I know a lot of fans looked at this Nevada game before the season and said this was going to be a good test for this Missouri football team.  I’m just not seeing from a win-loss standpoint.  The Tigers beat Nevada 69-17 last year.  This isn’t the same Missouri team, but Nevada hasn’t improved that much if they have improved at all.

The Wolfpack are 0-2 this year with losses at Notre Dame and Colorado State.  Nevada has been outscored 70-20.  What is important this week is to see the Tigers step up some of their intensity.  Can they eliminate mental errors to reduce penalties?  Can they get off to a fast start similar to what they did in the Illinois game as opposed to Bowling Green and Furman.

I actually think the road trip will help the team.  It gets them out of the state.  They get away from the hype around Columbia.  All the talk about how good this team will be or why this team isn’t doing this or that.

There will not be a lot of Mizzou fans in Reno.  The game will be played on national television and while the spotlight will be on this team, I think you’ll see a better focused squad this Friday.  Those are the expectations of head coach Gary Pinkel.

During his press conference on Monday, he said the one thing he is frustrated with the most was his team’s inability to get as focused as they were for the Illinois game.  You can hear more from Pinkel as he discusses injuries, how the team is coping with not just a Friday game, twelve days off and then a Thursday game.  Plus, how do you coach a team out of penalties. Pinkel explains his plan.

Listen to Gary Pinkel

The Missouri Tigers (2-0 overall) continue non-conference play this Saturday at Faurot Field, where they take on the Furman Paladins (2-0).  Kickoff for the game is set for 1:07 p.m. 

Mizzou is coming off their come from behind 27-20 win last Saturday against Bowling Green, that saw the Tigers post a rally from a 3rd-quarter 20-6 deficit.  The Tigers scored 21 straight points in the final 15:57 of the game to post the comeback win, which tied for the 2nd-largest 2nd-half comeback win in school history.

Furman, of the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), is 2-0 coming and brings in a decent offense in terms of FCS teams.  The Paladins feature an offense that leads the FCS in 3rd-down conversions (72.7%), as well as ranking in the 20 in five other major offensive categories.

Again, coach Pinkel was pleased his team had the poise to come back from a 14 point deficit late in the third quarter, but he also said he was very blunt with his players about the fact that they didn’t improve from a week ago.  He said it is essential for Big 12 play that they continue to get better each week.

Injury report:  Running back De’Vion Moore will be back practicing, but it’s still too early to tell if his ankle sprain will be healed enough to play.  Jarrell Harrison has been cleared to play after a dislocated elbow, he’ll have a brace.  Cornerback Hardy Ricks has a tweaked ankle and sat out most of the Bowling Green game, but the biggest injury is Jeff Gettys, a linebacker.  He tore is ACL and is lost for the year.  Just get out of this Furman game healthy.

Click to listen to more from Gary Pinkel.

Listen to Gary Pinkel’s Press Conference