Troy at Missouri Game Notes
9/17/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 17, 2005
Recap | Stats | Photo Gallery
Troy at Missouri Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium - Columbia, Mo. September 17, 2005 - 1 p.m.
Game Notes
Today's game is the third contest in a series that dates back to 2002. Mizzou took the first matchup, 44-7, in Columbia, and the Trojans picked up a 24-14 win last year in Troy.
Missouri now leads the all-time series 2-1, with both wins coming in Columbia.
The 2005 season marks the second consecutive campaign in which the Tigers faced two Sun Belt Conference teams, both times taking on Arkansas State and Troy.
The first quarter of action saw three pass interference penalties - one against Mizzou and two against Troy - but just one the rest of the game.
Missouri Team Notes
The Tigers are now 6-1 all-time against schools from the Sun Belt Conference, including a win over Arkansas State in the 2005 season opener.
The win over Troy snaps a four-game home losing streak for the Tigers.
Mizzou was 1-4 in games following a loss in 2004 and 0-2 in games following a home loss, but is now 1-0 the week after a defeat in 2005.
The 52 points scored by Mizzou are the most since hanging 52 on Arkansas State in the 2004 season opener.
The 74 rushing yards the Tigers yielded to Troy mark the lowest ground gain for a Mizzou opponent since the Tigers gave up only 65 yards to Ball State in 2004.
The Tigers are 2-0 this season when forcing a turnover and 0-1 when they fail to do so.
For the third time in as many games this season, Brad Smith, Marcus Woods and Tony Temple each had at least seven carries. The trio was led by Smith's 12 carries, while Woods had nine and Temple had eight. Each of the three also recorded a rushing touchdown.
The Tigers moved to 2-0 on the year when sophomore running back Tony Temple tallies a rushing touchdown.
A season high seven Tigers registered a rushing attempt versus Troy.
Tiger wide receivers accounted for 14 of the team's 26 receptions on the afternoon, while the tight ends and running backs combined for 12 catches. Sophomore wide receiver William Franklin led the team with six catches and sophomore tight end Martin Rucker paced the backs and tight ends with four passes caught.
Ten different receivers hauled in at least one pass for the Tigers against Troy after nine Mizzou players registered a catch against New Mexico and 10 did so versus Arkansas State. Eight of those players had multiple catches, led by sophomore William Franklin's six.
Missouri Player Notes
Sophomore tailback Marcus Woods' 73-yard punt return for a score was Mizzou's first since Marcus James took a punt back 80 yards for a score at Iowa State on Nov. 2, 2002.
With 79 rushing yards on the day and 3,327 in his career, senior quarterback Brad Smith moved into ninth on the all-time NCAA list for quarterback rushing yards, passing Tampa's Fred Solomon (3,299 from 1971-74).
Senior quarterback Brad Smith collected 262 yards of total offense, moving into the top-30 in all-time NCAA history for total offense and passing the likes of former Central Florida quarterback Daunte Culpepper, former UCLA Bruin Cade McNown and former Florida signalcaller Danny Weurffel.
Junior defensive end Brian Smith tallied one sack on the day, moving into sole possession of third on the all-time school sack list with 17.5.
Sophomore running back Tony Temple averaged 10.0 yards per carry (80 yards on eight attempts) against Troy, the third-highest single-game per carry average (min. five attempts) in school history.
Sophomore running back Tony Temple ran for a career-high 80 yards on eight carries against the Trojans, scoring one touchdown and adding two receptions for 13 yards.
Sophomore tight end Martin Rucker's 52 receiving yards constitute a new career high, besting the mark of 48 he set last season against Texas.
Sophomore running back Tony Temple's 59-yard touchdown run in the first quarter was the longest of his career, as well as the longest of the season for the Tigers.
Junior defensive lineman Jamar Smith notched his first career sacks (1.5) and tackles for loss (2.5) this afternoon.
Freshman quarterback Chase Daniel recorded his first career rushing and overall touchdown in the fourth quarter versus Troy.
Sophomore kicker Adam Crossett kicked a career-high three field goals versus the Trojans.
With his 59-yard scamper against Troy, sophomore running back Tony Temple now has a run of at least 20 yards in each Mizzou game this season. He had a 40-yard run against Arkansas State and a 24-yard carry versus New Mexico.
Sophomore defensive back Domonique Johnson notched a career-high five tackles in the win.
Senior quarterback Brad Smith has converted a two-point conversion in two consecutive Tiger outings.
Sophomore kicker Adam Crossett has converted on his last five field goal attempts, including two from longer than 40 yards, and has hit 6-of-7 on the year.
Senior safety Quincy Wade picked up the first blocked punt of his career in the first quarter against Troy, setting up a Mizzou field goal.
Junior defensive end Xzavie Jackson's fumble recovery on the first play from scrimmage in the second half was the third recovered fumble of his career, making him the team's career leader in that category.
Sophomore kicker/punter Adam Crossett dropped his first two punts of the game inside the Trojans' 20-yard line, giving him seven punts downed inside the 20 for his career.
Sophomore tailback Jimmy Jackson caught his first career pass in the third quarter versus Troy, a 46-yard bomb from quarterback Brad Smith that ranks as the Tigers' longest pass play of the season.
Troy Team Notes
With today's game against Mizzou, Troy has faced a Big 12 opponent in each of the last five seasons, but has only collected one win - the 24-14 victory over the Tigers last season in Troy.
The 52 points allowed by the Trojans were the most in Troy's five-year Division I-A history. They were also the second most allowed in head coach Larry Blakeny's 15-year coaching career (70-7 loss at Montana in 1996 Division I-AA semi-finals).
Troy is now 0-10 since 2000 in games that it does not force a turnover. The Mizzou game is the second-straight game in which the Trojans have failed to register a takeaway.
Troy's 76-yard scoring drive in the second quarter marked the longest of the season in terms of distance. The previous best was a 62-yard effort against Cal Poly on the first drive of the year. The nine plays it took to score against the Tigers was the third longest of the season behind a 13-play effort vs. Cal Poly and a 10-play run against UAB.
The last time Troy had an opponent return a punt for a touchdown was Oct. 2, 2004. Utah State's Kevin Robinson took a kick 90 yards to paydirt.
Over the last two years, Troy has held Mizzou quarterback Brad Smith to a per carry average of 4.1 yards. Smith owns a career average of 5.3 yards per carry.
The Trojans were penalized five times for 38 yards in the first half of today's game, but were only flagged three times for 20 yards in the second half.
The Trojans were held to a third-down efficiency of just 29 percent (4-of-14) on the day - their lowest conversion rate of the season.
Troy returned eight kickoffs for a season-high 182 yards versus the Tigers.
Troy Player Notes
Senior punter Thomas Olmstead was the victim of his first punt block of the season and the 10th of his career in the first quarter of today's game.
Senior wideout Toris Rutledge collected his first career receiving touchdown, on his first reception of 2005, and later added a 48-yard reception for his longest career reception. Rutledge had a rushing score against Southern Utah during his sophomore season.
Senior wideout Toris Rutledge hauled in 81 receiving yards against the Tigers, besting the career-high 39 he had at Nebraska in 2002.
With 10 receptions on the day, junior wide receiver Smokey Hampton eclipsed the career-high five catches he had against Virginia in 2003.
Sophomore wide receiver Josh Allen picked up his first career touchdown reception in the fourth quarter.
Junior quarterback Carl Meadows snuck over the goal line midway through the third quarter, marking his first rushing touchdown since 2003, when he played for Eastern Tennessee State.
The 51-yard field goal attempt by Greg Whibbs at the end of the first half equaled his longest career try. He also missed a 51-yarder last year against Florida Atlantic. When the ball bounced off the cross bar, it made him 0-2 in his career from 50+ yards and kept his longest successful kick at 43 yards.
After starting out 3-for-3, junior quarterback Carl Meadows missed on his next five attempts before connecting with wide receiver Toris Rutledge for a 33-yard touchdown pass.
Junior wide receiver Martin Teal grabbed his first reception of the campaign in the third quarter of today's ballgame.
