M-I-Z...

When people ask where I'm from, I might give my actual hometown once out of every ten times.  Not a lot of folks are familiar with "Auxvasse" and nobody who didn't grow up within ten miles of that metropolis can pronounce the name. Thus, I usually just answer the question by saying that I'm from Columbia since it's only about twenty minutes from where I grew up and is an easy point of reference.

Having grown up so close to Columbia, it was fated that I should be counted among the Tiger faithful.  Black and Gold has been part of my sports DNA from a very early point in my life.  Spiritually speaking, I am a missionary to all peoples carrying the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ.  On a MUCH more earthly level, I consider myself sports missionary carrying a message of repentance for those wayward souls who cheer for KU.

Now, realize that I have no delusions about where the Zou's teams stack up.  We are not a powerhouse (though we fans do know how to run our mouths as if we were one).  We don't go into games against the big boys as favorites...ever.  Still, we are always a competitor and on the right night, the spoiler.  Don't get me wrong, I'd love for my Tigers to be a juggernaut.  Still, there's something I dig about being "Little Mac" and having the chance to knock out Mike Tyson (+5 for 1st generation Nintendo allusion).  Guess it just makes some victories that much sweeter, even if you do get your face punched in occasionally.

One such case came last fall at the Mizzou homecoming game.  My wife is truly a gift from the Lord on more levels than I could tell you about in this blog.  On the night of that game, my wife confirmed this fact for me by denying her Okie heritage and humbly sacrificing for the sake of our marriage by cheering for the Black and Gold (or, at least not cheering against us...close enough).  It was a dreary, gray afternoon which we mainly spent walking around campus taking part in the electric atmosphere created both by the implications of this game should we pull off the upset as well as ESPN College Gameday's presence at Faurot Field. 

When we finally got into the game, it was as full as I have ever seen that stadium and literally a sea of gold.  The Oklahoma faithful did have representation, but were largely hidden in the mass of Tiger fans that were ready to brave any elements that night.

For anyone that saw the game, you know the outcome.  I won't bore you with a recap of every detail (and I'll save you the rant about Yost's five-wide sets at the goal line).  I will, however, always remember the roar that went up when McGaffie took that first kick back.  That was a sound I've never heard rivaled at any sporting event I've ever been to.  That place lit up like Clark Griswold's Christmas  decorations.  People went nuts because they all knew, win or lose, that our team was going to put on a show, and that they did.  It's no secret that OU has slapped us around plenty the last few years, so the sight of Bob Stoops whipping off that visor in disgust sent the whole Tiger nation into a frenzy that fired on all cylinders straight through to the final play of the night when the scoreboard read 36-27 in favor of the hometown Tigers.

If you're not a Mizzou fan, then that night probably meant nothing to you.  You're probably thinking, "Yeah, then you all lost two straight and went on to blow it against Iowa."  True, that's the life of a Mizzou fan.  We relish the good moments because we know that they are not guaranteed to last.  Oh, and will the Sooners bring the thunder next year to avenge that loss?  Totally possible and highly probable.  Still, if you were a Mizzou fan and were there that night, then you know how I felt when I saw our student section flood that field and walk the goalpost to Harpo's.  Sweet doesn't quite describe it. 

This video captures some of the coolest parts of that night.  To the MU faithful, "M-I-Z..."

 

Effective Score: 36...to 27.