Who knows how the nickname “Show Me State” got started?
The most accepted legend goes back to Missouri Congressman Willard Duncan Vandiver from Fayette, who was first elected in 1897. “I come from a state that raises corn and cotton and cockleburs and Democrats, and frothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me,” he reportedly said. “I’m from Missouri and you have to show me.”
Another legend involves some guys from Joplin who moved to Colorado to work in the mines. And, there are other versions. The truth about the nickname really doesn’t matter. It stuck, and if you’re from Missouri, you’re not supposed to believe something until it’s proven to be real.
That goes for Missouri Tiger football. A lot of fans wanted to believe in one of the feel-good stories of the college season and were doing that until the fourth quarter of the game with South Carolina on Saturday night in Columbia, Mo..
It’s not that the Tigers had failed to show things this season prior to the fateful fourth period.
They had shown that they could surprise the experts. Nobody gave Missouri much chance for anything, Lindy’s included. Our preseason edition had Missouri ranked sixth in the SEC Eastern Division ahead of only Kentucky, 12th in the conference and No. 61 in the country. The Tigers quickly dispatched two overmatched opponents before an impressive 17-point win over Indiana, which beat Penn State by 20 points. Each week, the magnitude of the surprises grew.
They had shown that they could win on the road. After the victory in Bloomington, they dominated improved Vanderbilt in Nashville, then won between the hedges in Athens.
They had shown that they could beat the SEC big boys. At Georgia, the Tigers took a 28-10 halftime lead, withstood a Bulldog comeback, then won going away. The next week, they faced the Florida Gators and their league-leading defense. Missouri, which had lost starting quarterback James Franklin for the season, rolled up 500 yards total offense in a dominating 36-17 win.
Maty Mauk and the Tigers can still win the SEC East. (Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports)
And perhaps most importantly, they had shown that they could play defense. Led by senior Michael Sam (and his NCAA-leading 10 sacks), the Tigers had improved drastically over 2012. Six times last season, Tiger opponents scored over 30 points. Through the first eight games this season, that hasn’t happened even once.
Florida finished with just 151 yards total offense. Against Georgia, the Tigers forced four turnovers, including a fumble returned for a touchdown. Vanderbilt only scored once in the first half in Nashville, trailing Mizzou at intermission, 30-7. And, South Carolina was shut out and trailed by 17 points with just over 12 minutes left in the game.
Then, things fell apart. With a virtual lock into the SEC Championship Game just one quarter away, the Tigers dropped the ball, suffering a painful 27-24 loss when a field goal attempt hit the upright in the second overtime.
Now, instead of having an almost insurmountable lead over the rest of the Eastern Division, Missouri has a one-game lead over the Gamecocks and has lost the head-to-head advantage. South Carolina only has two conference games remaining – both at home, against slumping Mississippi State and Florida. The Tigers still have to play Tennessee at home, Kentucky in Lexington, Ole Miss in Oxford, and Texas A&M in Columbia.
South Carolina has by far the easier road and now has to be considered the favorite to represent the East in the Georgia Dome.
Still, the only team in the division that controls its own destiny is Missouri. Win out and play for the Southeastern Conference championship. Lose again and that’s not likely. It’s that simple.
I don’t know much about corn, cotton or cockleburs. But, I do know that Missouri has come up with a surprisingly good football team.
How good?
In this week’s Associated Press poll, there are four Southeastern Conference teams in the Top 11 … Alabama (1), Auburn (8), Missouri (10) and LSU (11). Three of those are traditional SEC powers, fixtures in national rankings in most seasons during college football’s modern era.
The other one is Missouri. That is high cotton for a team that was often upper division in the Big 12, but is new to the Southeastern Conference, where it didn’t win but two league games in its first season a year ago.
Put-up or shut-up time has come for the Tigers.
If you deserve to be in that high cotton, Mizzou … it’s time to show me.
