Blitz Points: College Football Top Performers From Week 5
Saturday Blitz Blitz Points Winners Week 5
6. Gary Pinkel, Head Coach, Missouri Tigers (Defeated South Carolina Gamecocks 21-20)
Yes, as a head coach, Gary Pinkel deserves to be a Blitz Points winner this week after getting Missouri ready to play on Saturday. Last week’s upset loss to Indiana had to be demoralizing to the Tigers, and for Pinkel to rally them to a victory with that hanging over them is incredibly remarkable.
What’s most impressive is Missouri didn’t get any breaks from South Carolina. They couldn’t force any turnovers or get anything going on special teams, so it took a straight up performance to win that game. That meant committing no turnovers themselves and coming away with huge stops on defense.
The Tigers were able to do both of those things, and that took a lot of heart after what they went through the week before, especially getting the stops on defense. Pinkel deserves the credit for that and helping to lead a team victory, getting everybody ready to play after being so down the week before. He now has the Tigers right back in the thick of the SEC East race despite the upset loss to Indiana, and that was not an easy thing to do.