Football season is almost finally here and there's only one place to get set for game day. Macadoodles does game day like nobody else. Get your crew ready to watch all the big games at Faurot with a stop at Macadoodles. Whether it's beer, wine or spirits you're looking for, Macadoodles will make your house or tailgate the game day place to be in Columbia this season. Who does game day like nobody else? Macadoodles does.
Every week, PowerMizzou.com publisher Gabe DeArmond answers questions from Tiger fans in the mailbag. This format allows for a more expansive answer than a message board post. Keep your eye out each week to submit your question for the mailbag or send them to powermizzou@gmail.com. On to this week's inquiries.
jjspkd asks: Do you think the downturn in recruiting this year is related to it having a winning season yet? Something else causing it?What is the biggest weakness of the 22 Football Team? Biggest Strength?Chances Mizzou lands Bol?
GD: I applaud your economy of words. Lots of questions, no wasted space or time.
On recruiting, yes, that's a part of it. The first two years you sell hope, potential and playing time. After that, you need to sell production. It's a part of why this season is important and a big part. But look at where the kids are going too. The guys you're talking about are going to Oklahoma, LSU, Tennessee and Alabama. With the exception of Tennessee, these are three of the top six programs in college football for the last decade. It's not like Missouri is losing out to nobodies. The truth is, those are programs that have almost always beaten Missouri in recruiting and will do so more often than not. So when you combine those two things, it leads to one very obvious conclusion: Missouri fans wanted to believe Eli Drinkwitz had unlocked some magic formula in recruiting to Mizzou. He may very well be the best recruiter the school has ever had. But that is still going to have to be matched with production on the field as well.
The biggest strength of this team? On the surface, it looks like wide receiver. The team certainly has talked that way. The biggest weakness? Right now, for me, it's proven production. Missouri fans are banking on a lot of things they hope and believe will happen. But this roster is full of a lot of guys who need to produce more than they ever have--due largely to simply not having had the opportunity, but still--for Mizzou to reach its goals.
As far as John Bol, it's early. He's a 2024 kid who hasn't even taken a visit yet. It's a good sign Missouri is getting one of those early visits. But it's way too soon to handicap it.
Dorsey101 asks: 1) Heading into the first game of the season, which Mizzou team(s) did you expect the least from that ultimately surprised you and vice versa?2) What has been your favorite season opener to cover at Mizzou? And if there is one, what's your least favorite?
GD: 1) I'll admit to being fooled in 2013. In hindsight, it's easy to see that James Franklin was good and then he got hurt and that was a big part of why Missouri struggled in 2012. But at the time, I wasn't sure Gary Pinkel still had it and I wasn't sure Missouri could compete in the SEC. I don't know what I predicted for the season, but I'm very confident it wasn't a spot in the SEC title game with legitimate national championship hopes.
2) The only season openers I really remember are the Illinois games. Mizzou usually opens the season with a game that isn't very exciting. Those Illinois games had some intrigue. The one I remember best is Blaine Gabbert's debut where he looked like an absolute star in his first start. I guess that would have been 2009. I was seated next to Jason Whitlock in the press box. He asked me who a good comparison for Gabbert was. I said I thought he reminded me of Ben Roethlisberger as far as stature and physical tools (this was a skinnier Big Ben than people remember). Jason's column the next day in the Kansas City Star was all about how "Big Blaine" had picked the Illini apart. I don't remember getting a co-byline on that one, but maybe I did.
