Oct. 11, 2010

#21/#19 Missouri Tigers (5-0, 1-0) at Texas A&M Aggies (3-2, 0-1)

Oct. 16, 2010 - Kyle Field - College Station, Texas

TIGERS HIT THE ROAD FOR 1ST TIME
   Hard to believe, but we're a full month-and-a-half into the 2010 season, and the #21/#19 Missouri Tigers (5-0 overall, 1-0 in Big 12 Conference play) will be playing their first road game of the year this Saturday, when they travel to College Station, Texas, to take on the Texas A&M Aggies (3-2, 0-1). Kickoff for the game, which will be televised live on FOX Sports Net, is set for 11:10 a.m.
   Mizzou has surged to season-high national rankings in both polls, thanks to its 5-0 start which saw the Tigers claim a 26-0 shutout win over Colorado last Saturday.
   Texas A&M is looking to break a two-game losing streak, after they began the year 3-0. Don't be fooled by the Aggies' record, however, this is a very talented team that has lost each of the last two weeks away from home against ranked teams by 10 total points (lost by 3 at Oklahoma State, lost by 7 in a neutral-site game to Arkansas). Texas A&M is 3-0 at home so far in 2010, defeating Stephen F. Austin, Louisiana Tech and Florida International.
   Due to a scheduling oddity, Saturday's game will represent the first road game of the year for the Tigers. After opening the season with a neutral-site game in St. Louis, Mo., each of the next four games took place in the friendly confines of Mizzou's Memorial Stadium/Faurot field, where the Tigers have now won 27 of their last 32 games (84.4%).
   As Head Coach Gary Pinkel's program has taken roots over the last several years, his team has learned how to win on the road. Mizzou has earned three road wins each year in the last three seasons, and has an overall record of 9-3 in road games since 2007. In fact, all three losses during that string came to the hands of ranked teams.

MIZZOU AMONG BAKER' S DOZEN OF UNDEFEATED TEAMS
   Entering this week's games, Mizzou stands as one of 13 undefeated teams left standing. Seven teams entered the week at a perfect 6-0, with another six touting 5-0 marks. Four of the unbeaten hail from the Big 12 Conference, with Nebraska, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State also checking in at an unblemished 5-0.
   There are no games this week pitting undefeated teams against one another, so just how many are left standing unbeaten come Sunday is up for grabs. At right is a look at the undefeated teams:

MIZZOU-TEXAS A&M STORYLINES
   Mizzou will take the field toting one of the more productive and stingy defenses in the nation, as MU ranks 3rd nationally (1st in Big 12) in scoring defense, allowing just 11.20 points per game. They'll be challenged by an A&M offense, led by dynamic QB Jerrod Johnson, which ranks 15th in total offense (472.60 ypg). Mizzou's defense ranks 7th-best nationally in pass efficiency, while A&M is 11th in passing yards (302.20 ypg).
   On the flip side, the Aggies have an underrated defense, which gave #11 Arkansas fits last Saturday before the Razorbacks held on for a 24-17 win. A&M held Arkansas to only 3 points in the 2nd half, and they enter Saturday's game ranked 24th nationally in total defense (312.00 ypg), including allowing only 81.20 ypg rushing, which ranks them 7th. Mizzou butters its bread with its spread attack through the air primarily, but they'd been having nice success on the ground of late, prior to being held to 119 yards rushing against Colorado last Saturday.
   The stat sheet will point to the categories of turnovers and turnover margin as the most glaring discrepancy between the two teams heading into the game. Mizzou is ranked 10th nationally in turnover margin coming in (+1.00), and is among the nation's best defenses at forcing takeaways (14), while A&M has been hurt recently by turnovers. The Aggies rank 115th nationally in turnover margin coming in (-1.20) and they have lost 18 turnovers in the last 4 games, including 4 vs. Louisiana Tech, followed by 5 turnovers each against Florida International and Oklahoma State, followed by 4 turnovers last Saturday against Arkansas.

TIGERS GUNNING FOR 6-0 START FOR JUST THE 5TH TIME IN MU HISTORY
   As a team continues winning, the games continue to get bigger and bigger. Just how big is Saturday's game for Mizzou? A win by MU at Texas A&M would give the Tigers just the 4th 6-0 start to a season in the last 50 years (since 1960), and only the 5th alltime in program history.
   Mizzou will look to continue its perfect start to the 2010 season and improve on its 5-0 record Saturday at Texas A&M. Thanks to MU's 26-0 shutout win last Saturday over Colorado, the Tigers secured a 5-0 start for the 4th time in the last five years (2006, 2007, 2008, 2010).
   Only one of those previous three Tiger squads was able to win game #6, as the 2006 outfit, led by 1st-year starting QB Chase Daniel, went to Texas Tech and claimed a 38-21 win in Lubbock to improve to 6-0. That was the first 6-0 start for Mizzou since 1973, and the only others in school history came in 1960 and way back in 1899 prior to that.
   The 2007 and 2008 Tiger teams (which both won Big 12 North Division titles), each started 5-0, only to lose game #6, falling at 6th-ranked Oklahoma in 2007 (41-31) and falling at home to #17 Oklahoma State in 2008 (28-23).
   Mizzou's 5-0 start is already historic in nature, as that has happened only 10 times in MU history, including this year. It had never happened in consecutive years at MU prior to the 2006 and 2007 seasons.
Here's a look at all of the previous seasons in which MU has started a season 6-0, with the 1st number in parentheses the start and the 2nd number the end record for the season...

• 1899 (7-0 / 9-2)
• 1960 (11-0 / 11-0)#
• 1973 (6-0 / 8-4)
• 2006 (6-0 / 8-5)
• #-Won Big Eight Championship

LAST WEEK REWIND: #24 MIZZOU 26, COLORADO 0
   Just three days removed from the exact 20-year anniversary of the infamous Fifth Down Game played between Mizzou and Colorado (Oct. 6, 1990), the Missouri Tigers exacted a bit of final revenge on the Colorado Buffaloes, shutting them out, 26-0, in what will be the final game between the longtime rivals for the foreseeable future. With Colorado moving to the Pac-10 Conference in 2011, Saturday's game in Columbia, Mo. was the final matchup, and with the teams tied a 7 wins apiece since the inception of the Big 12 Conference in 1996, bragging rights were on the line.
   Mizzou's defense led the charge, picking up only the 2nd shutout of a Big 12 opponent in MU history - Colorado was the victim before as well, in its previous visit to Faurot Field (58-0 in 2008). The Tigers took a 5-0 lead in the 1st quarter thanks to a safety followed by a Grant Ressel 47-yard field goal, and the defense turned back the Buffaloes time and again until the offense got untracked.
   A 26-yard run on a fake punt by P Trey Barrow got Mizzou rolling, and the Tigers upped the lead to 19-0 at halftime thanks to a pair of Blaine Gabbert TD passes in the 2nd quarter to WR Jerrell Jackson (30 yards) and TE Michael Egnew (10 yards). After a scoreless third period, reserve QB James Franklin came off the bench to toss a 7-yard score to Egnew in relief of the injured Gabbert, to account for the final score.
   Mizzou got the shutout despite the fact that Colorado snapped the ball in MU territory for an amazing 38 of their 72 plays. Each of Colorado's final seven possessions ended in Tiger territory, yet Mizzou's defense kept coming up with key plays to keep points off the board, including blocking a 40-yard field goal attempt, holding on downs twice inside the MU 30-yardline, and intercepting a pass on the Tiger 19-yardline.

SPECIAL TEAMS LIGHTS THE SPARK VERSUS COLORADO
   Mizzou's offense hasn't had too much trouble getting started fast in 2010, as the Tigers had put a touchdown on the board in their game-opening drive each of the previous 3 weeks. However, against Colorado, the Tiger offense was neutralized early on, going 3-and-out in each of its first 3 series.
   The Tiger special teams came to the rescue and got things kick started with some stellar play that was critically huge to Mizzou's eventual 26-0 shutout win. Here were some of the highlights:

• It started with a 39-yard kickoff return to open the game by true freshman TB Marcus Murphy, which was the longest since a Jeremy Maclin special in 2008...
• Then, after Mizzou's first two drives stalled out near midfield, punters Trey Barrow and Matt Grabner executed pinpoint kicks to pin CU inside their 2-yardline, and 1-yardline, respectively...
• Grabner's punt, downed on the Buff 1-yardline, set up MU's first score of the game, as on the first play from scrimmage, CU was flagged for intentional grounding in the endzone for a safety and a 2-0 MU lead...
• That was followed shortly by a booming 47-yard field goal by junior PK Grant Ressel to give MU a 5-0 lead with 2:06 to play in the quarter...
• Mizzou would go on to partially block a Colorado punt in the 1st quarter (true freshman TE Eric Waters), and then blocked a 2nd-quarter field goal attempt (junior DT Terrell Resonno) to help preserve a 12-0 lead at the time...
• Early in the 2nd quarter, another MU series appeared to have stalled near midfield. However, sophomore P Trey Barrow provided perhaps the biggest momentum play of the game when he executed a fake punt that gained 26 yards on 4th-and-5 from the Mizzou 44-yardline. The Tigers led just 5-0 at the time, but Barrow's drive-extending run was followed just two plays later by a 30-yard TD pass from QB Blaine Gabbert to WR Jerrell Jackson for a 12-0 lead...

EGNEW, EDWARDS STAR AGAINST BUFFALOES
   Lots of standout performances on both sides of the ball in Mizzou's 26-0 win over Colorado Saturday, but we went with junior TE Michael Egnew and sophomore CB Kip Edwards as our stars of the game. Here's why:

• Egnew caught 2 TD passes for the first time in his career and had 6 receptions on the night for 52 yards. His TDs covered 10 yards and 7 yards, respectively. His 10-yard catch-and-run TD came in the 2nd quarter, with just 0:58 seconds left in the half to give MU a 19-0 lead. It capped a brilliant 15-play, 97-yard drive which ate up 5:31 off the clock, and it served as the longest scoring drive of the year for the Tiger offense (play, yards and time of possession)...
• Egnew applied the final dagger of the night when he got free for a 7-yard TD catch midway through the 4th quarter from true freshman QB James Franklin to make it 26-0...
  
• For the year, Egnew leads the nation's tight ends, and ranks 8th in the NCAA among all players, with his per-game average of 7.80 receptions. He is 4th in the Big 12 in that category, and he is 8th in the Big 12 and 52nd nationally with his 70.0 yards per game average...
  
• Edwards, who has been Mizzou's primary nickel back on pass packages, saw extensive playing time against Colorado, and he made two huge 4th-down plays in the 4th quarter to help preserve only the 2nd shutout of a conference opponent by Mizzou in its history with the Big 12 Conference...
  
• His first play was a sack of Colorado QB Cody Hawkins for an 8-yard loss as the Buffaloes had a 4th-and-12 on the Mizzou 22-yardline. Edward's second play was an interception (first of the season, second of his career) on the MU 19-yardline on a 4th-and-5 from the Tiger 28-yardline. Edwards returned it 49 yards the other way to fend off the Buffs' threat...
  
• Edwards ended the night with 7 tackles (he had 9 tackles combined on the year in 4 games coming in), and he also had another half-tackle for loss (1.5 in all for the night, including the 1.0 QB sack), and broke up another pass...

MIZZOU-COLORADO WRAP UP
   Just a few more follow-up notes pertaining to Mizzou's 26-0 win over Colorado...

• Starting QB Blaine Gabbert left Saturday's game early in the 4th quarter after sustaining a high hip (right) pointer earlier in the game. Gabbert told reporters after the game that he was certain he'd be ready to play this week at Texas A&M. Gabbert had a solid night before leaving early, as he ended 17-of-29 passing for 191 yards and 2 TDs, with no interceptions...
  
• In Gabbert's absence, true freshman QB James Franklin came off the bench and performed nicely, as he led the Tiger offense on a 70-yard TD drive in his first series. He had a 34-yard run during the drive, and capped it off with a 7-yard TD pass to TE Michael Egnew for his first collegiate TD pass. Franklin ended the night 3-of-4 passing for 35 yards, with 1 TD and 1 INT. He also led all Tiger rushers with 37 net yards overall...
  
• Penalities had been a concern for Gary Pinkel coming into the CU game, as his Tigers - typically one of the least penalized teams traditionally in the Big 12 Conference - were averaging 6.5 penalties and 71.5 yards in penalty yardage per game. The yardage ranked Mizzou 9th in the league. On Saturday, the Tigers were focused on avoiding penalties, and it showed, as MU was flagged only 2 times for 17 yards in all (1 false start on offense, one personal foul on defense which was a half-the-distance that covered 12 yards). The disciplined night was good enough to bump the Tigers up to 6th in the league standings, as their yardage average dropped to 60.6 per game...
  
• Mizzou has now won five straight games over Colorado, and the aggregate score of those five games has been 203-40...

TIGERS RANK 1ST IN BIG 12, 3RD IN NCAA IN SCORING DEFENSE
   A glance at the latest batch of statistics shows that Mizzou's improved defense now leads the Big 12 Conference, and ranks 3rd in the nation, in scoring defense. Through 5 games, the Tigers, under 2nd-year Defensive Coordinator Dave Steckel, are allowing an average of just 11.2 points per game. Iowa currently leads the nation with a 10.2 average, followed by #2 TCU (10.3). Nebraska is #4 nationally (12.8), followed by Alabama at #5 (13.3).
   While pitching a shutout against the Buffaloes undoubtedly helped propel the Tigers up the rankings, it wasn't a one-game deal, as Mizzou entered the CU game ranked 10th nationally in scoring defense. Mizzou entered the CU game allowing 14.0 points per game.
   The 56 points allowed by MU through 5 games is the lowest by a Tiger defense since the 2006 season, when Mizzou permitted 50 points in its first 5 games (also a 5-0 start). In game #6 that year, at Texas Tech, the Tigers notched a 38-21 win in Lubbock, which bumped the 6-game point total to 71 allowed.

RED ZONE DEFENSE ALSO RANKS #3 NATIONALLY
   It would stand to figure that a good scoring defense performs well in the red zone, and that has definitely been the case for Mizzou's defense to this point. Through 5 games, Mizzou's defense ranks 3rd nationally (1st in the Big 12) in red zone defense, as opponents have scored just 54% of the time they've gotten inside the 20-yardline. Here's a look at the details:
   The 7 scores allowed have been split evenly, between 4 TDs and 3 FGs. Illinois was 2-of-2 in the red zone against Mizzou (1 TD/1 FG), while McNeese State was 1-of-2 (1 TD). San Diego State and Miami (Ohio) each went 2-of-3 against MU (1 TD/1 FG apiece), while Colorado was shut out all 3 times last Saturday. When Colorado threatened, the Tigers bowed their collective backs to preserve the shutout. Here's what happened:

• In the 2nd quarter, Colorado took possession at the MU 13-yardline after stripping QB Blaine Gabbert and recovering the fumble. Two running plays got stuffed for minus-9 yards, leaving the Buffs with a 4th-and-19 at the MU 22-yardline. The 40-yard FG attempt which followed was blocked by DT Terrell Resonno to end the threat...
  
• In the 4th quarter, CU took over near midfield and drove to the Tiger 17-yardline. On 3rd-and-7 from the 17, a delay penalty pushed it back to the 22-yardline, and on 4th down, CB Kip Edwards sacked Colorado QB Cody Hawkins to end the series...
  
• On Colorado's final possession of the game, the Buffs drove against MU's prevent defense, and reached the Tiger 12-yardline, where they had a 1st-and-10 with 1:50 to play. An incomplete pass on 1st down was followed by a fumbled snap and a recovery by CU for no yards on 2nd down. After a false start made it 3rd-and-15, Hawkins threw twice into the endzone, but freshman safety Matt White knocked the first pass away, and the second went through the hands of a CU receiver to close it out.

MIZZOU-TEXAS A&M SERIES HISTORY
   Mizzou and Texas A&M will be meeting for the 11th time when they square off Saturday in College Station. The Aggies hold a 7-3 edge overall in the previous 10 matchups, but the Tigers have won 3 of the last 4 games, and the series is dead even at 3-3 since the inception of the Big 12 Conference in 1996.
   The last meeting between the two teams came in Columbia, back in 2007, when the Tigers posted a 40-26 win to move to 9-1 on the season. In that game, Mizzou surged to a 24-9 halftime lead, thanks to an 82-yard TD pass from QB Chase Daniel to WR Jeremy Maclin (MU's longest pass play in 31 years at that point), but the Aggies wouldn't go away. With rumors swirling of A&M Coach Dennis Franchione's job being on the line, A&M clawed back to within 5 points twice in the 2nd half, and had a chance to pull to 3, but a short field goal was missed by PK Matt Szymanski. After the teams traded TDs, Mizzou put the game away in the final minutes, on Maclin's 2nd TD reception (12 yards), followed by a safety on a sack in the endzone by DT Lorenzo Williams.
   Mizzou dropped a 25-19 heartbreaker to A&M in 2006 in College Station (more on that to follow), and that was preceded by an MU win in Columbia in 2003 (45-22) and a Tiger win in College Station in 2002 (33-27 in 2-OTs). That 2002 win was a watershed moment for the Tiger program, as MU had been 0-6 alltime against A&M.

LAST TIME IN COLLEGE STATION: TEXAS A&M 25, #19 MIZZOU 19 (2006)
COLLEGE STATION, Texas - Mizzou was dropped from the ranks of the undefeated, thanks in large part to three costly turnovers and an inability to get a methodical Texas A&M offense off the field, as the homestanding Aggies claimed a 25-19 win over the 19th-ranked Tigers.
   The Tigers, who came into the game 5-0, lost three fumbles on the day - all in the first half - and Texas A&M turned those into 10 points as the Aggies forged a 17-17 tie at halftime.
   All 10 of those Aggie points off turnovers had an involvement with instant replay, as both plays that led to points were reviewed, and both ultimately went against Mizzou.
   The first was potentially the most crucial, and it came just three plays into the game. Tiger QB Chase Daniel threw a perfectly-lofted pass deep downfield to a wide-open WR Will Franklin, who caught the ball in stride and raced toward the goalline for an apparent 65-yard TD. However, Franklin was caught from behind by A&M's Jordan Peterson inside the 5-yardline, and Peterson punched the ball out of Franklin's arms as he crossed the goalline, with the ball rolling out of the back of the endzone. The play was originally ruled a TD for MU, but replay showed that the ball came out before Franklin crossed the goalline, and it was overturned for a touchback.
   The Aggies drove 74 yards on 15 plays for a 23-yard field goal to take a 3-0 lead, which represented MU's first deficit of the entire season. The Tigers responded quickly, however, driving 73 yards in just 7 plays to take a 7-3 lead as TB Tony Temple scored on a 5-yard run.
   Texas A&M used a reverse pass that went for 67 yards on its next possession to key a drive that saw them regain the lead at 10-7, but Mizzou again responded with a TD drive of its own, with Daniel and Franklin hooking up for a TD pass that covered 38 yards this time.
   The next big replay that hurt MU came midway through the 2nd quarter, as Temple ran into traffic in the middle of the field, and was ruled to have fumbled the ball, which was recovered by A&M on the Tiger 23 yardline. Replay showed that Temple's knee appeared to be down, but the call was not overturned by replay officials, giving the Aggies field position that they cashed in for a subsequent TD to take a 17-14 lead.
   MU's Jeff Wolfert tied the game just before half with a 39-yard field goal, and things looked to be going the Tigers' way when A&M QB Stephen McGee had to fall on an errant snap in his own endzone on the opening possession of the 3rd quarter for a safety, giving MU a 19-17 lead.
   However, the Tiger offense - despite owning great field position at its own 45-yardline following the ensuing free kick - couldn't seize the momentum, and went three-and-out.
   A&M responded with a 13-play, 80-yard drive that was aided by a McGee 12-yard pass to himself that was deflected at the line of scrimmage by MU's Brock Christopher. McGee caught the deflection and raced for 12 yards on a 2nd-and-10 situation to the A&M 43-yardline. Instead of facing a 3rd-and-10, the Aggies were near midfield and on their way to what would ultimately prove to be the winning score. That came 10 plays later, when TB Mike Goodson scored from 2 yards out with 6:38 left in the 3rd quarter, and after McGee rushed for the 2-point conversion, A&M held a 25-19 lead.
   The Tigers had plenty of opportunities to regain the lead, but it couldn't score in any of its last four possessions. Its best chance came early in the 4th quarter, as Daniel directed a sharp drive that went from MU's 20-yardline to the A&M 4. Daniel hit his first 7 passes on the drive, before his 3rd-and-goal attempt to TE Chase Coffman in the endzone was batted away. After taking a delay of game penalty back to the 9-yardline, Mizzou went for the jugular, as it tried a fake field goal, but holder Brad Ekwerekwu's rush attempt was stopped after gaining only 3 yards.
   That would prove to be MU's best chance to score the rest of the way, as the Tiger defense twice more got the ball back for the offense. But the Mizzou offense couldn't convert a 3rd-and-2 from its own 42 on its first chance, and also came up short on a 4th-and-2 rush by Temple from its own 46 on its last possession. Replays showed that Temple might have gotten a bad spot, as he came up a football length short, but the the play was not reviewed.
   A&M held the ball for a commanding 41 minutes and 30 seconds, and converted 9-of-15 third down situations, as the Tiger defense couldn't muster any turnovers, one week after forcing 5 Texas Tech turnovers that turned into 28 MU points.

MIZZOU FEATURES 28 TEXAS TIGERS
   From day one of his tenure at Missouri, Head Coach Gary Pinkel identified the state of Texas as a recruiting priority. Over the years, the Tigers have mined the state for athletes who developed into All-Big 12 honorees, including the likes of MU's alltime career passing leader and 2007 Heisman finalist QB Chase Daniel (Southlake), 2009 NFL Draft 1st-Round pick Ziggy Hood (Amarillo), 2010 NFL Draft 1st-Round pick Sean Weatherspoon (Jasper) and 2009 All-American WR Danario Alexander (Marlin), among many others.
   Mizzou features 28 Texas natives on its roster in 2010, including 8 projected starters for Saturday, including 6 on defense and 2 on offense. Projected starters on defense include senior co-captain CB Kevin Rutland (Houston), junior SS Kenji Jackson (Mansfield), junior LB Will Ebner (Friendswood), junior DE Jacquies Smith (Dallas), junior DT Dominique Hamilton (El Paso) and sophomore LB Zaviar Gooden (Pflugerville). The pair of possible Texas starters on offense include the nation's leading pass-catching TE in junior Michael Egnew (Plainview), as well as junior WR Jerrell Jackson (Houston).
   Add to that mix some key reserves such as sophomore TB Kendial Lawrence (Rockwall), sophomore CB Kip Edwards (Arlington), as well as freshmen James Franklin (QB - Corinth), leading rusher Henry Josey (TB - Angleton), Marcus Murphy (TB - DeSoto) and Michael Sam (DE - Hitchcock), and there's quite a flavor of Texans on the field at any time for the Tigers.
   In addition, 4 of Mizzou's 6 true freshmen who have seen the field so far in 2010 are from the Lone Star State, including Franklin, Josey, Murphy and TE Eric Waters (Mansfield).
Here's a full listing of Mizzou's Texas Tigers:

COMPARING THE DEFENSIVE NUMBERS
   Coaches aren't real fond about comparing stats from different years, since each team is its own reality. But, that never stopped us from doing it, so with that, let's take a look at the numbers which show Mizzou's defense, through 5 games in 2010, is a much-improved unit overall...

TIGERS HAVE WON 28 STRAIGHT WHEN WINNING TURNOVER BATTLE
   Tiger Head Coach Gary Pinkel always touts the importance of turnovers, and how no other statistic can more directly impact the outcome of ballgames. Mizzou's emphasis on both taking care of the ball on offense, and getting it out on defense, have led to outstanding results in 2010 thus far.
   Through 5 games, Mizzou ranks 10th in the nation in turnover margin, at +1.00 per game and is among the nation's best defenses at forcing takeaways (14), including 9 interceptions gained, which is already one more than the 8 that Mizzou picked off in 13 games in 2009. Mizzou is picking off a pass once in every 11.8 pass attempts so far in 2010 (9 INTs in 106 attempts), and that's a huge improvement from the ratio of once every 59.4 pass attempts by opponents in 2009 (8 INTs in 475 attempts).
   Research shows that when MU is on the plus side of the turnover equation in a game, the results are astoundingly good. Coming into Saturday's game against Texas A&M, Mizzou has won 28 straight games when it has been at least +1 in turnover margin. The last time Mizzou dropped a game in which it was positive in turnovers was in 2005 at Kansas, when MU was +1, but lost, 13-3.
   In 2010, MU has been plus in 3-of-5 games, beginning the year by finishing +3 against both Illinois and McNeese State, and going +2 against Miami (Ohio). The Tigers were minus-2 in turnovers against San Diego State (including three 4th-quarter turnovers), which contributed heavily to the need for posting a comeback win. Last time out, the Tigers were actually minus-1 against Colorado (2 turnovers/1 takeaway), but still managed the shutout win.
   The streak of 28 wins includes the 3 aformentioned games in 2010, plus all 7 games in 2009 when MU was plus in turnover margin, 3 in 2008, 9 in 2007, 5 in 2006, and the last instance in 2005, which was the 2005 Independence Bowl victory over South Carolina.

2010 SENIOR CLASS HAS EYES ON SCHOOL WINS RECORD
   Mizzou's senior class isn't very big (just 16 in all) but they've no doubt played a big role in helping the Tigers elevate the overall standing of the program in their time at MU. The 2010 senior class entered the season having collected 30 wins over the previous three years, and with 5 wins so far in 2010, that puts them within reach of the school record of 38 wins over a four-year period, which was established by the 2009 class.
   The 2009 class one-upped the record of 37, which had been established just the previous year by the 2008 class. The 2010 class has been a very key group of players and leaders who have helped push Mizzou to new heights. They have been part of two Big 12 North Division championship teams (2007, 2008), they've helped lead Mizzou to bowl games in each of the past four seasons overall (2006 Sun, 2008 Cotton, 2008 Alamo, 2009 Texas), and they were also part of the 2007 team which ascended to #1 in the BCS polls on Nov. 25th, 2007.
   If the 2010 team can reach a bowl game, this senior class will become only the fourth in MU history to play in four bowl games in a four-year span. The only previous classes to achieve that feat were the 1981 senior class, followed by the last two classes to come through (2008 & 2009).
   At right is a look at the most prolific senior classes at Mizzou, in terms of wins.

PINKEL STANDS 3RD ON ALLTIME MU COACHING WINS LIST
   Mizzou Head Coach Gary Pinkel is in his 10th season at MU (20th overall as a head coach) and touts a career record of 145-83-3 (63.4%).
   Pinkel, who has led MU to a combined record of 50-21 (70.4%) over the past 5+ seasons, and to bowl games in 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009, has a 10-year record in Columbia of 72-46 (61.0%). Dating back to the 2005 Independence Bowl win over Steve Spurrier and South Carolina, Pinkel has won 44 of his last 60 games overall (73.3%).
   MU's win in the 2008 opener against Illinois gave Pinkel his 50th MU win, and he now ranks 3rd on the coaching wins list at MU, with 72.
   Pinkel is in a select group of Mizzou coaches that includes College Football Hall of Famers Don Faurot and Dan Devine, as well as Warren Powers, to be the only coaches to have an MU record of above .500 (with at least one full season coached) dating all the way back to 1935. At right is a quick look at the top winning coaches in MU history.
   For his efforts in 2007, Pinkel was a finalist for several national coach of the year awards, including the Robinson, Bryant and Munger awards. He was also named the National Coach of the Year by FieldTurf in 2007.
   Mizzou's bowl appearance in 2009 means that Pinkel has led MU to 6 bowl games overall, and he now joins Devine as the only other coach to guide MU to 6 bowl games.
   Pinkel has directed Mizzou to 6 winning seasons (8-5 in 2003, 7-5 in 2005, 8-5 in 2006, 12-2 in 2007, 10-4 in 2008 and 8-5 in 2009), with those representing 6 of MU's 8 winning campaigns dating back to the 1983 season.
   The Big 12 North Division titles won by Mizzou in 2007 and 2008 represent the first football conference title of any kind Mizzou has won since 1969 - the last time it claimed a share of the old Big Eight Conference crown.
   In November of 2008, Pinkel agreed to a new seven-year contract, meaning he'll patrol the Tiger sidelines through the 2015 season.