Nov. 26, 2001

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THE MISSOURI- MICHIGAN STATE SERIES
The Missouri Tigers and the Michigan State Spartans will meet this Saturday for the eighth time. Michigan State leads the all-time series 4-3. Missouri makes its' first trip to East Lansing since 1945. The Tigers and Spartans met last season for the first time since the 1945 season in Columbia. Michigan State won the game by a score of 13-10. The Spartans are 2-1 all-time against Missouri in East Lansing. In 1936, the Spartans defeated Mizzou by a score of 13-0. In 1941, the Tigers scored a 19-10 victory in East Lansing. The Spartans won the last meeting between the two teams in East Lansing by a score of 14-7 in 1945.

MISSOURI vs. MICHIGAN STATE
1936 - MSU 13-0 at East Lansing
1937 - MSU 2-0 at Columbia
1938 - Missouri 6-0 at Columbia
1941 - Missouri 19-10 at East Lansing
1944 - Missouri 13-7 at Columbia
1945 - MSU 14-7 at East Lansing
2000 - MSU 13-10 at Columbia

FOOTBALL IN DECEMBER
Saturday's game between Missouri and Michigan State was originally scheduled for Sept. 15, but was postponed due to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States. Saturday's game will mark the 15th time that Missouri has played a regular season game in the month of December. The Tigers are 9-5 all-time in regular season games (non bowl games) in the month of December. The last time Missouri played a regular season game in December was in 1986. The Tigers lost by a score of 10-6 to Oklahoma State in Stillwater on Dec. 4. Missouri has played five previous games on Dec. 1. The Tigers are 3-2 all-time in games played on Dec. 1. The last time Mizzou played on Dec. 1 was in 1956 when the Tigers defeated Kansas in Columbia by a score of 15-13. The first game that Missouri ever played on Dec. 1 was in 1890, the third football game in the history of the program. The Tigers defeated a team called Engineers Eleven by a score of 90-0.

TIGERS ON DEC. 1
1956 - vs. Kansas, W 15-13 1951 - at Kansas, L 41-28 1950 - at Miami (Fla.) L 27-9 1891 - vs. Drury W 54-0 1890 - vs. Engineers Eleven W 90-0

BREAKFAST WITH THE TIGERS
Missouri's final game of the 2001 season will be nationally televised on ESPN 2 beginning at 10:00 a.m. CST. It will be the seventh time that Missouri has ever appeared on an ESPN network. The last time Mizzou appeared on ESPN was the 1998 Insight.com Bowl game.

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 mark of 77-43-3. He is 4-6 as head coach at Missouri. He left Toledo with 73 wins, ranking him 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 Michigan State ranked 15th among active Division 1-A football coaches in winning percentage. His 77-43-3 career record gives him a winning percentage of .638. Only two current Big 12 coaches rank higher than Pinkel, R.C. Slocum at Texas A&M (5th) and Bill Snyder at Kansas State (10th).

PINKEL vs. THE BIG TEN
Head Coach Gary Pinkel is 3-4 all-time vs. the Big Ten Conference. Last year, his Toledo Rockets defeated Penn State in Happy Valley by a score of 24-6. Pinkel also owns two victories over Purdue (1992 and 1997). Saturday's meeting with Michigan State will be Pinkel's first against the Spartans.

MISSOURI vs. THE BIG TEN
Saturday's game will be the 97th for Missouri against an opponent from the Big Ten Conference. The Tigers are 39-53-4 against Big Ten opponents. Mizzou will look to break a four-game losing streak against the Big Ten on Saturday. The last Missouri victory over a Big Ten opponent was in 1993 when the Tigers defeated Illinois in the season-opener by a score of 31-3. Missouri and Illinois open the 2002 season on Aug. 31 in St. Louis.

MICHIGAN STATE, QUICKLY ...
The Michigan State Spartans enter Saturday's game with a record of 5-5. The Spartans need a victory over Missouri to become bowl eligible and to avoid being knocked out of bowl contention for the second straight season. The Spartans have dropped three straight games after upsetting Michigan in East Lansing by a score of 26-24 on Nov. 3. Head Coach Bobby Williams' Spartans own one of the best scoring offenses in the Big Ten. Running back T.J. Duckett, who rushed for 131 yards against Missouri last season, ranks 22nd in the country in rushing with 1,087 yards. The Michigan State passing attack has been solid as well, led by wide receiver Charlie Rogers, who averages 103 receiving yards per game. His 1,032 receiving yards on 50 receptions ranks 10th in the country. Rogers, along with receiver Herb Haygood (49 receptions) and tight end Chris Baker (33 receptions) have combined for 132 receptions. Quarterback Jeff Smoker has completed 61 percent of his passes (130-for-213) and thrown 16 TD passes and just six interceptions. Defensively, Michigan State has 14 interceptions. Junior cornerback Broderick Nelson leads the team with five picks. Senior linebacker Josh Thornhill is one of the nation's top defensive players and leads the team with 118 tackles. Special teams have been a big plus for Michigan State. Haygood ranks 8th in the country in kick returns, averaging 28.5 yards per return. He has returned two for touchdowns this season. Punter Craig Jarrett averages 43.2 yards per punt, which ranks 23rd nationally.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR
Big Backs: Abron vs. Duckett The Facts: Missouri running back Zack Abron weighs in at 220 pounds and has been a load for Big 12 opponents. Abron has rushed for 100-plus yards five times this season. Two of those opponents, Texas and Kansas State, have both been ranked in the top five in the country in rushing defense. Duckett, who weighs 249 pounds, has also rushed for 100-plus yards five times this season, including 211 yards vs. Michigan.

Tight Ends: Blakley vs. Baker
The Facts: Saturday's game features two very talented tight ends in Missouri's Dwayne Blakley and Michigan State's Chris Baker. Blakley has 32 receptions on the season and 4 TDs. He is three receptions away from recording 80 for his career. Baker has 33 receptions on the season and 4 TDs. Baker has pulled in 126 receptions in his career at Michigan State.

Gage Watch:
The Facts: MU wide receiver Justin Gage needs a big day to accomplish two single-season milestones. Gage is seven receptions away from tying Missouri's single-season receptions record (75). He currently ranks 13th in the country with 6.8 receptions per game. Gage also needs 117 receiving yards to become just the second player in Missouri history to record 1,000 receiving yards in a single-season.

MSU's Herb Haygood
The Facts: Not only is Haygood an offensive threat (49 rec., 673 yards, 4 TDs) he is a big weapon on kick returns. Haygood ranks 8th in the nation in kick returns, averaging 28.5 yards per return. He has returned two for touchdowns this season.

LAST YEAR: MSU 13, MU 10
Michigan State kicker David Schaefer's 27-yard field goal with 10:48 to go in the fourth quarter proved to be the game-winner in the Spartans' 13-10 victory over Missouri in Columbia last season. The Tigers got out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter. Brad Hammerich connected on a 25-yard field goal and Zack Abron scored on a 7-yard run on the Tigers' next possession. Missouri was unable to break the Michigan State defense after that. The Spartans got on the board with 2:47 remaining in the first half on a 22-yard field goal by Schaefer. Michigan State tied the game at 10-10 with 5:21 left in the third quarter on a 7-yard TD run by T.J. Duckett (33 carries, 133 yards). Schaefer's fourth quarter field goal with 10:48 to go capped a 14-play drive by the Spartans.

LAST TIME OUT
Kansas State used 198 rushing yards from Josh Scobey and an outstanding defensive performance to defeat Missouri by a score of 24-3 on a cold, rainy day in Manhattan, Kan. on Saturday. Missouri had a chance to score first in the second quarter, but a botched snap on a field goal attempt left the Tigers' scoreless. Kansas State answered with a 12-play, 91 yard drive that resulted in a 14-yard touchdown run by Scobey. On Missouri's next possession, the Tigers again drove the ball on the Kansas State defense and had another field goal opportunity. Again, the snap was bad, resulting in a block. The Wildcats used 11 plays in the final 2:11 of the quarter and kicked a 22-yard field goal to take a 10-0 lead into halftime. The Kansas State defense took over in the second half, allowing just 154 yards in total offense. Zack Abron accounted for 63 of those yards on a 63-yard burst late in the game to set up the Tigers' only score, a 39-yard field goal by Brad Hammerich against a 30 mph wind. The loss eliminated Missouri from bowl contention.

ALL-BIG 12 TIGERS
Several Missouri Tigers were voted onto the Big 12 Coaches All-Big 12 Team on Friday. Leading the way for the Tigers was junior wide receiver Justin Gage, who was named to the first team. Senior offensive lineman Aaron Crittendon and junior defensive tackle Keith Wright were voted onto the second team. Sophomore running back Zack Abron, sophomore center A.J. Ricker and senior kicker Brad Hammerich were all third team selections. The Tigers had several honorable mention All-Big 12 performers including senior offensive linemen Justin Bland and Mike Hayes, senior tight end Dwayne Blakley, senior linebacker Jamonte Robinson, junior linebacker Sean Doyle, junior defensive end Antwaun Bynum and junior outside safety Tauras Ferguson.

12-GAGE
Junior wide receiver Justin Gage is among the nation's best wide receivers. On Friday, Gage was named first team All-Big 12 by the Big 12 coaches. He ranks 13th in the country with 6.8 receptions per game. He has 68 receptions on the season for 883 yards in MU's 10 games. He currently ranks second on Missouri's single-season receptions chart and is 117 yards away from becoming the second player in school history to accumulate 1,000 receiving yards. Gage has four 100-plus receiving games this season and has reached double-digits in receptions three times. Against Baylor, Gage hauled in a career-high 13 receptions for a school record 236 yards and 2 TDs. He also threw his fourth career touchdown pass of his career. His 236 receiving yards was the second highest single-game total in Big 12 history. 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 rank seventh in school history. The 6-4, 208-pounder is perhaps the Tigers' best overall athlete. A former quarterback, Gage has completed 17 passes in his career, three of them for touchdowns. Gage has also been a key reserve each of last two seasons for Quin Snyder's basketball team.

ZACK ATTACK
Sophomore running back Zack Abron has added his name to the list of great running backs in the Big 12 Conference. Abron was tabbed third team All-Big 12 on Friday, and is coming off his fifth 100-plus game of the season. Abron rushed for 101 yards against Kansas State's fourth-ranked rushing defense last Saturday. Earlier in the season, Abron recorded three straight 100-plus rushing performances against Big 12 opponents, and was well on his way to his fourth 100-yard game in a row at Colorado until a sprained ankle sidelined him midway through the second quarter. Abron had 12 carries for 69 yards against the Buffaloes, and played sparingly in the Tigers' blowout against Baylor. Abron has rushed for over 100 yards in five-of-10 games this season. The 5-10, 220-pound back has been a load to bring down for the opposition. He is averaging 5.4 yards per carry on the season. Against Texas, who ranks third in the nation in rushing defense, Abron had three 16-yard rushes and one 19-yard scamper on his way to 109 yards for the game. In nine games in 2000, Abron rushed for 502 yards, averaging 3.6 yards per carry for the season. He had five touchdowns in 2000. He already has six in 2001.

NO SACKS ALLOWED
The Missouri Tigers have allowed just six quarterback sacks this season, a statistic that leads the Big 12 and ranks fifth in the country. Quarterbacks Kirk Farmer and Darius Outlaw have been trained to get rid of the football when they feel pressure, but much of the credit goes to the offensive line. Four of the five Missouri offensive linemen were named All-Big 12. Senior tackle Aaron Crittendon was named to the second team. Center A.J. Ricker, who is Rimington Award candidate, was tabbed third team All-Big 12. Seniors Justin Bland and Mike Hayes were both named honorable mention All-Big 12.

DYNAMIC DUO
Missouri linebackers Jamonte Robinson and Sean Doyle were both named honorable mention All-Big 12 performers on Friday. Very few duos in the country have put up the tackle numbers that Doyle and Robinson have this season. In 10 games this season, Doyle and Robinson have combined for 234 tackles. Doyle leads the team with 12.0 tackles per game (120 total). Robinson is averaging 11.4 tackles per game (114 total). Both Doyle and Robinson have a chance to put themselves on the MU single-season top 10 tackles list this Saturday. Van Darkow currently holds the No. 10 spot with 122 tackles in 1980.

ROBINSON TACKLES HIS WAY INTO THE TOP FIVE
Senior linebacker Jamonte Robinson is climbing the career tackles chart at the University of Missouri. The St. Petersburg, Fla., native has 384 career tackles, ranking him third all-time at Missouri. Robinson recorded a career-high 19 tackles against Texas. He jumped from sixth to fourth place that day on the career tackles chart, passing Darryl Major (346) and former teammate Barry Odom (362). Robinson is one of 10 players in school history to record 300 career tackles and is looking to become just the second player to record 400 tackles in his career. He needs three tackles on Saturday to become the second leading tackler in Mizzou history.

THROW THE BALL TO BLAKLEY
Missouri fans asked for more Dwayne Blakley, the Tigers' talented tight end. Mizzou fans are getting what they asked for as Blakley is having a fantastic senior campaign, especially in conference games. He has 31 receptions in eight conference contests this season and has scored a touchdown in four of the last seven games. Blakley had two receptions for 17 yards against Kansas State. He had three receptions for 45 yards against Baylor. He had three catches and a touchdown at Colorado. He had three catches for 47 yards against Texas. At Kansas, Blakley caught what proved to be the winning touchdown, a 14-yard pass from Kirk Farmer. The week before, only a diving deflection by an Iowa State defender prevented Blakley from being the hero against the Cyclones in the game's final seconds. Blakley has 78 career receptions for 848 yards and 12 TDs.

HAMMERICH AMONG NATION'S BEST KICKERS
Kicker Brad Hammerich was named third team All-Conference by the Big 12 Coaches on Friday. Hammerich was named one of 20 semifinalists for the 2001 Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award. The award is given to the nation's best place-kicker. Although Hammerich was not selected as a finalist, he has had an All-Big 12 season. A native of Chesterfield, Mo., Hammerich was the hero at Oklahoma State, converting four field goal attempts, (47, 39, 31 and 36 yards) including the game winner in the third overtime. Hammerich is now 11-for-15 in field goal tries this season. In the season opener against Bowling Green, he nailed a career-long 51 yarder. Hammerich is 62-of-64 in his career in PAT attempts. He is 27-for-39 in field goal tries. Just two of those missed field goals has come on attempts of under 40 yards. He is 18-of-20 from inside 40 yards in his career and 9-of-19 from beyond 40 yards. Four of his eight misses beyond 40 yards have been from beyond 50 yards. He is 1-for-5 in his career from 50 yards out. Hammerich has a big-time leg, evident by a 56-yard field goal in the Black and Gold Game in the spring.

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. Ricker has played an important role in the Tigers emerging running game each of the last six weeks. Missouri has had a 100-plus rusher in four of the last seven games. He also leads an offensive line that has allowed the least number of quarterback sacks (6) in the Big 12 Conference this season, a mark that ranks fifth in the country.

FARMER BACK IN THE HUDDLE
Junior quarterback Kirk Farmer continues to make up for lost time. Farmer made his first start in over a year on Sept. 29. The Tigers are 3-5 with Farmer back at the helm. He had his best career performance against Baylor three weeks ago. Farmer completed 23-of-34 passes for 360 yards and 3 TDs. His 360 yards passing was the sixth highest single-game total in Missouri history. It was the first 300-yard passing game since 1999 when Jim Dougherty threw for 303 yards against Iowa State. In his second start at Oklahoma State, Farmer threw for a career-high 247 yards and 3 TDs in the Tigers triple-overtime victory over the Cowboys. At Kansas, Farmer enjoyed his most productive game since his incredible performance at Nebraska last season. Farmer accounted for 328 all-purpose yards against the Jayhawks (246 passing, 82 rushing). He threw three touchdown passes and completed 19-of-32 passes. For the second time this season, Farmer led the Tigers on three consecutive scoring drives at Kansas. In Missouri's loss against Iowa State, Farmer marched the Tigers down the field in the closing three minutes of the game and gave Missouri a chance to win. Only a great defensive play with three seconds on the clock by Iowa State prevented Farmer from leading the Tigers to a last second victory over the Cyclones. Against Colorado, Farmer threw a touchdown pass and rushed for another while keeping Mizzou in the game. He threw for 185 yards and rushed for 55. A native of Jefferson City, Mo., Farmer split time with Jim Dougherty in 1999, starting one game before breaking his leg in week six. Last year, Farmer started the first four games before going down with a separated shoulder at Nebraska in week four, an injury that sidelined him for the rest of the season.

NO PENALTIES ALLOWED
The discipline that Gary Pinkel has brought to the Missouri program has been well documented. That discipline has made its way onto the playing field as well. The Tigers are the least penalized team in the Big 12 Conference. Missouri has been penalized 54 times this season for 429 yards.

MISSOURI BLOCK PARTY
The Missouri Tigers have blocked six kicks in 10 games this season. Mizzou is just one block away from breaking the school's single-season record. The Tigers have blocked two field goal attempts, three PATs and one punt. The two blocked PATs belong to junior defensive tackle Cedric Harden, giving him four blocks for his career. The Missouri blocked punt was by sophomore cornerback Michael Harden. No relation to Cedric, Harden's blocked punt resulted in an 18-yard touchdown return by Justin Gage. Keith Wright blocked a field goal attempt by Nebraska, but the most important block of the year was made by senior linebacker Jamonte Robinson who blocked an Oklahoma State field goal attempt in the third overtime of the Tigers 41-38 victory. Sean Doyle got his hand on a Kansas PAT attempt two weeks ago in Lawrence.

TIGERS HOT IN RED ZONE
Missouri is 32-for-39 (82 percent) in the red zone this season. Only Texas and Oklahoma State have been more productive. The Tigers were six-for-six against Oklahoma State and five-for-five against Kansas. Iowa State held Mizzou twice in the red zone, once in the first quarter and then on the final drive of the fourth quarter. The Tigers reached the red zone three times against Texas and scored all three times. At Colorado, the Tigers were a perfect 3-for-3 in the red zone. Mizzou was 6-for-9 in the red zone against Baylor and were 0-for-1 against Kansas State.

DEFENSIVE FRONT FOUR
Missouri's defensive front four was literally pieced together this past spring. Defensive end Antwaun Bynum is a former linebacker, defensive end Dan Davis is a former tailback and defensive tackle Keith Wright is playing inside for the first time in his career. Only Cedric Harden is playing his natural position. This group continues to get better and better with each week. By adding senior defensive tackle Chris Ryan and redshirt freshman Nick Tarpoff into the mix, Missouri's defensive front four have combined for 47 tackles for loss and 14.5 quarterback sacks. They have hit the quarterback 28 times, forced six fumbles and recovered four fumbles, intercepted a pass and blocked three kicks.

KINNEY PROVIDES A GLIMPSE OF THE FUTURE
Redshirt freshman James Kinney has been very impressive in his first two career starts. The Kankakee, Ill. native has been starting for Jamonte Robinson, who has been fighting an abdominal muscle pull. Kinney recorded 10 tackles and his first career quarterback sack against Baylor. He made eight tackles, including one for loss, against Kansas State last Saturday.

BYNUM IN THE BACKFIELD
While no one can quite fill the shoes of Justin Smith, the fourth overall pick in this year's NFL Draft, junior defensive end Antwaun Bynum is doing his best. The St. Louis native leads the team with seven quarterback sacks and tackles for loss (16). His seven quarterback sacks are tied for sixth place on Missouri's single-season list. Bynum tied the Missouri single-game record for quarterback sacks against Oklahoma State. Bynum sacked OSU quarterback Aso Pogi four times in Mizzou's 41-38 triple overtime victory over the Cowboys. Bynum tied the record held by Bobby Bell (1983 vs. BYU in the Holiday Bowl) and Justin Smith (2000 at Baylor). His career night at Oklahoma State also included a career-high 14 tackles and two forced fumbles. He is playing defensive end for the first time in his career. He came to Missouri last year as a junior college transfer from Hutchinson C.C. where he was an All-American linebacker. He recorded 24 sacks in two seasons at Hutchinson.

THREE PLAYERS WITH 32 CONSECUTIVE STARTS
Senior offensive linemen Mike Hayes and Justin Bland and senior safety Clarence Jones have started 32 consecutive games. All three players have started every game since game one in 1999. All three players are All-Big 12 performers.

FARMER, DROEGE EARN ACADEMIC AWARDS
Quarterback Kirk Farmer and offensive lineman Rob Droege were named to the Verizon District VII All-Academic Team last week. Farmer and Droege's names will now go on the national ballot for a chance to earn Academic All-American status.

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."

2001 TIGER CAPTAINS
Six seniors were voted captains by their teammates in the spring for 2001 season.

IF IT GOES TO OVERTIME ...
Missouri has played six overtime games since overtime was instituted into college football in 1996. The Tigers are 4-2 in OT with three of those victories against Oklahoma State. In 1996, Mizzou defeated the Cowboys 35-28 in Columbia. That same season, Missouri needed three overtimes to knock off Baylor in Waco, Texas. The final score of that game was 49-42. In 1997, the Tigers defeated the 12th-ranked Oklahoma State Cowboys in double-overtime, 51-50. Two weeks later, Missouri suffered its first overtime loss in the infamous "kicked ball" game as No. 1 Nebraska escaped Columbia with a 45-38 overtime win. The Tigers fell in overtime in 1999 at Colorado, 46-39 ... This year, the Tigers won their fourth overtime game, a triple-overtime thriller at Oklahoma State.