Kick-Off Countdown: 5 days

It's officially game week. Let's get to the stories:

Coach Gary Pinkel (above, in a St. Louis Post-Dispatch picture) is ready for a breakthrough season. Story.

Let's hear it for the O-Line. Link.

Did you hear Mizzou has a couple of studs at tight end? Link.

Mike D's biggest questions facing the Tigers can be found here.

Graham breaks down the entertainment options in the STL for the Mizzou-Illinois game here and talks about the Post-Dispatch's coverage plan for the Tigers in 2007 here.

Kick-Off Countdown: 8 days

Mizzou football is eight days from kick-off after Thursday's final scrimmage. (Thanks to Power Mizzou for the pic above of Chase Daniel and Tony Temple).

The backups took center stage at Thursday's scrimmage, the final practice of fall camp open to the media. Game Week starts tomorrow.

Link to The Missourian's story.

Link to Behind the Stripes blog.

Mizzou's official FootBlog link.

Harrisonville's Michael Keck is going to red-shirt and have surgery on an injured shoulder. Story.

Will Franklin (above, in a St. Louis Post-Dispatch picture) is back for his senior season and expecting big results. More.

Freshmen Andrew Gachkar (below left) and Gilbert Moye (below right) are in the mix for playing time this year and they plan on taking advantage. Story.

Kick-Off Countdown: 9 Days

Single digits.

Just nine days from kick-off, here are the latest stories:

Tony Temple is expecting big things for himself and his team in 2007. Story.

The official Mizzou FootBlog reveals that freshmen Gilbert Moye (S) and Andrew Gachkar (LB) won't be red-shirted. Link.

More on Moye (#10 above, in a Missourian photo) from The Missourian. Story.

Tommy Chavis knows this is his chance to shine on the defensive line. More.

Another pre-season honor for Chase Daniel. Link.

Cornerback Carl Gettis won't be red-shirting, either. Coach Gary Pinkel hopes to finalize the roster after Thursday's afternoon scrimmage. More.

Today's scrimmage will be important for freshman running back Derrick Washington (above, in a Tribune photo), as he will learn whether or not he's red-shirting this season soon. Link.

The Columbia Daily Tribune reports that in addition to Moye, Gachkar and Gettis, freshman linebacker Luke Lambert also will play this year. Read.

Kick-Off Countdown: 11 days

Monday was an off-day for the Tigers (and the bloggers). Below you'll find links to the stories you may have missed since Friday:

MONDAY AUGUST 20:

Heavy competition for the right tackle position on the offensive line. Link.

SUNDAY AUGUST 19:

Read the Post-Dispatch's Sunday practice report here and the Saturday scrimmage report here.

Derrick Washington (above, in a Missourian photo, scores two touchdowns in Saturday's scrimmage. Missourian story link; KC Star story link.

SATURDAY AUGUST 18:

Offense dominates Saturday's scrimmage. Read the report from the Daily Tribune: Link.

Columbia native John Stull, a defensive end, returns to the team after walking away. Story.

Matter gets behind the scenes access

The Columbia Daily Tribune's Dave Matter went one-on-one with Mizzou QB Chase Daniel (above, in a Power Mizzou photo) after practice Friday, spending and hour with the Heisman candidate in the film room.

From Matter's blog: The highlight of the day for me came after practice when I spent about an hour watching game film from last season with QB Chase Daniel for a story I’m working on for the Tribune’s First & Ten preview edition, which I believe hits newsstands on Aug. 30. The chalk talk was a fascinating dive into the inner workings of the Missouri offense. After watching just three scoring drives from a particular game last year — you’ll have to read the story to find out which game — my mind is still on sensory overload. One thought I took from the session was how incredibly simple some concepts of the offense are while at the same time it seems so complex given how quickly plays are executed. Daniel was fantastic breaking down his reads, routes and coverages. He’s going to make a brilliant coach one day. Kudos to media relations director Chad Moller and video services director Mike Schumacher for making the interview possible, and of course the professor himself, Daniel.

Read the whole entry here.

Kick-Off Countdown: 15 days

T-Ruck (above) made the decision to come back for his senior year, and it has Mizzou feeling good about the offense if not his haircut. Story.

Thanks to Power Mizzou for the picture above. They do a great job covering practice and Gabe DeArmond posted a free photo gallery which you can view here.

Brock Christopher, the junior linebacker from Kearney, has become a defensive leader. Story link.

The Missourian breaks down the latest depth chart. Link.

The official Mizzou FootBlog reports that NFL scouts from Jacksonville and St. Louis were at Friday's practice. Link.

Don't forget the kickers. This year Missouri thinks it's got some good ones. Link.

Kick-Off Countdown: 16 days

Originally from yesterday's Star, Mike D. stirs the anti-Nebraska pot with this story of one man's crusade to keep the Cornhusker fans out of Memorial Stadium on October 6. The NU messageboard didn't take too kindly to the gesture. Link.

Matter has his usual good stuff in The Tribune. He delves into the defensive depth-chart in this story. Read the Behind the Stripes Wednesday practice report here and the Thursday report here.

Power Mizzou's Gabe DeArmond posted a free photo gallery with practice pics taken by photog Daniel Turner a couple of days ago. Link.

The Missourian ran this feature on team comedian and budding star receiver Greg Bracey (above).

Mizzou's official FootBlog updates can be found here.

Last but certainly not least, Graham Watson of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has been hard at work, posting this blog entry on Thursday's practices, the last day of two-a-days.