| Opponent | Location | Day/Time (CT) |
|---|---|---|
| UCF | Memorial Stadium / Faurot Field - Columbia, Mo. | Saturday / 11:00 am CT |
| Game Media | SEC Network | Channel Finder | WatchESPN | | Live Audio | |
| UCF Prep | Tickets | |
Monday: Mizzou Game Notes  | Depth Chart | UCF Game Notes | Pinkel Press Conference  | Quotes |
||
TIGERS AND KNIGHTS TO DO BATTLE
The 20th-ranked Mizzou Tigers (2-0) return home to the friendly confines of Faurot Field/Memorial Stadium this Saturday morning, where they will play host to the UCF Knights (0-1). Kickoff for Saturday's game is set for 11:01 a.m., and the game will be televised on the SEC Network.
Mizzou is coming off a solid 49-24 road victory last Saturday at Toledo, a team which is favored by many to be the MAC West Division favorite. The Tigers won their 6th-consecutive road game with a prolific passing attack and another disruptive effort by its renowned defensive line. Sophomore QB Maty Mauk, playing just 75 miles away from his hometown of Kenton, Ohio, tied an MU single-game record with five touchdown passes and a career-best 325 yards. He also added a TD run to give him six total scores on the day, which also tied a Mizzou single-game record (Terry McMillan at Kansas in 1969 and Corby Jones at Oklahoma State in 1997). Senior WR Bud Sasser had a career-day as he caught 5 passes for 121 yards and a score, while he also forced a key fumble in the 1st quarter after Toledo intercepted a pass. Defensive ends Shane Ray (2 sacks) and Markus Golden (2 tackles for loss, 1 sack) had big days as the defense held Toledo in check for much of the day. The Tigers jumped out to a 28-7 halftime lead, and never led by less than two touchdowns the rest of the way, as Head Coach Gary Pinkel (the winningest coach in the history of both Mizzou and Toledo) won in his return to the stadium where he coached the Rockets for 10 seasons (1991-2000).
UCF had a bye last Saturday following their season-opening game against Penn State on Aug. 30th in Dublin, Ireland (a 26-24 loss). The Knights trailed the entire day, but mustered a clutch 75-yard scoring drive to take a 24-23 lead with just 1:13 left in the game, only to see Penn State rally to kick a game-winning 36-yard field goal as time expired. UCF had just 12 yards of total offense at halftime, and eventually trailed 13-3 midway through the 3rd quarter, before rallying behind backup QB Justin Holman, who led them on three touchdown drives spanning 70, 78 and 75 yards, respectively.
LAST TIME VS. THE KNIGHTS
This is just the second meeting between Mizzou and UCF, with the only other game coming in 2012, when Mizzou held on for a 21-16 road win in Orlando, Fla. The Knights held a 10-7 halftime lead in that game until Mizzou's Marcus Murphy broke a 3rd-quarter 66-yard punt return for a score to give Mizzou a lead it would never relinquish. The Tigers would add a 4th-quarter score by TB Kendial Lawrence for a 21-10 lead, but UCF rallied behind QB Blake Bortles with a TD with 4:34 to play to account for the final score. Unable to kill the entire clock, Mizzou punted the ball away and held on as the Tiger defense forced a turnover near midfield in the final minute to clinch the win. Tiger QB James Franklin threw for 257 yards and 1 touchdown, while Lawrence ran for 104 yards and a score.