Mizzou Morning Matters
10/20/2023 10:00:00 AM | General
It's Homecoming at Mizzou. That’s with a capital H around here. And for two-year team captain Darius Robinson, Mizzou is Home.
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Darius Robinson grew up in the state that's home to another block M.
He'll proudly wear ours on Saturday.
Because it's Homecoming at Missouri.
That's with a capital H around here. And for the Mizzou defensive end and two-year team captain, Columbia is Home.
Robinson came here in 2019 from the Detroit suburbs to play football for the Tigers and sometime after his fifth year on campus he'll move to an NFL market. But Columbia will always be home for the player most people around here call D-Rob. Because he's made it his home. He's not only embraced the love and support he's received from the community beyond Mizzou's campus — he's hugged right back. He's made this place Home.
And that's why No. 6 is so grateful he passed on the NFL draft so he could experience one last year at Mizzou. One last season. One last fall. One last Homecoming. One last chance at the kind of magical season that seems to be unfolding around him.
"It's been a long journey, and for this to be my last Homecoming it's going to be very special," Robinson told me this week. "Just to play in this environment, I know there's going to be probably the most people we've had at a game, more than the last game. I just get to take it in one more time."
When Robinson jogs onto Faurot Field for the coin toss ahead of Saturday afternoon's kickoff against South Carolina, he'll savor the sold-out crowd and the energy this rejuvenated fan base will deliver. He'll remind himself to never forget that feeling — because he knows it didn't happen automatically and won't last forever.
He's down to three home games and already reminds the freshmen how good they've had it this fall.
"I get chills when we come out for the coin toss," he said. "Just the energy, that college rowdiness. Being able to play at Mizzou and this great city of Columbia has been special."
It's hard to find another player who's made more of the resources and opportunities in his path. Robinson attended a prep school just west of Detroit that didn't offer football, then transferred to Canton High for his junior year where he played his first season of organized football. He quickly blossomed into a Power Five recruit and chose Mizzou over Colorado, Minnesota and a few other Big Ten programs.
He never takes his journey for granted.
"Because I never thought I'd be here," the former three-star recruit said. "Truthfully. I didn't start playing football until my junior year of high school. So, going to school here every day, that's easy for me. This community has been special to me. I just want to give back because I'm blessed to be here."
Back in August, Robinson gave back with a school supplies giveaway event at his church in downtown Columbia. Across campus and within the athletics department he's grown into ambassador's role for his school and his team. At last month's all-staff meeting for the athletics department, he joined five other student-athletes from other sports and spoke before every Mizzou coach, administrator and staffer to share his story, from football rookie in Michigan to a two-time team captain in the Southeastern Conference.
Where do those leadership instincts come from? Robinson credits the seniors who were part of the program when he was a rookie in 2019, but he also leads with his natural blend of charisma and intensity. Wander too close to the team's pregame huddle just before kickoff and you'll see that personality erupt.
"Just me being myself, just being a respectful person, being a kind persona and putting other people before me and not caring about my ego or anything like that," he said. "I just really cherish this university because I didn't think I'd be here. I graduated (last year). I'm getting my Master's. This place has really changed my life. It's changed my life with football and I know I'll be a successful person without football. And I just credit Mizzou for all of that."
Robinson, who's enrolled in the Master's of Education program for Positive Coaching and Athletic Leadership, wants to eventually return to college athletics — maybe become an AD, he said — after his playing career runs out.
"I asked Desireé (Reed-Francois), if football doesn't work out if I could intern for her," he said. "Any way I can have life outside of ball. Ball is going to end regardless, but my main goal is to be well rounded in life."
Football is in his future for a while. After playing at 305 pounds last season as one of the SEC's most productive defensive tackles, Robinson is down to 285 this fall and exclusively playing defensive end. It's an opportunity to flex his positional versatility for NFL scouts but also fills a need along Mizzou's front four with the departure of 2022 All-SEC edge rusher, and Darius' close friend, Isaiah McGuire, now an NFL rookie in Cleveland.
A calf strain sidelined Robinson for most of the Memphis game and the next week's win at Vanderbilt, but he broke out Saturday at Kentucky with a team-high six tackles and two sacks, earning SEC defensive player of the week honors and national player of the week salute from the Senior Bowl. With each week, he feels more comfortable and confident, he said. For his first four seasons he grappled with similarly sized interior linemen in the trenches. This year's been a transition on the edge.
It's not how you start, it's how you finish! Thanks for all the love and support Mizzou Nation! #MIZ #STP pic.twitter.com/s7lgHlUVIT
— Darius Robinson 6?? (@Darius6Robinson) October 15, 2023
"It's the blocks because usually (at tackle), you're getting double teamed by two O-linemen," he said. "Now it's one O-lineman and a tight end. And the tight ends are a lot faster, so they get on you a lot quicker. That's been the biggest adjustment. But for me, I just have to be physical regardless and be who I am regardless who's blocking me."
What's the secret behind the 20-pound weight drop?
"Oatmeal," he said. "I eat a lot of fruit and oatmeal for breakfast. And lots of vegetables. … But I've still got a sweet tooth. I still eat my cupcakes. You've just got to work out more. You have to sweat."
As Robinson can testify, you don't have to be from Columbia to call this place home. I was born and raised in St. Louis but haven't left Columbia since coming here as a student in the 1990s. It's home. This is Homecoming No. 28 for me and No. 14 with kids but the first since I left the media world to work for Mizzou.
Newcomers to Mizzou don't always get Homecoming right away. If you haven't noticed, we take it pretty seriously. Every school does homecoming, but it's Homecoming around here. It's part of our DNA at Mizzou and part of our brand. We bleed for the blood drive. On Friday, we wander through Greek Town to check out the House Decs then get up early to watch the floats rumble by in Saturday's parade.
If the weather's right, there's no better sight than peering down Ninth Street just as the sun emerges to shine over the changing leaves that droop over the sidewalks jam packed with black and gold.
And there's nothing like college football Saturdays when your team is winning. Even better when it's Homecoming at the place where it started. Darius will take it all in Saturday. Make sure you do the same.
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More Football!
Watch this week's Mini Movie from the win at Kentucky:
Watch Coach Eli Drinkwitz's weekly press conference:
Listen to Tuesday's episode of "Tiger Talk" featuring Coach Drinkwitz, running backs coach Curtis Luper and defensive end Darius Robinson.
On The Rise
Mizzou's swimming and diving teams splashed into their season at the SMU Classic earlier this month and are back in the pool Friday at Alabama for the season's first dual meet. Andrew Grevers, in his fifth year as head coach of both the men's and women's programs, returns a women's team that's brimming with young talent and a men's team looking to reload after last year's senior-heavy team finished 16th at the NCAA Championships.
"The women, we got a lot — not a little, a lot — of talent in our freshman, sophomore class," Grevers said this week. "That's not to belittle our juniors and seniors. They're darn good. But the potential that we see in the freshmen and sophomores is very, very exciting, the freshmen specifically. And next year's recruiting class coming is really, really good."
Each team at last week's meet in Dallas was limited to competing with eight swimmers and one diver. Half of Mizzou's women's contingent were freshmen. Piper McNeil (400 IM), Emily Roden (500 freestyle) and Zara Zallen (200 breast) all had promising debuts.
"And we could have brought six," Grevers said. "I think that speaks volumes about the women's team and the exciting times ahead. We're certainly in a rebuilding phase, but the pieces are here. There are more great pieces coming, but the pieces on campus in the water are working their tails off."
On the men's side, the Tigers graduated every team member who scored points at last season's NCAA Championships but return standout Grant Bochenski, who earned SEC swimmer of the week honors after the SMU Classic. In Dallas, the junior took third in the 100 backstroke with the eighth-best time in the country this season (46.35 seconds). Will Goodwin, a breaststroke specialist and 2023 NCAA qualifier, had decided to retire after last season but in August chose to return for a fifth year of eligibility. Jan Zubik, a mid-year addition from Poland, is primed for a strong season.
"We have the pieces here," Grevers said. "They just need to believe in themselves and come together."
In the Community
Earlier this week, Luke Bauer followed his game-changing touchdown pass by visiting patients at University Hospital as part of the Playing 4 Hope charity initiative, along with teammates Mookie Cooper and Ben Straatmann.
Also this week, Mizzou senior defensive tackle Realus George Jr. was nominated for the Wuerffel Award, given annually to the FBS player who "best combines exemplary community service with leadership achievement on and off the field."
Making an impact on & off the field ?? @RealusGeorgeJr #MIZ ???? pic.twitter.com/nC51KlBUgb
— Mizzou Football (@MizzouFootball) October 18, 2023
Tiger Trivia
Find answers at the end of today's newsletter:
1. Saturday is the 14th football meeting between Mizzou and South Carolina. Where was the first game played and who was the winning quarterback?
2. Mizzou's two longest recorded interception returns in team history, 100 and 99 yards, both came against South Carolina. Who had them?
3. Mizzou's first Homecoming game was played in 1911. What was the final score?
Matter's Weekly Power Rankings
Each week we'll highlight the Best of Mizzou with a different theme. This week: The most significant touchdown passes thrown by non-quarterbacks this century. There have been 14 since the start of the 2000 season.
1. WR Bud Sasser to WR L'Damian Washington, 2013 at Georgia: It was the game that launched the Tigers toward their first of two SEC East championships and it was the play that sparked the victory. QB James Franklin had left the game with an injury, and on his first possession, backup Maty Mauk tossed a backward pass to Sasser, who launched a 40-yard bomb to Washington in the end zone, seemingly silencing Sanford Stadium en route to Mizzou's landmark 41-26 win. The play call? Colt 45, a relic from Mizzou's Big 12 playbook when No. 45, Chase Coffman, was the triggerman. Colt 45: Works every time.
2. WR Darius Outlaw to QB Brad Smith, 2003 vs. Nebraska: One of the great razzle-dazzle play calls in Mizzou history. Tied with the Cornhuskers early in the second quarter, Smith lateraled to Outlaw in the flat, and the former QB threw it right back to Smith, who did his thing behind a wall of blockers for a 47-yard romp to the end zone. Mizzou's 24-game losing streak to the Huskers soon came tumbling down, followed by the goal posts.
3. P Luke Bauer to WR Marquis Johnson, 2023 at Kentucky: We're guarding against the temptation to rank this one No. 1 — for now. Let's see how the season plays out, because, in a few weeks, we might look back at Bauer's 40-yard strike to Johnson on the fake punt as the most critical play of a memorable season. We don't know the play's true impact just yet. Stay tuned.
4. WR Tommy Saunders to TE Martin Rucker, 2007 vs. Nebraska: Gary Pinkel rarely cracked a smile on the sideline, but he couldn't help himself when Saunders, holding for the field goal unit, flipped a pass to Rucker for a 10-yard TD to push the Tigers ahead 41-6 early in the fourth quarter. "That's none of my business if they want to run that play," Huskers coach Bill Callahan said after the game. "Our business is to defend it."
5. WR Forrest Shock to DE Jacquies Smith, 2009 at Colorado: This trick play barely impacted the score — the Tigers rolled 36-17 in Boulder — but Shock and Smith might be the least likely TD pass tandem in Mizzou history. Shock, a walk-on receiver, served as the holder on field goals and PATs, and when the Tigers lined up for a routine field goal in a blowout game, Shock instead shoveled a pass to Smith, a defensive end, swooping around the edge, for a 24-yard TD. The Tigers had designed the play to use against Texas the week prior but never got the opportunity. They broke it out for the Buffs. The only pass attempt of Shock's college career gave him a QB rating of 631.6! "Nervous? Not really," Shock said that day. "I was kind of looking forward to it."\
Missed the cut: WR TJ Moe to WR Wes Kemp, 2011 Independence Bowl vs. North Carolina … WR Danario Alexander to WR Jared Perry, 2009 vs. Furman … Saunders to Coffman, 2008 vs. Nevada. … Coffman to Saunders, 2006 Sun Bowl vs. Oregon State … WR Brad Ekwerekwu to WR Sean Coffey, 2005 vs. Oklahoma State.
Disclaimer: We're only counting TD passes by non-QBs. That eliminates Sonny Riccio's fake field goal TD to Victor Sesay in 2003 against Nebraska - an epic play nonetheless.
Mizzou Musings
Right about the time of kickoff Saturday, former Mizzou swimmer Jack Dahlgren will be competing in the Pan American Games in the 200 butterfly in Santiago, Chile. … Mizzou landed three players on the AP's Midseason All-American team: Wideout Luther Burden III and cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine were first-team selections, while left tackle Javon Foster made the second team. Mizzou's three selections were more than seven of the teams in the AP Top 10. … Prior to this week, the record for player attendees at SEC Basketball Media Days was three. Dennis Gates brought four Tigers to Birmingham on Wednesday. It just means more, right? … Volleyball goes for its fifth SEC victory Friday at Auburn. In the last two years combined, the Tigers won a grand total of four SEC matches. Mizzou enters the weekend No. 33 in the RPI rankings. … On the SEC Network call for Saturday's football game: Taylor Zarzour, Matt Stinchcomb and Alyssa Lang. The last time that crew was in Columbia? Mizzou 30, Kansas State 27.
Looking Ahead
Friday, Oct. 20
Men's & Women's Swimming and Diving at Alabama, 10 a.m. (Tuscaloosa, Alabama)
Softball vs. Missouri Southern State, 5 p.m.
Softball vs. Central Methodist, 7:30 p.m.
Volleyball at Auburn, 6 p.m., SEC Network (Auburn, Alabama)
Saturday, Oct. 21
Football vs. South Carolina, 2:30 p.m., SEC Network
Sunday, Oct. 22
Soccer at Kentucky, Noon, SEC Network+ (Lexington, Kentucky)
Monday, Oct. 23
Women's Golf at The Southern Savannah, (Savannah, Georgia)
Tuesday, Oct. 24
Women's Golf at The Southern Savannah, (Savannah, Georgia)
Wednesday, Oct. 25
Men's & Women's Swimming and Diving vs. Indiana & Auburn, 10 a.m.
Volleyball vs. Tennessee, 7 p.m., SEC Network
Thursday, Oct. 26
Soccer vs. Alabama, 5:30 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 27
Cross Country at SEC Championships (Columbia, South Carolina)
Tennis at UCA Invitational (Conway, Arkansas)
Links to Click
Tickets are sold out for Saturday's Homecoming game, while only tickets on The Rock M Hill are available for Tennessee on Nov. 11 (buy now). Reserve seats and Hill tickets are available for Florida on Nov. 18 (buy now).
For all the latest information on Mizzou Athletics, please visit MUTigers.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Tigers on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Tiger Trivia
1. Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama. On Dec. 29, 1979, Phil Bradley quarterbacked the Tigers to a 24-14 win over the Gamecocks and future Heisman Trophy-winning running back George Rogers in the Hall of Fame Classic.
2. Markus King (99 yards) in the 2005 Independence Bowl and Ronnell Perkins (100 yards) in 2019.
3. Mizzou 3, college from the state west of Missouri 3
