at the boxscore shows there's not a lot you can do when you give up 28 points in the 4th quarter. Looking at the results, you'll note a couple of games where Scripps gave up 40+ points, including 70(!) to the eventual state champs, Cathedral. FWIW, Forcier was 21/36 for 295 yards, 4TDs and 1INT in the Cathedral game.

What all this means is Michigan is getting a kid who has taken his lumps, knows what it's like to get planted, and has played well against higher levels of competition. Is he the Rich Rod savior we've been hoping for? Chances are we're not going to know for a while. After the jump you'll find the Rivals rankings for every quarterback receiving four stars or higher since 2005, and a few three stars of note. Of this group, over five years, you're only going to find five or six quarterbacks that jump off the page at you. Three of those page jumpers are: Tebow, Bradford, and McCoy. Surprisingly, Bradford and McCoy were three star recruits.

If it seems like things are a little off moving towards 2005, you're right. In '05 Rivals handed out only thirteen four star plus ratings to quarterbacks. In 2009, Rivals handed out twenty five four star plus ratings, nearly double the 2005 amount. In my opinion, this might have something to do with the precipitous drop in production from 4* plus players. When you're handing out high ratings like candy, eventually you degrade the overall effect of that rating. It also explains why I'm nervous about anointing a four star quarterback, even a good one, as a program savior or more modestly as an offensive savior.

So what do these numbers mean for Michigan and Tate? It means we should all cool our jets a tad. Given the number of four and five star flameouts over the last five years, a four star QB is statistically more likely to be a bust than a success. Further, regardless of pedigree, even the best of the best get hammered in year one. Everyone remembers the lumps Chad Henne took as a first year starter, the bad throws, the bailouts by Braylon. And Chad was one of the highest ranked QB recruits in the country at the time. Sam Bradford's been a starter since day one but he got beaten down fairly regularly too. What helped Braford, and what is a major question mark for Forcier, is Bradford's OU defense was AWESOME that year and Bradford often had the opportunity to fix things when he messed up.

Tate's in that middle ground between OMG SHIRTLESS and good, solid prospect. On the negative side, he's shorter than we'd like. He's got good, but not great arm strength. He's shown a propensity, at least at the High School level to throw some picks. On the positive, he has shown great escapability. Great instincts. Good decision making. Has a resume jam packed with awards and MVPS. And an arm that is more than capable of delivering the ball down field and into tight pockets mid field. But all this is conjecture before he plays a single game. So before we all start bringing offerings to his temple, let's allow the kid to show us what he can do in a real game environment.

But here's where the realistic fan in me comes out; it's really hard not to get excited about what he's shown so far. On the basis of his high school career, spring performance, and Rodriguez offense, 2,300 passing yards, 700 rushing yards, 15/9 TD/INT, 6 Rushing TD seems like a reasonable expectation. Juice Williams threw for 3,000 plus last year while running for 700 yards on a bad team. Having seen both players throw, I like Forcier considerably more than Williams as a passer. The rushing numbers will be comparable just because of the nature of the offense. Forcier's going to run the ball. It's a necessity in this offense. So he'll have every opportunity to gain rushing yards.

I may be underselling the passing a tad, but I don't know how well our receivers are going to play this year. They should be a solid group, but there were a lot of dropped and misplayed balls last year. If the receivers play better, I think Tate can get them the ball and my projection would go up from there.

Thoughts?

Here's the list of ranked quaterbacks from 2005 forward. Help me fill in the blanks on these guys if you can.

Rivals.com dual-threat quarterbacks 2009

1Russell Shepard 5* LSU

2Tyrik Rollison 4* Auburn

3Eugene Smith 4* West Virginia

4Kevin Newsome 4* Penn State

5Tate Forcier 4* Michigan

6Cody Green 4* Nebraska

7Nathan Scheelhaase 4* Illinois

8Shavodrick Beaver 4* Tulsa

9Casey Pachall 4* TCU

10Jordan Reed 4* Florida

11Raymond Cotton 4* Ole Miss

Not included – 14 Denard Robinson 4* ATH - Michigan

Rivals.com pro-style quarterbacks 2009

1Matt Barkley 5* USC

2Garrett Gilbert 5* Texas

3Aaron Murray 4* Georgia

4Tajh Boyd 4* Clemson

5Bryn Renner 4* North Carolina

6Richard Brehaut 4* UCLA

7AJ McCarron 4* Alabama

8Tom Savage 4* Rutgers

9Andrew Maxwell 4* Michigan State

10Allan Bridgford 4* California

11Zach Mettenberger 4* Georgia

12Tyler Russell 4* Mississippi State

13Josh Nunes 4* Stanford

14Ryan Mossakowski 4* Kentucky

Rivals.com dual-threat quarterbacks 2008

1Terrelle Pryor 5* OSU – You may have heard of him

2E.J. Manuel 4* Florida State

3MarQueis Gray 4* Minnesota - eligibility issues

4Robert Griffin 4* Baylor - Starter

5Matt Scott 4* Arizona

6Darron Thomas 4* Oregon - Bench

7Curt Phillips 4* Wisconsin

8B.J. Daniels 4* South Florida

9Kody Spano 3* Nebraska

10Jaybo Shaw 3* Georgia Tech - Included for awesome name

Rivals.com pro-style quarterbacks 2008

1Blaine Gabbert 5* Missouri - sorta starter

2Dayne Crist 5* Notre Dame - Bench

3Mike Glennon 4* N.C. State - starter

4Andrew Luck 4* Stanford

5Star Jackson 4* Alabama

6Landry Jones 4* Oklahoma

7Jacory Harris 4* Miami - Starter

8Jordan Jefferson 4* LSU

9Tyler Wilson 4* Arkansas

10Kyle Parker 4* Clemson

Rivals.com dual-threat quarterbacks 2007

1Tyrod Taylor 5* VTech – Starter

2Cameron Newton 5* Florida

3Aaron Corp 4* Southern Cal - Starter

4Stephen Garcia 4* South Carolina - washout?

5Willy Korn 4* Clemson - Starter

6Keith Nichol 4* Oklahoma - Bench/transfer?

7Chris Forcier 4* UCLA - Washout/transfer

8Kodi Burns 4*Auburn

9Josh Nesbitt 4* Georgia Tech - starter

10Logan Gray 4* Georgia

11Kellen Kiilsgaard 4* Stanford

12Bradley Starks 4* West Virginia

Rivals.com pro-style quarterbacks 2007

1Jimmy Clausen 5* Notre Dame - Starter

2Ryan Mallett 5* Michigan – Transfer/Starter

3John Brantley 4* Florida

4Mike Paulus 4* North Carolina

5Peter Lalich 4*Virginia

6Pat Bostick 4*Pittsburgh - Bench

7Jarrett Lee 4* LSU - sorta starter

8Robert Marve 4* Miami-FL - washout/transfer

9Steven Threet 4* Georgia Tech – Sadly, washout/Transfer x2.

10BJ Coleman 4* Tennessee - nothing

Rivals.com: Dual-threat quarterbacks 2006

1Tim Tebow 5* Florida (Football Jesus)

2Demetrius Jones 4* Notre Dame Washout/Transfer – Now a linebacker at NIU

3Jevan Snead 4* Texas – Transfer/Starter at Ole Miss

4Jake Locker 4* Washington – Punching bag/Starter

5Jeremy Ricker 4* Maryland

6Austen Arnaud 4* Iowa State

7Garrett Green 4* Southern Cal - bench

8Sherrod Harris 4* Texas - bench

9Antonio Henton 4* Ohio State – Who?

11Rick Stanzi 3* Iowa – Starter/Manzi

14Adam Weber 3* Minnesota - Starter

15Nate Davis 3* Ball State - NFL

16Todd Reesing 3* Kansas – Marky M says Balla.

Rivals.com Pro-style quarterbacks 2006

1Matthew Stafford 5* Georgia 1DC

2Mitch Mustain 5* Arkansas Washout

3Isiah Williams 4* Illinois Starter

4Josh Freeman 4* Kansas State Starter/washout/NFL?

5Pat Devlin 4* Penn State washout/transfer

6Kevin Riley 4* California sorta starter

7Neil Caudle 4* Auburn bench

8Chris Smelley 4* South Carolina sorta starter/washout

9Zach Frazer 4* Notre Dame washout

10Tyler Lyon 3* Arizona Bench

11Greg McElroy 3* Alabama – Starter (sorta)

12Sam Bradford 3* Oklahoma (Heisman winner)

Rivals.com Pro-style quarterbacks 2005

1Mark Sanchez 5* Southern Cal - NFL

2Jonathan Crompton 4* Tennessee - sorta starter

3Harrison Beck 4* Nebraska

4Derek Shaw 4* Arizona State

5Willie Tuitama 4* Arizona - One Time Stater/washout

6Rob Schoenhoft 4* Ohio State - bench

7Joe Cox 4* Georgia - bench?

8Arkelon Hall 3* Washington St.

9Domenic Natale 3* Michigan State

10Sean Canfield 3* Oregon State

11Bill Stull 3* Pittsburgh - starter

12Evan Sharpley 3* Notre Dame - Graduated

14Dustin Sherer 3* Wisconsin - sorta starter

15Colt McCoy 3* Texas - Starter Heisman Candidate

Rivals.com: Dual-threat quarterbacks 2005

1Ryan Perrilloux 5* LSU - Washout of spectacular fashion

2Jake Christensen 4* Iowa - Washout

3Ike Whitaker 4* Virginia Tech - Washout

4Josh Portis 4* Florida - ?

5Kyle Reed 4* California - ?

6Chase Daniel 4* Missouri - NFL?

7Jimmy Johns 3* Alabama - Proveyor of Fine Powdered Products

10Zac Robinson 3* Oklahoma State - Starter

Cowboys set some pre-draft visits

Dave Halprin — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 11:00:13 -0000

The ever-resourceful Todd Archer writes that the Cowboys have lined up some pre-draft visits with local prospects coming in on the 10th, and the national guys beginning on the 15th. Three quarterbacks and three safeties top the list. Go read Todd's article for more info on the guys, but here are the names to chew on:

QB: Stephen McGee, Chase Daniel, Tom Brandstater
DB: Mike Hamlin, Louis Delmas, Darcel McBath, Jarius Byrd, Bradley Fletcher
LB: Lawrence Sidbury, Jason Williams
TE: Anthony Hill, James Casey
WR: Patrick Turner

I wish I'd seen a little beef at NT on that list. Tank Johnson has left and is talking to the Bengals, so Jay Ratliff needs a little help on the interior. Maybe our new DE, Igor Olshansky, can motivate one of our own to jump up his game. Wade Phillips discussed Olshansky's relationship with potential backup nose tackle, Junior Siavii, who was picked just behind Drago in the 2004 draft (Round 2, pick 36):

"They have a close relationship," Phillips said. "They work hard together. Both were high draft choices coming out of Oregon and they push each other and compete with each other with everything they did in college. Igor talked about, I'm going to get with Junior and we're going to do this and we're going to do that and Junior says, Well, I can out do him. So I think it'll be a fun thing for us to have them."

Coach Phillips on Olshansky:

"He's still a young player, one of the strongest if not the strongest guys in the league. And he plays hard. He learned to play hard. Hopefully I helped him with some of that when he was young. But he plays very hard and he's a big man that can move."

Colorado Buffaloes vs. Missouri Tigers - A Statistical Look

irish1611 — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 01:59:04 -0000

Mizzou week. Most fans circled this game as the most difficult challenge that faced the Buffs this year on the schedule. After two loses and a #1 Texas team, that thought process has been changed...sort of. Although I am officially off the Chase Daniel and Missouri bandwagon for the "not focused enough for the matchup with the #1 team" excuse they have been throwing out there with this new 5:30 mantra, it doesnt make this week any easier for the Colorado Buffaloes.

Read more after the jump...



National	Big 12	Actual	Category	Actual	Big 12	National
Rank	Rank	Actual	Category	Actual	Rank	Rank
70	9	133.71	Rushing Offense	151.43	5	58
92	12	182.57	Passing Offense	369.43	3	4
96	12	316.29	Total Offense	520.86	3	5
87	12	21.29	Scoring Offense	45.86	4	T-5
80	9	160	Rushing Defense	123.14	6	45
47	4	116.75	Pass Efficiency Defense	136.63	10	95
66	7	361	Total Defense	410.86	10	100
65	7	25	Scoring Defense	26.29	8	71
68	6	34.71	Net Punting	36.89	4	32
60	7	9.19	Punt Returns	8.94	8	63
33	7	22.97	Kickoff Returns	22.26	8	41
74	9	-0.29	Turnover Margin	0.43	7	42
54	1	201	Pass Defense	287.71	12	114
79	12	115.28	Passing Efficiency	171.7	4	5
65	9	1.71	Sacks	2.29	4	34
T-81	7	5.14	Tackles For Loss	8.14	2	7
T-85	10	2.29	Sacks Allowed	0.86	4	8

The Buffs are 22 point underdogs and although the Buffs' defense has been playing relatively well the past couple of weeks, CU only scored 14 points against the 111th ranked defense last week at home. Fourteen points isn't going to get it done in this league, not against the Colt McCoy's, Sam Bradford's or Chase Daniel's of the world. Even though the nation is down on Mizzou after the last two weeks, this Tiger team is still very talented with Daniel, WR Jeremy Maclin and TE Chase Coffman on the offensive side of the ball. And all Buffs fans remember the 45 - 0 onslaught the two Chase's put on Colorado in Boulder last year after the leading 10 - 7 in the second quarter.

That being said, the blue print to beat Missouri has been laid by Oklahoma State and Texas. The Buffs might not have the talent to pull it off but improving on the 55 - 10 shellacking last year is possible and a must. First of all, the Missouri defense is ranked 10th in the Big 12 and 100th in the nation giving up 287 yards/game through the air, not much better than the Kansas State Wildcats. The problem for the Buffs offense is that they are deficient especially in the passing game, ranked dead last in the Big 12. With new freshman quarterback Tyler Hansen clearly operating on a limited playbook, the Buffs might not be able to expose the secondary. Missouri is middle of the road against the rushing attack but Mizzou has shown they are vulnerable the last two weeks against the run:

Missouri Defense	Rushing				Passing						Total Off.
Missouri Defense	Rushing				Passing						Total Off.
Opponent	No	Net	Avg	TD	Att	Comp	Int	Yds	Avg	TD	Plays	Yds
Opponent	No	Net	Avg	TD	Att	Comp	Int	Yds	Avg	TD	Plays	Yds
Illinois(52-42)	35	81	2.3	-	42	26	2	451	11	5	77	532
SE Mo. St.(52-3)	28	84	3.0	-	53	26	1	250	5	-	81	334
Nevada(69-17)	44	182	4.1	1	40	21	1	180	5	1	84	362
Buffalo(42-21)	35	49	1.4	-	40	22	1	237	6	2	75	286
Nebraska(52-17)	34	76	2.2	-	39	27	1	293	8	2	73	369
Oklahoma St.(23-28)	44	187	4.3	2	28	19	1	215	8	2	72	402
Texas(31-56)	40	203	5.1	5	33	30	-	388	12	3	73	591
Total	260	862	3.3	8	275	171	7	2,014	7	15	535	2,876

Are the Buffs as talented as OSU or Texas? Certainly not but Mizzou's defense isn't Texas, Florida State or even Kansas. This is the game where playing a tough schedule pays off. The Buffs offensive line has seen a lot and been through a lot of top talent so they shouldn't be surprised by anything Missouri throws at them. Controlling the line of scrimmage would be one way for the Buffs to stay in the game. And Coach Hawk needs to let the kid throw the ball this week. The Buffs had a great game plan against Kansas State last week. Against Missouri, the Buffs can't be conservative. They need to let Hansen throw it around. CU has nothing to lose. Establishing the run is first priority, getting the ball in Josh Smith's and Scotty McKnight is number two. The Buffs have totally forgotten the screen pass game and the quick hitters. Having Hansen in the game should enhance and improve those two facets of the game with his stronger arm and ability to scramble. Honestly the Buffs aren't supposed to win this game and probably won't but might as well take a shot.

On defense, the blueprint is to flat out get pressure on Chase Daniel from snap one without having to bring eight defenders. Yes, I know, duh, but CU has to get pressure on Daniel like they did with Freeman last week. The corner backs need to keep playing the way they have played all year. The player that scares me most in this game is TE Chase Coffman. I fear him more than WR Jeremy Maclin in that I don't know who the Buffs can put on Coffman. I don't like the way S Daniel Dykes or S Ryan Walters match up against him. Maybe S Anthony Perkins will have a bigger role as I think he would offer the best match up at the safety position. The Buffs would hate to put LB Brad Jones on him because he is needed for the pass rush. This is a glaring problem not only for the Buffs but the whole nation. Ask Texas how hard Coffman is to cover on his way to 12 catches for 140 yards. The Buffs can't lose him off the line of scrimmage.

Again the key for the defense is pressure and forcing turnovers. Hey if the Buffs can get a few turnovers and score early, you never know. Missouri's offense has shown the propensity to abandon the run in tough situations as shown below in the Missouri offensive game stats:

Missouri Offense	Rushing				Passing
Opponent	No	Net	Avg	TD	Att	Comp	Int	Yds	Avg	TD
Opponent	No	Net	Avg	TD	Att	Comp	Int	Yds	Avg	TD
Illinois(52-42)	37	226	6.1	2	45	26	1	323	7.2	3
Southeast Mo. St.(52-3)	36	256	7.1	3	33	26	0	336	10.2	3
Nevada(69-17)	29	132	4.6	3	36	27	0	519	14.4	5
Buffalo(42-21)	29	151	5.2	3	45	36	0	439	9.8	2
Nebraska(52-17)	34	201	5.9	3	24	19	0	261	10.9	3
Oklahoma St.(23-28)	18	64	3.6	2	52	39	3	390	7.5	1
Texas(31-56)	19	30	1.6	2	41	31	1	318	7.8	2
	202	1060	5.2	18	276	204	5	2586	9.4	19

Poll

What is the biggest key to the game if the Buffs want to challenge for the upset of Missouri this weekend?

Getting Pressue on Chase Daniel

17 votes

Getting a Lead Early and Making Missouri One Dimensional

5 votes

Establishing a Running Game on Offense

8 votes

Opening Up the Offense and Letting The Kid Throw the Ball Downfield

6 votes

Win the Turnover Battle...By A Lot

7 votes

43 votes | Poll has closed