Nov. 4, 2002

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MU HOPES TO BREAK ON THROUGH

The great Jim Morrison of The Doors once sang about getting that breakthrough to the other side. While Jim was a little out there with some of his views, his words can definitely apply to the Mizzou football squad.

After suffering agonizingly close losses to Oklahoma, Nebraska and Iowa State, Missouri is looking to get a "breakthrough" win against a quality opponent. With perennial powers Colorado, Texas A&M and Kansas State looming on the schedule, Mizzou will certainly have plenty of chances to do just that.

Tiger faithful believe that they're not that far away from having a completely different record than the current 4-5 mark. Consider the following scenarios:

*On Oct. 5th, Mizzou came back from a 17-point 3rd-quarter deficit against then-#3 Oklahoma, and took the lead in the 4th quarter, only to see OU score the winning TD on a fake field goal to beat MU, 31-24. Mizzou went toe-to-toe with the Sooners that night, and arguably gave OU its biggest scare of the year.

*On Oct. 12th in Lincoln, Mizzou came out of the gates strong, getting 3 of the game's 1st 4 scores. MU was leading Nebraska 13-7 late in the 2nd quarter, and had the ball deep in Husker territory, looking to increase its lead to 20-7. But the Tigers misfired on a 4th-and-2 play, and Nebraska seemingly seized all the momentum after that point, and scored a TD just before halftime to take a 14-13 lead. Mizzou's defense did not allow a TD to Nebraska in the 2nd half, but NU's DeJuan Groce had a back-breaking punt return for a TD, and the Huskers shut down the Tiger offense in the 2nd half to post a 24-13 win that very easily could have gone MU's way.

*Last Saturday, Mizzou came back from a 13-point 2nd-quarter deficit on the road against #22 Iowa State, only to see the Cyclones put together a 93-yard drive and score the winning TD with just 32 seconds left. MU led midway through the 3rd quarter, and tied the game at 35 apiece with 10:26 left to play on Marcus James' 80-yard punt return for a TD.

SMITH NEARS NCAA DISTINCTION
Redshirt freshman QB Brad Smith is nearing a statistical accomplishment that has been achieved only once previously in NCAA Division I history.

Smith enters the Colorado game needing just 173 passing yards to reach 2,000 for the season, and just 144 rushing yards to reach 1,000 for the season. If he reaches both marks, he will become only the 2nd player in NCAA history to throw for 2,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in the same season.

The only other player to accomplish such a feat was Woody Dantzler of Clemson, who actually set the standard last season, when he threw for 2,360 yards and rushed for 1,004 yards in 2001.

TOUGH SCHEDULE CONTINUES
At 4-5 on the season and needing 2 wins to become bowl eligible, the Missouri Tigers will face quite a challenge in their final 3 games of the year. According to NCAA statistics, the Tigers' remaining opponents comprise the 14th-toughest schedule in the nation.

MU's final 3 foes (Colorado, at Texas A&M and Kansas State) have a combined record of 18-9 (.667), and the Tigers will also be going against recent history that shows MU has lost a combined 18 consecutive games to those schools. Mizzou has dropped 3 straight to CU, 9 straight to KSU, and is 0-6 alltime vs. Texas A&M.

MORE SCHEDULE NOTES
Two of MU's final 3 opponents are currently ranked in the latest Associated Press Top-25 poll. This Saturday, the Tigers will square off against 18th-ranked Colorado (to be televised at 11:30 a.m. on Fox Sports Net), followed by games against unranked Texas A&M and #12 Kansas State.

All told, 3 of MU's 5 losses on the year have come at the hands of ranked foes. The Tigers have dropped contests to current #1-ranked Oklahoma, #20 Bowling Green and current #21 Iowa State.

Mizzou's schedule currently ranks 20th toughest in the nation, according to the NCAA stats thru Nov. 2nd, based on its opponents' cumulative records. MU's foes have a combined record of 61-42-0, for a winning percentage of 59.2%.

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.

LAST TIME OUT
Another gritty Tiger performance against a top-25 opponent came up agonizingly short, as Mizzou lost in the final seconds to #22 Iowa State, 42-35, when Cyclone TB Michael Wagner scored from 1 yard out with 32 seconds left in the game. It marked the 2nd time this season that MU has lost by 7 points to a ranked team.

Wagner's plunge capped a 13-play, 93-yard drive that began at Iowa State's 7 yard line with 3:23 left in the game after a Tiger punt. Iowa State QB Seneca Wallace was masterful on the game-winning drive, as he was a perfect 4-of-4 passing for 29 yards, and scrambled for 59 yards, including a key 33-yard scamper on 3rd and 4 from the MU 46.

Wallace's heroics erased a valiant Tiger effort that saw Mizzou rally from a 13-point 2nd-quarter deficit. The Tigers faced deficits of 10-0 and 27-14, but rallied with consecutive scores to take a 28-27 lead on a 55-yard TD pass from Brad Smith to Darius Outlaw with 7:59 left in the 3rd quarter. That came one play after Antwaun Bynum blocked MU's 1st punt of the year.

After Wagner's 1st of 2 TD runs on the day put ISU back up 35-28, MU's Marcus James returned a punt 80 yards for a TD with 10:26 left in the game - Mizzou's first traditional punt return for a score since 1990 - to tie the game at 35 apiece.

Mizzou later took over on its own 20 yardline with the game tied and over 6 minutes to play, but after getting one first down, the drive stalled, setting up Wallace's heroics.

MU-COLORADO SERIES NOTES
Mizzou and Colorado will meet for the 67th time when they lock horns on Saturday, and the Tigers hold a 35-28-3 edge in the series.

Colorado has owned the series of late, however, as they have won 3 straight, and 15 of the last 17 overall, dating back to 1985. Mizzou's last 2 wins over the Buffs came in 1997 and 1998 - the last 2 times that Mizzou has gone to a bowl game.

CU won 12 straight matchups over Mizzou from 1985-96. Prior to that, MU held a commanding 33-16-3 edge in the series, which began in 1930.

The 1997 win by Mizzou was one of the more significant in recent history, as that 41-31 triumph in Boulder gave MU its 6th win, making the Tigers bowl eligible for the first time since 1983.

The 1992 game in Columbia, won 6-0 by CU, was historic due to the fact that it was played on a Thursday night, marking the first night game in Tiger history at Faurot Field.

The 1990 game of course will go down in infamy as the Fifth Down Game, as Colorado won 33-31 when they were unknowingly given a fifth down, and credited with a TD (it's still debated today that the ball never crossed the goalline on the final play) as time was running out. Colorado went on to win a share of the national championship that season.

MORE MU-CU NOTES
Mizzou is 6-13-1 overall playing against ranked Colorado teams. The Buffs have won 9 straight as a ranked team over MU, dating back to a Mizzou win in 1977 over the 15th-ranked Buffaloes, in Boulder (24-14).

The last time MU beat a ranked Colorado team in Columbia came in 1976, when the 16th-ranked Tigers downed the #14 Buffaloes, 16-7.

The last time an unranked MU team beat a ranked Colorado team in Columbia was in 1972, when Mizzou toppled 7th-ranked CU by a count of 20-17.

LAST YEAR VS. COLORADO
Visiting Missouri jumped out to a 14-0 lead at #25 Colorado, but the Buffaloes stormed back to score 24 consecutive points and used a 69-yard punt return TD by Roman Hollowell in the 4th quarter to hold off the upset minded Tigers, 38-24.

With the game scoreless, the two teams combined for a flurry of points, as they totaled 31 points in the final 6 minutes of the first half.

Mizzou opened the scoring with a 3-yard TD pass from Kirk Farmer to TE Dwayne Blakley with 5:58 left in the 2nd quarter. On Colorado's ensuing possession, Mizzou DB Kevin Johnson stepped in front of a Bobby Pesavento pass and returned it 59 yards for a TD and a 14-0 MU lead with 4:27 left.

Pesavento recovered to lead CU on an 82-yard drive that ended with a 25-yard TD pass to Matt Brunson with 1:55 left to make it 14-7. Following an MU punt and Hollowell's 23-yard return, CU needed just 12 seconds to score again. Pesavento threw a 21-yard screen pass to RB Cortlen Johnson and a 36-yard scoring strike to TE Daniel Graham, the latter with 30 seconds remaining.

On MU's ensuing possession, CU safety Michael Lewis forced a fumble, giving Colorado possession at the Tiger 17. Jeremy Flores kicked a 36-yard field goal with 12 seconds left, giving CU a 17-14 halftime lead.

Colorado extended the lead to 31-21, but the Tigers closed the gap to 31-24 with a Brad Hammerich 32-yard field goal with 12:21 left in the game. Hollowell followed with his punt return with 9:46 to account for the final margin.

Farmer was 17-of-35 passing on the day for 185 yards and TD. He also added 55 yards rushing and scored on a 20-yard keeper. TB Zack Abron had 69 yards on just 12 carries before leaving the game in the 2nd quarter with an ankle injury. Justin Gage was MU's leading receiver, with 5 catches for 71 yards.

GAGE BECOMING A BROKEN RECORD
Death, taxes and a receiving record broken by Justin Gage. That's how routine it's seemingly become for the Tiger WR, as he's broken a record with virtually each game he's played.

Gage was held to 6 catches and 37 yards on Saturday at Iowa State, but his yardage was enough to help him break the Big 12 Conference career receiving yardage record. He now has 2,417 career yards entering Saturday's game vs. Colorado, which broke the old standard of 2,389 set by Aaron Lockett of Kansas State from 1998-2001.

Gage caught 4 passes 2 games ago for 77 yards and 1 TD vs. Kansas. His TD, a career-long 62-yarder from Brad Smith, gave him 15 receiving TDs for his career, which broke the MU record of 14, held by former standout Mel Gray (1968-70).

Gage also broke the Big 12 Conference career receptions mark in the same game, as he upped his career total to 176. That surpassed the old standard of 174 set by Texas' Kwame Cavil from 1997-99. He enters the Colorado game with 182 career grabs.

The converted QB has already broken MU career records for receptions and receiving yards. He has also this season set school single-game marks for catches (16) and yards (236), both coming at Bowling Green.

His 16 catches at BGSU still stands as tied for most in a game in the NCAA this year.

GAGE HAS 31-GAME STREAK ALIVE
Yet one more record that Gage holds revolves around consecutive games with a reception. He carries a streak of 31 straight games with at least 1 catch into Saturday's game with Colorado.

Gage has caught a pass in every game in which he's lined up as a wideout for the Tigers - 11 as a sophomore in 2000, 11 more as a junior in 2001 and all 9 games during the 2002 campaign.

The previous MU record was 28, held by Kent Layman, from 1997-99.

JAMES BREAKS A PUNT RETURN
Marcus James might be the least imposing man on the Missouri roster, from a physical standpoint. The 5-foot-8 scatback certainly doesn't intimidate anyone with his size.

But he does strike fear in the hearts of opposing kicking games, and James struck gold with an historic play for Mizzou last Saturday at Ames.

With MU trailing, 35-28, in the 4th quarter, James fielded an ISU punt at the left hashmark on the Tiger 20. He scooted right to find his wall of blockers, and raced down the right sideline untouched. Once he neared midfield, he did a start-stop move that got him past 2 Cyclone would-be tacklers, and he cut back across the field and raced untouched into the left corner of the endzone for an 80-yard touchdown that tied the game at 35 apiece with 10:26 left to play.

James' play marked the 1st time since 1990 that a Tiger fielded a punt in the conventional sense and returned it for a TD. The last occasion came in 1990, when Niu Sale returned one 52 yards for a TD vs. TCU.

James' return also marked the longest punt return by a Tiger since 1960, when Donnie Smith set an MU record with a 90-yard return vs. Air Force.

The Liberal, Kan. native is now ranked 5th in the Big 12 Conference, & 22nd in the NCAA, with a punt return average of 13.71 yards per attempt. The last Tiger to average more than 10 yards per return in a season was Sale, when he averaged 17.4 on 8 returns in 1990.

RED ZONE IS GO ZONE FOR MIZZOU
Mizzou leads the Big 12 Conference in redzone efficiency, as the Tigers have converted on 26-of-29 (89.7%) of its chances once reaching their opponents' 20-yard line.

MU has 22 TDs in those 26 conversions (16 rush, 6 pass), and has 4 field goals. The three missed opportunities came on 2 missed field goals, and when the Tigers were stopped on downs.

Conversely, Colorado comes into Saturday's game as the 12th-ranked team in the league in red zone offense, with a scoring percentage of 64.5%. The Buffaloes have scored on 20-of-31 redzone opportunities, getting 15 TDs and 5 FGs. CU has missed 5 FGs, lost 1 fumble and been stopped on downs to account for their 11 missed chances.

OUTLAW IS ON THE LOOSE
Senior WR Darius Outlaw is quickly developing into a consistent threat opposite the Tigers' big-name wide receiver Justin Gage (another converted QB). Outlaw, who was a starter at quarterback for part of each of the last 2 seasons for Mizzou, switched to receiver prior to the 2002 campaign. It was unknown how much he'd be able to contribute, especially given the fact that he was playing receiver for the first time in his collegiate career.

Outlaw has come on strong in the last 4 weeks, proving he's doing just fine catching the ball instead of throwing it.

The Powder Springs, Ga. native is coming off a performance at #22 Iowa State that saw him catch 9 passes for a career-high 103 yards. He made a huge play in the 3rd quarter when he took a slant pass from Brad Smith and turned it into a 55-yard TD. That play, which marked a career-long reception for Outlaw, gave MU its only lead of the game, at 28-27 with 7:59 left in the 3rd quarter.

The week prior, Outlaw had a 4-catch, 51-yard outing vs. Kansas, and one of his grabs resulted in a 15-yard TD as he made a nice catch and got his feet down in the corner of the endzone.

Previously, Outlaw had a 10-catch, 89-yard outing at Texas Tech. What's even more impressive is that he suffered a slightly separated shoulder early in the game, but returned shortly after asking to be allowed to go back in.

His production over the last 5 weeks (32 catches for 338 yards) has moved him into the #2 spot for the season on the team, in terms of production. He enters the Colorado game with 37 catches for 424 yards and 3 TDs on the season.

THE ZACK ATTACK IS BACK
Junior TB Zack Abron has been dependable lugging the ball for the Tigers this season. The St. Louis, Mo., native currently ranks 10th in the Big 12 (and 87th nationally) in rushing (67.5 ypg), entering the Colorado contest.

Just as importantly, Abron has shown a nose for the endzone this season. He's got a team-best 12 TDs rushing this season (13 total TDs including a receiving score at Bowling Green). His scoring average of 9.75 ppg is tops in the Big 12 Conference and ranks 12th nationally.

Abron returned to the field Saturday at Iowa State, after missing the Kansas game with a banged-up knee. Abron scored 2 times at Ames, on runs of 3 and 2 yards. He finished the day with 51 yards on 13 carries.

Abron had 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 rushed for 116 yards and 2 TDs in MU's 33-20 season-opening 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 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.

With 1,825 career rushing yards, Abron needs just 5 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.

CONVERTING ON 3RD DOWN
Mizzou is converting a respectable 41% of its 3rd down conversions this season through 9 games, which ranks 4th best in the Big 12 Conference.

The Tiger defense is holding opponents to just 36% on the year in 3rd down situations (6th in the Big 12) - a significant improvement from an opponent success rate of 48% in 2001.

PLAYING TAKEAWAY
After ranking just 62nd in the NCAA last season in turnover margin (-0.9 p/g), the Tigers focused in the offseason on creating making plays on defense.

The efforts have paid off greatly in the early going for MU, as the Tigers are +10 in turnover margin through 8 games, and the +1.25 per game average ranks them 12th in the NCAA (and 3rd in the Big 12), heading into the Iowa State game.

Mizzou didn't commit a turnover Saturday vs. Kansas, which marked the 3rd straight game that MU has gone without a turnover. The Tigers' 17 forced turnovers (9 fumbles, 8 INTs) have already surpassed the total of 15 turnovers (9 fumbles, 6 INTs) that MU forced last season.

Missouri had ranked 3rd in the NCAA, and tops in the Big 12, heading into its Oct. 5 tussle with #3 Oklahoma. But the Sooners capitalized on 3 MU turnovers, while committing none of their own.

Turnovers have proven to be a telling factor in MU's 8 games thus far. In MU's 4 wins, the Tigers are plus 11 in the turnover category (forcing 14 turnovers), while in its 4 losses, the Tigers are minus 1 (forcing just 3 turnovers).

The Tigers forced 5 turnovers on Sept. 28 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. The Tigers were also plus 5 against Ball State (4 fumbles, 1 INT), while comitting none themselves.

Illinois fumbled 4 times in the season opener, 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.

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 (despite playing defensive tackle for the 1st time in his career), as he earned 2nd-Team All-Big 12 honors for his efforts.

Wright has been a key factor in MU's defensive line this year. He ranks 3rd on the team with 66 tackles through 8 games, including a Big 12-leading 17 tackles for loss - he ranked 2nd in the NCAA in that category recently (through rankings of Sept. 28).

Wright had 9 tackles and 2 sacks last time out vs. Kansas, and scored the 1st points of his collegiate career when he sacked KU's Jon Weatherbie in the endzone for a safety late in the game.

Wright had a big game recently vs. Nebraska, as he registered 13 tackles, including 3 behind the line of scrimmage. He also recorded a sack and a QB hurry on the day, as the Tiger defense allowed only two offensive TDs, and 17 points total, by the Huskers.

He had a 6-tackle performance against Troy State. Four of those stops were eye-popping stops behind the line, as he continually leveled big hits on Trojan running backs.

Wright had 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.

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.

y 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.

TIGERS NEARLY KNOCK OFF SOONERS
Mizzou gave a valiant effort, but came up just short of staging one of the biggest wins in school history recently, as the 3rd-ranked Oklahoma Sooners rallied for a 31-24 win in Columbia.

Freshman QB Brad Smith dazzled all with 391 yards of total offense (the 4th-highest single-game mark in MU history) vs. OU's highly-rated defensive squad, and led a Tiger comeback in the 2nd half that saw MU turn a 23-7 deficit into a 24-23 lead with just over 10 minutes left in the game.

Oklahoma held leads of 10-0 and 23-7 before Smith led the Tigers to 17 straight points. He capped the MU surge with a 25-yard TD run with 10:22 left in the game to put the Tigers on top, 24-23.

After a defensive hold by the Tigers, OU came up with an interception deep in Missouri territory, and on 4th-and-8 from the Tiger 14, set up for a short field goal attempt. Oklahoma ran a fake, however, and despite double coverage, holder Matt McCoy completed a TD pass to 4th-string TE Chris Chester.

Mizzou got two more possessions to have a chance to tie the game, and the Tigers got as far as the OU 35 yard line in the final minute before the Sooner defense eventually held to seal the win.

Despite the OU win, Smith was clearly the star of the evening, as he racked up 213 yards rushing and 178 yards passing vs. a Sooner defense that came into the game allowing an average of just 88.0 yards rushing and 262.2 yards of total defense. Smith scored on a pair of 25-yard TD runs, and added a 23-yard TD pass to Justin Gage, who became MU's alltime leading receiver earlier in the contest.

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.