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Nov. 22, 2004
TIGER NEWS & NOTES
Missouri Tigers (4-6, 2-5) at Iowa State Cyclones (6-4, 4-3)
November 27, 2004 - Jack Trice Stadium - Ames, Iowa
KICKOFF: 12 p.m. (central time).
STADIUM: Jack Trice Stadium (45,814). ISU is 4-1 there this season.
RADIO: Tiger Network (Mike Kelly, play-by-play/John Kadlec, color). Carried on over 50 stations statewide, and on the Internet at www.mutigers.com.
TV: ABC Sports. Gary Thorne will call the action, with Ed Cunningham offering analysis and Dave Lamont reporting from the sidelines.
RANKINGS (AP/ESPN-USA): Neither team is receiving votes currently.
SERIES: MU leads, 54-33-9 overall, including a 45-7 win in 2004. ISU had won 4 straight prior to that, however.
COACHES:
- Mizzou: Gary Pinkel (Kent, '75), 21-25 at MU (4th year) and 94-62-3 overall (14th year). Pinkel is 1-2 versus Iowa State and 1-2 versus Dan McCarney.
- Iowa State: Dan McCarney (Iowa, '74), 44-73 at ISU and overall (10th year). McCarney is 5-4 versus Mizzou and 2-1 versus Gary Pinkel.
TIGERS CLOSE 2004 SEASON AT IOWA STATE
The Missouri Tigers (4-6 overall, 2-5 in Big 12 Conference play) close out the 2004 season Saturday in Ames, Iowa, where they will take on the upstart Iowa State Cylcones (6-4, 4-3) at Jack Trice Stadium. The game, set for an ABC Regional telecast, will kick at Noon (central).
Mizzou is looking to break a five-game losing streak on Saturday, as MU has dropped consecutive games at Texas, at home against Oklahoma State, at Nebraska, and at home against Kansas State and Kansas after beginning the season 4-1.
Iowa State, picked to finish last in the Big 12 North Division by most prognosticators this season, sits atop the league standings, at 4-3, and controls its destiny to win the division title. A Cyclone win Saturday would give ISU the division crown, while a Tiger win would mean ISU would share the title if Colorado beats Nebraska on Friday.
TIGERS PLAYING FOR PRIDE
After dropping a 31-14 contest last Saturday at home to rival Kansas, Mizzou fell to 4-6 on the season, and 2-5 in the Big 12 Conference. The loss dashed MU's hopes of returning to a post-season bowl game for the 2nd straight season, and put the Tigers in a position where they will be playing for pride Saturday when they take the field at Iowa State.
Another potential motivator for MU is the fact that they could play spoiler for Iowa State. The Cyclones enter the game at 6-4 overall, and 4-3 in Big 12 play. They have already clinched no worse than a tie for the Big 12 North title, and a Cyclone win Saturday will give them the outright crown, and put them in the Big 12 Championship game on Dec. 4th in Kansas City against Oklahoma.
A Cyclone loss to Mizzou would cost ISU the Big 12 title game, if Colorado defeats Nebraska in Lincoln on Friday. If CU wins, and MU beats Iowa State, the Cyclones and Buffs would tie atop the North standings, at 4-4, and Colorado would win the North, based on their earlier 19-14 win over ISU in Boulder (Oct. 16th).
Iowa State could still win the North title, even with a loss to Mizzou, if Nebraska defeats Colorado on Friday. Nebraska, like Colorado, enters Friday's game at 3-4 in the league, and if they win at home against the Buffs, they will end 4-4. If Mizzou beats Iowa State, and the Cylcones and Huskers tie for first place, ISU would win the tiebreaker and play in the Big 12 title game, thanks to the Cyclones' 34-27 win over NU in Ames (Nov. 6th).
MIZZOU IN UNFAMILIAR TERRITORY
As stated above, Mizzou enters Saturday's game at 4-6 overall, and has been eliminated from any post-season play. That puts MU in unfamiliar territory for Saturday's game at Iowa State - it marks the first time since the 2001 season that Mizzou is playing a game in which post-season stakes were not attached.
In 2004, every game up until now had MU with a chance to get 6 wins and qualify for a bowl game. In 2003, MU won 8 games in the regular season, and every game had significant meaning, in terms of post-season positioning. In 2002, MU went 5-7 overall, but was playing for bowl eligibility down to its final game of the season, before being eliminated in the regular-season finale with a loss to Kansas State.
The last time that MU entered a game with no hopes of reaching the post-season was the 2001 season finale at Michigan State. Mizzou entered the game with a record of 4-6, after being eliminated from bowl consideration the previous week at Kansas State. Michigan State won the Dec. 1 game in East Lansing, Mich. by a 55-3 count.
MU-IOWA STATE SERIES HISTORY
Mizzou and Iowa State will meet for the 97th time when they meet Saturday in Ames, Iowa. Mizzou holds a solid 54-33-9 lead in the series, which began way back in 1896 with an ISU 12-0 win in Columbia.
The series has been pretty evenly contested in recent years, however, as ISU holds an 11-8-1 edge in the last 20 games played, dating back to 1984. Since the teams joined the Big 12 Conference, the Cyclones have won 5 of 8 meetings, including 4 straight wins from 1999-2002 before MU snapped that string with a 45-7 win in Columbia to close out the 2003 regular season.
MU has had a fair amount of success playing in Ames overall, as the Tigers hold a 28-17-2 edge in games played in Ames. Since ISU's Jack Trice Stadium opened in 1975, the series is tied, 7-7-0.
Iowa State has won the last two meetings between the two schools played in Ames, winning a 42-35 thriller in 2002 and getting a 39-20 win there in 2000. MU's last win in Ames came in 1998, when MU claimed a 35-19 victory.
LAST YEAR RECAP: MIZZOU 45, IOWA STATE 7
Brad Smith ran for 195 yards and two long touchdowns and Zack Abron set the school career rushing record and also ran for a score in Missouri's 45-7 victory over Iowa State in the 2004 regular-season finale played in Columbia, Mo.
The win made Missouri (8-4, 4-4 Big 12) 6-0 at Faurot Field, the school's first unbeaten season at home since 1974. The win also gave the Tigers, who ended a four-game losing streak against Iowa State, eight regular-season wins for the first time since 1980.
Stevie Hicks had 123 yards on 28 carries, his first career 100-yard game, for the Cyclones (2-10, 0-8), who lost their final 10 games of the season.
Smith scored on runs of 19 and 61 yards, as Missouri put Iowa State away after a slow start, getting two touchdowns in the final 3:48 of the first half to break up a scoreless game. The Tigers had two more touchdowns and a field goal in the third quarter for a 31-7 lead.
Abron had 46 yards on 11 carries, giving him 3,061 career yards, surpassing the record of 3,027 set by Brock Olivo from 1994-97. Earlier in the season he broke the career scoring and touchdown record held by Corby Jones, also from 1995-98.
Damien Nash scored two touchdowns, including a 61-yard run in the fourth quarter and totaled 91 yards on 10 carries.
Marcus James also set a school career mark for return yards, and his 36-yard punt return set up Smith's 19-yard run with 3:48 to go in the half.
Iowa State called timeout late in the half when Missouri was deep in its territory and appeared content to run out the clock. The move backfired.
Facing 2nd-and 19, Smith ran for 13 and 7 yards. Then Abron, on 4th-and-2, ran for a 17-yard score to make it 14-0 with 33 seconds left.
Iowa State cut the gap to seven points when Lane Danielsen got behind the defense for a 62-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Waye Terry with two seconds to go.
Mizzou's Mike Matheny hit a 44-yard field goal, matching his career best, for a 17-7 lead in the third quarter. Missouri took a 10-point lead only 19 seconds later with Nash scoring on a 4-yard run after Atiyyah Ellison stripped Terry of the ball and Xzavie Jackson returned it 18 yards.
LAST WEEK RECAP: TIGERS FALL TO RIVAL KANSAS, 31-14
Mizzou saw its hopes for a 2nd-straight bowl season go by the wayside, as Kansas left Columbia with a 31-14 win. The loss dropped MU to 4-6 overall and 2-5 in Big 12 Conference play.
The Tigers, normally a fast-starting team, uncharacteristically got behind early, as the Jayhawks dominated the first half and led, 21-0 at halftime. MU was outgained by a 210-105 margin in total offense in the half, and saw its only scoring chance go awry late in the 2nd quarter when a promising drive stalled and PK Adam Crossett's 45-yard field goal attempt was wide right. Mizzou had driven 65 yards and had a 1st-and-10 at KU's 12 yardline, but a 16-yard sack of QB Brad Smith on 2nd down essentially killed the drive, and forced the field goal attempt.
Needing a fast start in the 2nd half to get back into the game, the visiting Jayhawks wouldn't oblige, as KU took the opening kick of the 3rd quarter and promptly drove 80 yards in 11 plays to get a back-breaking TD that made it 28-0 with 11:13 left.
Mizzou showed signs of life with a drive that spanned the end of the 3rd quarter and the beginning of the 4th quarter, as it drove to the KU 16 yardline. But the drive stalled, and a 4th-down attempt from the 20 was snuffed out by the Kansas defense.
Undeterred, Mizzou's defense made a big play when safety Nino Williams II intercepted a Kansas pass after the change of possession, and the offense responded when QB Brad Smith hit WR Sean Coffey on a 34-yard TD pass on the 1st play to make it 28-6 with 12:36 remaining in the game (MU missed a 2-point conversion try).
With momentum building, the Tiger defense forced a 3-and-out by KU, and the Tiger offense convverted on a quick 3-play, 78-yard scoring drive that consumed just 27 seconds and was capped by Smith's 11yard TD pass to Coffey to make it 28-14 after a successful 2-point conversion.
Mizzou's defense held once again, and MU's Thomson Omboga broke off a 44-yard punt return (just barely getting tripped up to prevent the score) to set the Tigers up on KU's 42. On 2nd-and-10 from the 42, Smith hit TB Damien Nash on a swing pass and Nash weaved in and out of traffic for an electrifying TD that apparently would make it 28-21 with over 7 minutes left. But officials ruled that TE Martin Rucker held during the play, and the score was negated. On the very next play, Smith was sacked, and the drive stalled out.
Kansas added an interception and a short field goal to close out the game and claim its 2nd-straight win over the Tigers.
MORE MU-KU NOTES
Some various news and notes from Saturday's Mizzou-Kansas game...
James Kinney BREAKS MU CAREER TACKLES RECORD AGAINST KANSAS
With 15 tackles last Saturday against Kansas (after coaches' review of game film), senior LB James Kinney became MU's career leading tackler. He entered the game with 406 career stops, and his 15 tackles against KU gave him 421, which is now #1 on the alltime MU chart. He surpassed the former record of 415 held by former Tiger standout (and current Iowa State assistant coach) DeMontie Cross (from 1994-96).
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 13th nationally in total defense - undoubtedly making MU the most improved defense in the Big 12 this season.
Kinney leads MU with 99 tackles on the season, and has registered double-digit stops 6 times in MU's 10 games this season. His 15 against KU marked a 2004 season high for him.
Kinney 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 14 stops at Troy, prior to a solid outing that saw him register 10 tackles in the opener vs. Arkansas State.
COFFEY BREAKS MU SINGLE-SEASON TD RECEIVING RECORD AGAINST KANSAS
Junior wideout Sean Coffey also had a hand in breaking a significant MU record last time out, when he caught a pair of TD passes in MU's 31-14 loss to Kansas last Saturday.
The TD catches (34 and 11 yards, both in the 4th quarter) gave him 10 for the season, and that broke the previous MU single-season mark of 9 receiving TDs, held by 3 former MU greats: Mel Gray (1969), Henry Marshall (1975) and Justin Gage (2002).
Coffey ended the game with 5 catches for 91 yards, giving him team-best totals of 36 catches for 604 yards on the season entering the 2004 finale at Iowa State. His per-catch average of 16.8 yards is 2nd-best among MU's receivers, and is a nice improvement from his career average of 12.8 per catch coming into the season. He entered the 2004 campaign with 39 career catches for 500 yards and 1 TD.
Coffey has developed into the go-to receiver that MU has looked for since the departure of Gage. His 10 TDs in 10 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 on Nov. 6th 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. He caught 12 passes for 159 yards as a redshirt freshman in 2002.
SMITH NEARS MU SINGLE-SEASON PASSING TD RECORD
Junior QB Brad Smith, with 17 TD passes in 2004, enters the 2004 finale at Iowa State just 1 passing TD shy of tying former MU great Terry McMillan for the single-season record. McMillan established the record of 18 in 1969.
Smith, who already owns the MU career TD passing record, threw two more scoring strikes last time out against Kansas, giving him 43 for his career. He broke the old record of 39 (set by Jeff Handy from 1991-94) with a pair of TD passes on Nov. 6th against Kansas State.
He had 262 yards passing against the Jayhawks, as he completed 15-of-40 attempts on the day. 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 6,345 career passing yards. The career record is still a little ways off - 6,959 yards by Jeff Handy from 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.
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 9,232 yards in 35 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 17 TDs through 10 games in 2004, besting his previous best of 15 TDs as a redshirt freshman in 2002 (he threw for 11 in 2003).
Smith has thrown for over 200 yards in 6 of MU's 10 games this season (233 vs. ASU; 224 at Troy; 213 vs. BSU; season-high 277 at Nebraska, 205 vs. Kansas State, 262 vs. Kansas) - 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 8 TDs of 20 yards or more this season (24, 60, 35, 43, 51, 59, 31, 34), 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 Iowa State game with 2,887 rushing yards in his career, which is just 312 yards shy of breaking the MU career rushing record of 3,198 established just last season by TB Zack Abron. He stands just 67 yards behind Devin West for 3rd place on the MU career chart (West had 2,954 yards from 1995-98), and is just 140 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 has a shot to reach it. Given his career average of 82.5 yards rushing per game, he needs about 12 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).
Here's a condensed look at the NCAA chart for QB career rushing yards...
Player, Team Years Yards Player, Team Years Yards 1.Antwaan Randle El, Indiana '98-01 3,895 11.Ell Roberson, Kansas St. '00-03 2,818 2.Joshua Cribbs, Kent St. '01-04 3,615 12.Stacey Robinson, N. Ill. '88-90 2,727 3.Dee Dowis, Air Force '86-89 3,612 13.Jamelle Holieway, Okla. '85-88 2,699 4.Kareem Wilson, Ohio '95-98 3,597 14.Woodrow Dantzler, Clem. '98-01 2,615 5.Eric Crouch, Nebraska '98-01 3,434 15.Jamaal Lord, Nebraska '00-03 2,573 6.Chris McCoy, Navy '95-97 3,401 16.Bill Hurley, Syracuse '75-79 2,551 7.Beau Morgan, Air Force '94-96 3,379 17.Michael Carter, Hawaii '90-93 2,534 8.Brian Mitchell, La.-Lafay. '86-89 3,335 18.Corby Jones, Mizzou '95-98 2,533 9.Fred Solomon, Tampa '71-74 3,299 19.Josh Harris, Bowling Green '00-03 2,459 10.Brad Smith, Mizzou '02-04 2,887 20.Chad Nelson, Rice '94-97 2,415
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 6,345 career passing yards and 2,887 career rushing yards entering Saturday's game against Iowa State, Smith is 113 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.
Here's a look at those who have 3,000/3,000 for their careers:
Player (School) Years Passing Rushing
Antwaan Randle-El (Indiana) 1998-2001 7,469 3,895
Joshua Cribbs (Kent State) 2001-Present 6,780 3,615 (1-Game Remaining in 2004)
Brian Mitchell (La.-Lafayette) 1986-89 5,447 3,335
Beau Morgan (Air Force) 1994-96 3,248 3,379
Brad Smith (Mizzou) 2002-Present 6,345 2,887 (1-Game Remaining in 2004)
OMBOGA LEADS BIG 12 IN PUNT RETURNS
Senior WR Thomson Omboga is having a nice senior season, as he currently is MU's top receiver (36 catches, tied with Sean Coffey) and punt returner (13.1 avg.).
In fact, after taking his only punt return for 44 yards and a near game-changing TD last week against Kansas (it was a 4th-quarter return that he came oh-so-close to breaking that would have made it 28-21 KU with nearly 8 minutes left), Omboga enters Saturday's game at Iowa State as the Big 12's top punt returner, with his 13.1 average per try. His return average also ranks him 17th nationally entering the ISU game.
Omboga also caught 3 passes against the Jayhawks for 51 yards, including a long of 25 yards.
His 3 catches last week gave him 124 for his career, and he enters the ISU game ranked 4th on MU's career receptions list, just 4 behind former great Victor Bailey, who ranks 3rd on the MU career chart, with 128 receptions from 1990-92.
Omboga had a team-high 4 catches on Nov. 6th 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.
Omboga took over MU's main punt return duties this year, and it didn't take him long to make an impact, as he had a big game on Sept. 18th 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).
TIGERS STILL LEAD BIG 12, RANK 13TH NATIONALLY, IN TOTAL DEFENSE
Mizzou sits atop Big 12 Conference standings in total defense entering the Iowa State game, despite its 5-straight defeats, allowing an average of 296.60 yards per game thus far. That ranks Mizzou 13th 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 - 143.60 ypg); pass efficiency defense (13th - 103.85 rating); and scoring defense (25th - 20.10 ppg).
Here's a comparison showing how Defensive Coordinator Matt Eberflus' troops have improved statistically from last year...
2004 Season 2003 Season Category NCAA Stat NCAA Stat Passing Defense 3rd 143.60 50th 213.77 Pass Efficiency Defense 13th 103.85 61st 125.78 Total Defense 13th 296.60 64th 381.00 Scoring Defense 25th 20.10 38th 22.08 Rushing Defense 67th 153.00 72nd 167.23
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...
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.