Missouri Post-game Notes
8/31/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 31, 2002
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- Missouri won its first season opener of the Gary Pinkel era and has now won five of its last six lidlifters. MU has also now won its last two season openers played at neutral sites (1970 vs. Baylor, also in St. Louis).
- Missouri now leads the season series over the Illini, 12-7, and is now 2-1 in St. Louis.
- Eight Tigers made their first career starts: QB Brad Smith, OG Cliff Young, OG Joe Gianino, OT Scott Paffrath, NT C.J. Mosley, DE Atiyyah Ellison, WHIP Jason Simpson, and FS Marcus King.
- QB Brad Smith finished with 138 yards rushing, which is the third-highest total by a Missouri quarterback and the most since Corby Jones rushed for 159 yards against Kansas in 1996. [Jones also ran for a quarterback school-record 193 yards earlier in 1996.] In addition, Smith's 40-yard run in the third quarter is the longest of any MU rusher in the Gary Pinkel era.
- In the first 180 seconds of this afternoon's game, Missouri earned more first downs (four) and total yards (56) than it did in the entire game of the two teams' last meeting in 1994. In that game in Champaign, the Tigers finished with one first down and 46 total yards. MU's opening drive this afternoon ate up 77 yards on eight plays over a time span of 3:06.
- On the first drive of the game, WR Justin Gage moved past Brian Sallee (1991-94) for third place on MU's career receptions list. Gage now has 125 for his career, and is just four receptions from passing Victor Bailey (1990-92) for second on the list.
- RB Zack Abron scored his 12th career rushing touchdown (and 12th overall) from six yards out with 11:54 left in the first quarter and added a 3-yard TD run with 14:06 left in the fourth quarter for TD No. 13. He finished with 116 yards rushing.
- Abron and Smith are the first Missouri backs since DeVaughn Black (205 yards) and Zain Gilmore (139 vs. Western Michigan in 1999) to give the Tigers two rushers over 100 yards in the same game.
- On his first carry of the season, RB T.J. Leon scored his second career rushing touchdown (third overall) from six yards out with 6:16 remaining in the first half. Although he finished with seven carries, at the time of the touchdown, "TD" Leon's two TD's had come on his last four carries going back to the start of last season.
- NT C.J. Mosley registered his first career sack in the second quarter.
- Playing in his 33rd game, senior LB Sean Doyle made his first career interception in the second quarter. He also had his seventh career sack - his first in over a year - in the fourth quarter.
- DE Antwaun Bynum is two sacks from moving into the Missouri career top 10 with his sack of Dustin Ward. He now has eight sacks for his career. Bynum also had two forced fumbles, including the strip of Ward that led to Missouri's third touchdown.
- Missouri's 14-7 halftime advantage is the first time MU has led at the break since Game 9 (11/10/01) vs. Baylor last year (34-3, en route to a 41-24 win).
- LB James Kinney's 46-yard fumble return for a touchdown in the third quarter was the first touchdown of his career.
- As a team, Missouri registered four sacks of Illinois quarterbacks after tallying just 20 for all of 2001.
- Opponents outscored Mizzou by a 102-47 margin in the fourth quarter last year; MU outscored Illinois by a 13-6 count on Saturday.
- Missouri's five penalties for 39 yards were under even their highly disciplined totals of a year ago, when they averaged a Big 12 Conference-low 5.1 infractions for 40.4 yards.
Mizzou Live Pregame Show Presented by Paytient
Saturday, September 27
MU Health Care Kid Captain - Hazel Hopkins
Thursday, September 25
MU Health Care Kid Captain - Courtland Sisler
Thursday, September 25
MU Health Care Kid Captain - Noah Gilion
Thursday, September 25
