Sept. 19, 2007
As the Illinois offense lined up for the snap midway through the second quarter of Mizzou's season opener, senior strong safety Pig Brown knew the defense needed a big play. It had just given up a big gain, and now Illinois was poised to strike just a few yards from the end zone. In the seconds before the snap, Brown knew what he had to do.
"I just remember thinking, `Man, somebody needs to step up and make a big play so that we can get our offense the ball back,'" he recalled.
But Brown would do so much more. The football squirted out of the hands of backup Illinois quarterback Eddie McGee just inches from crossing the goal line.
"When I first picked it up, I saw a guy in my peripheral vision to my left, and a guy in my peripheral vision to my right. I thought, `I know this guy to my left isn't gonna' catch me, so I just used my speed, my God-given talent to try and race to the end zone before anyone caught me," he said.
One hundred yards later, Brown was in the opposite end zone. He hadn't just gotten his team the ball back, he had put six points on the board. His return had just tied the NCAA record for longest fumble return. But he wasn't thinking about records or recognition at that moment. There was a lot of work left to do.
"The biggest thing going through my head during the return was, "I've gotta' get into this endzone for my teammates," he said. "Then after I knew I had to catch my breath, and go back out and get ready for another defensive series."
The game would end up being the highlight of his college career. By the end of the day, Pig Brown left the Edward Jones Dome with five tackles, two fumble recoveries, and a clutch interception that sealed the game for the Tigers. By the end of the weekend, the performance had earned Brown multiple awards, including Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week and FWAA/Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week.
Always humble, Brown says he was just doing his job.
"It was great. There aren't many guys who have two fumble recoveries and an interception to seal the victory. That's what great teams do, though. They have guys step up and make big plays," he said.
Though the game marked his best performance yet, Brown is no stranger to success. Last season, Brown played in 12 games at the free safety position, including one start, after transferring from Reedley Community College in California. His sophomore year at Reedley, he received First-Team All-State and All-Conference honors, helping lead his team to a 10-0 finish and a conference championship.
In high school, he was named a two-time First Team All-State selection.
"There are a lot of good memories from my 15 years of football. My teams won a lot of championships. I got plenty of trophies, MVP trophies, All-State recognition in high school," he recalled. "But, I never thought I'd get to be playing Missouri football. But hey, here I am."
In his first year at MU, Brown recorded 40 tackles on the season, including 18 tackles in the first four games alone. His best performance came at Texas Tech, his first start, where he registered seven tackles and broke up one pass.
His best performance may have come against Texas Tech, but Brown's favorite memory of his first year of Division I football was his first game against rival Kansas.
"My favorite memory is beating Kansas," he said. "I've never been part of a rivalry so big, just to beat them was amazing. I used to watch those games back in junior college, It's a great experience, and beating Kansas will always stick out to me."
With two games under his belt in the 2007 season, Brown is ready to make his senior year at MU his best year of football yet. He believes that he has the support he needs to succeed.
"My family and friends back home do so much for me," he said. "I'm like the only guy from my hometown that's really doing something productive with their life as far as going to a major university and playing football. My family and friends, and definitely my teammates. That's what I love about football. When something's going wrong, you can lean on your teammates."
And while he's off to a great start this season, he acknowledges that there will be many challenges ahead.
"There are gonna' be big challenges. We're just gonna' go out and try and play our A-game every week," he said. "Our goal is to win the Big 12. But that's way out of reach right now, we're only focusing on our next opponent. I just hope we have a lot of success, and get to a bowl game. Mostly just have fun with this season. That's the biggest thing. It's my last year, I just want to have fun with my team."
-- Mary Elise DeCoursey