Additionally, the Tigers earned votes in both the pre-season AP and ESPN/USA Today polls for the first time since the 1998 season. Mizzou got enough votes to rank 34th in the AP Poll and 44th in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Poll

A LOOK BACK AT LAST YEAR: MIZZOU 33, ILLINOIS 20
Redshirt freshman quarterback Brad Smith ran for 138 yards and passed for 152 in his collegiate debut, leading Missouri to a 33-20 season-opening upset of Illinois.

Zack Abron shrugged off two lost fumbles in the first half and ran for 116 yards and two touchdowns, and the Tigers' defense made a big play late in the third quarter that helped propel MU past the defending Big Ten champions, who went 10-2 the previous year.

Smith, who became the first freshman in MU school history to start an opener, was difficult to contain all day. He sealed the victory with a 24-yard fourth-quarter touchdown run that gave Missouri a 33-14 lead. He also had a 39-yard run in the third. Throwing the ball, Smith was 15-for-26 with no interceptions.

Abron had 116 yards on 26 carries, giving Missouri its first pair of 100-yard rushers since the Tigers beat Western Michigan in 1999.

James Kinney's 46-yard fumble return for a TD with 5:31 to go in the third quarter put Missouri ahead for good at 20-14. Antwaun Bynum's hit on Illinois QB Dustin Ward knocked the ball loose and right into the hands of Kinney, who walked a few steps before realizing the play was live, then ran untouched into the end zone.

MU in season openers
Missouri is 70-38-4 in its previous 112 season openers, good for an alltime winning percentage of 64.3% on opening day. The Tigers have won 5 of their last 6 lidlifters, including last year's 33-20 win against Illinois in St. Louis. An MU win Saturday vs. Illinois would give Mizzou consecutive season opening wins away from home for the first time since the Tigers won at 2nd-ranked Alabama (20-7) in 1975 and then won at 8th-ranked USC (46-25) in 1976.

MU-Illinois series history
Missouri and Illinois will meet for the 20th time when they tangle in the State Farm Showdown on Saturday in St. Louis. MU holds a 12-7 edge in the series, based largely on the strength of taking 9 of 11 games in a stretch from 1949 to 1983. Mizzou won last year's tilt in the Gateway City by a 33-20 score, and Tiger fans hope that recent history doesn't repeat itself. Since 1983 (spanning the last seven meetings), the two schools have alternated wins, with neither one able to win two in a row. The two rivals have met three times previously in St. Louis, with the Tigers holding a 2-1 edge in those contests, including 37-6 and 33-20 wins in 1969 and 2002, respectively. Illinois' win was a 10-0 triumph in 1896. Mizzou is 8-5 alltime in neutral site games played in the city of St. Louis, including the 2-1 mark vs. Illinois. Mizzou has opened its season six previous times against Illinois, and the Tigers stand 4-2 in those meetings, winning in 1983, 1991, 1993 and 2002, with Illinois claiming wins in 1984 and 1992.

MORE MU-ILLINOIS FACTS
Illinois is the 2nd-most common non-conference opponent in MU history. The previous 19 games played vs. Illinois ranks behind only the 23 played alltime vs. SMU.

MU-Illinois notes recap

WHAT A WAY TO START
It was a day to remember for Tiger fans last year, when Mizzou defeated defending Big Ten Champion Illinois. Head Coach Gary Pinkel couldn't have asked for a better scenario to begin the game. Mizzou received the ball first, and trotted out redshirt freshman QB Brad Smith under center for his very first collegiate action, in front of 61,876 fans and millions more watching on television. While everyone in the MU program had confidence that Smith would perform well, no-one could have expected him to lead the Tigers downfield like he did to start the day. Smith completed 4-of-5 passes on the drive for 33 yards, and also showed his dangerous running ability right away as he scampered 20 yards on the fourth play of the game. In all, the Tigers opened the season by going 77 yards in 8 plays, and held the ball for 3:06 before TB Zack Abron plunged to paydirt from 6 yards out to put the underdog Tigers up, 7-0.

ST. LOUIS BRAGGING RIGHTS UP FOR GRABS
With at least 32 Tigers (including 5 projected starters listed below) on the roster hailing from the St. Louis area, there's plenty of motivation to claim bragging rights over Illinois on Saturday.

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES for the o-line
With an offensive line featuring only two players with starting experience entering the 2002 season, the Tiger line was considered a big unknown heading into last year. Virtually no-one could have expected the line to jell into a unit that eventually paved the way for an offense that averaged 30.0 points per game, and scored the 3rd-most points (360) in school history. Heading into the 2002 season opener vs. Illinois, MU's offensive line featured only two players (C A.J. Ricker and T Rob Droege) who had a total of 30 career starts between them. How much more experienced is the Tiger offensive line in 2003? Heading into the opener vs. Illinois, MU features six players (Ricker, Droege, T Scott Paffrath, G Cliff Young, G Tony Palmer, G Joe Gianino) who have a combined 90 starts collectively.

NEW LOOK DEFENSE HITS THE FIELD
A year after Mizzou's defense had a hard time consistently stopping opponents, Tiger fans will see a new-look unit when Missouri and Illinois lace it up on Saturday. Among the projected 11 starters, 7 players either didn't play last year or will be playing new positions. Here's the details:

TIGERS LED NATION IN FEWEST TURNOVERS IN 2002
Mizzou was the nation's leader in fewest number of turnovers committed last year - a pretty remarkable feat in and of itself, but even more amazing considering the fact that a freshman QB ran the show offensively.

In 12 games, the Tigers turned the ball over just 12 times (7 interceptions & 5 fumbles), a number which led all 117 D-I schools.

The Tigers established school records for fewest number of turnovers in a season. Head Coach Gary Pinkel's 2001 squad also ranks 4th on the chart, with 16 turnovers.

The 5 lost fumbles also established a school record, beating the previous mark of 7. That was achieved twice, in 1994 and by Pinkel's 2001 squad. All of this really was nothing new to Pinkel. Two of Pinkel's teams at Toledo led the nation in turnover margin. Mizzou finished the 2002 season ranked 16th nationally in turnover margin (at +1.0 per game), which was a huge improvement from their ranking of 62nd nationally in Pinkel's first season at MU in 2001.

TIGERS DROPPED SOME HEARTBREAKERS IN 2002
Missouri showed marked improvement in many areas during the 2002 season, and came very close to pulling some upsets over ranked teams. Four of MU's losses on the year were games which could have gone either way.

Consider the following scenarios:

Brad Smith: ordinary name, extraordinary talent
After a redshirt freshman season that saw QB Brad Smith break numerous records and grab virtually every prominent conference and national freshman award, he's definitely on the national radar heading into his sophomore season.

Smith is listed as the No. 4 Heisman candidate by Sports Illustrated, No. 7 by the Sporting News and is in the top-10 according to CBSSportsline.com. This comes after a season in which Smith amassed 3,362 yards of total offense (an MU record), and became only the 2nd player in Division IA history to throw for 2,000 yards (2,333 to be exact) and rush for 1,000 yards (1,029) in the same season.

We could go on and on about Smith's many exploits, but then there wouldn't be enough room for anything else. For more in-depth information about Brad Smith, please see his bio located later in this set of notes, as well as the 2003 Mizzou Football Media Guide (he's featured on pages 218-221).

ABRON BULLS HIS WAY UP MU CAREER RUSHING LIST
Senior TB Zack Abron enters the season having quietly amassed one of the best rushing careers in MU history. He's not the flashy, speed-burner type that wows people, and maybe that's why he's sort of flown under the radar, if you will. The fact is, however, that Abron has a shot at becoming MU's alltime career leading rusher if he produces just 984 yards this season. He enters the 2003 season ranked 8th on MU's career rushing chart, with 2,043 yards.

Abron returns to his hometown of St. Louis, where he was a key performer in last year's 33-20 win over Illinois in St. Louis. Abron rushed for 116 yards and rambled for 2 TDs in the game last year. He uncharacteristically coughed up 2 fumbles in the 1st half vs. the Illini, but redeemed himself after halftime by rushing for 85 second half yards and helping the Tigers pull away for the big win.

Those two fumbles that Abron had in the 2002 opener vs. Illinois remain as the last time that he has fumbled the football. He carries a streak of 166 consecutive carries without a fumble into the 2003 opener vs. the same Illini.

For more detailed information on Abron, please see his bio located later in this set of notes, as well as the 2003 Mizzou Football Media Guide (he's featured on pages 116-119).

If it goes overtime
Don't be surprised if a Mizzou game goes into overtime. Since the rule was put into effect for the 1996 season, Mizzou leads the nation with eight overtime games played. The Tigers are 5-3 alltime in overtime games, a win total which also leads the NCAA entering the 2003 season. Mizzou went 1-1 last season in overtime affairs, dropping a tough 42-35 home overtime game to #18 Colorado and the very next week winning a 33-27 double overtime thriller at Texas A&M, the week after A&M beat #1-ranked Oklahoma the week before.

Mizzou made some history with its consecutive overtime games -- that marked the first time in NCAA history that a Div. IA team played overtime games in consecutive weeks.

Interestingly, MU Head Coach Gary Pinkel won the very first overtime game played in Division I history when his Toledo team beat Nevada, 40-37, in the 1995 Las Vegas Bowl. The overtime rule was put into effect for that bowl season, and has been in use ever since. Pinkel is now 4-1 alltime in his career in overtime games, including 2-1 at Mizzou.

Red hot in the red zone
Mizzou ranked 3rd in the Big 12 Conference in redzone efficiency last season, as the Tigers converted on 35-of-40 (87.5%) of its chances once reaching their opponents' 20-yard line. MU had 29 TDs in those 35 conversions (20 rush, 9 pass), and added 6 field goals. The missed opportunities came on 3 missed field goals, and twice when the Tigers were stopped on downs.

SPECIAL TEAMS WERE IMPROVED IN 2002
Any coach will tell you that, like it or not, many games in the end come down to which team makes more plays (or fewer mistakes) in special teams. Mizzou Head Coach Gary Pinkel continued to see marked improvement in this area in 2002, and that was a major reason why the Tigers were more competitive overall.

The biggest area of improvement came in punting in 2002. After ranking 112th in the NCAA in 2001 in net punting (30.5 yard per kick), Mizzou vaulted all the way up to 19th in 2002, with an improved net average of 36.9 per kick. That was in large part due to the improved punting of Brock Harvey, who increased his season average from 39.5 in 2001 to 42.5 in 2002. The punt coverage also improved, as the Tigers allowed 12.8 yards per return to foes, down from 14.6 in 2001.

Mizzou also showed nice improvement in the return game in 2002, taking some pressure off of the Tiger offense on occasion. Mizzou averaged 20.9 yards per kickoff return in 2002, which ranked 43rd in the nation - up from an average of 18.1 and an NCAA ranking of 95th in 2001. Primary threat Shirdonya Mitchell returned one for 89 yards (non-scoring) at Texas Tech, and narrowly missed becoming the first Tiger to take a kickoff back for a TD since 1982. Mizzou showed marked improvement in the punt return game, as well, as the Tigers ranked 25th in the NCAA with a per-return average of 13.1 yards. That was a solid step up from 2001, when MU ranked 38th nationally with an average of 10.4. Primary return man Marcus James made history at Iowa State late in the year when he broke a return for an 80-yard TD, becoming the first Tiger to take a non-blocked punt back for a score since 1990.

Balancing act
Most coaches talk about achieving a balanced offensive attack. Tiger Coach Gary Pinkel has done just that in the last 2 seasons. In 12 games last season, Mizzou showed a steady balance, as they threw for 2,438 yards and rushed for 2,204 more. The balance shown in MU's offensive attack should be no surprise, as in 2001, the Tigers under Pinkel passed for 1,895 yards and rushed for 1,841 - a mere difference of just 54 yards for the entire season.

Under Pinkel's direction, Mizzou has been far and away the most balanced team in the Big 12 Conference. In 2001 and 2002 combined, there has been a difference of just 288 yards between MU's two-year rushing and passing totals in 23 games under Pinkel. The nearest Big 12 team in terms of balance has been Kansas, with a difference of 1,163 yards. Here is a comparison look at combined rushing and passing totals for Big 12 schools in 2001 and 2002:

Ricker to make it 35 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 34 games in his collegiate career for Mizzou. The last time someone other than Ricker started at center for Mizzou was 1999. He'll make it 35 straight starts when he takes the field Saturday vs. Illinois.

The MU record for consecutive starts is 42, co-held by Rob Riti (1996-99) and Mike Bedosky (1990-93). Since Ricker directly followed Riti, and Riti played center exclusively from 1997-99, that means that only two people have started at center for MU since 1997.

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

Last season, he led a unit that had Missouri rolling along, as the Tigers ranked 5th in the Big 12 (37th in the NCAA) in rushing (183.67 ypg), 5th in the Big 12 & 45th in the NCAA in total offense (386.83 ypg) and 43rd in the NCAA in scoring (30.00 ppg). Ricker was voted a team captain during fall camp by his teammates.

Big plays
Missouri's offense showed a propensity for coming up with big plays last season. The Tiger offense totaled 57 plays of 20 yards or more from scrimmage in 12 games. That was a huge improvement from the 2001 season, when Mizzou totaled just 31 plays of 20 yards or more. Freshman QB Brad Smith had a hand in 48 of the 57 plays, as he rushed for 14 plays of 20 or more yards, threw for 33 more, and even caught a pass for 1 "big" play (a 33-yarder on a throwback pass at Texas Tech from former QB Darius Outlaw.

Mizzou notched a season-high 8 plays of 20 yards or more vs. #3 Oklahoma. OU's defense had allowed just 9 plays of 20 yards or more in its 1st 4 games combined.

Smith in heady company
MU Coach Gary Pinkel has coached some quality quarterbacks in his time, including NFL greats Mark Brunell and Chris Chandler, while at Washington. Pinkel had this to say about his signal-caller:
"I've coached that position with some great players, some NFL players, and they didn't look anything like this guy at the same age."
Here's a collection of clippings and quotes following Smith's performance against Oklahoma last season:
"I mean to tell you, is he something? He made us look really average. We couldn't tackle him, he just whipped us all day." - OU Coach Bob Stoops. "Against OU, he became a star, another Michael Vick in the making." - USA Today "Brad Smith proved not only can he live up to the hype, the hype has no hope of living up to him." - The Norman Transcript.

Comeback kids
While Mizzou hasn't won any of its matchups against ranked teams this season, the Tigers have proven to be quite resilient in each game, as they've staged impressive comebacks from double-digit deficits against #3 Oklahoma, #22 Iowa State and #18 Colorado.

James earns big 12 honor
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 recently at Iowa St.

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.

For his efforts, James was named the Big 12 Conference Special Teams Player of the Week on Nov. 4. The Liberal, Kan. native is now ranked 5th in the Big 12 Conference, & 21st in the NCAA, with a punt return average of 13.63 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.

Smith breaks mu yardage record
Just 9 games into his freshman season, Mizzou QB Brad Smith broke the MU single-season total yardage record.

He did so when he totaled 318 yards on Nov. 2 at Iowa State (241 passing, 77 rushing), to give him 2,683 yards this season. That eclipsed the old mark of 2,545 held by Corby Jones in 1997. After 265 more yards Saturday at Texas A&M, Smith upped his season total to 3,206 yards. Amazingly, his current total puts him just 44 yards away from moving into MU's CAREER top-10 in total offense.