Sept. 30, 2002

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KICKOFF:
6:00 p.m. (central time).

STADIUM:
Faurot Field/Memorial Stadium (68,349 - Natural Grass surface). Opened in 1927. MU is 209-155-20 there alltime, and has won 3 straight there.

RADIO:
Tiger Network (Mike Kelly, play-by-play/John Kadlec, color). Carried on 55 stations statewide, and on the Internet at www.mutigers.com.

TV:
Fox Sports Net (National Cable). Joel Meyers (Play-by-Play); Dave Lapham (Color); Eric Clemons (Sideline); Mike Helling (Producer).

POSTGAME HIGHLIGHT FEED:
None for this game.

RANKINGS (AP/ESPN-USA):
Oklahoma (3/3); Missouri is not ranked.

SERIES:
OU leads 60-23-5 alltime. The teams have split their 2 meetings since moving to the Big 12 Conference.

COACHES:
Missouri: Gary Pinkel (Kent, '75), 7-8 at MU (2nd year) and 80-45-3 overall (12th year). Pinkel is 0-0 vs. Oklahoma and Bob Stoops. Oklahoma: Bob Stoops (Iowa, '83), 35-7 at OU (4th year) and overall. Stoops is 1-0 vs. Missouri and 0-0 vs. Gary Pinkel.

TIGERS RETURN TO NATIONAL STAGE, HOST 3RD-RANKED SOONERS
The Missouri Tigers (3-1 overall) open Big 12 Conference play this Saturday when they play host to the 3rd-ranked Oklahoma Sooners (4-0) at Faurot Field. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m., and the game will be shown nationally on Fox Sports Net, as part of the Big 12 Conference television package.

Missouri is coming off an impressive 44-7 trouncing of Troy State last Saturday. The Tigers amassed 497 yards of total offense against a Troy State defense that was ranked 15th in the nation in that category, giving up only 266.5 yards per game. The Trojans also entered the game ranked 11th nationally in rushing (240.0 ypg), but were held to just 69.

Oklahoma enters Saturday's game undefeated and ranked #3 in both polls. The Sooners defeated South Florida in Norman last Saturday, 31-14. Oklahoma is ranked in the NCAA's top-12 in seven different team statistical categories.

MU-OKLAHOMA SERIES RESUMES
The Missouri-Oklahoma series gets renewed this Saturday as the 3rd-ranked Sooners come calling to Faurot Field.

The Sooners own a 60-23-5 advantage in the series, which dates back to 1902 (a 22-5 MU win in Columbia, for those of you who can't remember that one), but the teams have split their two matchups since moving to the Big 12 Conference.

Oklahoma's last visit to Columbia saw the Tigers come away with a 20-6 win in 1998. That win broke a 12-game OU winning streak in the series. MU's last win over the Sooner prior to that was a 10-0 win in Columbia in 1983, a game in which current Tiger Assistant Coach Andy Hill caught a TD pass for the only touchdown of the game.

The last time the two teams met came in Norman in 1999, when the Sooners blanked Mizzou by a 37-0 count.

Overall, Oklahoma has held the upper hand in recent years, as OU has won 27 of the last 31 meetings dating back to 1970. Each of MU's 4 wins in that stretch have come in Columbia (1969, 1981, 1983 and 1998).

LAST TIME OUT...
After having 15 days to stew over their first defeat of the season, the Tigers took out their frustrations on Troy State last Saturday, cruising to a 44-7 win in Columbia. The loss helped erase the sting of MU's loss at Bowling Green on Sept. 14th.

The victory was arguably the most complete game that MU has played this season, as all three areas of offense, defense and special teams had stellar play.

The Tiger offense, led by freshman sensation Brad Smith, was firing on all cylinders from the start. MU took the opening kickoff and drove 80 yards in 6 plays to jump out to a quick 7-0 lead. Mizzou led 21-0 at the half, and cruised from there.

MU's running game rolled up 277 yards on 52 carries, good for an average of 5.3 yards per rush. Troy State entered the game allowing just 121.2 yards per game, and just 2.9 yards per rush.

Smith led the way with 350 yards in total offense (213 passing, 137 rushing) and added 2 TDs (1 passing, 1 rushing) to mark the third game in four starts this season he's thrown for 100 yards and rushed for 100 yards.

The Tiger defense, not to be outdone, held in check a Trojan offense that came into the game averaging 240 yards rushing per game. Troy managed just 69 yards rushing on the day. Mizzou's defense also forced 5 TSU turnovers, including a record-tying 3 interception by CB R.J. Jones.

Without question, the Tiger special teams had their best overall performance of the season. Walkon PK Mike Matheny was a perfect 3-of-3 in field goals (26, 28, 35) and made all 5 of his PAT attempts. Punter Brock Harvey only had 2 chances, but dropped one kick inside the 10 yard line, and averaged a net of 40.0 yards per kick.

R.J. JONES EARNS BIG 12 AWARD
Senior CB R.J. Jones had quite a day Saturday vs. Troy State, as he tied Missouri, and Big 12 Conference single-game records by nabbing 3 interceptions. All this came in front of his mother Barbara, who saw him play Saturday for the first time at Missouri.

Jones returned his last pick 39 yards to set up a Mizzou field goal. He broke up 3 passes on the afternoon and also added 2 tackles and 1 TFL. He was an integral part of a Tiger defense that that held Troy State to 300 yards and 7 points, well below the Trojans' averages of 402 yards and 23.5 points per game prior to the contest.

IN THE BEGINNING...
Missouri's offense has proven to be fast starters thus far, and the Tigers could likely use some more early magic this Saturday, as they'll take on the Sooners' 10th-ranked defense.

Mizzou has scored TDs on 3 of its 4 game-opening drives this season. The 3 scoring drives have averaged 7.7 plays, covered 77.3 yards and taken an average of just 2:49 on the clock.

MU took the opening kickoff in last Saturday's game against Troy State and turned in a precision-like 6-play, 80-yard drive that took only 2:53 off the clock before Brad Smith hit Thomson Omboga over the middle for a 20-yard scoring pass.

Smith was a perfect 3-of-3 passing on the drive, for 60 yards. In the 3 scoring drives, he is a combined 11-of-13 passing for 145 yards and the 1 TD. He's also rushed 3 times for 30 yards in those initial scoring drives.

The only game that saw the Tigers stopped on their opening drive was against Ball State. MU went 3-and-out vs. the Cardinals. Smith was 2-of-2 passing for 11 yards on that series, but he was held to a loss of 3 yards rushing.

The two other drives that resulted in TDs culminated with scoring runs by TB Zack Abron. He capped a 9-play, 75-yard drive at Bowling Green with a 2-yd. run, and finished the season-opening drive against Illinois with a 6-yard score. That finished off a brilliant 8-play, 77-yd. drive. Abron has carried 6 times in the 3 scoring drives for a total of 29 yards and the 2 TDs.

As is to be expected, WR standouts Justin Gage and Thomson Omboga have been the most popular receiving targets in the Tigers' opening drives. Both have caught 5 passes in all 4 opening drives combined, with Omboga covering 61 yds (and 1 TD), while Gage has 49 yds. of his own.

MAKING A RUN FOR IT
The Missouri running game re-established itself Saturday vs. Troy State, as the Tigers rushed for 277 yards against a Trojan unit that came into the game allowing just 120.8 yards per game.

Mizzou's 277 rushing yards was more than Troy State had allowed in total offense coming in, as TSU's defense had been ranked 15th in total defense (266.5 ypg) entering the contest. Missouri averaged 5.3 yards per carry, which was well over the per-rush average of 2.9 yards per carry the Trojans had held foes to coming into the game.

For the 3rd time in 4 games, QB Brad Smith was Mizzou's leading rusher. He carried 13 times for 137 yards, and scored a 28-yard TD on what's referred to now as "The Sneak."

Tailback Zack Abron added 98 yards on the day, and his customary 2 TD runs (from 4 yards and 3 yards out).

As a team, MU has already rushed for 13 TDs in 4 games. That is 2 more than the total of 11 rushing scores the Tigers put together in 11 games during the 2001 season.

The running success was a pleasant sight for Tiger fans, as MU's ground attack got stalled in its previous perfomance at Bowling Green, where the Tigers were held to a season-low 55 net rushing yards on 30 attempts.

The Tigers entered the BGSU game averaging 253.0 rushing yards, but the Falcons never allowed MU to get untracked. The Tigers were also handcuffed by the fact that they effectively had to scrap the running game after falling behind by 20 points mid-way through the second quarter.

Missouri's offensive line was seen as a potential question mark by the pundits heading into the season. After all, MU returned only 2 starters in C A.J. Ricker and WT Rob Droege, and would be going into battle with three first-time starters.

But through Mizzou's first two games, the big guys acquitted themselves quite nicely. On Aug. 31 vs. Illinois, the Tiger line looked like a veteran unit, paving the way for 437 yards of total offense. Mizzou ran for 285 yards and held the ball for 35:21 - both single-game bests for Pinkel at MU.

Mizzou's line handled brilliantly the attack scheme of Illinois, as the Illini rarely got close to QB Brad Smith. Illinois, which registered 40 sacks a year ago, came up empty in that department.

Last season, MU was the 5th-best rushing team in the Big 12 Conference, and allowed a Big 12 low 6 sacks all year - a figure which was the 3rd-lowest total in the nation in 2001.

RANKING RAMBLINGS
Missouri stands just 1-10 alltime when playing against the Associated Press' 3rd-ranked team. The win came in 1976 against #3 Nebraska, when the Tigers claimed a 34-24 win in Lincoln. MU was ranked #17 heading into that game.

The last #3-ranked team to visit Faurot Field was the 1994 Nebraska squad, led in part defensively by LB and current MU Associate Athletic Director Ed Stewart. Nebraska claimed a 42-7 win in Columbia, and went on to eventually claim the national title that season.

Missouri is 5-32 vs. Oklahoma when OU is ranked. The Sooners have a streak of 7 straight wins as a ranked team over MU, with the Tigers' last win coming in 1983 (10-0 in Columbia). OU was ranked #11 that year.

Missouri also knocked off 15th-ranked OU in Columbia in 1981 (19-14).

Overall, MU has lost 16 straight games against ranked opponents. Mizzou's last win over a ranked team was a 51-50 double overtime thriller at 12th-ranked Oklahoma State in 1997.

FRESHMAN COMPARISONS
Okay, we certainly don't want to get carried away with hyperbole, but those in the Tiger program certainly feel that freshman QB Brad Smith is arguably one of the top freshmen in the country. His play early on has done nothing that would lead people to think otherwise. Consider the following factoids:

• *Smith leads the nation's freshmen in total offense (317.3 ypg)
• *Smith ranks 3rd among the nation's freshmen in rushing (98.5 ypg)
• *Smith ranks 4th among the nation's freshmen QBs in passing efficiency (116.6 rating)

Smith is one of a handful of freshman quarterbacks starting for their respective teams this season. We'll let you decide who's got the best numbers thus far in the 2002 season. Here's the details of the top rookie QBs:

The Tigers forced 5 turnovers last Saturday vs. Troy State, as they gathered 4 interceptions (including a school-record-tying 3 by R.J. Jones) and 1 fumble recovery. James Kinney scored on a 14-yd. return in the 4th quarter on MU's final pickoff.

MU forced 5 turnovers (4 fumbles, 1 INT) vs. Ball State while committing none themselves. The Tigers forced 3 turnovers in game #1 vs. Illinois, giving them 8 forced turnovers in 2 games thus far. MU was even in the turnover category at Bowling Green, as the Tigers threw one INT and picked off one pass of their own.

The 14 forced turnovers are already just one shy of the total of 15 turnovers (9 fumbles, 6 INTs) than Missouri forced last season!

In all, Illinois fumbled 4 times on the day, with Tauras Ferguson and James Kinney recovering one apiece. Kinney returned his 46 yards for a TD. That matched the number of defensive scores the Tigers turned in last season (Kevin Johnson returned an INT 59 yards last season at Colorado for the only defensive TD of the 2001 year by MU).

Last season, Mizzou rarely beat itself with turnovers, as the Tigers committed only 16 miscues in 2001. Only two Big 12 schools - Iowa State (14) and Texas A&M (15) - had fewer turnovers than Mizzou, and the 16 TOs were the 3rd-fewest in single-season school history.

BIG PLAYS
Missouri's offense has shown a propensity for coming up with big plays thus far in the early going.

The Tiger offense has totaled 23 plays of 20 yards or more from scrimmage thru 4 games, compared to 16 for opponents.

Freshman QB Brad Smith has had a hand in 21 of the 23 plays, as he's rushed for 7 plays of 20 or more yards, and thrown for 14, including 5 alone to Justin Gage recently at Bowling Green (gains of 20, 22, 28, 35 and 38 yards).

Mizzou notched 5 plays of 20 yards or more last Saturday vs. Troy State.

Prior to giving up 8 plays to Bowling Green of 20 or more yards, the Tiger defenders held Ball State to zero in that same category.

12-GAGE EYES MU CAREER RECORDS
Senior wide receiver All-American candidate Justin Gage is on pace to become Missouri's top pass catcher of all-time this season. Not bad for someone who played quarterback as a freshman and who switched to receiver the next year.

Gage has quickly developed into one of the nation's top wideouts. He was named to the Biletnikoff pre-season watch list as one of the nation's premier pass-catchers.

Gage enters the Oklahoma game ranking 1st in the Big 12 and 4th nationally in catches (8.3 p/g). He was held somewhat in check last time out vs. Troy State, but he still managed 5 catches for 34 yards.

Previously, Gage turned in an MU-record 16-catch, 236-yard outing at Bowling Green.

He now owns 4 of the top-6 single-game performances in school history.

Gage now has 151 career catches entering Saturday's contest. His first catch Saturday vs. Oklahoma will give him the MU career receptions record (see chart on page 7 for details).

Gage is also 2nd on the school career receiving yardage list, and needs 125 yards to supplant Victor Bailey for 1st place. Gage has 2,020 career receiving yards entering the OU contest.

His 2001 season featured 74 receptions for 920 yards and 5 TDs. His 74 catches was just one shy of the single-season school record.

Gage was a 1st-team All-Big 12 performer last year, and was named a pre-season first-team All-Big 12 wideout by league media this year. His top game a year ago was a 13-catch, 236-yard outing vs. Baylor, which set the school record for single-game receiving yardage. He also tallied 2 TDs against the Bears.

A key reserve on Missouri's basketball team which made it to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament in 2002, Gage has decided to give up basketball following the current football season.

WATCHING THE AWARD LISTS
Several Tiger players have been named to pre-season watch lists for the nation's most prestigious individual awards.

TIGERS FACE SCARY SCHEDULE
Missouri faces a tough slate of opponents this season. That's because no fewer than 8 teams that line the Tiger schedule went to bowl games last year.

Sports Illustrated ranked MU's schedule 7th-toughest in the nation during the pre-season, and the NCAA's schedule index currently has Missouri with the nation's 22nd-toughest schedule based on future competition. MU's remaining 8 opponents have a combined record of 26-11.

Four of MU's 2002 opponents were ranked in the Associated Press pre-season top 25 (2. Oklahoma; 7. Colorado; 10. Nebraska; 23. Texas A&M), while four others (Illinois, Texas Tech, Iowa State and Kansas State) received votes in either the AP or the Coaches' poll. Only two opponents (Ball State at 5-6 and Kansas at 3-8) were below .500 last season.

Possibly due to the tough schedule, expectations weren't high for Missouri among Big 12 Conference media types in 2002, as the Tigers were picked to finish 5th in the 6-team Big 12 North Division.

THE ZACK ATTACK
Junior TB Zack Abron has been impressive during Missouri's first 4 games. The St. Louis, Mo., native currently ranks 6th in the Big 12 (and 58th nationally) in rushing (82.3 ypg), entering the Oklahoma contest.

Just as importantly, Abron has shown a nose for the endzone this season. He's got a team-best 9 TDs rushing this season (10 total TDs including a receiving score at Bowling Green). That rushing total is already 3 more than his previous season best, and his scoring average of 15.0 ppg is tops in the Big 12 Conference and ranks 3rd nationally.

Abron is coming off a solid game vs. Troy State, where he rushed 20 times for 98 yards and 2 TDs. He also caught a pass for a career-long gain of 13 yards.

Previously, Bowling Green limited him to a season-low 40 yards rushing, in 16 attempts. However, Abron found the endzone 3 times for the 2nd straight game (2 rushing, 1 receiving). His 6-yard TD reception from Brad Smith marked the first receiving score of his Tiger career.

Abron had a 75-yard rushing performance vs. Ball State. He was held in check early, as he was held to 19 yards in 7 attempts in the 1st half. He came through with 56 yards in 8 carries in the 2nd half, as he helped put away the Cardinals with 2 of his 3 TDs in the 3rd quarter. He also caught a career-high 2 passes out of the backfield for 15 yards.

Abron keyed MU's 2nd-half surge in the opener vs. Illinois, and showed why those around the Tiger program believe he'll have a breakout year.

Abron rushed for 116 yards and 2 TDs in MU's 33-20 win over Illinois. Abron scored MU's 1st TD of the season, on a 6-yard plunge to cap the opening possession of the year. He coughed up 2 fumbles in the first half, and was held to just 31 yards on 11 carries in the opening half.

Undaunted, and encouraged by coaches and teammates at halftime, Abron came out in the 2nd half and ran for 85 yards on 15 carries. His 26 total carries represented a career single-game high, and his 116 yards marked the 6th time in his career he's broken the 100-yard plateau.

The powerful running back is coming off a season that saw him lead the Tigers with 783 yards rushing. He suffered an ankle injury in game #8 at Colorado that nagged him for the rest of the year, and likely cost him a shot at 1,000 yards. He was still named 3rd-Team All-Big 12 by league coaches.

Abron averaged 5.0 yards per rush in 2001, a drastic improvement from his freshman average of 3.6 per attempt.

He was his best against the Big 12's best defenses in 2001, as Abron rushed for 109 yards (on just 13 carries) vs. Texas and 101 yards against Kansas State. He tallied 100 yards 5 times on the season, including a career-high 147 yards vs. Iowa State.

With 1,614 career rushing yards, Abron needs just 217 more to crack the Mizzou career rushing yardage top-10 list. Number 10 on the list is former standout Charlie Brown, who had 1,830 yards from 1964-66.

HARVEY: LIKE A BROCK
Mizzou sophomore punter Brock Harvey has played a key role in helping the Tigers establish a foothold (no pun intended, we swear!) on the all-important field position battle thus far.

The Centertown, Mo. native has been impressive in the early going with his strong right leg. He's averaging 43.1 yards per punt in 17 attempts, an average which ranks 4th in the Big 12 Conference and 18th in the NCAA. That's a nice improvement from his average of 39.5 per punt last season.

Harvey had just 2 attempts last Saturday vs. Troy State, as the Tiger offense stalled only twice. He averaged 40.0 yards, but the kick that brought his average down was a 33-yarder that went out of bounds inside the Trojans' 10 yard line.

Harvey averaged 42.8 yards on 6 punts recently at Bowling Green. He boomed a 65-yarder in the 1st quarter, which marked a career long.

Harvey launched a 54-yarder in the first quarter vs. Ball State that pinned the Cardinals inside their 5-yard line. It proved to be a big play, because just 3 plays later, MU's Antwaun Bynum forced a fumble that he recovered on BSU's 1-yard line. That led to MU's only touchdown of the first half, as the Tigers went on to a 7-6 halftime lead.

Regarding improvement, MU's punt team overall has shown immense improvement from a year ago, and could make the argument of being the most improved unit in the nation. Through 4 games this season, Mizzou ranks 11th in the NCAA in net punting (39.8). Last year, Missouri ranked 112th in the nation in net punting, at 30.5 yards per kick.

RICKER TO MAKE IT 27 STRAIGHT
Junior center A.J. Ricker has been as dependable as they come. The Houston, Texas native, who is a pre-season candidate for the Rimington Award, has started all 26 games in his collegiate career for Mizzou. He'll make it 27 straight starts when he takes the field Saturday vs. Oklahoma.

Ricker was a key component of last year's offensive line that helped pave the way for MU to rank 5th in the Big 12 in rushing last year. The Tiger O-Line also allowed just 6 sacks in 2001, which was the 3rd-lowest total in the nation.

He's currently leading a unit that has Missouri rolling along, as the Tigers are ranked 3rd in the Big 12 (15th in the NCAA) in total yardage (439.5 ypg), 20th in the NCAA in rushing (209.5 ypg) and 24th in the NCAA in scoring (36.5 ppg).

Ricker was voted a team captain during fall camp by his teammates.

MU-BALL STATE POST-GAME NOTABLES

• *After a sluggish first half offensively (MU led 7-6 at halftime), the Tigers exploded for 27 points in the 3rd quarter to cruise to a 41-6 win over Ball State in Columbia.
• *Missouri forced 5 Ball State turnovers, and turned them into 20 points. MU was +5 in the turnover category, as the Tigers did not commit a turnover on the night.
• *MU's defense shut out an opponent in the 2nd half for the first time under Head Coach Gary Pinkel.
• *The 35-point win marked the largest margin of victory for Gary Pinkel at Missouri.
• *Freshman QB Brad Smith was brilliant for a 2nd-straight game, as he rolled up 281 yards of total offense (176 passing, 105 rushing). He ran for a 39-yard touchdown, and threw his first career TD pass, on a 2-yard strike to Justin Gage.
• *TB Zack Abron scored a career-high 3 TDs on the night, on rushes of 1, 3 and 5 yards.
• *LB James Kinney led the way defensively with 17 tackles, while fellow LB Sean Doyle tallied 16 stops.
• *DE Antwaun Bynum forced his 3rd fumble of the season during a 1st-quarter sack of BSU quarterback Talmadge Hill. He pounced on the ball at the BSU 1-yard line, which set up MU's first TD of the night.
• *WR Darius Outlaw caught his first career pass (20 yards from Brad Smith), and later nabbed his first career receiving TD, on a 27-yard catch-and-run from Kirk Farmer. Outlaw ended the night with 3 catches for 49 yards.
• *Freshman PK Mike Matheny saw his first action, and the Columbia, Mo. native went 5-of-6 in PATs.

MU-BOWLING GREEN POST-GAME

• *Senior WR Darius Outlaw started at wide receiver for the first time in his career. It marked his 10th overall career start, including 7 games at QB in 2002, and 2 more behind center in 2001.
• *Redshirt freshman Sean Coffey, a Cleveland, Ohio native, made his first career start at WR, in place of Marcus James, who was temporarily shaken up after returning the opening kickoff.
• *Bowling Green scored on its opening possession, marking the second straight game a Tigers foe scored on its initial foray. The Falcons went 80 yards in 8 plays and consumed just 1:38 to score on a 34-yard pass from Cole Magner to Josh Harris.
• *Sophomore P Brock Harvey unleashed a 65-yard punt in the 1st quarter, which represented a career long. He ended the game with an average of 42.8 yards on 6 punts.
• *Zack Abron scored 3 TDs for the 2nd-straight game (2 rush, 1 rec.). His 6-yard TD reception from QB Brad Smith in the 2nd quarter marked the first receiving TD of his career.
• *MU's offensive line gave up its first sack of the 2002 season at the 2:50 mark of the 2nd quarter when Brad Smith was sacked.
• *Missouri lost the coin toss for the 3rd time in 3 games. Bowling Green elected to receive the opening kickoff, which differed from MU's first 2 games, as both Illinois and Ball State deferred, meaning MU opened the game on defense for the first time this year.

A PERFECT QUARTER?
There might not be such a thing as a perfect quarter of football, especially if you ask any coach. But on Sept. 7, the Tigers came as close to perfect in the 3rd quarter vs. Ball State as one could hope for.

Leading just 7-6 at halftime, Missouri exploded for 27 points in the 3rd period, and when the dust settled, the Tigers held a commanding 34-6 lead heading into the final 15 minutes.

The MU defense was brilliant in the 3rd quarter, as the Tigers forced 2 BSU fumbles, held once on 4th down, and forced 1 punt.

On the flip side, the Tiger offense was opportunistic, as it scored touchdowns on all 4 of its 3rd-quarter possessions.

The 27 points scored in the 3rd quarter were more than Missouri scored in 7 of its 11 games during the 2001 season.

THE WRIGHT STUFF
Senior defensive tackle Keith Wright was a pleasant addition to the Tiger line in 2001. He was arguably MU's most valuable newcomer, and proved to be one of the Big 12's best defensive linemen, as he earned 2nd-Team All-Big 12 honors for his efforts.

Wright has been a key factor in MU's defensive line early on. He ranks 3rd on the team with 27 tackles through 3 games, including a Big 12-leading 6 tackles for loss. He also has 4 QB hurries.

Wright is coming off a career-high 14-tackle outing at Bowling Green. He was one of the few bright spots on defense for the Tigers that night, as he registered 4 tackles for losses of 14 yards.

Wright had 9 tackles vs. Ball State, and notched 4 tackles vs. Illinois, including 1 for a loss of 5 yards, in addition to recording 2 QB hurries.

Wright looks to build on a 2001 season that saw him record 68 tackles (including 10 for losses) and 2 sacks. He also forced 2 fumbles (recovering 1), knocked down 3 passes, blocked a kick and grabbed one interception.

Not bad for someone who played tackle for the first time in his career.

A car enthusiast who recently completed the refurbishing of a 1968 Ford Mustang, Wright was named to the pre-season watch list for the prestigious Lombardi Award.

BYNUM HAS BEEN BLOWIN' BY 'EM
Senior DE Antwaun Bynum has been a man among boys, seemingly, through 3 games this season.

Bynum's tackle total of 14 through 3 games isn't exactly eye-popping, but his impact has still been quite large.

Bynum leads the Big 12 Conference in three different statistical categories: 1st in sacks (1.67 p/g), T-1st in tackles for loss (2.0 p/g), and T-1st in forced fumbles (3).

He had just 4 tackles last time out at Bowling Green, but registered 2 more sacks. He has moved into the MU career top-10 sacks chart this season. Bynum enters Saturday's contest with 12 career sacks, and is tied for 7th alltime with Erik McMillan and Dick Chapura. He needs 2 more sacks to join Lee Johnson in 4th place. Former All-American Justin Smith holds the MU career sack record at 22.5.

Bynum tallied 5 tackles Sept. 7th vs. Ball State, but a deeper look into the numbers indicate his impact on the game.

With MU trailing 3-0 in the first quarter, and as the Tiger offense was struggling, Bynum took matters into his own hands - literally - when he came around the right end to swipe the ball loose from BSU quarterback Talmadge Hill inside the Ball State 5-yard line. Bynum alertly jumped on the loose ball at the Ball State 1, for his 1st fumble recovery of the year. Two plays later, MU led, 7-3.

Bynum also added 1 other tackle for a loss, broke up 1 pass and registered 1 QB hurry.

Bynum was arguably the defensive star of the game for Missouri in the season opener vs. Illinois. Playing in front of his hometown crowd, the St. Louis native wreaked havoc in the Illinois backfield all afternoon.

Bynum recorded 2 sacks, had 4 QB hurries, forced 2 fumbles, broke up 1 pass and had 5 tackles overall.

He made arguably the play of the day for Missouri when he came around the right end and sacked Illini QB Dustin Ward, causing the ball to pop loose in the process. Mizzou LB James Kinney picked up the fumble and ran 46 yards for a TD that put MU on top, 20-14 midway through the 3rd quarter.

MU-ILLINOIS NOTES RECAP

• *Missouri never trailed against Illinois Aug. 31st on its way to its 33-20 victory. MU took leads of 7-0 and 14-7, only to see the Illini respond to tie the game each time. Mizzou broke the game open by scoring 19 straight points in the second half, and never was threatened past that.
• *Nine Tigers made their first career starts vs. Illinois. They included QB Brad Smith, OG Cliff Young, OG Joe Gianino, OT Scott Paffrath, NT C.J. Mosley, DE Atiyyah Ellison, WHIP Jason Simpson, FS Marcus King and PK Alex Pettersen.
• *Smith, with 138 yards rushing, and TB Zack Abron, with 116 yards rushing, became the first Tiger tandem to rush for 100 or more yards in the same game since 1999, when DeVaughn Black (205 yards) and Zain Gilmore (139) did the trick against Western Michigan.
• *Missouri recorded 6 sacks against Illinois, after getting only 20 sacks in 11 games during the 2001 season.
• *Missouri rushed for 285 yards and held the ball for 35:21 against the Illini. Both marks were bests for MU under the tutelage of Gary Pinkel. MU improved to 5-0 under Pinkel when scoring 30 or more points in a game.
• *A year after forcing a Big 12 low 15 turnovers in 2001, Mizzou defenders forced 3 Illinois turnovers (2 fumbles and 1 INT) on Saturday, and turned one of those into a momentum-swinging 46-yard fumble return for a TD by sophomore LB James Kinney.

DOYLE LEADS THE WAY
Senior LB Sean Doyle was all over the field in 2001, as he led the Tigers with 131 tackles. That total ranked 2nd in the Big 12 Conference, and ranked 7th nationally. One of 4 team captains for the 2002 season, Doyle looks to crack the MU top-10 career tackles chart. He currently sits just outside the top 10 with 268 career stops. Lynn Evans ranks 10th on the list currently, with 316 tackles. Doyle, who was a 1st-team All-Big 12 selection a year ago by The Dallas Morning News, was named to the pre-season watch list for the Butkus Award. Doyle recorded double-digit stops in 8-of-11 games last year, and twice set career-high tackle totals of 17, against Nebraska and Bowling Green. He's gotten his senior campaign off to a solid start, with 23 tackles in two games. Doyle registered 16 stops last Saturday vs. Ball State, including 1 for a loss, and he also recovered a fumble that led to an ensuing Tiger TD. Against Illinois, Doyle recorded 7 tackles, including a sack of 9 yards. He also nabbed his first career INT when he stepped in front of a pass from Illinois' Dustin Ward at the Illini 42 yard line with 4:52 left in the 2nd quarter.

JAMES PROVIDES RETURNS
In this day and age of market volatility, it's dangerous to compare anyone to the stock market. But if Tiger receiver/return man Marcus James was a stock, his performance last year would have been considered of the blue-chip variety.

James' biggest contributions were in the return game, where he led MU in both kickoff and punt returns, in addition to catching 6 passes for 75 yards and a TD.

Through two games this season, James has paid huge dividends to the Tiger return game. He's averaging 12.3 yards per punt return, on 9 attempts. That average ranks him 9th in the Big 12 right now, and 40th nationally.

Although James broke just one punt return of 20 yards or more last year, (21 yards at Kansas), his average return of 9.7 yards was the highest since Niu Sale averaged 17.4 for MU in 1990.

It was also the highest punt return average for anyone with a minimum of 10 returns in a season since James Caver averaged 10.0 in 26 returns in 1981.

KINNEY IS TOPS IN STOPS
Sophomore linebacker James Kinney takes a page out of the Teddy Roosevelt book: speak softly, but carry a big stick.

He might be a soft-spoken underclassman, but carry a big stick he does, as the Kankakee, Ill. native leads the Tigers, and ranks 3rd in the Big 12 Conference with an average of 13.5 tackles per game.

Kinney is coming off a career-high 17-tackle performance last Saturday vs. Ball State. He had 11 solo stops vs. the Cardinals, including 2 for losses. He also recovered a fumble for the 2nd straight game.

Kinney opened the season by registering 10 tackles vs. Illinois. He had a sack of 7 yards vs. the Illini, and turned in arguably the pivotal play of the game, when he scooped up a fumble caused by teammate Antwaun Bynum, and raced untouched 46 yards for a TD that broke a 14-14 tie with 5:31 left in the 3rd quarter.

Kinney is continuing the progress that saw him emerge late last season as a redshirt freshman. He earned starts in the last 2 games of the year, and earned so much respect by his teammates that he was named one of 4 team captains for the 2002 season this fall.

FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS
One player you won't find listed in the 2002 media guide is junior defensive lineman Russ Bell, who walked on to the football team late in the summer.

Bell, a three-time All-American for the MU track and field team (hammer, discus and weight throw) was a former all-state football player at nearby Jefferson City High School who gave up the game to concentrate on track in college.

While he'd been an unqualified success in track, he always missed the game of football, and decided this summer to try out for the squad. Bell didn't take long to impress Tiger coaches with his talent and work ethic, and he was moved to #2 on the depth chart at the nosetackle position, behind redshirt freshman C.J. Mosley.

Bell saw plenty of playing time in last Saturday's season opener vs. Illinois, and he ended with 1 pass break up and 1 QB hurry

Bell's addition to the squad represented a reunion of sorts, as he was high school teammates with current Tigers Justin Gage, Kirk Farmer and Brock Harvey. In fact, Bell and Gage have been going to the same schools together dating all the way back to pre-school.

In the 2002 track season, Bell was an All-American outdoors in the hammer throw (9th at the NCAA Championships with a mark of 206'3") and indoors in the weight throw (5th at 71'3 1/4"). He also earned All-American honors outdoors in 2001 in the discus (8th at 182'7").

HOLDING THE BALL
Missouri enjoyed a huge advantage in the time of possession category last Saturday vs. Illinois, as the Tigers controlled the ball for 35:21, compared to just 24:39 for the Illini.

That total marked a single-game high for Mizzou under Gary Pinkel. Last season, opponents held the ball for an average of 32:40 per game, compared to just 27:20 for the Tigers. In 2001, Missouri won the time of possession battle in just 2 games (30:20-to-29:40 vs. SW Texas; 33:46-to-26:14 at Kansas).

TIME OF POSSESSION
Missouri held a huge advantage in time of possession Saturday in its 33-20 win over Illinois, as the Tigers controlled the ball for 35:21, compared to just 24:39 for the Illini.

The time of possession marked a single-game high for Gary Pinkel at Missouri, and improved him to 3-0 at MU when winning the time of possession battle.

The Tigers won the time of possession battle only twice last season, and both times, they came out winners. MU downed Southwest Texas while holding a 30:20 to 29:40 advantage in possession time, and won at Kansas owning a 33:46-to-26:14 edge in possession time.

Opponents held the ball an average of 32 minutes, 40 seconds per game, to MU's 27:20.

The Tigers faced huge time of possession deficits against Texas (39:22-to-20:38) and Nebraska (37:07-to-22:53) in losses, and overcame a 13-minute disadvantage (36:30-to-23:30) at Oklahoma State to post a thrilling 3-overtime win.

A QUALITY BACKUP
Senior QB Kirk Farmer gives Mizzou quite a luxury as the team's No. 2 quarterback. He's a proven veteran who has extensive experience under center. Farmer ranks among MU's top-10 career performers in passing yardage, passing TDs and total offense (see accompanying charts). After missing the first 2 games on the 2001 season due to an off-season injury, Farmer returned to start 9 of MU's last 10 games. He racked up 1,946 yards of total offense, which was the 7th-highest single-season total in MU history. He threw for 1,567 yards and 13 TDs, to only 6 INTs. He ended as MU's 2nd-leading rusher, with 379 yards on 59 carries (a healthy average of 6.4 yards per attempt). He ran for 3 TDs on the year. Farmer had a standout game last year vs. Baylor, when he threw for a career-best 360 yards (on 23-of-34 passing), which was the 6th-highest single-game mark in school history. He also led MU to comeback wins on the road at Oklahoma State and Kansas, both games in which the Tigers trailed by 14 points at one time.

THIRD DOWN EFFICIENCY
Mizzou was a respectable 44.4% on third down conversions last Saturday vs. Illinois, converting on 8-of-18 third down opportunities.

MU converted 53.3% of its third downs (8-of-15) to the midway point of the fourth quarter, but shut the offense down a bit as clock management became the focus.

On the other side of the ball, MU was very successful on third down, as they held the Illini to just 18.8% (3-of-16) on third down.

Illinois was just 2-of-6 in the first half on third downs, and just 2-of-10 in the second half, including just 1-of-6 in the fourth quarter when the Tigers were able to pin their ears back with a big lead.

The numbers correlate to indicators of success for the Tigers last season. In its 4 wins during the 2001 season, MU converted a respectable 49.2% of its third down tries (29-of-59). In the Tigers' losses, MU was successful on just 26.7% on third down (28-of-105).

DISCIPLINED TIGERS
Every football coach in the land preaches discipline to his squad. Despite being in its first year at Missouri in 2001, Gary Pinkel's staff got through to their new team quite impressively.

Missouri committed just 56 penalties last year, for a total of 444 yards. That was good for a Big 12 Conference low average of just 5.1 penalties per game for an average of only 40.4 yards per outing.

Mizzou continued its compliant ways in last Saturday's season-opener vs. Illinois, as the Tigers were whistled for just 5 penalties for 39 yards.

MU's offensive unit, which was starting three new offensive linemen in addition to its brand new quarterback, was penalized just one time vs. Illinois - a 5-yard illegal procedure call in the first half. Mizzou's defense was whistled three times (2 pass interferences and 1 offside), while the special teams punt cover squad was whistled for a halo infraction.