TAKE 2: An alternative look at the day in sports

By PETE BLAND

Published Friday, October 3, 2008

With the fourth-ranked Missouri football team riding into a place it hasn’t won since 1978 as an 11-point favorite tomorrow night, it’s a cold reminder that it wasn’t that long ago that the Tigers weren’t too far afield from what Washington State is today.

Well, maybe things weren’t ever this bad.

In case you haven’t been following what gridiron life in the Palouse has been like recently, the 1-4 Cougars — the lone victory came against Football Championship Division foe Portland State — are in the midst of perhaps their worst season in history.

After losing 63-14 to Oregon last week, they rank 96th out of 119 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in the nation in total offense and 106th in total defense. They’re 117th in giving up 44 points per game and 103rd by averaging 19. And they’re 118th against the run, allowing 269 yards per game.

The biggest eye-opener, however, came earlier this week, when Coach Paul Wulff — a beaten man these days, no doubt — announced that because of injuries and general ineffectiveness he’d be holding open tryouts on campus for a quarterback. Yes, a quarterback. A major college program seeking a signal-caller from the general student population.

So, tomorrow when Chase Daniel is completing passes with pinpoint accuracy to Chase Coffman, Jeremy Maclin and the like, remember how good you as Missouri fans have it.

That could be you out there against the Cornhuskers. And believe me, nobody wants to see that. Just ask the folks in Pullman.