SATURDAY IS WORTH MORE THAN A WIN ON THE GRIDIRON
When is a football game worth more than a football game? When its the MU-KU game, of course. Saturday's winner will not only take home the traditional bass drum trophy given to the winner of the rivalry game, but the school will earn 3 points in the MU-KU Border Showdown Series, presented by the Midwest Ford Dealers.

This marks the 3rd year of the Border Showdown Series, which records the head-to-head results between MU and KU in all sports. Each athletic competition is assigned a certain amount of points during the year, and the school with the most points at the end wins a traveling trophy and bragging rights for a year.

Entering Saturday's contest, Mizzou holds an early lead thus far in the 2004-05 campaign, at 5.5-to-4.0. Mizzou earned 1.5 points for wins in volleyball, women's swimming and volleyball again, plus 1.0 point for women's cross country. Kansas earned 3 points for a victory over MU in soccer and 1.0 point for men's cross country.

Mizzou dominated in the first year of the standings, claiming a 32.0-to-8.5 win in 2002-03, while Kansas evened the overall series by winning last year by a count of 21.5-to-18.5.

19 SENIORS TO PLAY FINAL GAME AT FAUROT FIELD SATURDAY ON SENIOR DAY
Nineteen Tiger seniors will play their final game at MU's Faurot Field Saturday when they suit up for the home finale vs. Kansas.

MU-KANSAS SERIES HISTORY
As previously stated, MU and KU have the 2nd-most played rivalry in college football history, and this Saturday will mark the 113th meeting between the two heated rivals, with MU holding a 52-51-9 overall series lead.

Since the inception of the Big 12 Conference in 1996, the teams have played to a 4-4 standoff. Furthering the argument that this series is about as "Even Steven" as you can get, in the eight games played as Big 12 Conference members, KU has scored 203 points, while MU has tallied 195.

Mizzou had won 2 straight over the Jayhawks in 2001 and 2002, making Head Coach Gary Pinkel only the 3rd coach in MU history to win his first two encounters against Kansas. But the Jayhawks exacted a measure of revenge last season, as unranked KU toppled the 23rd-ranked Tigers, 35-14 in Lawrence, knocking MU from the ranks of the undefeated.

In the last 20 games between the two schools, KU holds an 11-9 lead. In the last 10 games played in Columbia, MU holds a 6-4 edge, last winning in 2002 (36-12), with KU's last win there in 2000 (38-17).

LAST YEAR RECAP: KANSAS 35, #23 MIZZOU 14
Missouri was knocked from the ranks of the unbeaten as homestanding Kansas played off the emotion of a rare sellout crowd in Lawrence, and used a dominating fourth quarter to pull away for a 35-14 win.

Despite being held in check offensively for most of the day, Mizzou held a 14-13 lead entering the final period, but Kansas quickly scored on the first play of the fourth quarter on a short run by QB Bill Whittemore to regain the lead at 21-14 after a successful two-point conversion pass.

After the Tigers' ensuing drive stalled, a short punt set KU up at midfield, and the Jayhawks marched 50 yards in 8 plays for another TD that put Kansas up 28-14 with 7:35 left. Mizzou went three-and-out in its' next series, and the Jayhawks iced the game with another TD drive that covered just 49 yards.

Field position played a huge role in the flow of the game, as Kansas' average starting point was their own 43 yardline, while Mizzou took over on average on its own 22. The Jayhawks started three different possessions in MU territory, including one at the Tiger 14-yardline after a long punt return, and had three others start between their own 45 yardline and midfield. Meanwhile, Mizzou was faced with a long field all day long, as the best starting point was their own 34 yardline. In all, half of MU's 10 possessions on the day started inside the Tiger 20 yardline.

Kansas' defense held the Tiger offense in check, as MU gained a season-low 196 yards of total offense. A total of 141 of those yards came on MU's two scoring drives, but the Tigers could manage only 55 yards in their eight other drives.

Kansas held MU's Brad Smith to a career-low 95 yards of total offense (62 pass/33 rush), marking the only time in his career he's been held to under 100 yards in a game.

DISPELLING SOME MISCONCEPTIONS
Certainly, when a team loses four games in a row, people will talk, and the critics will step over eachother to voice their opinions on what they think is wrong (while offering little other than rhetoric and attacks which border on personal). We understand that everyone is entitled to their opinion, but there are some misconceptions out there that just don't make sense, especially when you analyze the numbers. Here are a couple we've heard that we'd like to take a moment to debunk...

MYTH - Mizzou has abandoned the run this year.

FACT - Not quite sure where that comes from, because when you look at the numbers, Mizzou is averaging 42.2 rushing attempts in its first 9 games in 2004. Guess how many rushing attempts MU averaged per game in 2003? That would be 42.4, or a whopping 0.2 more attempts per game than this season. It's MU's lack of effectiveness in the run game that has had the biggest impact this year. In 2004, MU is averaging 4.2 yards per rush, compared to 5.6 in 2003, and just 179.2 yards per game this year, compared to 237.5 in 2003, when it led the Big 12 Conference, and ranked 6th in the NCAA.

MYTH - Brad Smith has been shackled this year.

FACT - The only shackling done to Brad Smith this year has been done by opponents, not by MU coaches. Smith is averaging 14.6 rushing attempts per game in 2004, just 1.6 fewer per game than his career average of 16.2 coming into this season. Again, it's a decrease in efficiency that has led to his numbers going down. Smith is averaging just 3.8 yards per carry in 2004 - an average which would get a lot of running backs demoted. In 2003, Smith was lethal carrying the ball, as he averaged a salty 6.6 yards per carry, when he averaged 108.2 yards per game. In his 14.6 attempts per game in 2004, Smith is averaging just half of that per game - 54.8 through 9 games.

Let's delve further into the numbers. For those who maintain that MU has lost four straight because Brad Smith hasn't run the ball enough, consider this: In MU's current four-game skid, Smith is averaging 17.8 rushes per game. In MU's first 5 games (in which the Tigers were 4-1), Smith averaged 5.8 FEWER carries per game (12.0). In the first 5 games, Smith rushed for 300 yards in 60 attempts (5.0 ypc), and has managed just 193 yards on 71 attempts (2.7 ypc) in the last 4.

The simple fact is that opponents are loading up to stop Smith from beating them with his feet, and that's what the 8 or 9 man fronts that MU has faced virtually all season long are designed to do.

BIG 12 NORTH DIVISION RACE UPDATE
Okay, it admittedly sounds a little odd to be talking about how a team that has dropped four straight games still has a realistic shot at winning its division title, but the way things have progressed this year in the topsy-turvy Big 12 North Division, the fact is that Mizzou still can do just that.

Heading into last Saturday, with Mizzou idle, the Tigers needed only 5 things to transpire the rest of the way that would give them the North title. Two of those five happened last Saturday, and of the remaining 3 out there, MU controls 2 of them. Here's an explanation...

The most likely scenario would be for MU to finish in a 2-way tie for 1st with Colorado. If that was to happen, MU would be the North's representative in the Dec. 4th Big 12 Championship game in Kansas City against South Division champ, Oklahoma.

Last Saturday, Colorado obliged by beating Kansas State, which eliminated the Wildcats from contention, as well as postseason play. Also benefitting MU last week was Oklahoma's win over Nebraska.

The remaining things that need to break MU's way include the Tigers winning their two remaining games at home against Kansas and at Iowa State (Nov. 27th). If MU took care of its business, then the only other help needed would be for Colorado to win at Nebraska on Nov. 26th. If all those things took place, then MU and CU end up tied for 1st at 4-4, and based on MU's head-to-head win over CU, MU would go to Kansas City.

If Iowa State, which currently leads the North with a 3-3 record, wins this week at Kansas State, the Cyclones would still need to beat MU on the 27th to win the North, provided CU wins at Nebraska. If Nebraska beats CU, then ISU would need just one win in its final two games to claim the crown.

There are certainly a lot of remaining scenarios, so be sure to check with the Big 12 Conference office folks for a breakdown of all potential outcomes.

KINNEY NEEDS JUST 10 TACKLES TO BREAK MU CAREER RECORD
With each tackle, senior linebacker James Kinney inches closer and closer to the school career tackles record of 415 held by former Tiger standout (and current Iowa State assistant coach) DeMontie Cross (from 1994-96). Kinney enters Saturday's game needing only 10 stops to surpass the mark, after a 12-tackle outing last time out versus Kansas State.

Kinney, a pre-season candidate for both the Butkus and Lombardi awards this year, has developed nicely into a leader of a defense that leads the Big 12 and ranks 10th nationally in total defense - undoubtedly making MU the most improved defense in the Big 12 this season.

Kinney, who had 147 tackles a year ago, has 406 career tackles entering the KU game. He had 10 stops against #22 Oklahoma State, and before that, he had 9 tackles at Baylor. He recovered 2 fumbles against the Bears, and led a defensive effort that limited BU to a season-low total offensive output of just 173 yards. Prior to that, Kinney had 10 stops against Colorado and blocked CU's only extra point try in the game, which loomed quite large in MU's 17-9 victory. That marked MU's first blocked kick of any kind in 2004.

He had a season-high 14 stops at Troy, prior to a solid outing that saw him register 10 tackles in the opener vs. Arkansas State. His career total currently has him 2nd on the MU career charts. Kinney moved past former Tiger Jamonte Robinson for 2nd on the list with an 8-tackle outing at Nebraska previously.

LAST TIME OUT: MU-KANSAS STATE REWIND
Mizzou fell to 4-5 overall and 2-4 in Big 12 Conference play after a 35-21 loss at home to Kansas State on Nov. 6th. Here's a look back at the game, in note format...

TIGERS STILL LEAD BIG 12, RANK 10TH NATIONALLY, IN TOTAL DEFENSE
It's been quite awhile since Mizzou was known as a strong defensive team. But right now, MU's primary identity right now lies with its defense.

The stats bear us out with that claim, as Mizzou sits atop Big 12 Conference standings in total defense entering the Kansas game, despite its 4-straight defeats, allowing an average of 288.00 yards per game thus far. That ranks Mizzou 10th in the country to this point.

If the Tigers end up leading the Big 12 in total defense, it would mark the first time since 1968 that MU has won a conference title in that category. The 1968 MU defense led the Big Eight with an average of 241.1 yards allowed that year, ranking them 8th nationally.

Additionally, Mizzou's defense ranks in the NCAA top-25 in three other major statistical categories, including: passing defense (3rd - 133.00 ypg); pass efficiency defense (6th - 98.52 rating); and scoring defense (21st - 18.89 ppg).

SMITH BREAKS SCHOOL RECORD FOR CAREER TD PASSES
Junior QB Brad Smith threw for a pair of TDs last time out versus Kansas State, and in the process, etched his name yet again into the Mizzou record books.

Smith's scoring strikes (59 yards and 31 yards, both to WR Sean Coffey) gave him 41 for his Tiger career, and broke the former record held by former standout Jeff Handy (1991-94).

Smith had a season-high 277-yard passing performance at Nebraska. He was held without a TD pass for the 1st time all season, however, at NU. The week before, he had 2 scoring tosses, which tied him for the MU career record.

Prior to that, Smith threw for 185 yards on 20-of-34 passing at Texas, with 1 TD and 2 interceptions. By comparison, last year's Heisman Trophy winner, Jason White of Oklahoma, completed 14-of-27 passes for just 113 yards and zero TDs with 2 INTs, against the same Texas defense the week before, in OU's 12-0 win over Texas on Oct. 9th.

His 185 yards passing at Texas was enough to move him past former MU star Phil Bradley for 2nd place on the Mizzou career passing yardage list. Smith now has 6,083 career passing yards. The career record is still a little ways off - 6,959 yards by Jeff Handy from 1991-94.

Prior to Texas, Smith led a balanced offensive attack in MU's 30-10 win over Baylor. He passed for a modest 151 yards (a season-low output), on 13-of-27 passing, but he connected for 3 TDs in the air, a total which tied his single-game career best mark.

SMITH REACHES TOTAL OFFENSE MILESTONE
Brad Smith, already the MU career leader in total offense, has a career total offense number of 9,011 yards in 34 career games. He continues, with every yard, to obliterate the previous record of 6,640 set by Jeff Handy, from 1991-94.

Smith has thrown for 15 TDs through 9 games in 2004, a total which matched his 15 TDs as a redshirt freshman in 2002 (he threw for 11 in 2003). Smith has a shot at the MU single-season TD passing mark, as he stands just 3 away from the record of 18, set by Terry McMillan, in 1969.

Smith has thrown for over 200 yards in 5 of MU's 9 games this season (233 vs. ASU; 224 at Troy; 213 vs. BSU; season-high 277 at Nebraska, 205 vs. Kansas State) - after reaching that mark only twice in 13 games in 2003 (236 vs. Eastern Illinois; 278 at Colorado).

He set a personal record with a single-game QB efficiency rating of 188.51 and tied his personal-best with 3 TDs in the opener versus Arkansas State, when he connected on 14-of-22 passes for 233 yards. He tied that TD mark again later at Baylor, with 3 more TD passes.

He's been more successful at stretching the field thus far, as Smith has already thrown for 7 TDs of 20 yards or more this season (24, 60, 35, 43, 51, 59, 31), after having only 1 TD pass of at least that distance in 13 games in 2003 (48 yds. at Colorado).

SMITH MOVES INTO TOP-10 ON NCAA ALLTIME LIST
Brad Smith enters the Kansas game with 2,928 rushing yards in his career, which is just 271 yards shy of breaking the MU career rushing record of 3,198 established just last season by TB Zack Abron. He stands just 26 yards behind Devin West for 3rd place on the MU career chart (West had 2,954 yards from 1995-98), and is just 99 behind former career leader Brock Olivo (2nd with 3,027 from 1994-97).

Every rushing yard he accumulates this year will also get him closer to the top of the NCAA rushing record for a quarterback. He's still got quite a bit to go to reach the record of 3,895 set by Antwaan Randle El of Indiana (1998-2001), but he is on pace to do it. Given his career average of 86.1 yards rushing per game, he needs about 11 more games to break the mark.

With 58 net yards rushing recently against Oklahoma State, Smith moved into the NCAA career top 10 for quarterback rushing yards. He moved past former Kansas State star Ell Roberson, who rushed for 2,818 yards at KSU from 2000-03.

Smith's rushing total of 1,406 yards last season was the 4th-most ever in a season by a quarterback, behind only Beau Morgan of Air Force (1,494 in 1996), Stacey Robinson of Northern Illinois (1,443 in 1989) and Jamaal Lord of Nebraska (1,412 in 2002).

SMITH ALSO NEARS NCAA DISTINCTION
We promise this is the last bit about Brad Smith for awhile, but this one is a good one...

With 6,083 career passing yards and 2,928 career rushing yards entering Saturday's game against Kansas, Smith is just 72 rushing yards away from reaching the 6,000-yard passing and 3,000-yard rushing marks for his career.

If he achieves that, Smith will become only the 3rd quarterback in NCAA Division-IA history to record such the 6,000/3,000 statistical feat. In fact, only 4 others altogether have ever achieved the 3,000/3,000 feat.

As we all know, as a redshirt freshman in 2002, Smith became only the 2nd player in NCAA D-IA history to throw for 2,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in a single season, when he threw for 2,333 and rushed for another 1,029. He just missed that feat a 2nd time in 2003, when he threw for 1,977 yards and rushed for 1,406.

COFFEY NEARS MU SINGLE-SEASON TD RECEIVING RECORD
Junior wideout Sean Coffey comes into Saturday's contest with Kansas as Mizzou's top wide receiver, with totals of 31 catches for team-best totals of 513 yards and 8 TDs. His 8 receiving TDs ranks as 3rd-best in the Big 12 Conference, and leaves him just 1 shy of the MU single-season record of 9, held by 3 former MU greats: Mel Gray (1969), Henry Marshall (1975) and Justin Gage (2002).

Coffey has developed into the go-to receiver that MU has looked for since the departure of Gage. His 8 TDs in 9 games this year is a stark improvement from the 1 TD in 25 career games he had coming into the 2004 season.

Coffey had 3 catches for 99 yards and 2 TDs last time out against Kansas State. His scoring grabs came from 59 and 31 yards out, respectively, in the 2nd quarter, and helped stake the Tigers out to a 21-0 lead.

Prior to that, Coffey had 6 catches for 66 yards against Nebraska, including a stunning one-handed grab-and-tiptoe number on the sideline late in the game. Previously, he had been held to 2 catches in consecutive games, but he was still productive, as he caught a TD pass in games at #9 Texas and against #22 Oklahoma State. Against the Cowboys, Coffey caught a 3-yard scoring pass from Brad Smith with 54 seconds left in the 2nd quarter to put MU up, 17-0.

Prior to that, at #9 Texas, Coffey was held to 2 catches for 27 yards, but he still was a big contributor, as he caught a 4-yard TD from Brad Smith in the 2nd quarter to get MU on the board, at 14-7.

At Baylor, Coffey had 3 catches for 50 yards and 1 TD. His scoring grab was a nice 8-yarder in the back of the endzone early in the 4th quarter that effectively iced the game for Mizzou, as it gave the Tigers a 27-3 lead.

Earlier, Coffey came up big in MU's win over Colorado, as he grabbed 2 passes for 58 yards. Not eye-popping totals, but one of his catches was a game-breaker, as he took an out pass from Brad Smith on 3rd-and-7 from the MU 49 yardline in the 3rd quarter, shed a tackle from the smaller cornerback, got a downfield block from TE Martin Rucker, and he raced and juked his way into the endzone for a 51-yard TD that put MU up 17-9.

Coffey also had another long TD taken away from him due to an official's call. With MU clinging to a 10-9 lead late in the 1st half, Coffey got free on the left sideline and caught a perfectly thrown ball from Smith in stride, and took it in for what appeared to be a 59-yard TD. However, the official on the play ruled that Coffey pushed off and disallowed the TD. To avoid getting fined by the Big 12 Conference, let's just say that after watching television replays, that we'd better not comment further.

Coffey got out of the gates strong to start the 2004 season, as he was Brad Smith's go-to guy in the season opener versus Arkansas State. Coffey grabbed 5 passes on the night for a career-high 113 yards, including a 60-yard TD catch-and-run from Smith in the 2nd quarter that put MU out to a 28-10 lead.

Coffey was MU's 3rd-leading receiver in 2003, as he caught 27 passes for 341 yards and 1 TD.

MIZZOU LEADS BIG 12 IN 3RD-DOWN DEFENSE
Through 9 games, Mizzou has had a good go of it stopping opponents on 3rd down.

Mizzou is tops in the Big 12 Conference in opponent 3rd-down conversion rate for the season, as the Tiger defense has allowed opponents to convert only 25.8% of their attempts (32-of-124).

MU is coming off a game in which it allowed Kansas State to convert on only 4-of-14 3rd-down tries (28.6%).

MU recently turned in a stellar performance, as it held Nebraska without a single 3rd-down conversion (0-of-14) on Oct. 30th in Lincoln. No Tiger opponent this season has converted 50% of its 3rd down tries thus far, with Oklahoma State coming the closest (7-of-15 for 46.7%).

MU was very stingy in a recent two-game stretch, as it has held Texas and Baylor to a combined 5-of-27 on 3rd downs. Texas converted on only 3-of-12 3rd downs (UT had ranked 2nd in the Big 12 on offense coming into the game on 3rd down conversions).

Prior to that, MU limited Baylor to just 2-of-15 on 3rd down (13.3%). The Tiger defenders also snuffed out both Bear 4th down tries, and have allowed opponents to convert successfully on just 1-of-8 (12.5%) on 4th down so far this season.

Arkansas State converted on 6-of-15 3rd-down tries in the 2004 season opener. The Tiger defense held Troy to only 2-of-12 on 3rd down in defeat, and followed by holding Ball State to 3-of-15 on 3rd down tries.

The success has been an improvement from the 2003 season, when Mizzou ranked 8th in the Big 12 in this category, as opponents converted 40.7% of the time on 3rd downs against MU.

ALL-STAR CANDIDATES
Here are Mizzou's primary candidates for individual honors. Here's a brief assessment of Tiger players that we would very much like to be considered as honors candidates...

MU-NEBRASKA REWIND
Mizzou fell to 4-4 overall and 2-3 in Big 12 Conference play after a 24-3 loss at Nebraska last Saturday. The Tigers fell into a 2nd-place tie in the Big 12 North Division, along with Iowa State - one game behind Nebraska with three games remaining to play. Here are a few various and sundry notes from the contest...

DEFENSIVE EFFORT SUPERB IN NEBRASKA LOSS
As mentioned before, Mizzou's defense did all it could to give MU a chance at a win last Saturday in Lincoln, as it held Nebraska to only 235 yards of offense. And 86 of those came on a virtually meaningless TD run with less than 3 minutes left, to account for the final 24-3 score.

Want to know just how dominant MU's defensive effort was against the Huskers? Consider:

Nebraska drove 52 yards on its opening possession of the game to get a field goal for a 3-0 lead with 11:14 left in the 1st quarter. From that point in the game, until NU's 86-yard TD run with 2:56 left in the game, Mizzou's defense held the Huskers to a mere 51 yards of total offense on 45 offensive snaps! For those of you scoring at home, that's an average of 1.1 yards per play.

Eight of Nebraska's 13 possessions in that stretch ended in 3-and-outs, and NU's two TDs came on special teams errors by MU, as the Tigers allowed a blocked punt that Nebraska returned for a TD, and dropped a snap on another punt that NU recovered on the Mizzou 15 yardline that set up another TD.

OMBOGA HAVING PRODUCTIVE SENIOR SEASON
Senior WR Thomson Omboga is having a nice senior season, as he currently is MU's top receiver (33 catches) and punt returner (11.2 avg.).

Omboga had a team-high 4 catches last time out against Kansas State, for 22 yards. He also had a throw-back pass that he completed to QB Brad Smith, for 33 yards that nearly went for a TD. Omboga's QB career rating is now a stellar 377.20.

Omboga had a solid game at Nebraska, where he caught 8 passes for 96 yards. The yardage marked a career-high, while the catches tied his previous career best.

His 4 catches last week gave him 121 for his career, and he enters the KU game ranked 4th on MU's career receptions list, just 7 behind former great Victor Bailey, who ranks 3rd on the MU career chart, with 128 receptions from 1990-92.

Omboga also took over MU's main punt return duties this year, and he's done quite nicely, as he currently ranks 4th in the Big 12, and 38th in the NCAA, with an average return of 11.2 yards. He had a big game against Ball State, as he returned 6 punts for 127 yards against the Cardinals in MU's 48-0 win. Omboga had returns of 49 and 24 yards in that game, and finished just shy of the MU single-game record for punt return yards (156 by Roger Wehrli against Iowa State in 1967).

MU-OKIE STATE RECAP
Mizzou fell to 4-3 overall and 2-2 in Big 12 Conference play on Oct. 23rd, with a 20-17 home loss to 22nd-ranked Oklahoma State. Here are a few various and sundry notes concerning the game:

TEXAS REWIND: TEXAS HOLDS ON TO HOOK MIZZOU
Mizzou gave a valiant effort on Oct. 16th in Austin, Texas, but came up just shy of upsetting #9 Texas, as the Longhorns held on for a 28-20 win. The loss dropped MU to 4-2 overall and 2-1 in Big 12 Conference play. Here are some various notes culled from the game...

BAYLOR GAME REWIND
Mizzou rode its defense and a sharp red-zone passing attack to a solid 30-10 win at Baylor on Oct. 9th & 10th (the game didn't end until 12:13 a.m.). Mizzou's defense forced 4 Baylor turnovers, and limited the Bears to a season-low 173 yards of total offense. The Tigers got 3 passing TDs from QB Brad Smith as they pulled away from a tight game early to coast to the victory.

Here are some various notes culled from the Baylor game:

TIGERS RIDE HISTORIC DEFENSIVE EFFORT TO 17-9 WIN OVER COLORADO
Mizzou's defense made quite a statement in its Oct. 2nd 17-9 win over Colorado, as the Tigers held the Buffaloes to just 251 yards of total offense, and made play after play when called on to that proved crucial in MU's 1st win in a conference opener since 1998.

While it was just one game, and as Gary Pinkel says, it's a little early to start building statues, the defensive effort provided many historical sidenotes.

MIZZOU-COLORADO REWIND
Some house-cleaning news and notes from MU's 17-9 win two games ago over Colorado...