An Image Change for Missouri Tiger Football

Henry Josey running away from the Texas A&M defense is the most enduring image I have from Saturday.  That TD and the other events of Saturday night are quite a change from some of the other images that represent Missouri Tiger football over the last 30 years or so.

I’ve been at Faurot for a few poundings by Nebraska when they really were NEBRASKA and by Colorado when they were actually good at football.

I also saw, sort of, the infamous Flea-Kicker  play by the Huskers in 1997.  I was in the south end zone. That play happened in Faurot's Cursed North End Zone.  For those unfamiliar or who have successfully repressed the memory, a Nebraska receiver instinctively kicked wildly (and illegally) at a would be incomplete pass and deflected it to a teammate on the fly for a touchdown.  The 5th Down vs. Colorado in 1990 also happened in that end of the field. I heard that one on the radio while driving through Fulton.

I saw a tie with SMU in 1993--  a hard to watch 10-10 tie. Ugh. There were also forgettable ( I wish I could forget..) losses to Bowling Green and Tulsa.  I was also   witness to a 28-28 tie with Indiana in 1988 and I was on hand for the press conference a couple months later when Woody Widenhoffer was dismissed.

The idea of Mizzou anywhere near being in the hunt for a national football title was unthinkable back then—unless you’d spent a very long time and a lot of money at Harpos.

All memorable things for a variety of bad reasons. Josey running away from the Aggies is a good thing to remember.

Saturday night,  I left my seat in the press box to head down for the post game press conference as the A&M offense took over with around five minutes left. That’s the usual routine so that I can be in place in time for the post game press conference.  I was in the stairwell when Mizzou stopped A&M and forced a punt. I could tell something good, but not spectacular had happened from the cheers outside.

I stepped out onto the southwest corner of Faurot Field just in time to see the the 3rd and 1 play start at the Mizzou 43. From my angle, I knew that Josey would score the instant he cut back and that the game was effectively over.

Now, Mizzou in a national championship game is plausible. A win over Auburn and a win by Michigan State over Ohio State makes that into a distinct possibility.

And I wouldn't be surprised if even better things happen in coming seasons. Mizzou football has come this far, why not?