Sept. 3, 2001

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THE MISSOURI-SOUTHWEST TEXAS SERIES
This week's matchup between Missouri and Southwest Texas is the first meeting between the two schools. Southwest Texas is the second opponent out of the Southland Conference that Missouri has ever played against. The first was Northwestern State in 1998. The Tigers won that game by a score of 35-14. Southwest Texas has played several Big 12 schools, but has challenged just one since 1988. That opponent was Oklahoma State, who defeated Southwest Texas in Stillwater last season by a score of 23-0.

HEAD COACH GARY PINKEL:
Head Coach Gary Pinkel is in his first season at Missouri. In 10 seasons at the University of Toledo, Pinkel established himself as one of the most successful head coaches in Mid-American Conference history. He enters Saturday's contest with a career coaching record of 73-38-3. He is 0-1 as head coach at Missouri. Those 73 wins rank fourth among coaches in MAC history. His Toledo teams finished in the top three in the MAC or MAC West Division eight times, including four first-place finishes. Three of those teams advanced to play in the post-season and captured one MAC Championship and three MAC West Division titles.

PINKEL RANKS HIGH ON ACTIVE COACHES WINNING PCT. LIST
Gary Pinkel enters Saturday's contest against Southwest Texas ranked 14th among active Division 1-A football coaches in winning percentage. His 73-38-3 career record gives him a winning percentage of .653. Only two current Big 12 coaches rank higher than Pinkel, R.C. Slocum at Texas A&M (6th, .750) and Bill Snyder at Kansas State (10th, .695).

COACHING DEBUTS AT MIZZOU
Head Coach Gary Pinkel may have lost his first game at Missouri last Saturday against Bowling Green, but he is not alone. Coaching legends Dan Devine and Al Onofrio lost their first games at Missouri as well. Devine went on to coach Missouri to a 93-37-7 record while Onofrio led the Tigers to Bowl Games in 1972 (Fiesta) and 1973 (Sun). Head coaches are 17-12-2 in their coaching debuts at the University of Missouri.

SCOUTING SOUTHWEST TEXAS
Southwest Texas enters Saturday's game with a 1-0 record after defeating Arkansas-Monticello 52-7 in San Marcos, Texas on Aug. 30. The Bobcats rolled up 519 yards of total offense, including 407 on the ground. Junior running back Lee Davis rushed for 283 yards on 26 carries, the fourth best single game effort in Southwest Texas history. Davis also scored four touchdowns. Freshman running back Jerome Brooks rushed for 117 yards in his Southwest Texas debut. Head Coach Bob DeBesse is in his fifth season at Southwest Texas. He has a career coaching record of 20-25.

MIZZOU A.D. WELCOMES SWT TO COLUMBIA
Saturday's game against Southwest Texas will be a little extra special for University of Missouri Director of Athletics Mike Alden. In his fourth year at Missouri, Alden will welcome his many friends and former colleagues from Southwest Texas to Columbia. Previous to his appointment at Missouri in July 1998, Alden served as the Director of Athletics at Southwest Texas beginning in 1996 until his hiring at Missouri.

LAST SATURDAY
The Missouri Tigers dropped their home opener by a score of 20-13 last Saturday against Bowling Green. The Tigers took a 3-0 lead at the 10:50 mark of the first quarter when senior Brad Hammerich connected on a 30-yard field goal. Bowling Green answered with a 13-play scoring drive that covered 80 yards in 6 minutes, 22 seconds. The drive was capped off on a 5-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Andy Sahm to David Bautista to give the Falcons a 7-3 lead. After a scoreless second quarter, Bowling Green took the 7-3 lead into halftime. Missouri scored the next 10 points of the game starting in the third quarter when Hammerich booted a 51-yard field goal to make it a 7-6 game with 7:17 remaining in the third quarter. The Tigers opened the fourth quarter with a 15-play, 80-yard drive that resulted in a two-yard touchdown pass from Darius Outlaw to R-Back Joe Chirumbolo. That gave Missouri its first lead of the game, 13-7. Bowling Green again answered with an 80-yard scoring drive. John Gibson's five-yard scoring run tied the game, 13-13. The PAT attempt was blocked by Missouri's Cedric Harden. The Tigers final two possessions resulted in turnovers. Bowling Green's Janssen Patton intercepted an Outlaw pass at the Missouri 35-yard line with 5:20 left in the game. Seven plays later, the Falcons' Joe Alls scored on a two-yard touchdown run to give Bowling Green a 20-13 lead. The Tigers final possession of the game again saw Patton picking off an Outlaw pass, this time at the Bowling Green 42-yard line with 1:55 left on the clock. The Falcons were able to run out the clock and hold on for the victory.

ALL-BIG 12 PERFORMERS LEAD THE MIZZOU DEFENSE
The experience on the defensive side of the football is talented. Five returning defensive players have been All-Big 12 selections. Both linebackers, Jamonte Robinson and Sean Doyle, have been honorable mention All-Big 12 picks. Defensive backs Antoine Duncan and Clarence Jones were honorable mention All-Big 12 selections last season and junior defensive tackle Cedric Harden has also been an All-Big 12 pick.

12-GAGE
Junior wide receiver Justin Gage is Missouri's best offensive weapon. Gage got the 2001 season off to a great start last Saturday against Bowling Green. The Jefferson City, Mo. native recorded a career-high 9 receptions for 118 yards. His nine receptions was the sixth highest total in the country following all of Saturday games. His 118 yards ranks 14th in the country. Playing wide receiver for the first time in his life last season, Gage earned honorable mention All-Big 12 honors and was the MU offensive MVP. His 44 receptions ranked 10th among Missouri single-season leaders. His 709 receiving yards was seventh-best in school history. The 6-4, 208-pounder is perhaps the Tigers' best overall athlete. A former quarterback, Gage has completed 16 passes in his career, two of them for touchdowns. Gage has also been a key reserve each of last two seasons for Quin Snyder's basketball team.

RICKER ON RIMINGTON

TROPHY WATCH LIST
Sophomore center A.J. Ricker is among 21 players in the nation on the Rimington Trophy "watch list." The Rimington Trophy is awarded to the best offensive center in college football, and is presented by the Boomer Esiason Foundation. The Klein, Texas native started all 11 games as a redshirt freshman last year. He snapped the ball 654 times without committing a single penalty. He recorded 45 knockdowns and allowed just seven hits on the Tigers quarterbacks.

TIGERS EARN PRESEASON

ACCOLADES
Three Missouri Tigers were named preseason honorable mention All-Americans by Street & Smith's. Wide Receiver Justin Gage, offensive guard Mike Hayes and linebacker Sean Doyle were all recognized by Street & Smith's. Hayes was also named to The Sporting News "All-Underrated Team."

ROBINSON TACKLES THE CHARTS
Senior linebacker Jamonte Robinson is climbing the career tackles chart at the University of Missouri. The St. Petersburg, Fla., native has 280 career tackles, ranking him 12th in school history. Robinson needs 20 tackles to become the 10th player in school history to record 300 tackles. He needs 66 tackles to crack Missouri's all-time top-five.

HAMMER-TIME
Senior kicker Brad Hammerich is off to a great start in 2001. The Chesterfield, Mo., native connected on field goal attempts of 30 and 51 yards last Saturday against Bowling Green, improving his already impressive career numbers. Hammerich is 41-of-42 in his career in PAT attempts. He is 18-for-26 in field goal tries. Just one of those missed field goals has come on attempts of under 40 yards. He is 11-of-12 from inside 40 yards in his career and 7-of-14 from beyond 40 yards. Hammerich has a big-time leg, evident by a 56-yard field goal in the Black and Gold Game in the spring. His 51-yard field goal last Saturday against Bowling Green was the longest of his career.

TACKLES COME IN BUNCHES FOR DOYLE
Junior linebacker Sean Doyle racked up 17 tackles last Saturday against Bowling Green, equaling his career-high. It was the fifth time that Doyle has recorded double digit tackles. It was also the third time that Doyle has posted 15 or more tackles in a single game. Last year against Kansas, the Rockhurst High School graduate had 17 tackles. In his first career start in 1999, Doyle posted 15 tackles against Texas A&M.

HARVEY SOLID IN PUNTING DEBUT
Redshirt freshman Brock Harvey averaged 41.9 yards per punt in his debut as Missouri's punter last Saturday against Bowling Green. He booted punts of 50, 49 and 49 while also placing two inside the Bowling Green 20-yard line. Harvey is currently ranked 30th in the country in punting.

JAMES' RETURN GIVES TIGERS A BOOST
Sophomore Marcus James returned to practice just in time to make a difference last week. James returned two punts last Saturday against Bowling Green, one for 17 yards and the other for 18 yards. His average of 17.5 yards per punt return is the seventh-best average in the nation. James returned to the practice field without a red jersey for the first time last Tuesday after missing most of the preseason with a partially torn PCL in his knee. A wide receiver last year, James is now working as a cornerback.

"TOUCHDOWN JOE" STRIKES AGAIN
Junior R-back Joe Chirumbolo earned the nickname "Touchdown Joe" two years ago after catching three touchdown passes as a fullback and rushing for another. It seems like everytime Chirumbolo touches the ball, good things happen. "Touchdown Joe" struck again last Saturday against Bowling Green. Chirumbolo capped a 15-play, 80-yard drive with a two-yard touchdown reception in the corner of the end zone for the Tigers' first touchdown of the season.

THE TIGERS ... QUICKLY

QUARTERBACKS

#3 Darius Outlaw
Has started the last eight games at quarterback ... was 18-for-39 for 158 yards and a touchdown last week against Bowling Green ... rushed for 50 yards on 10 attempts last week ... led the team in total offense a year ago with 1,650 total yards ... threw for 1,391 yards and 9 TDs in 2000 ... rushed for 259 yards and 5 TDs in 2000 ...

Career Highs:
Passing: 246 yards vs. Colorado, 10/4/00
Rushing: 107 yards vs. Iowa State, 10/28/00

#14 Kirk Farmer
Did not play last week due to a broken hand ... missed the last seven games of 2000 with a shoulder injury ... has started five games in his career ... completed 13-of-25 passes for 214 yards and a touchdown vs. Nebraska last season before the shoulder injury occurred ... rushed 9 times for 83 yards and caught a 35-yard passes in the Nebraska game.

Career Highs
Passing: 214 yards vs. Nebraska, 9/30/00
Rushing: 83 yards vs. Nebraska, 9/30/00

#11 Jim Dougherty
Returns for his senior season after sitting out the 2000 season following elbow surgery ... started 10 games in 1999, completing .498 percent of his pass attempts ... threw for 303 yards, completing 22-of-33 passes vs. Iowa State in 1999.

Career Highs:
Passing: 303 yards vs. Iowa State, 10/16/99

RUNNING BACKS

#38 Zack Abron
Made his fifth career start last Saturday ... rushed for 22 yards on 14 carries ... MU's second-leading rusher a year ago with 502 yards ... has dropped 20 pounds from last season ... rushed for 5 TDs in 2000

Career Highs:
Rushing: 86 yards vs. Iowa State, 10/28/00

#2 Zain Gilmore
Rushed for six yards on three carries last week against Bowling Green ... Missouri's top returning rusher with 632 yards in 2000 ... rushed for 764 yards in 1999 ... has rushed for over 100 yards four times in his career ... has rushed for over 165 yards twice in his career ... has 13 career rushing touchdowns

Career Highs:
Rushing: 169 yards vs. Okla. State, 10/7/00

WIDE RECEIVER

#12 Justin Gage
Makes his 13th consecutive start ... last week vs. Bowling Green, recorded a career-high 9 receptions for 118 yards ... honorable mention All-Big 12 last year ... Missouri offensive MVP in 2000 ... preseason honorable mention All-American by The Sporting News ... caught 44 passes (10th all-time at MU in a single-season) for 709 yards (7th all-time in a single season)

Career Highs:
Receptions: 9 vs. Bowling Green, 9/1/01 Receiving Yards: 125 vs. Nebraska, 9/30/00 Touchdowns: 2 vs. Baylor, 11/11/00

#9 Tay Jackson
Made his first career start last week against Bowling Green ... caught two passes for 15 yards .... played in all 11 games as a true freshman last season ... caught 9 passes for 82 yards and a touchdown in 2000 ... rushed six times for 60 yards.

Career Highs:
Receptions: 3 vs. Oklahoma State, 10/7/00
Receiving Yards: 18 vs. Okla. State, 10/7/00

#86 SHIRDONYA MITCHELL
Made his Missouri debut last Saturday ... caught three passes for nine yards.

#21 BRANDON BARNES
Saw action on special teams last week ... played in the first two games of the season last year before breaking his ankle in the second game against Clemson that sidelined him for the rest of the season.

Career Highs:
Receptions: 1 vs. Clemson, 9/9/00
Receiving Yards: 16 vs. Clemson, 9/9/00

#87 THOMSON OMBOGA
Made his Missouri debut as a true freshman last week vs. Bowling Green.

#82 BRANDON SEVERINO
Saw action on special teams last week vs. Bowling Green.

TIGHT ENDS

#85 DWAYNE BLAKLEY
Caught one pass for five yards last week vs. Bowling Green ... senior captain ... honorable mention All-Big 12 selection ... has 45 career receptions and 506 receiving yards ... has eight career TDs ... caught 18 passes for 211 yards in 2000 ... in 1999, recorded 22 pass receptions for 235 yards and 6 TDs.

Career Highs:
Receptions: 5, twice
Receiving Yards: 60 vs. Texas A&M, 11/13/99
Touchdowns: 3 vs. W. Michigan, 9/18/99

#93 BEN FREDRICKSON
Made his Missouri debut last Saturday ... JUCO All-American at Orange Coast College ... a native of Westminster, Calif. ... pulled in 68 career receptions for 964 yards and 9 TDs.

R-BACK

#34 JOE CHIRUMBOLO
Scored his fifth career touchdown last week against Bowling Green ... had two catches for eight yards ... makes the move from fullback to R-Back this season ... has made eight career starts ... enters Saturday's contest with 14 career receptions for 200 yards and 2 TDs.

Career Highs:
Receptions: 4 vs. Texas, 10/21/00
Receiving Yards: 73 vs. Texas, 10/21/00

#89 J.D. MCCOY
Has played in all 12 games of his career ... caught 2 passes for 22 yards last season..

Career Highs:
Receptions: 1, twice
Receiving Yards: 12 vs. Kansas, 10/14/00

OFFENSIVE LINE

#72 JUSTIN BLAND
Will start his 24th consecutive game on Saturday at strong tackle ... senior captain ... honorable mention All-Big 12.

#63 MIKE HAYES
Makes his 24th consecutive start on Saturday ... third team All-Big 12 selection a year ago ... preseason honorable mention All-American by Street & Smith's ... Voted to the All-Underrated Team by The Sporting News.

#70 A.J. RICKER
Makes his 13th consecutive start on Saturday ... selected to the 2001 Rimington Trophy "watch list" ... started all 11 games as a true freshman at center last season ... took 654 snaps without committing a penalty.

#59 ADRIAN COLE
Has seen action in 23 straight games ... was voted the "Most Improved Offensive Lineman" in spring ball.

#74 AARON CRITTENDON
Will make the 17th start of his career on Saturday ... made his first career start in the 1998 Insight.com Bowl.

DEFENSIVE LINE

#4 ANTWAUN BYNUM
Made his first career start at Missouri last Saturday ... recorded two knockdowns on Bowling Green's quarterbacks ... is playing defensive end for the first time in his career ... played in two games last season before a knee injury ended his season ... former JUCO All-American linebacker.

Career Highs:
Tackles: 6, vs. Bowling Green, 9/1/01

#77 KEITH WRIGHT
Made his first career start as a Missouri Tiger last Saturday ... forced a fumble and had a tackle for loss ... redshirted last season ... will play defensive tackle for the first time in his career.

Career Highs:
Tackles: 4, vs. Bowling Green, 9/1/01

#66 CHRIS RYAN
Made his first career start at Missouri last Saturday ... posted a career-high 8 tackles ... played in eight games last season.

Career Highs:
Tackles: 8, vs. Bowling Green, 9/1/01 Sacks: 1, vs. Baylor, 11/11/00

#33 DAN DAVIS
Made his first career start at Missouri last Saturday... playing defensive end for the first time in his career ... a former running back who never even played on the defensive side of the football in high school.

Career Highs:
Tackles: 4, vs. Bowling Green

#90 CEDRIC HARDEN
Recorded his third career block last Saturday when he blocked a Bowling Green PAT ... honorable mention All-Big 12 selection ... started all 11 games a year ago at defensive tackle ... has six career quarterback sacks and 17 career tackles for loss ... honorable mention freshman All-American in 1999.

Career Highs:
Tackles: 7, twice (vs. Michigan State, 2000, vs. Oklahoma, 1999).

#79 NICK TARPOFF Played in his first career game last Saturday against Bowling Green ... recorded six tackles.

Career Highs:
Tackles: 6, vs. Bowling Green, 9/1/01

LINEBACKERS

#55 JAMONTE ROBINSON
senior captain ... honorable mention All-Big 12 selection ... enters Saturday's game ranked 12th on Missouri's all-time tackles list with 280 ... of those 280 career tackles, 25 have been for losses and eight have been quarterback sacks.

Career Highs:
Tackles: 15 vs. Colorado, 11/4/00

#32 SEAN DOYLE
Makes his 12th start of his career on Saturday ... posted 17 tackles against Bowling Green last week ... recorded 80 tackles in 10 games a year ago, 15 for losses ... forced three fumbles and recovered two last year.

Career Highs:
Tackles: 17 vs. Kansas, 10/14/00 and vs. Bowling Green, 9/1/01

#22 SEAN AIN
Doubles as the Missouri deep snapper on punts ... played in all 11 games last season ... voted the Tigers' "Special Teams Player of the Year" last year ... intercepted a pass in his first career start at Iowa State.

Career Highs:
Tackles: 5, vs. Bowling Green, 9/1/01

#24 JAMES KINNEY
Made his Missouri debut last week at linebacker and on special teams.

OUTSIDE SAFETIES

#20 TAURAS FERGUSON
JUCO transfer who made his Missouri debut on Saturday ... made the switch from running back to outside safety in the spring ... may also be used on the Tiger return teams.

Career Highs:
Tackles: 7, vs. Bowling Green, 9/1/01

#15 KEVIN JOHNSON
Redshirt freshman who made his Missouri debut last Saturday ... recorded eight tackles.

Career Highs:
Tackles: 8, vs. Bowling Green, 9/1/01

#29 GARY ANTHONY
Former strong safety who made the switch to outside safety in the spring ... has 59 career tackles and recorded his first career interception against Michigan State.

Career Highs:
Tackles: 9, vs. Kansas State, 11/18/00

#48 MARCUS CALDWELL
Earned a scholarship after starting six games as a walk-on last year ... recorded two interceptions on the season.

Career Highs:
Tackles: 7, vs. Oklahoma State, 10/7/00

DEFENSIVE BACKS

#7 ANTOINE DUNCAN
Recorded his fifth career interception last Saturday against Bowling Green ... honorable mention All-Big 12 selection last season ... intercepted four passes in 2000.

Career Highs:
Interceptions: 2, vs. Oklahoma State, 10/7/00 and vs. Colorado, 11/4/00

#26 MICHAEL HARDEN
Made his second career start last week vs. Bowling Green ... made five tackles and broke up a pass ... former walk-on who earned a scholarship in the off-season.

Career Highs:
Tackles: 5, vs. Bowling Green, 9/1/01

#8 CLARENCE JONES
Has started 23 consecutive games ... senior captain ... finished second on the team in 2000 with 87 tackles ... honorable mention All-Big 12 selection ... had three interceptions last season.

Career Highs:
Tackles: 13, vs. Baylor, 11/11/01

SPECIAL TEAMS

#10 BRAD HAMMERICH
Went 2-for-2 in field goal attempts last week against Bowling Green, including a career-long 51-yard FG ... has connected on 41-of-42 PAT tries in his career. ... is 18-of-26 in field goal attempts ... has missed just one field goal in 12 attempts inside 40 yards in his career ... connected on a 56-yard field goal in the Black and Gold Game in the spring.

#13 BROCK HARVEY
Averaged 41.9 yards per punt his Tiger debut last week ... recorded punts of 50,49 and 49 yards and placed two inside the Bowling Green 20-yard line.

#1 MARCUS JAMES
Averaged 17.5 yards per punt return last week vs. Bowling Green ... returned punts for 17 and 18 yards ... averaged 5.9 yards per return last season.