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Football

Mizzou Football Independence Bowl Game Notes

Dec. 31, 2005

Shreveport, La. -

Mizzou Football Post Game Notes

Mizzou vs. South Carolina - Independence Bowl

December 30, 2005

 

 

Final Notes

  • Mizzou moved to 7-5 on the season overall after a thrilling 38-31 victory over South Carolina in the 2005 Independence Bowl.  The Tigers trailed 21-0 in the 1st quarter, and 28-7 midway through the 2nd period, before staging a huge comeback that saw them outscore SC by a 31-3 margin over the final 30:20 of the game...
  • MU's comeback win from a 21-point deficit was the biggest comeback win in Independence Bowl history, and it was also the first time a Big 12 Conference team has beaten a Southeastern Conference team in the I-Bowl...
  • The comeback win was the largest in MU bowl-game history, breaking the old record of 7 points (1960 Orange Bowl and 1979 Hall of Fame Bowl).  MU moved to 2-0 alltime against South Carolina, with the other win coming in a 24-14 triumph over the Gamecocks in the 1979 Hall of Fame Bowl...
  • South Carolina raced out to a 21-0 lead, and outgained Mizzou by a whopping 154-to-minus 3 advantage in total offense in the game's 1st 7:49.  After that point, MU outgained the Gamecocks by a 507-to-254 margin in the game's final 52:11 in posting the comeback win...
  • The win was MU's 1st bowl victory since winning the 1998 Insight.com Bowl, and was MU's 10th bowl win alltime.  Missouri is now 10-13 alltime in 23 bowl game appearances...
  • Mizzou Head Coach Gary Pinkel improved to 102-67-3 (15 years) overall, and 29-30 (5 years) at MU.  He improved to 2-1 in bowl games as a head coach, and is now 10-4 alltime in bowl games as either a head coach or assistant coach...
  • Graduate QB Brad Smith was named the game's Offensive MVP as he led the Tigers to the comeback win.  Smith had 432 yards of total offense on the day, including 282 yards passing (1 TD) and 150 rushing (3 TDs).  Smith led the Tigers to 504 yards of total offense, which is an MU bowl game record (old record was 411 yards versus Arizona State in the 1972 Fiesta Bowl), and was also the 3rd-most in the 30-year history of the I-Bowl...
  • Smith tied 4 Independence Bowl records with his 3 rushing TDs, including most points scored (18), most points scored by rushing (18), most TDs (3) and most TDs rushing (3).  Coupled with 6 more school records that he set or tied on the night (most career games with 200 yards passing - 18; most points scored in a bowl game (18), most TDs scored in a bowl game (3), most TDs scored rushing in a bowl game (3); most passing yards in a bowl game (282), most TDs responsible for in a bowl game (4) - Smith ends his storied career holding 69 different MU, Big 12 and NCAA game, season and career records...
  • Smith also broke 4 records that he already held for MU bowl games: most passes completed (21), most passes attempted (37), most plays run (58), most yards of total offense (432).  Smith's old records in those categories were 17 pass completions, 30 pass attempts, 50 plays run, and 251 yards of total offense - all set previously in the 2003 Independence Bowl...
  • Senior CB Marcus King was named the game's Defensive MVP, as he turned in possibly the biggest single play in Mizzou bowl game history, when he returned an interception 99 yards for a TD in the 2nd quarter to get Mizzou on the board.  King's pick six came at a crucial time, as USC was driving and looked likely to extend its 21-0 lead.  The return was the longest INT return and INT return for a TD in MU history, and also set MU and I-Bowl game records...
  • King also made another huge play on the night, as he deflected a pass late in the 3rd quarter that was eventually intercepted by LB Derrick Ming on the USC 39 yardline.  That play came with MU trailing, 28-21, and the Tigers capitalized by driving for the game-tying score at the start of the 4th quarter.  King ended the game being credited with 3 tackles...
  • Sophomore P/PK Adam Crossett broke the Independence Bowl record for most yards averaged per punt, with his 45.8 average on 5 punts.  He also tied an I-Bowl record for longest field goal when he drilled a career-long 50 yarder in the 4th quarter to put the Tigers up, 31-28 with 10:14 left in the game.  Crossett's punting average broke the MU bowl game record of 44.7 by Mike Farmer (1970 Orange Bowl), and his 50-yard FG broke the MU bowl game record for longest field goal, with the old record being 45 yards (Ron Verrili in the 1980 Liberty Bowl and Bob Lucchesi in the 1981 Tangerine Bowl)...
  • True freshman TE Chase Coffman capped his All-American season in fitting fashion, as he caught 8 passes for 99 yards and 1 TD on the day - with both totals marking MU bowl game records.  His receptions tied the previous mark of 8 set by Thomson Omboga (2003 Independence Bowl) and his yardage broke the old standard of 80 yards by Chuck Link (1972 Fiesta Bowl)...
  • Coffman ended his season with 47 catches for 503 yards and 4 TDs.  His reception total ranks 2nd (tied with teammate Martin Rucker) on the MU single-season list for tight ends, while his yardage total is 3rd-best by TEs in MU history...
  • Sophomore TE Martin Rucker also had a big day, with 5 catches for 83 yards.  Rucker ended his season with 47 catches for 567 yards and 1 TD.  His reception total is tied for 2nd on the MU single-season list for tight ends, and his yardage is the 2nd-best ever by a tight end - trailing only the 589 yards put up by A.J. Ofodile in the 1993 season...
  • Mizzou won the game despite playing the game without 3 starters, and losing 2 other starters to injury during the game.  Senior WR Sean Coffey (shoulder), sophomore TB Marcus Woods (groin) and senior FS Jason Simpson (suspension) did not play in the game, and junior LB Dedrick Harrington (broken arm) and redshirt freshman FS William Moore (broken foot) left the game due to injuries in the 2nd half...
  • Mizzou moved to 17-8-1 alltime in games versus teams currently comprising the Southeastern Conference, including 6-2 in bowl games versus the league.  MU hadn't beaten an SEC team, however, since defeating Mississippi State in Columbia (47-30) in 1984...

 

First Half

  • Making just their 2nd career starts today on defense for Mizzou were redshirt freshmen Domonique Johnson (CB) and William Moore (FS).  On offense, senior WR Arnold Britt made his 1st career start...
  • Senior CB Marcus King got Mizzou on the scoreboard with a 99-yard interception return for a TD in the 2nd quarter to pull MU to within 21-7.  King's return broke Mizzou records for longest interception return and longest interception return for a TD.  The previous record for longest INT return was 95 yards, by Ken Boston versus Oklahoma State in 1964, and Loyd Brinkman versus Saint Louis in 1946.
  • King's return also broke MU records for longest INT return in a bowl game.  The previous MU record in a bowl game for longest INT return was 90 yards, by Norm Beal versus Navy in the 1961 Orange Bowl...
  • The last time MU had returned an INT for a TD in a bowl game was in the 1968 Gator Bowl against Alabama, when Dennis Poppe returned one 47 yards for a score in MU's 35-10 victory...
  • The defensive score was the 5th of the season for MU (3 INTs, 2 fumble returns), and the 2nd of the year for King, who returned one 32 yards for a TD against Baylor on Nov. 12th in Columbia.  The last time MU had 5 defensive scores in one season was in 1998, when the Tigers had 5 (3 fumble returns, 2 interception returns)...
  • QB Brad Smith hit freshman All-American TE Chase Coffman for a 5-yard TD pass with 20 seconds left in the 2nd quarter to pull MU to within 28-14 at halftime.  It was the 56th passing TD of Smith's career, and the 4th TD for Coffman this year...
  • Smith had 170 yards of offense in the 1st half (144 passing, 26 rushing), to move into 4th-place on the NCAA Career Total Offense list, passing Luke McCown of Louisiana Tech (2000-03), who was 4th alltime with 12,731 yards.  Smith entered the game with 12,656 career yards, with the total standing at 12,826 at halftime.  He ends his career in 4th place with a final total of 13,088 yards...
  • Mizzou trailed only 28-14 at halftime, despite facing a severe disadvantage in field position.  South Carolina's average starting point in the 1st quarter was its 42 yardline as it raced out to a 21-0 lead.  MU's average starting point in the 1st quarter was its own 21 yardline.  For the entire 1st half, USC's average starting point was its 40 yardline (on 9 possessions), while MU started on average at its own 18 yardline on 8 possessions...

 

 

Second Half

  • QB Brad Smith passed the 200-yard mark in passing yards in the 3rd quarter for the game.  That gives him 18 career passing games of 200 or more yards, which ties the school record previously held by Jeff Handy (18 from 1991-94). 
  • CB Marcus King broke up a pass with 1:34 left in the 3rd quarter that was intercepted by LB Derrick Ming on the USC 39-yardline.  That was Ming's 1st career interception...
  • Sophomore CB Darnell Terrell iced the game for the Tigers, as he intercepted a USC pass with 1:29 left on the MU 41-yardline and MU leading, 38-31.  It was the 2nd INT of the season for Terrell, and the 3rd INT on the day for Mizzou...