By Bob Priddy, Missourinet Contributing Editor
(MIZ)—It was no surprise Missouri’s football game Saturday was two light-heavyweights throwing haymakers at each other. A pre-game look at their statistics found little difference in overall numbers. The two teams went into the game closely-ranked in the polls. It bid to be an entertaining game with somebody going home disappointed.
Missouri and LSU traded halves and LSU’s half was bigger. The 49-39 final was closer than the score indicated. Missouri was down by only three with time running short, looking to at least get close enough for a tying field goal that would put the game in overtime when Brady Cook’s second interception of the game was turned into a 17-yard pick-six with 34-seconds left. LSU outscored Missouri 22-7 in the fourth quarter to pick up the win.
The two teams combined for 1,060 yards total offense. Cook had his second-straight 395-yard day passing, But Missouri’s Tigers gave up 274 yards on the ground (almost six and a half yards per carry) , couldn’t get key stops. Both teams had eleven penalties.
This might seem similar next weekend against Kentucky, another top-25 team. Missouri dropped out of the AP top 25 after the game but remains last in that field in the coaches’ poll. Kentucky is 23rd after a 51-13 thrashing at the hands of Georgia. (ZOU)
(CHIEFS)—The Kansas City Chiefs played just well enough to win—again—in their 27-20 victory over the Minnesota Vikings Sunday. It appeared they were about the blow he game open when they broke a halftime tie with two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. But Minnesota tightened the game in the fourth quarter and knocked on the door twice in the last five minutes but couldn’t re-tie the game.
The Chiefs are now 4-1 despite not being the dominant team their fand are accustomed to seeing. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes pointed out after the game that, “There are a lot of young guys out there and we’re going to keep everybody moving in the right direction.” He forecast, “I think by the end of the year, we’re going to be dangerous.”
Travis Kelce tweaked an ankle in the first half but came back in the second half with it taped up and caught a touchdown pass from Mahomes. Kelce, who is shooting for his eighth straight season with at least 1,000 yards receiving, has 222 in the four games he’s played this season.
The Chiefs have a short week ahead. They play the Denver Broncos Thursday night. Denver lost to the Jets Sunday 31-21, giving up 234 yards on the ground. The Broncos are 1-4 and lost ugly to the Jets, losing three fumbles (one of which went for a TD), a safety, and starting the second half with five straight three-and-outs.
Mahomes had another milestone game against the Vikings. They were the last NFL team he had not defeated in his NFL career. Minnesota was number 31. Pro Football Talk says he’s the youngest, at 28, to do it. Others were in their thirties. He joins Alex Smith, Russell Wilson, Ben Rothlisberger and Aaron Rogers as the only other quarterbacks to defeat every team but their own.
(TIGER BBALL)—We are less than a month away from the first Missouri Tiger men’s basketball game. It’s Arkansas-Pine Bluff on November 6.
The Tigers have four players back from last year: Noah Carter (Senior, 9.6 points, four rebounds, 1.8 assists per game); Nick Honor (Senior, 7.9-1.6-2.9); Aidan Shaw (Sophomore, 2.7-1.7-0.1); and Sean East II (Senior, 7.3-2.1-2.5). Also returning is Kaleb Brown, Kobe’s brother, who scored nine points, had six steals, five assists and four rebounds last year as a 6-7 sophomore guard,
Coach Dennis Gates has proven to be a Tasmanian Devil at recruiting. John Tonje comes in as a fifth-year player from Colorado State, a 6-5 guard, 14.6 ppg, 39% from the arc, 55% inside it). Tamar Bates transfers after two years at Indiana, another 6-5 guard (6 ppg, 37% from the arc, 39.2% overall).
Caleb Grill is a 6-3 guard, fifth year player with a year at UNLV and the last three at Iowa State. (9.5 ppg last year, 39% shooting with most of his shots from outside. Four rebounds per game.
Curt Lewis comes to Missouri as the Player of the year in the NJCAA playing for John A. Logan Junior College. Led his team to a national championship, shot 51.8% from the field, 48.3% from outside.
Jesus Carralero was hurt and played only five games for Campbell last year as a 6-8 forward. Averaged 10.6 points and 5.2 rebounds hit 50% of his shots from the field when he did play.
One answer to the complaints that Mizzou doesn’t have a big man inside was answered with the arrival of Connor Vanover, a graduate-transfer who stands 7-5. Also coming over is 7-2 center Mabor Majak, who will have two years left after seeing limited action at Cleveland State.
The Tigers also picked up a third seven-footer, Jordan Butler, who led his South Carolina high school team to two state championships in the last three years; 6-10 forward Trent Pierce who led his high school team from Arizona into the High School National Championship game; Jackson Francois, another 6-5 guard who comes from Las Vegas; Anthony Robinson II, a 6-2 freshman guard who led Florida State University High School to a record of 109-25 and was the all-time winningest player in Florida high school history for boys basketball; Danny Stephens, a 6-6 guard from Bowen, Illinois, who averaged 26.4 ppg, 9.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists in his high school career; and 6-5 guard J.V. Brown, a freshman from Los Angeles who averaged 16 ppg and led his team to a 23-6 record as a senior.
How many will play? How many will stay? Only five can play at a time.
But the ingredients are there for a very interesting season.
(Let’s hit the road)
(NASCAR)—A. J. Allmendinger isn’t among the drivers contending for this year’s NASCAR Cup championship but he was a factor for those who are, or were.
An emotional Allmendinger beat all of the championship contenders to the finish line on the Charlotte Roval Sunday, this third career Cup win, all on road courses. He led the last 33 laps and beat William Byron to the checkered flag by about seven-tenths of a second.
Allmendinger called his run “the drive of my life” and admitted he was crying during his cool-down lap. And he broke down during a post-race interview. “It’s a freaking Cup race, man. You don’t know when it’s ever going to happen again,” he said. “That is why you do it. This is the only reason you do it.”
Perhaps adding to the moment is the uncertainty about whether his team, Kaulig Racing, will field a car with him in it next year. Allmendinger has been in the car for the last two years and hopes to stay in Cup racing. His team owners say they have made a decision about what will happen in 2024 but they’re not ready to announce it. Allmendinger would prefer to stay at the top level, “Bu at the end of the day, it’s a business and it’s about trying to find the funding for it.”
He had been racing in NASCAR’s second-level series and could go back a Kaulig car in that series if the team doesn’t provide a car for him at the Cup level next year.
The next three-race elimination round begins at Las Vegas next weekend with Byron, Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin, Kyle Larson, Chris Buescher, Christopher Bell, Tyler Reddick, and Ryan Blaney still in the hunt. The competition will be narrowed to just four drivers for the final race of the year, with the highest-finishing one taking the 2023 Cup.
(FORMULA 1)—Max Verstappen’s winless streak has ended at one. His F1 championship streak has reached three, his win at the Qatar Grand Prix has clinched the title with five races left. Its his 14th win this year.
Racing conditions are leading the Formula One sanctioning body to reconsider the racing schedule for next year. The Qatar GP was run on an 86 degree humid day. Several drivers needed medical attention after the race and one dropped out because of health reasons. Driver Esteban Ocon said he vomited in his helmet. Another driver said he was close to fainting. And another driver was treated after the race for acute heat exposure.
(photo credit: Allmendinger at WWTR—Rick Gevers)