We examine three players who's stock is rising and three players who's stock is falling as the Tigers prepare for this week's home opener against McNeese State.

Three Up:

Carl Gettis - SR. - CB

Guys like Gabe DeArmond and Dave Matter spent all summer hyping him.  Last Saturday he proved them right.  Yes, the interception was impressive, but Gettis was solid in coverage all day.  He was a big factor in the fact that Illinois only had 81 yards passing.  Throw in some big hits and his downed punt and Gettis' stock continues to rise.

TJ Moe - SO. - WR

This is another obvious choice.  Moe's 13 catches not only lead the Tigers, but also the nation.  This week he'll face an FCS opponent who yielded 426 passing yards in week one to something called Lamar.  Moe and the rest of the receivers could be in for a big night on Saturday.

Second string defensive ends

Michael Sam and Brad Madison proved loudly and clearly that there is more to the Mizzou D-ends than just Aldon Smith.  In fact, they were so good that Dave Steckel put out a four defensive end front just to get them both in the game.  Sam only tallied one QB hurry but showed tremendous burst off the line of scrimmage and seemed to be in the backfield all day long.  Brad Madison also had an impressive day recording a big sack that kept Mizzou's momentum in the second half.  These two are pushing for a starting spot and should see significant playing time this Saturday.

Three Down:

Kendial Lawrence - SO. - RB

It's not that Kendial was bad, it's just that he was clearly out-shined by De'Vion Moore.  Lawrence only managed just 20 yards on seven carries.  He also suffered a minor shoulder injury.  He's still listed as a co-starter with Moore, but with his injury and the fact that Mizzou should be up big against McNeese, I don't see Lawrence doing much damage Saturday.  Freshmen backs Henry Josey and Marcus Murphy should see significant time rather than Lawrence.

Jacquies Smith - JR. - DE

Again, it's not that Jacquies was bad but against Illinois there were three defensive ends on the field for Missouri who were better than he was.  Smith keeps his starting spot this week but he's definitely feeling the heat from Sam, Madison and Malbrough.  Look for those three to see more playing time than Jacquies this Saturday as the coaches evaluate whether they are worthy of starting over Smith.

Grant Ressel - JR. - K

When you start the season as a preseason All-American who's only career miss came in a monsoon, you have nowhere to go but down.  Ressel struggled throughout fall camp so seeing him miss a 37 yarder is a bit concerning.  I'm not saying it's time to panic, but it's something to look for this weekend.

In our final article looking back at Illinois, I take a look back at my predictions for the Illinois game compared to what actually went down on the field.

Once again Ron Zook's team starts the season 0-1.  Zook is now 0-4 in his career against Missouri (AP photo).

When Missouri runs the ball: I said: Draw - Result: Draw

Mizzou didn't hand the ball off until the final play of the first quarter.  In all, the ground game was solid.  Missouri backs totaled 108 yards on 24 carries. However, Mizzou only had one running play longer than 10 yards and didn't record a rushing TD.

When Missouri throws the ball: I said: Advantage Missouri - Result: Advantage Missouri

It may have taken longer than most fans would have liked, but Mizzou's passing attack finally clicked in the second half.  At the end of the day Blaine Gabbert ended up completing more than 70 percent of his passes for 281 yards and two touchdowns.  TJ Moe was Mr. Reliable, consistently getting just enough yards to move the chains.  Gabbert also spread the ball around to seven different receivers.

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Wes Kemp, Blaine Gabbert and the Tigers escaped with a win, but some fans aren't satisfied (AP photo).

Mizzou fans (myself included) can overreact at times.  Some always point out the negatives, others are hopelessly optimistic.  In the first of our new weekly series, Pessimist and Optimist, I make the argument of both sides about the weekend's game.  We begin with the pessimistic and optimistic outlooks on Saturday's win over Illinois.

The optimist says...

1.  A win is a win

Sure, it wasn't exactly pretty, but this could have been worse.  Gary Pinkel always says that winning never comes easily.  I mean, just ask kU.  Mizzou struggled a bit but still came back to beat a Big Ten team by 10 points.  In the second half, the Tigers outscored the Illini 20-0.  Hard to complain about that.

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I'm working on my wrap up of yesterday's game, but in the meantime, someone sent me this and it warranted immediate posting.

Photo from Lawrence Journal World

So much kUchebaggery going on here, I don't know where to start but I'll try.

1) The dice earmuffs.  First of all, they're dice.  Maybe more importantly, it's September, buddy.  Why are you wearing earmuffs?

2) The shades.  Notice he's got he's sweet sunglasses strategically placed on his cartoonish beaker hat (that hat shouldn't be worn by anyone over the age of 12 btw), yet he's still squinting into the sun.  Typical kU fan.

3) The tie.  This is the most kUchey thing of the whole ensemble.  He's wearing a tie over his Sod Reesing jersey.  I don't even know what to say about that.  Needless to say it was a losing combo.

I'll have my Mizzou breakdown up in a few hours.

It's gameday.  This is cause for celebration.

Gamday warrants us throwing up this picture.

The real cause for celebration should come around 2:30 this afternoon.  Barring disaster, Mizzou should be 1-0 at that point.  To be honest, I'd be shocked if Mizzou loses.  In fact, I'd be pretty surprised if they don't cover the 12 point spread.  Illinois' secondary is in such shambles they have a guy who was playing receiver a few weeks ago starting at corner.  I like Blaine Gabbert's odds.

Anyway, be loud.  Wear gold.  Hopefully I'm recapping a Mizzou win at this time tomorrow.

New to Mizzou?  Need to brush up on your Mizzou football?  Here are 25 basics about MU football that'll keep you from sounding less ignorant than most of the other freshmen.

Before Missouri takes the field against Illinois, here are some things every fan should know. (Photo from Words and Light blog).

1.  Missouri runs the spread offense.  Forget about fullbacks or the I-formation.  It's not happening

2.  10 years ago, this program would have killed to become bowl eligible.  Keep that in mind.

3.  The winner of the Missouri - Nebraska game has determined the winner of the Big 12 North the last four seasons.

4.  2007 was arguably the greatest season in Missouri history.

5.  That team had more than 10 players who would go on to spend time on NFL rosters.

6.  The quarterback of that team was Chase Daniel.  Not Chase Daniels.

Gary Pinkel took this program to new heights with the help of Sean Weatherspoon, Chase Daniel, and Jeremy Maclin.

7.  Gary Pinkel has never beaten the University of Texas or the University of Oklahoma.

8.  Since 2007,  Texas and Oklahoma are the only Big 12 Conference teams with more wins than Missouri.

9.  Since 2005 Missouri has averaged nine wins per season.

10.  Missouri has gone to five straight bowl games.  That's a school record.

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The following entry was written by ESPN anchor and MU alumnus John Anderson.  This was originally posted on his blog back in 2008.  With the college football season kicking off today, I thought it would be fitting to pass along to our readers.

"With the college football season kicking off this week, here's my...

*10 point college refresher course.*

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Missouri has owned this rivalry since the days of Brad Smith (AP photo).

When Missouri runs the ball: Draw

This is the biggest unknown of this match-up.  Rewind to a week ago, and I'd give the edge to Missouri.  With Kendial Lawrence, no one knows exactly what they're getting.  He looked good in fall camp, but who knows what he'll do against Illinois? Maybe he'll emerge as a star the way Brad Smith, Jeremy Maclin, and Derrick Washington did against the Illini.  Maybe Mizzou will abandon the run without Washington in the game.  No one knows for sure.

It doesn't hurt that the Illini defense isn't very good.  In 2009 Illinois' defense was awful (91st in yards per game average.  Mizzou was 64th for comparison).  They return three linebackers including Martez Wilson who is on the Butkus Award watch list.  However, he's coming off an injury that cost him the final 11 games of last season.  As a homer, I lean toward giving the edge to Mizzou, but there are too many unknowns to do so with any confidence.

When Missouri throws the ball: Missouri

Gabbert could put last year's numbers against Illinois to shame on Saturday.

This one on the other hand, is a no-brainer.  I don't care who the receivers are for Missouri, the passing game will be Mizzou's best weapon in this game.  Give me Blaine Gabbert against the depleted Illinois secondary any day.  The Illini already lost their best defensive player in pre-season All Big Ten cornerback Terry Hawthorne to injury.  Also out with an injury is starting safety Supo Sanni.  In fact, they're so depleted by injuries that Ron Zook has moved three former offensive players to defense to help the secondary.  With Missouri's experienced and talented offensive line, Gabbert will have all day to pick apart an Illini secondary that was decent before the injuries, and much worse with them.  Blaine's going to have a big day.

When Illinois runs the ball: Illinois

Running the ball is the strength of this Illinois team.  Last season, running backs Mike Leshoure and Jason Ford combined for more than 1,300 yards and both averaged more than six yards per carry.  They both return this season and Leshoure is on the Doak Walker Award watch list. Their offensive line is not a strong point (only two returning starters will play against Missouri), but new offensive coordinator Paul Petrino says he's determined to run the ball.  Last year Petrino coordinated Arkansas' 37 ppg attack.  Throw in quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase's mobility and Mizzou's questions at defensive tackle and this is one area Illinois has an advantage.

When Illinois throws the ball: Missouri

Scheelhaase was at one point an MU recruiting target.  When Scheelhaase turned down Mizzou, the Tigers went out and got Ashton Glaser.

When was the last time you saw anyone give the Missouri pass defense an edge over anybody?  Well, if this were almost any other BCS conference opponent, I wouldn't.  However, I have even less faith in the Illini passing game than I do in the Mizzou pass defense.  If the off-season is any indication, the Mizzou secondary is improved.  They're playing more physically, Carl Gettis had the best off-season of his life according to coaches, and Kevin Rutland and Kip Edwards are ready to break out as upper-echelon Big 12 corners.

However, this is less about Missouri and more about Illinois.  They're trotting out a first time starting quarterback, who is definitely talented, but still inexperienced.  I'm not going to act like I know a lot about Nathan Scheelhaase.  I don't.  But in the videos I've seen of him this off-season, he seems to hang on to the ball too long before throwing it.  Meanwhile, Illinois' starting receivers have even less experience than Missouri's.  They've combined for 26 career catches.  Perhaps most important, is the fact Illinois returns only two starters on the offensive line (a third is out with injury).

An inexperienced line + a QB who holds the ball too long + Aldon Smith and co. = plenty of help for the MU secondary.

Special Teams: Draw

This is a relatively unknown area for Illinois.  They return a kicker in Derek Dimke who was 5-5 on field goal attempts last season filling in for a guy who was benched after starting the season 4-11.  Illinois had the most overrated I mean, "greatest" kick returner in Arrelious Benn last season and still managed to almost zero big plays in the return game.  Their longest return went for 40 yards.

Meanwhile, Missouri is set at kicker, but Grant Ressell has been far from perfect this off-season.  Then again, he wasn't so good pre-season last year and he turned out alright.  Missouri's return game was less than exciting last season and with the same return men, I don't see big changes occurring there.  Mizzou also has to replace Jake Harry who was arguably the nation's best punter last season.

Coaching: Missouri

I'll let history speak for itself.  Gary Pinkel is 8-0 in his last eight home openers, 5-0 against Illinois, and 3-0 against Ron Zook.  Last year, Illinois supposedly had a more talented team and Zook still managed to coach them to a four touchdown loss.  Say what you want about Gary Pinkel, but he gets his team ready to play week one.

Google Ron Zook and this is the first thing that comes up.

The call:

This is the final year of the Arch Rivalry and it'll end like it started - with a Tiger victory.  Missouri is more talented, historically better coached, and battling fewer key injuries than Illinois.  The wild card is the Derrick Washington situation.  Is it a huge distraction to this team or has it pulled them closer together?  Either way, if Mizzou can play at a level near, or at its best, they're walking away winners.

Mizzou: 38 Illinois: 20