Tigers focus on chance to get back to winning

A month ago, it was the chance to set this Missouri football team apart from the past.

Three weeks ago, it essentially was the chance to play for the Big 12 Conference North title.

Last week, it was still playing for the opportunity for an upper-tier bowl game.

Saturday at Memorial Stadium, it’s just about getting back on track against Kansas (6-5, 3-4 Big 12), a team Missouri (7-4, 3-4) hasn’t defeated since 2002.

With three losses in a row this season, though, and four defeats in the past five games, the team has had a little less to play for each week.

“As far as postseason stuff, yeah,” defensive tackle Lorenzo Williams said.

“We still have to play football though. We can’t just stop playing because we messed up here or tripped up there. We need to finish out right.”

That starts with forgetting about the debacle in Ames, Iowa. The poor play and the fact Missouri was in a situation that put the game in the hands of a referee was still on the minds of players and coaches at Monday’s media day.

The team’s rule of forgetting about a win or a loss was certainly either overlooked or ignored Monday, especially by coach Gary Pinkel.

His players had varied opinions of how the team can rebound from the distractions of the Iowa State game. Some were declaring victory. Others said there was nothing they could do about the blown call so they might as well move on.

“We just have to stay together, and I know some of the breaks haven’t been going our way, but I think that’s us more than it is them,” Williams said.

“We’ve got to get our attitude back to where it needs to be at.”

Staying together has been a theme among some of the players, with that message being delivered a little stronger each week after a loss. More importantly, the attitude adjustment of flushing out the Iowa State loss and focusing on Kansas, which has won its past three games and is peaking at the right time for bowl season. Kansas has been playing for bowl eligibility the past three weeks, with players and coaches saying publicly that they think the Jayhawks need seven wins to secure a bowl spot. Missouri has been playing for a lesser bowl almost every week.

Still, motivation won’t be a problem, players said, even without any additional motivation from the Iowa State loss.

“We should have a chip on our shoulder anyway from losing three in a row,” safety David Overstreet said. “If you can’t get motivated to play this game then you’re not playing for the right reasons.”

Other players looked at the meaning of winning on Saturday, not just because the game is against Kansas.

“But when you think about it, though, what you do now, it does carry over to next year, in reality,” offensive guard Monte Wyrick said. “You win a few games, next year you win more and maybe win a championship. Everything you do carries over to the next year.”