Sept. 20, 2003

Recap?|? Complete Results?|? Notes?|? Photo Gallery

Missouri Senior Placekicker Michael Matheny
On his game winning kick:
"I did terrible, on kickoffs, and extra points, I struggled, but I was happy with the chance to make up for it myself."

"I just wanted to do what I feel I can, but the team pretty much won it for us, I just pushed us over the edge."

On the penalty that pushed his kick back:
"I kind of expected it, the same thing happened last year against Oklahoma, we got excited."

"It's the same kick, it's going to go the same distance if you kick from the ten or the twenty-five yard line. That's just what you have to think while you kick it."

Missouri Junior Wide Receiver Thomson Omboga
On his thoughts while Matheny prepared for his game winning kick:
"I'm just thinking that if he misses, it's on my shoulders, but if he makes it hopefully Coach Pinkel will look past it."

On his thoughts of past MU teams not being able to win a game like this:
"I think we just had some bad luck in the past. Right now we're just a different team. We just told ourselves that they are not going to just come here and beat us."

Missouri Senior Quarterback Brad Smith
On the team leaning on him late in the game:
"I love it, I love when the coaches say they're going to put the ball in my hands, and it's up to me."

"I'd rather be up by 20 or 30 points, but in that situation where the team is looking for you to make plays I just did not want to let them down."

On his block that allowed Zack Abron's sixty-four yard run:
"(The coaches) usually tell me not to block, but that was fun. (Zack) cut it back, and as soon as I saw him cut it back I knew I was going to get somebody."

On the prospect of playing Kansas:
"We're ready now. We are ready right now, we are ready to go. It's going to be huge for us, and it's KU, so there is not really much more to say."

MTSU head coach Andy McCollum
On playing Missouri:
"We got beat by not only a good football team, but a first-class team. It's good to see two teams of great characters going after each other. That was a good football team."

On Missouri quarterback Brad Smith:
"When you've got a quarterback that can do what that guy can do, he's amazing. And they're in a fine line with him because you've got to have him all year because he's a difference maker."

"I know you don't want him running every play because it's hard to last in the Big 12 like that. I know they're tying to help him, but when they need it, he's the man."

On the play of MTSU and quarterback Andrico Hines:
"Andrico's a second-year player for us. He plays hurt. He's been beat up. You've got to watch him the same way [Missouri watches Smith]. When you come off a stretch of playing Georgia, Clemson, and Missouri, that's three physical football teams and I couldn't be more proud of my players."

On the Faurot Field Environment:
"It's intimidating. This is a great environment because of the Missouri fans. The last time I was here you could hear everyone on each sideline. Now the crowd gets behind them, and they need to stay behind them because they've got something special going on here."

On kicking the field goal in the fourth:
"We're on the road, and that put us up by eight. That meant they had to score and get two...We were up by five, and if I don't get it right there, then they've got a chance to beat us before going to overtime. When you're on the road against the Big 12 in a packed house and you've got your team a chance to win the game...it's all you can ask for.

MTSU Wide Receiver Kerry Wright
On the loss:
"It's very disappointing. We had our chances to win, but we didn't take advantage. I think we played well as a group. That was our biggest thing coming in, for everyone to have good effort, and we gave a fight and just came up short."

MTSU Quarterback Andrico Hines
On letting the game get away:
"Words can't really explain, just a bad break here or there, that's kind of been the story for us this year. I think right now we're turning the page. We're trying to get on the right foot. We know what's expected of us, and we're trying to focus on that right now."

On beating the Missouri Defense:
"We thought that if we could pick up the blitz and control the blitz, we could control the game. We watched some film that they like to blitz, so we figured if we picked up the blitz we could pretty much do what we wanted to do."

MTSU Tailback Eugene Gross
On running against the Missouri defense:
"First of all, the [offensive] line opened up some big holes in the first half and the second half as well. Then we got some blocks down field from our wide outs, and we just got through."