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Gary Pinkel, Missouri Head Coach

Opening statement...
"I'm really proud of our football team. That's probably an understatement. Texas A&M is a very good football team. It went down to the end, and that's what happens when two good teams play. I felt we made some plays at the end, fortunately, to win the football game. You're always proud of your team when you get a fourth down stop inside 3-yard line. The offense comes out and gets that one first down that we needed in a really tough situation, so you're proud as a football coach to see your team play like that, to make those plays in the fourth quarter."

On the third quarter...
"We felt like most of the things were working. We had a lot of penalties and a lack of discipline. We just said, `Stick to it. We're going to run the same plays, and hopefully execute a little bit better.' I felt we did. It was a pretty good first half for us. Russell Hansbrough did a lot of good things. Maty (Mauk) probably had his best day. We had some good catches out there. Third downs on both sides of the football gave us opportunities. When you win a game like that, there are a lot of people who did a lot of good things."

On Markus Golden's game...
"Shane (Ray) has been getting a lot of attention, because he should. He's a great player. But, we are very fortunate to have a guy like Markus Golden on the other side. He really stood out today. He was everywhere. They are great competitors, and they're great teammates. They have a great friendship." Maty Mauk, Missouri Sophomore Quarterback

On the offense's day...
"It meant a lot to us. We put that work in. We had the bye week, and we wanted to get a jump on A&M. We came out here and we executed. That's what you have to do. You look at the third downs that we made. Our guys didn't give up on anything. They fought the entire game. First half, we came out a little slow. But, that second half we had a talk at halftime, and we came out firing."

Is this the best the offense has looked...
"I think so, for at least in six or seven weeks. To have Darius White back out there, that is huge for us. Our guys, it was on them, they caught balls and made plays. They came to play today. We wanted to do this for the guys that are from Texas. We wanted to come down here and get a win, and that's what we did." Markus Golden, Missouri Senior Defensive End

On getting the big stops...
"It was critical. That's what we do at Mizzou. We practice that all the time, so it was normal. When that play came on fourth down, I went in the huddle and told the team, `We do this all the time. This is nothing new to us.' We went out there and played the way Mizzou plays. We made it happen. We stopped them and got the victory."

On the fourth down at the end...
"Coach called a good play. We went out there and ran the play right. We played tough and physical like we do at Mizzou. We played hard and we stopped them."