K-STATE RUNNING ATTACK GROUNDS TIGER DIVISION TITLE HOPES
Mizzou entered its game last weekend at 19th-ranked Kansas State knowing that if it could pull off the upset, it would be playing this Saturday against Iowa State for the right to represent the Big 12 North Division in the upcoming Big 12 Championship game. Alas, K-State proved to be inhospitable hosts, as their rushing attack proved too much for Mizzou to stop. KSU racked up 367 yards on the ground, including a KSU-record 273 by Darren Sproles. Their success on the ground helped pave the way for an enormous 38:52-to-21:08 advantage in time of possession.

From that statistical vantage point, it would be easy to think the game was a rout. But, when the final gun sounded, the Tigers had lost by a mere 24-14 score. Mizzou put on an excellent effort in the 2nd half, outscoring KSU by a 7-3 margin in the final 30 minutes, and it was two plays that had MU fans lamenting, 'If only.'

The first came on the last play of the first half. With MU trailing 21-7 and facing a 4th down on KSU's 45-yardline, MU opted to try a 62-yard field goal by PK Mike Matheny. Matheny, who has made 60 yarders before in MU's indoor facility, had a strong wind at his back, and he got off a perfect kick that seemed to pick up steam about halfway there. The kick was true, but glanced off the crossbar and bounced away. Had it gone through, it would have pulled MU to within 11 points at half, and would have tied him with former standout Tom Whelihan for the longest field goal in Mizzou history. Ironically, Whelihan, who made his 62-yarder against Colorado in 1986, was in the pressbox covering the game for Columbia's KTGR Radio.

The other play that MU fans can point to as the difference came in the 3rd quarter. MU's Nino Williams picked off K-State's Ell Roberson and returned it near midfield to set the Tigers up to make some noise. Trailing 21-10, MU sustained its first significant drive of the game, and moved 42 yards down to the KSU 10 yardline. Just when it appeared the Tigers would gain the momentum, QB Brad Smith was intercepted in the Wildcat endzone when he tried to hit WR Darius Outlaw on a scramble, killing the golden opportunity. KSU drove the other way and settled for a field goal to make it 24-7, and the lost chance was undoubtedly a killer for the Tigers.

MORE K-STATE NOTABLES

PINKEL EARNS NEW CONTRACT
The University of Missouri and Head Football Coach Gary Pinkel have agreed to terms of a new contract that will keep Pinkel a fixture on the Tigers sidelines through the 2008 season, as announced last week by Director of Athletics Mike Alden. In his third season at Mizzou, Pinkel, 51, has the Tigers at 7-4 currently and bowl eligible for just the third time since 1983. Missouri has returned to the top-25 polls during the 2003 season, and earlier made national headlines when it defeated 10th-ranked Nebraska in October, marking the program's first win over the Huskers since 1978.

With a career record of 89-55-3 in 13 seasons, Pinkel ranks 21st among active Division I-A coaches with his career winning percentage of .616. He came to Missouri in November of 2000, after a successful 10-year run as head coach at the University of Toledo.

Pinkel's original contract took him through the 2005 season. That same deal was extended in August of 2002, through the 2007 season. The new deal increases Pinkel's base salary from $192,000 per year to $250,000 per year.

HALFWAY HOME THE KEY FOR MU
A trend has developed under Gary Pinkel that shows the key to the game is very simple: Mizzou simply needs to take the lead into the lockerroom at halftime and it will likely have success Saturday. That's because under Pinkel, MU is 13-0 (including 7-0 this year) when it leads at halftime. Conversely, when MU trails at the half, they are just 2-18, including 0-4 this year, since 2001. mizzou-iowa STATE series notes

Most people will look at Saturday's game between 7-4 Mizzou and 2-9 Iowa State and assume that the Tigers should roll to a big win. From an historical standpoint, we would suggest that that would be a mistake, as the Cyclones have been a tough nut to crack for the Tigers.

ISU has won 4 straight over the Tigers currently, and a win Saturday by the Cyclones would equal their longest streak in the series history (5 games from 1988-92).

Overall, MU holds a solid 53-33-9 lead in the series, with Saturday's game marking the 96th meeting since the series began in 1896. But ISU has an 11-8-1 advantage in the last 20 games of the series dating back to 1983, and the Cyclones have won 5-of-7 meetings overall since the inception of the Big 12 Conference in 1996.

Home field advantage hasn't meant much to the Tigers in this series, especially of late, as MU stands just 3-6-1 in its last 10 games at Memorial Stadium/Faurot Field against Iowa State, including an 0-4-1 stretch from 1984-1991. Three of the last 4 meetings between the rivals have been decided by a TD or less, with ISU winning each of those (24-21 in Columbia in 1999; 20-14 in Columbia in 2001; 42-35 in Ames in 2002).

LAST YEAR: #22 IOWA ST. 42, MISSOURI 35
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 of 3 times last season that MU lost by 7 points to a ranked opponent.

Wagner's plunge capped a 13-play, 93-yard drive that began at Iowa State's 7 yard line 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.

SMITH BREAKS ANOTHER MIZZOU RECORD AT KANSAS STATE
From the "We-blew-it-by-not-noticing-this-after-the-game-last-Saturday" category:

MU TO MAKE RECORD 8TH TELEVISION APPEARANCE ON SATURDAY
Mizzou fans who can't make it to the games in person have enjoyed a banner year of watching the Tigers on television. Saturday's game vs. Iowa State, which is being shown on ABC, will mark the 8th time this season that MU has played on TV. That will represent the most games ever shown on TV in a season for Mizzou, besting the old mark of 7 in 1984. MU's 8 appearances also equal the amount that MU had during the 2001 and 2002 seasons combined, as the Tigers played before TV audiences 8 times total in 2001 (3) and 2002 (5). If Mizzou, as expected, plays in a bowl game later on, they would be guaranteed to extend that record to 9, as all of the Big 12's bowl games are scheduled to be played on TV.

MISSOURI DOESN'T BEAT MISSOURI ON PINKEL'S WATCH
When Mizzou commits mistakes (turnovers, penalties, etc...), MU Head Coach Gary Pinkel often refers to that as "Missouri beating Missouri." Fortunately for the Tigers' 3rd-year skipper, that hasn't happened often at all. In fact, NCAA stats show that in Pinkel's time at Mizzou (from 2001), MU has had the fewest turnovers in the nation, by far. In the 34 games in the Pinkel regime, MU has committed just 38 turnovers. The next fewest during that same period is Minnesota, with 50. The next best team in the Big 12 is Oklahoma, who rates 6th-best nationally, at 53 turnovers. Through 11 games this season, Mizzou leads the nation with just 10 turnovers lost (5 teams are tied for 2nd nationally at 13 turnovers apiece), a year after MU led the nation with just 12 turnovers in 2002 - setting a school record in the process for fewest in a year.

Broken down, MU's turnovers in 2003 have been 6 interceptions (a total which is currently 6th-fewest in the NCAA) and 4 lost fumbles (tied for 2nd in the NCAA for fewest). The Tigers have not turned the ball over 6 times this season. MU did have an uncharacteristic 4-turnover game at Colorado, as the Buffs recorded 2 interceptions and recovered 2 fumbles on the day. That marked the most turnovers in a game by a Pinkel-coached Tiger squad.

3RD-DOWN NUMBERS IMPROVE MARKEDLY FOR MU AFTER 1ST QUARTER
Third down hasn't been kind to Mizzou this year on either side of the ball, from a statistical standpoint. MU currently ranks 8th in the Big 12 offensively with a conversion rate of 38.4%, and rates 11th defensively with an opponent success rate of 43.5%. The 1st quarter has been the biggest problem area for the Tigers for some reason. The numbers are much better for MU after the opening period, as offensively, MU is converting just 28.6% (12-of-42) of 3rd downs in the opening 15 minutes, as compared to a combined 41.9% in quarters 2 through 4. The numbers stand out even more on defense, as MU is allowing opponents to convert on 58.1% (25-of-43) of their 3rd downs in the 1st quarter, but just 38.6% after, including just 34.1% in the 4th quarter (14-of-41).

TIGERS LOOKING FOR RECORD 6TH WIN AT 'THE ZOU' SATURDAY
Faurot Field - nicknamed 'The Zou' by the Tiger team this season - has been a house of horrors for visiting teams thus far in 2003 - a trend that the Tigers undoubtedly would like to continue this Saturday in its regular-season finale against an Iowa State team that has won 6 of its last 10 appearances in Columbia.

A win Saturday for MU would be of historic proportions, as it would improve the Tigers to a perfect 6-0 on the season at Faurot Field. That would break the record of 5 that the current outfit shares with teams from 1942, 1960, 1969, 1974 and 1982. A win Saturday for MU would also give MU its 1st unblemished home season since 1974, when the Tigers went 5-0 at home. It would mark just the 12th time since the stadium was opened in 1926 that MU has gone unbeaten and untied at home.

Mizzou's average margin of victory at home this season is a whopping 21.8 points, as MU has outscored foes by a 226-117 margin in 5 games at Faurot. That's a huge improvement from last season, when the Tigers were only 3-3 at home and outscored opponents by a 180-136 spread, for an average margin of +7.3 points per game. Included in this year's total was a 62-point outing against Texas Tech, which is the most points ever scored by MU at Memorial Stadium.

MU is averaging 499.4 yards of total offense in its 5 home games this season, which breaks down to 311.8 rushing and 187.6 passing. Mizzou has poured it on in the 4th quarter, especially, as MU has outscored foes by a 90-23 margin at home this year in the final 15 minutes of play.

MU has enjoyed a huge turnover margin of +2.2 in its previous 5 home games, forcing 15 opponent turnovers (9 fumbles/6 INTs) compared to just 4 of its own (2 fumbles/2 INTs).

Individually, QB Brad Smith is averaging 309.2 yards of total offense on his own at Faurot Field this year (165.0 passing/144.2 rushing) and has 18 total TDs (5 passing/12 rushing/1 receiving). Smith is averaging 9.7 yards per rush at home, with 721 net yards on 74 attempts.

Senior TB Zack Abron, who needs just 13 rushing yards to break the MU career record of 3,027, is averaging a healthy 118.6 yards per game on the ground at home this season.

ATTENDANCE AT FAUROT FIELD TRACKING UP IN 2003
Tiger players and coaches have been quick to credit their fans with helping them make The Zou a tough place to play for opponents this year. Through 5 home games in 2003, MU is averaging a solid 57,712 fans per game (up from 52,723 in 2002). Since 1981, only one other season has seen a bigger home average for MU - in 1999 the Tigers averaged 58,372 after coming off of consecutive bowl seasons. Mizzou averaged 61,787 in 1981, with the alltime season record average standing at 69,867 in 1979. In order to best the 1999 mark, there would need to be 61,672 fans in the stands this Saturday. Tiger officials are certainly hoping for the best, but realistically that mark is probably a long shot, with this being Thanksgiving weekend and students gone.

TIGERS MAKING A POINT WITH TURNOVERS
The all-important points off turnovers category is heavily weighted in Mizzou's favor through 11 games of the 2003 season. Mizzou enters the Iowa State game having scored 62 points this season off of 20 opponent turnovers, while foes have scored but 10 points this season off of 10 MU giveaways.

Part of the reason for the disparity of course lies rooted in the fact that Mizzou rarely turns the ball over (the Tigers lead the nation in fewest turnovers through 11 games, and led the nation last year with 12 in 12 games in 2002). A deeper look into MU's 10 turnovers shows that the Tigers haven't turned the ball over on its side of the field, as 9 of the 10 miscues have occurred in opponent territory. The only turnover MU has committed this year on its own side of the field was an interception at Colorado in the final 2 minutes of the game as MU faced a 4th-and-17 at its own 13 yardline.

The only opponents to score thus far off an MU turnover are Nebraska, which had to go 74 yards for a TD after intercepting a ball at their own 26 yardline, and Kansas State, which took over on its own 20 yardline after intercepting a pass in its endzone. K-State drove 57 yards to get a field goal after the turnover.

SCORING DEFENSE HOLDING ITS OWN
The Tiger defense has faced some high octane opponents recently, but Defensive Coordinator Matt Eberlus' troops have acquitted themselves quite nicely. In recent consecutive games, MU faced an offense that ranked No. 1 in the nation in scoring coming into the game.

First up was Oklahoma, which had the nation's No. 1 scoring offense, at 47.67 points per game coming into its Oct. 18th game in Norman. The Tigers held the Sooners to 34 points, nearly 2 touchdowns below their average. After that was the high-flying Texas Tech aerial attack. Despite the staggering numbers facing them, MU's defense held the Red Raiders to 16 points and nearly 100 yards under their per-game averages coming into the game. Texas Tech was ranked No. 1 in the nation in both scoring average (47.1 ppg) and total offense (627.4 ypg) coming into the contest. Last time out at Kansas State, MU held the Wildcats to only 24 points, which was more than 2 TDs below their average of 38.5 coming into the game. K-State was ranked 8th nationally in scoring coming into the game.

TIGERS HAVE OWNED 4TH QUARTER OF LATE
Most every team in football focuses on how it plays late in the game, but Mizzou has really turned it up a notch, if you will, in the 4th quarter of late. Consider the fact that MU has outscored its last 6 opponents by a combined 86-20 in the 4th quarter, and you'll see we're just not whistling Dixie. Here's a few details:

THESE STATS SAY THAT Brad Smith IS THE NATION'S MOST DYNAMIC PLAYER
We believe sophomore QB Brad Smith is the nation's most dynamic player, meaning there is no one who can impact a game the way that he has proven this year (and last year, for that matter). We'll try to keep this brief for now, but please consider the following facts:

Marcus James BREAKS ONE MU CAREER RETURN RECORD; ONE MORE TO COME?
Senior WR/KR Marcus James has broken one long-standing MU career return record already this season, and is on the verge of claiming another. The diminutive one (he's 5-8, 174) broke the career record for combined returns when he returned the 112th kick of his career against Kansas on Sept. 27th. That broke the old standard of 111 set by former Tiger standout Mike Fink (1970-72). James is also just 22 return yards away from breaking Fink's career combined kick return record of 1,692 yards. He enters Saturday's game vs. Iowa State with 1,671 combined yards in returns, and that breaks down to 73 career punt returns for 850 yards (an average of 11.6 which is now ahead of the MU career record of 11.5 set by Roger Wehrli) and 46 kickoff returns for 821 yards (an average of 17.8 per return).

His season punt return average of 13.57 currently ranks him 13th in the NCAA. He was unable to get a return last time out at K-State, as K-State purposely kicked away from him, and a prevailing wind played havoc with the punt game. Previously, he had a big game in the return area at Colorado, where he averaged 19.7 yards on 3 punt returns, including big gainers of 37 and 32 yards that set MU up in CU territory. He also had a big 3rd-down catch for 6 yards on a 3rd-and-5 in the 3rd quarter against the Buffs. A wonderful young man who is a great representative of MU, James is currently the President of the MU Student-Athlete Advisory Council. He spoke on earlier this fall to nearly 200 athletic department staff members who attended the department's monthly full staff meeting.

GROUND ATTACK LOOKING TO GET BACK ON TRACK
Mizzou is looking to get its ground game back on track, after the Tigers were held to 109 yards rushing last Saturday at #19 Kansas State. MU entered the game ranked 6th nationally in rushing, with an average of 235.0 yards per game going into that contest. In MU's last home game (Nov. 15 vs. Texas A&M), the Tigers rolled for 362 yards and 6 TDs on the ground (representing an opponent high this season against the Aggies).

The Tigers' per-rush average on the year of 5.39 yards also ranks 5th in the country currently, trailing Oklahoma St. (1st - 5.61), Minnesota (2nd - 5.60), Navy (3rd - 5.57) and Louisville (4th - 5.42). Mizzou's rushing total of 469 yards against Texas Tech on Oct. 25th had been the NCAA single-game high for 2003, but it now ranks #2 after Navy went for 530 on the ground last week vs. Central Michigan. Brad Smith's individual total of 291 yards against Texas Tech continues to rate as the most by an individual in the NCAA for 2003. ricker to extend school record with his 46th straight start saturday.

Senior center A.J. Ricker has been as dependable as they come. The Houston, Texas native, who was a pre-season candidate for the Rimington Award, has started all 45 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 46 straight starts when he takes the field Saturday against Iowa State. That ironman feat established his name in the MU record books for consecutive starts, as he has broken the MU record of 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 is the leader of an offensive line which currently ranks 11th in the nation in rushing, averaging 223.55 yards per game on the ground. MU recently had a game against Texas Tech where the Tigers ran for a 2003 NCAA single-game high 469 yards. Ricker has been invited to play in the East-West Shrine Game and the Hula Bowl all-star games following the current season.

DROEGE EARNS PRESTIGIOUS ACADEMIC AWARD
University of Missouri senior offensive tackle Rob Droege has been named a 2003 National Scholar-Athlete, as announced recently by the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame. Droege, a native of St. Louis, Mo., was one of 15 student-athletes, including one of eight from Division I-A, to receive the prestigious award. He will be honored at the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame's 46th Annual Awards Dinner on December 9th at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City. Droege will receive an $18,000 post-graduate scholarship as part of the award.

Droege is the 9th Tiger football player to earn the prestigious award, joining the likes of QB Corby Jones (1998), OG Mike Bedosky (1993), QB Kent Kiefer (1990), LB Van Darkow (1981), LB Chris Garlich (1978), DT Bill Powell (1966), T David Gill (1963) and HB Fred Brossart (1960).

Droege, considered one of the top tackles in the nation, is a driving force behind a Tiger offense that currently ranks 11th nationally in rushing, at 223.55 yards per game. Mizzou is currently 7-4 in 2003 and bowl eligible for the first time since 1998, and recently had a 469-yard rushing day in a 62-31 win over Texas Tech - a total which is the 2nd-best in the nation this year. The 6-foot-6, 305-pound tackle was a pre-season second team All-American selection by Street & Smith's, and remains on the watch list for both the Lombardi and Outland trophies. He was a first team All-Big 12 selection as a junior last season, and is a three-time first team Academic All-Big 12 awardee. Also a two-time Academic All-America District VII winner, Droege completed his undergraduate degree last May with Summa Cum Laude honors, and is currently enrolled in Missouri's Education Administration graduate program.

To be eligible for the post-graduate fellowship, nominees must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of eligibility, have a grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, have shown superior academic application and performance, have outstanding football ability as a first team player, and have demonstrated strong leadership qualities.

TIGERS GAIN BOWL ELIGIBILITY WITH BIG WIN OVER TEXAS TECH
Mizzou's 62-31 win on Oct. 25th over Texas Tech was significant for the way the Tigers won the game, but it was even more significant because of the fact that it gave MU 6 wins on the year and made the Tigers bowl eligibile. It marked the first time since 1998, and just the 3rd time overall since 1983 that MU is qualified to play in a post-season classic. Since 1983, the only 2 other times the Tigers went bowling were appearances in the 1997 Holiday Bowl and the 1998 Insight.com Bowl. Despite the recent bowl-game dry spell in recent years, Mizzou still ranks 30th alltime with most bowl appearances (21) and 29th alltime with in bowl wins (9).

TIGERS HAVE SHOT AT REGULAR-SEASON RARITY
Mizzou has a chance to solidify itself in the record books if it can win Saturday against Iowa State. A win would give the Tigers 8 regular season wins, and would make this team only the 9th squad in MU history to notch as many as 8 wins in the regular season. It's been 23 years since an MU team last won 8 games in the regular season. That came in 1980, when Warren Powers' squad went 8-3 before falling to Purdue in the Liberty Bowl to end the year 8-4.

The other times that MU has won 8 games in the regular season include, with the regular season mark, followed by final record in parentheses: 1980 (8-3, 8-4); 1969 (9-1, 9-2); 1960 (10-0, 11-0); 1948 (8-2, 8-3); 1942 (8-3-1, 8-3-1); 1941 (8-1, 8-2); 1939 (8-1, 8-2); 1899 (9-2, 9-2).

MORE MR. SMITH BANTER
For those of you who are fans of the popular Matrix movies, you'll know Mr. Smith as the primary antagonist of the series. In the 2nd Matrix movie, Mr. Smith was seen replicating himself, as hundreds of Smiths appeared at the same time. You have to wonder if Mizzou's version of Mr. Smith has opponents feeling they've seen hundreds of him on the field this season. Just a few more bullet facts about Brad Smith:

NASH'S DASHES ARE MAKING SPLASHES
Oh doctor, are we pleased with ourselves for that headline!!
Anyway, Tiger fans have been waiting for the big-play potential of sophomore TB Damien Nash to surface, and the high school phenom is showing that he's starting to develop into the big-play guy that made him one of the nation's top recruits in recent years. After averaging 29.75 yards from scrimmage and scoring 1 TD in MU's first 8 games, Nash has really come on strong of late, as he accounted for an average of 80.5 yards and scored 3 TDs in consecutive games vs. Colorado and Texas A&M. He was held to 12 yards rushing Saturday at Kansas State on 4 carries.

Nash had a 77-yard, 2-TD day against Texas A&M, as he rushed for 65 yards and 2 TDs (14-yard & 9-yard 4th-quarter scores that salted away the game) and added 2 receptions for 12 yards in MU's 45-22 win over the Aggies. That followed a nice day at Colorado when he made a big play late in the game to get the Tigers back in the game when he took a 4th-quarter swing pass from Brad Smith and weaved his way through myraid CU defenders for a 48-yard TD that pulled MU to within 21-16 with 5 minutes left in the game.

His brilliant maneuvering gave life to MU and showed that he can make some big contributions down the stretch. Nash finished the game with a career-best 84 yards from scrimmage, as he caught a career-best 4 balls for 63 yards and also carried 5 times for 21 yards. The TD catch was his first as a Tiger, and also served as the longest TD pass for Mizzou this season. The St. Louis, Mo., native is currently 3rd on the squad in rushing, with 311 yards on 70 attempts through 11 games, good for a per-carry average of 4.4 yards.

This has all been a very pleasing sight to see for MU Head Coach Gary Pinkel, who has pleaded with people all year long to have patience with Nash, as he continued to get better each day that he got further acclimated in his recovery from knee surgery last fall. Nash, who redshirted the 2001 season at Coffeyville, tore an ACL on the season-opening kickoff in 2002, and had surgery to repair the damage in the fall of 2002 - meaning he hadn't played in game competition since he was a senior in high school in the fall of 2000.

ZACK ATTACK ASCENDS TO TOP OF SCHOOL CHARTS
Senior TB Zack Abron entered 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 with 3,015 career rushing yards entering Saturday's game vs. Iowa State, Abron has a shot at becoming MU's alltime career leading rusher if he produces just 13 more yards this season. He entered the 2003 season ranked 8th on MU's career rushing chart, with 2,043 yards, and his current total puts him 2nd on the yardage chart.

Abron averaged a healthy 7.9 yards per rush Saturday at #19 Kansas State, as he tallied 79 yards on 9 carries. He burst around right end for a 37-yard TD in the 4th quarter to pull MU to within 24-14 - a run which was just the 5th rushing TD allowed by K-State's defense this year. It also marked the longest rushing TD against K-State this season. His score increased his MU career record in points to 240 and TDs to 40.

Prior to that, Abron had a performance that saw him carry 20 times for season-high 141 yards (just 6 yards shy of his career high) against Texas A&M. He also added a 1st-quarter TD from 2 yards out that made him the most prolific scorer in MU history, as the score gave him 234 career points and 39 career TDs, breaking the record of 228 and 38, respectively, held by former standout Corby Jones.

Earlier in the year, Abron had a solid 139-yard, 3-TD rushing day against Texas Tech. His 3 TDs (from 3, 4, and 2 yards out) were historic, as they gave him career totals of 38 TDs (36 rushing/2 receiving) and 228 points - putting him in a tie for 1st place with former QB Corby Jones on the MU career charts.

Abron had a 112-yard day Sept. 27th vs. Kansas - marking his 2nd straight game over the century mark and the 9th of his Tiger career. He notched the 1st 100 yard rushing day of his 2003 season when he tallied a game-best 138 yards on 18 attempts vs. Middle Tennessee State. He added a 2nd quarter TD scamper from 8 yards out that put MU up 23-14. Earlier in the 2nd quarter, he raced 64 yards around left end - a gain that represented a career long.

A virtual lock to pick up short yardage situations, Abron is 8-of-10 on 3rd-and-1 situations on the year, and is 6-of-6 on 4th-and-1 tries thus far. He has also developed into a pass-catching threat, as he has caught 25 passes for 171 yards thru 11 games thus far, tripling his career total of 8 catches for 56 yards in his previous 3 seasons.

MU-TEXAS A&M NOTABLES

MATHENY HAVING SOLID YEAR
Senior PK Mike Matheny is quietly having a very solid year for the Tigers. Due to MU's impressive redzone efficiency, he's only been called on to attempt 11 field goals in 11 games this year, but he's delivered successfully 9 times so far, for a percentage of 81.8%. He's also made 37-of-40 extra point tries thus far, and has a shot at breaking the MU single-season record of 43 extra points made by Scott Knickman in 1997.

Matheny just missed putting his name in the record books last Saturday at Kansas State, as he came up just short on a 62-yard field goal attempt on the last play of the first half. His kick was dead straight and appeared to pick up steam halfway there. But the ball struck the crossbar on its descent, and bounced away. Had it gone through, it would have tied the MU record for longest field goal, held by former standout Tom Whelihan, who booted a 62 yarder in 1986 vs. Colorado. Matheny tied a career long when he nailed a 44-yarder recently against Texas A&M. He also went a perfect 4-of-4 on the day in PATs.

Matheny tied an MU single-game record on Oct. 25th when he went a perfect 8-of-8 on PATs against Texas Tech, as MU rolled to a 62-31 win at Faurot Field. That tied a single game record accomplished 4 times previously, most recently by Brad Burditt vs. Kansas State in 1984. Matheny experienced quite a roller coaster ride of emotions earlier this year in MU's 41-40 overtime win over Middle Tennessee State. The Columbia, Mo. native, and former walk-on had his share of struggles during the game, as he had 2 extra point attempts blocked (one missed, the other went through the uprights), and twice kicked the ball out of bounds on kickoffs, giving MTSU solid field position which the Blue Raiders turned into a total of 10 points. Matheny came up big in the clutch though, and went from "zero to hero" as he stated in the post-game interview room when speaking with reporters, as he calmly booted the game-winning extra point through the uprights in overtime to give MU the one-point win. Matheny's OT extra point was extra special, as it came from 36 yards away, due to a 15-yard penalty assessed the Tigers for excessive celebration after MU tied the game at 40 apiece.

Despite the extra distance, and an MTSU timeout in attempt to ice Matheny, he came through, and was subsequently mobbed by his teammates. Matheny also came up big in the 4th quarter, as he nailed a 25-yarder with 10:53 left in the game to pull MU to within 31-26. He also was good on a 21-yard field goal in the 2nd quarter. Matheny made 9-of-13 field goals and 40-of-42 PATs for Mizzou after walking onto the squad prior to the 2002 season.

MIZZOU IS NCAA'S ALLTIME OVERTIME KING
Overtime is becoming old hat around Mizzou. Since the rule was put into effect for the 1996 season, Mizzou is tied for the lead with 9 overtime games played. With MU's 41-40 OT earlier win against Middle Tennessee State, the Tigers improved to 6-3 alltime in overtime games, a win total which also is most in the NCAA.

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 on the same field. Mizzou made some history with its consecutive overtime games - that marked the first time in NCAA history that a Div. I-A 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 Rockets 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 5-1 alltime in his career in overtime games, including 3-1 at Mizzou.

THE Brad Smith SECTION
His name might be common, but the considerable talents of MU sophomore QB Brad Smith are anything but. A pre-season "darkhorse" Heisman candidate by many outlets, Smith has led MU to bowl elgibility for only the 3rd time since 1983. Smith was held to 181 yards of total offense last time out at #19 Kansas State (155 passing & 26 rushing), but he did manage to break an MU single-season record when he connected with TE DeQuincy Howard for a 2-yard TD pass in the 2nd quarter, giving him 27 TDs that he is responsible for this season (15 rushing, 11 passing, 1 receiving). That broke the record of 26 set by former QB Corby Jones in 1997 (14 rushing, 12 passing).

Previously, Smith had a solid statistical day at Colorado, as he amassed 380 yards of total offense. He completed a career-high 29 passes (in 42 attempts) and threw for a season-best 278 yards and 2 TDs in the game, and added 102 yards rushing on the day. That marked the 2nd time in his career that Smith has thrown for 200 yards and rushed for 100 in a game (the other was vs. Troy State in 2002).

Previously, Smith turned in a monster performance against Texas Tech, as he rushed for an MU QB-record 291 yards and a school-record 5 TDs (covering 10, 27, 2, 41 and 61 yards, respectively) in MU's 62-31 win on Oct. 25th. He also added 128 passing yards on the day, and ended with a career-high 419 total yards, which ranked 2nd-most in MU single-game history. His rushing total was just 17 yards shy of the NCAA record for QBs - 308 by Stacey Robinson of Northern Illinois vs. Fresno State in 1990. Smith's ridiculous average per rush of 15.3 yards (on 19 carries) broke the Big 12 single-game record. His 291 yard outing also ranks as the single-game high in the NCAA thus far for 2003.

For his efforts, Smith was named national player of the week by such outlets as USA Today, Sports Illustrated, The Sporting News, and Fox Sports, among others, in addition to being named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week for the 2nd time in 3 games. Prior to the Texas Tech game, Smith had 230 yards of offense at Oklahoma, and was giving the top-ranked Sooners everything they could handle, against an OU defense that ranks among the nation's leaders in most categories. He threw for 180 yards and ran for another 50, including a brilliant 26-yard TD scamper that tied the game at 10 apiece in the 2nd quarter, before OU pulled away. Prior to that, Smith had a steller performance against Nebraska, as he led Mizzou to its first win in 25 years over the Huskers. He had 303 yards of total offense (180 passing, 123 rushing) and tied a school record by scoring 4 touchdowns (3 rushing, 1 receiving). His reception was a 47-yard TD grab off a throwback pass from former QB Darius Outlaw. Smith was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts.

A FEW QUICK CAREER UPDATES REGARDING SMITH:

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) and rush for 1,000 yards (1,029) in the same season. With 1,559 yards passing through 10 games, Smith will need to average 147.0 passing yards per game in MU's final 3 games to reach 2,000 - which would make him the 1st player in NCAA history to accomplish the 2,000/1,000 feat twice.