Mizzou Celebrates 108th Homecoming as it Closes Five-Game Homestand vs. Ole Miss

Saturday, October 12

Columbia, Mo.

6 p.m.

University of Missouri

Ole Miss

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Mizzou Celebrates 108th Homecoming as it Closes Five-Game Homestand vs. Ole Miss

10/8/2019 10:05:00 AM | Football

Tigers look for fifth straight win as it welcomes SEC West's Rebels

TIGERS CELEBRATE 108th HOMECOMING
OPPONENT	LOCATION	DAY	TIME (CT)	WATCH	STATS
vs. Ole Miss	Columbia, Mo.	Saturday, Oct. 12	6:00 PM	ESPN2	Stats

#ShowMe Mizzou Game Notes

MIZZOU HOSTS 108TH HOMECOMING AS OLE MISS COMES TO THE ZOU SATURDAY

Mizzou Football (4-1, 1-0 SEC) will close a five-game homestand - its longest since 1908 - as it welcomes Ole Miss to The Zou for the school's 108th Homecoming celebration this Saturday (Oct. 12) at 6 p.m. The game will air live on ESPN2 and the Tiger Radio Network. The game is Mizzou's first Homecoming night kick since 2015. Should the Tigers defeat Ole Miss Saturday, it would close a perfect 5-0 homestand. The Tigers play their next three games on the road and will not be back at Memorial Stadium until Nov. 16 against Florida.

MIZZOU IS THE HOMECOMING BIRTHPLACE

Mizzou, which is the birthplace of Homecoming, is 62-40-5 all-time in Homecoming games. Legend says that the Homecoming tradition got its start at the University of Missouri in 1911, thanks to the vision and efforts of Chester L. Brewer, Mizzou's Director of Athletics at the time. Although Illinois staged a similar celebration in 1910, Missouri claims its 1911 effort as one of the first formal Homecoming celebrations surrounding a football game. That year, the Missouri-Kansas game was to be played on a college campus for the first time ever. Previously, the game had been played in either Kansas City or St. Joseph, Mo.
Brewer wanted to add some spice to the season-ending game in Columbia, so he issued a plea to Mizzou alumni and especially to former Tiger football players to "Come Home" for the game. They did just that, with a record crowd of 9,000 overflowing old Rollins Field.
With four minutes to play, and Mizzou trailing by three, Tiger captain Glen Shuck booted a tying field goal from a difficult angle. Then, little Billy Blees caught a rampaging KU fullback in the open field in the final seconds to preserve the tie, and was carried off the field a hero. Hence, "Homecoming" was born.
Mizzou has won 12 of its last 17 Homecoming games, including a landmark 36-27 win over BCS No. 1-ranked Oklahoma in 2010 (36-27). The Tigers also got their first-ever SEC win in the 2012 Homecoming tilt against Kentucky (a 33-10 Tiger victory). Mizzou won last year's Homecoming game, dominating Memphis in a 65-33 win.

A DOMINANT STRETCH AT #THEZOU

Coming into Saturday's game against Ole Miss, Mizzou carries an impressive streak in tote. Dating back to Nov. 10, 2018, Mizzou has won its last six home games, doing so by a combined total of 235-59 (39.2-9.8 avg.).
The streak is even more impressive when you look at the last five games. Mizzou's last five opponents at Faurot Field/Memorial Stadium have gone home wearing sound defeats, dating back to the home finale last year vs. Arkansas. In MU's last five home games against Arkansas, West Virginia, SEMO, South Carolina and Troy, the Tigers have dominated to the tune of a combined 202-to-31 on the scoreboard.
Here's a breakdown of some key stats in those five contests:

Date	Opponent	Result	MU Offense	Opp. Offense	MU Rush	Opp. Rush
11-23-18	Arkansas	W, 38-0	408	187	181	52
9-7-19	W. Virginia	W, 38-7	382	171	232	30
9-14-19	SEMO	W, 50-0	501	94	259	40
9-21-29	S. Carolina	W, 34-14	421	271	194	16
10-5-19	Troy	W, 42-10	443	211	165	61
TOTALS		202-31	2155	934	1031	199
AVG.		40.4-6.0	431.0	186.8	206.2	39.8

There are plenty of telling stats above from Mizzou's last five home games, but the most staggering may be Mizzou's ability to slow the run, allowing just an incredible 39.8 yards per game on the ground. Ole Miss is coming off of a 413-yard performance on the ground vs. Vanderbilt last week and ranked 16th nationally, averaging 234.3 rushing yards per game, as Mizzou's rush defense will be put to the test Saturday.

SERIES VS. OLE MISS

Mizzou leads the all-time series with Ole Miss, 6-1, with six of the meetings coming outside of the SEC.
Mizzou won the only meeting between the two teams as SEC foes, 24-10, in Oxford during Mizzou's 2013 SEC East title run.
Mizzou played three home-and-home series with Ole Miss before the Tigers joined the SEC, the first coming in the 1973 and 1974 seasons. Mizzou won in Columbia during the 1973 season, 17-0, but Ole Miss won the next year in Oxford, 10-0. Mizzou has since won the last five meetings in the all-time series, winning in 1978 (45-14 in Columbia), 1979 (33-7 in Jackson, Miss.), 2006 (34-7 in Columbia) and then in 2007 (38-25 in Oxford). The 2007 win was part of a 12-2 season that saw Mizzou rank as high as No. 1 nationally while claiming a Big 12 North title and the No. 4 ranking in the final AP poll.

LAST TIME OUT VS. TROY

Mizzou Football extended its winning streak to four games with a 42-10 victory over Troy, Oct. 5 at Memorial Stadium. Senior QB Kelly Bryant and senior LB Cale Garrett shined for Mizzou in the game, as Bryant accounted for four touchdowns for the first time in his career, and Garrett found the end zone for the third-consecutive game. Mizzou extended its streak of scoring 30+ points to 10-straight games, the nation's second-longest active streak, behind only Oklahoma with 15.
With the win, Mizzou moved to 4-1 on the season while Troy fell to 2-3.
Bryant had an efficient day, as he went 12-19 for 221 yards with three TDs through the air, while adding a rushing TD. His QB rating of 213.0 was a career-high and ranks 11th all-time in program history for a single game.
Garrett improved his career interception total to six, picking off a pair of passes in the second quarter of the game, including returning one to the end zone for his third-straight game with a score. He becomes just the second player in program history to record three defensive touchdowns in a season, joining Erik McMillan, who had three pick-sixes in 1987. Garrett also had six tackles, three for a loss, one sack and two QB hurries in the game.
RS junior TE Albert Okwuegbunam hauled in his 22nd career TD reception, moving him into a tie for second place in career TD receptions in program history. He matches Mizzou legends Jeremy Maclin and Danario Alexander.

#ZOUNOTES - Stats You Need to Know

10: The number of consecutive games that Mizzou has scored 31+ points, dating back to the 2018 season. That is the longest streak for Mizzou since a 14-game span from 2006-07.
6: Consecutive home games won by Mizzou dating back to last year's 33-28 win over Vanderbilt. In the Tigers' last five home games, they are outscoring opponents, 202-31 (40.4-6.2 average) and have allowed just 199 total rushing yards (39.8 avg.). In four home games this season, Mizzou has allowed just 147 total rushing yards (36.8 avg.).
18-7: Mizzou's record over its last 25 games, dating back to the midway point of the 2017 season. That record is fourth-best among SEC schools over their last 25 games (only Alabama, Georgia and LSU have better records) and it's the ninth-best mark in Power 5.
5: Defensive scores (all TDs) for Mizzou this season. That's the most in the nation and matches the school record for defensive touchdowns in a single season (the 2005 and 2008 teams also had five defensive TDs). Mizzou has eight defensive TDs over the last 12 games, including five defensive TDs in its last four games.
4: Mizzou's four-consecutive games with a defensive TD marks the first time the Tigers have done so since the 2007 Cotton Bowl and the first three games of the 2008 season.
79-7: Scoring margin for Mizzou in the first quarter this season. Over Mizzou's last eight games, that number improves to 95-14. The Tigers' red-hot defense has allowed just 220 total yards in the first quarter this season.
16.6%: Mizzou's third down defense percentage over the last two games. Opponents converted just 10 of 51 third downs in that span.
35: Points scored by Mizzou's defense over the last four games. The Tiger D has allowed just 31 points during that span.

IMPRESSIVE STREAK STARTING WITH 2017 SECOND HALF

Mizzou's turnaround during the 2017 season is well documented as Barry Odom's team became just the 13th team in FBS to history to start 1-5 and make a bowl game. The Tigers were just the second SEC team to accomplish that feat and were the first team in SEC history to start league play 0-4 and finish 4-4.
Looking back on that second-half turn-around, the 25 games since the start of the second half of 2017 have showed incredible progress for Coach Odom and his program, one that should paint a pretty vivid picture of where the team is headed.
Mizzou is 18-7 over the last 25 games, the SEC's fourth-best mark and the ninth-best mark in all of Power 5. Only Alabama (23-2), Georgia (20-5) and LSU (20-5) have better records than Mizzou over their last 25 games. Below is a look at the Power 5 ranks:

Team	Wins	Losses
1. Clemson	24	1
Ohio State	24	1
3. Alabama	23	2
4. Oklahoma	22	3
5. Georgia	20	5
LSU	20	5
7. Penn State	19	6
Wisconsin	19	6
9. Mizzou	18	7
Texas	18	7

DEFENSE IS STRAIGHT SALTY

Mizzou's defense has been one of the Southeastern Conference's most pleasant surprises early in the 2019 season. The Tigers have been dominant on that side of the ball, especially since returning home to #TheZou, and the numbers support that. Below is a look at where Mizzou ranks nationally in several categories.
       • Yards Per Pass: #2 (4.6)
       • Total Defense: #2 (227.2)
       • Passing Defense: #2 (138.4)
       • Yards Per Play: #3 (3.64)
       • Scoring Defense: #10 (13.6)
       • Yards Per Rush: #11 (2.76)
       • Rushing Defense: #12 (88.8)
The only four FBS teams to rank in the top 12 in rushing defense, passing defense, total defense and scoring defense are Mizzou, Wisconsin, Ohio State and Iowa.
Aside from the more traditional metrics above, Mizzou also rates highly in several other key defensive categories nationally:
       • Defensive TDs: #1 (five)
       • Team Passing Efficiency Defense: #2 (83.46)
       • First Down Defense: #3 (61)
       • Red Zone Defense: #8 (.667)
       • Third Down Defense: #10 (.266)
Mizzou's opponents have reached the red zone just nine times this year - only Iowa has allowed fewer (six).

STUFFING THE RUN

One of the keys to Mizzou's dominant defense has been its ability to stuff the run. Mizzou has had four-straight games holding the opponent to fewer than 75 yards rushing.
       • West Virginia: 30
       • SEMO: 40
       •South Carolina: 16
       • Troy: 61
This is the first time since 2009 that Mizzou has held three opponents in a single season below the 50-yard mark. It's the first time in the last decade that Mizzou limited opponents to fewer than 75 rushing yards in four-straight games.
The Tigers have allowed just 147 total rushing yards over the last four games (36.8 per game).

DEFENSE FINDING PAY DIRT

After Cale Garrett's pick-six last weekend vs. Troy, Mizzou now leads the nation with its five defensive touchdowns.
Mizzou has eight defensive TDs over the last 12 games, including five defensive TDs in the last four games, and in four-straight games. The last time Mizzou recorded defensive scores in four-consecutive games was the first four weeks of the 2008 season (against Illinois, Southeast Missouri State, Nevada and Buffalo).
Mizzou has forced 10 TOs through five games (2.0/game). The Tigers had just 16 forced turnovers last year (1.23).
Mizzou has 55 points off of turnovers this season (11.0 per game).
Mizzou is one of just three Power 5 teams to have three players with multiple INTs (Ronnell Perkins, Nick Bolton, Cale Garrett). Mizzou is 10th nationally with seven INTs on the year.
Garrett leads the team with his three defensive scores - a pick-six vs. SEMO, a fumble recovery in the end zone vs. South Carolina and a pick-six vs. Troy.
Mizzou's five defensive TDs on the year are already tied for the most in a single season in school history. The Tigers need one more defensive scores to set the school record of six. Below is a look:
       • 5 – 2019 (4 INT / 1 FUM)
       • 5 – 2008 (5 INT)
       • 5 – 2005 (3 INT / 2 FUM)
       • 5 – 1998 (3 FUM / 2 INT)
       • 4 – 2014 (3 FUM / 1 INT)
       • 4 – 1979 (2 FUM / 2 INT)
Mizzou's defense has scored a mind-blowing 35 points over the last four games, while yielding just 31 points.
Mizzou's defense has now forced at least three turnovers in three of their five games this season (also doing so against West Virginia on Sept. 7 and South Carolina on Sept. 21).

FAST STARTS FOR THE TIGERS

Something to keep an eye on as Mizzou welcomes the Rebels to #TheZou Saturday is its ability to start fast this season. In five games, Mizzou is outscoring its opponents, 79-7, in the first quarter. Dating back to Nov. 10 of last season, that mark is 95-14 as Mizzou is dominating the first quarter of play over its last nine games (7-2 overall record in that span).
Mizzou has trailed for just 1:43 in the opening stanza this year.
Mizzou outscored Wyoming, 14-0, in the opening 15 minutes before taking a 10-0 lead over WVU in week two after the first. Mizzou then hung 27 points on SEMO during the first quarter of the shutout win. The Tigers took a 7-0 over South Carolina into the second quarter and hung 21 on Troy last week after trailing, 7-0.
The Tigers' red-hot defense has allowed just 220 total yards in the first quarter this season and has forced a three-and-out on four of its opponents five opening drives. The defense also has a pair of first-quarter scores during that span (Cale Garrett's fumble recovery vs. South Carolina and his pick-six vs. SEMO).

AN IMPRESSIVE OFFENSIVE STREAK

As Mizzou gets set for Ole Miss Saturday, it will do so with an impressive offensive streak in tote. After hanging 42 points on Troy, Mizzou has now scored at least 31 points in the last 10 games. That is the longest such streak for Mizzou since doing so in 14 straight from Nov. 25, 2006 through Dec. 1, 2007. Below is a look:
       • Oct. 5, 2019 vs. Troy - W, 42-10
       • Sept. 21, 20189 vs. South Carolina - W, 34-14
       • Sept. 14, 2019 vs. SEMO - W, 50-0
       • Sept. 7, 2019 vs. WVU - W, 38-7
       • Aug. 31, 2019 at Wyoming - L, 37-31
       • Dec. 31, 2018 vs. Oklahoma State - L, 38-33
       • Nov. 23, 2018 vs. Arkansas - W, 38-0
       • Nov. 17, 2018 at Tennessee - W, 50-17
       • Nov. 10, 2018 vs. Vanderbilt - W, 33-28
       • Nov. 3, 2018 at Florida - W, 38-17
Over that span, Mizzou is 8-2 overall while averaging 38.4 points per game.

DESPITE INJURY, GARRETT HAS SHINED THIS YEAR

Mizzou senior LB Cale Garrett again keyed Mizzou to another dominant defensive performance last weekend vs. Troy, as he led the Tigers with six tackles (including three tackles for loss and one quarterback sack) and added two interceptions in Mizzou's 42-10 win.
Unfortunately, he suffered a pectoral injury and is out indefinitely.
Garrett grabbed two more interceptions on the day, running the second one back 33 yards for a touchdown – marking the third-straight game Garrett has scored a defensive TD (an MU record). Garrett is the first player in program history to record a defensive touchdown in three-consecutive games. He is the first player to score three defensive touchdowns in a season for Mizzou since Erik McMillan had three interceptions returned for touchdowns in 1987.
His first INT came just a half-yard short of another pick-six, as he picked it off on the Troy 27, and was tackled inside the one.
Garrett also added a pair of quarterback pressures on the day as the Tigers limited Troy to season lows in total offense, points and passing yardage.
MU held Troy 30 points below its season average coming in (40.8), 311 yards below its season average in total offense (had 211, averaged 512.5 coming in) and 92 yards below its season average in passing offense (had 150, averaged 342.0 coming in).
Through five games, Garrett now leads the SEC in both tackles (8.4 p/g) and interceptions (4), as well as defensive touchdowns (3). He ranks fourth nationally in interceptions and he's the only player thus far with two INT returns for TDs.
Garrett leads Mizzou with 43 tackles through five games. He is a preseason first-team All-SEC pick by multiple outlets and third-team preseason All-American by College Football News, and has been filling up the stat sheet during the first five weeks of action.
In the season-opener vs. Wyoming, Garrett posted a team- and career-high 16 tackles, 12 of which were solo stops.
Garrett's 16 tackles at Wyoming were the most for a Mizzou player since Kentrell Brothers had 17 on Oct. 17, 2015, at Georgia.
Garrett is coming off of a 2018 season during which he led the team with 112 total tackles, the third-most of any returning SEC defender. Looking deeper at his stats, Garrett's 307 career tackles are the fifth-most of any Power 5 defender and are the seventh-most of any active FBS defender.
While the traditional stats all look great for Garrett, he also jumps out on official game film. ProFootballFocus.com graded him as the SEC's top-returning linebacker this season after he made a staggering 93 percent of attempted tackles a year ago, fourth-best at any position in the SEC.
Garrett's 307 career tackles rank 18th in program history. Should he produce at a similar rate, Garrett would finish his storied Mizzou career with 378 career stops, good for sixth all-time at Mizzou, and two places higher than his current head coach Barry Odom. He is currently nine back of Lynn Evans (1972-74) who had 316 tackles in his career.

BRYANT WITH BIG DAY vs. TROY

Mizzou senior QB Kelly Bryant had a big first half against Troy before sitting the second half due to an injury late in the second quarter.
Bryant recorded his first rushing touchdown as a Missouri Tiger when he powered into the end zone for a three-yard score midway through the first quarter. It was Bryant's first rushing touchdown since Dec. 2, 2017 (while at Clemson, Bryant ran for an 11-yard score in the 2017 ACC Championship game, in which Clemson defeated Miami, 38-3).
Bryant's three passing touchdowns boosted him to double-digit passing touchdowns for the season (11). For the first time in his career, Bryant accounted for four offensive touchdowns (three passing TDs and one rushing TD) in a single game.
Bryant's 213.0 QB rating on the day is a career-high and ranks 11th all-time for a single game at Mizzou.

KAM SCOTT MAKES PLAYS vs. TROY

Sophomore WR Kam Scott's 49-yard reception in the first quarter was the second-longest grab of his career. Scott's five receptions and 88 receiving yards in the game both mark new career highs.
Scott now has 16 career receptions, with seven of those catches gaining 29+ yards.
Scott earned his first start of the season last Saturday vs. Troy and turned in his most productive game as a Tiger.

NANCE DEVELOPING INTO TIGERS TOP WR THREAT

With his 64-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter against Troy, graduate transfer WR Jonathan Nance now leads all Mizzou WRs in touchdown grabs this season (three). The catch was the longest of Nance's collegiate career (previous long was at Arkansas; Nance snagged a 54-yard reception on Nov. 4, 2017 when the Razorbacks beat Coastal Carolina, 39-38).
Nance's 81 receiving yards on the day are a new Mizzou career high for the senior. It was Nance's most receiving yards since Oct. 7, 2017 (while at Arkansas, he recorded 116 receiving yards on eight receptions in a 48-22 loss to South Carolina).
On the year, he has 11 catches for a team-high 225 yards and his three TD grabs trail only TE phenom Albert Okwuegbunam (five).

TIGERS OFF THE BEST START UNDER ODOM

After Mizzou's 42-10 win over Troy last Saturday, fourth-year head coach Barry Odom is off to his best start as Mizzou head coach, going 4-1 over the first five games.

OTHER NOTABLES FROM LAST WEEK'S WIN

Junior RB Larry Rountree III recorded his fifth rushing touchdown of the season with a one-yard push into the end zone in the first quarter. Rountree III has rushed for a touchdown in four of the Tigers' five games this season.
Freshman TE Niko Hea hauled in his first career reception with a six-yard catch in the third quarter.
Redshirt sophomore QB Taylor Powell's six completions were a career high.
Sophomore DB Jarvis Ware set a career-high in tackles with five, all of which were solo.
Sophomore LB Cameron Wilkins secured his first career fumble recovery on a second quarter kick-off.
Wilkins also matched a career-high with five tackles.
Junior S Joshuah Bledsoe became the first Mizzou player to break up a pair of passes in back-to-back games since Aarion Penton did so in weeks two and three of the 2016 season.

TREY, WELCOME TO CLUB 2,000

Junior RB Larry Rountree III entered elite company during Mizzou's week two game vs. West Virginia. He posted 104 yards on the ground, moving his career rushing total to 2,064, becoming the 18th player in program history to eclipse the 2,000-yard mark.
Needing just 28 games to move past the 2,000-yard mark, Rountree is the fastest Tiger to ever accomplish that feat by games. He is averaging more than 76 yards per game in his career.
He is the fourth-fastest Mizzou player to rush for 2,000 yards in a career, crossing the threshold on his 374th career carry. He trails only Damarea Crockett (334), Henry Josey (293) and Bob Steuber (281). Rountree's 1,919 yards coming into the season were the most-ever by a Mizzou RB in his first two years.
Heading into Saturday's game, he has a realistic chance if he hits his career single-game average (75.8), to pass three more Tigers on the all-time rushing list. He sits just seven yards back of James Wilder for 10th place. Below is a look:

Rank. Player (years)	Yards	Total Carries
8. Corby Jones (1995-98) (QB)	2533	559
9. Ish Witter (2014-17)	2418	503
10. James Wilder (1978-80)	2357	487
11. Larry Rountree III (2017-19)	2350	431

Among active FBS players, Rountree's 2,350 yards rank 21st and ninth among non-seniors. Among active Power 5 players, his yardage total is 11th and only Vanderbilt's Ke'Shawn Vaughn ranks ahead of him in the SEC.

JAYJAY ALSO HITS 2,000 YARDS

The nation's best slot receiver may indeed play at Mizzou in senior Johnathon Johnson, known affectionately by his teammates and those around the program as JayJay.
Heading into Saturday's game with Ole Miss, Johnson's career total of 2,061 receiving yards is just 718 away from Mizzou's all-time career record.
With 52 yards vs. South Carolina, Johnson moved over the 2,000-yard mark, becoming the 11th Mizzou player to accomplish that feat. That put him with some pretty elite company considering the likes of Jeremy Maclin, Danario Alexander and countless other WRs set the standard for receiving in the late 2000s at Mizzou. He currently sits No. 10 on Mizzou's all-time yards chart, an impressive feat considering all 10 other players ranked among Mizzou's top 11 played in the NFL.
Below is a look at Mizzou's all-time career receiving yards chart:

Career (by yardage)	Yds.	Rec.	TDs	Years
1. Danario Alexander	2778	191	22	2006-09
2. Justin Gage	2704	200	18	1999-02
3. Chase Coffman (TE)	2659	247	30	2005-08
4. J'Mon Moore	2477	158	21	2014-17
5. Jeremy Maclin	2315	182	22	2007-08
6. Martin Rucker (TE)	2175	203	18	2004-07
7. Victor Bailey	2144	128	12	1990-92
8. William Franklin	2125	143	13	2004-07
9. T.J. Moe	2101	188	11	2009-12
10. J. Johnson	2061	142	13	2016-19
11. Emanuel Hall	2016	97	16	2015-18

CLUB 2,000 MEMBERSHIP IS RATHER EXCLUSIVE

Now that you know Mizzou has both a 2,000-yard rusher and a 2,000-yard receiver, we bet you're wondering how many Power 5 schools have one of both. Don't worry, we looked that up, too.
Mizzou is one of just four Power 5 programs to have each, joining Oklahoma, Vanderbilt and Minnesota. Below is a list:

School	Rusher	Rush Yds	Receiver	Receiving Yards
Oklahoma	Jalen Hurts	2475	CeeDee Lamb	2404
Vanderbilt	Ke'Shawn Vaughn	2735	Kalija Lipscomb	2188
Mizzou	Larry Rountree	2350	Johnathon Johnson	2061
Minnesota	Rodney Smith	3495	Tyler Johnson	2337

YES, HE McCANN DO IT ALL

Senior K/P Tucker McCann left his imprint all over the game in Mizzou's dominating 50-0 win over Southeast Missouri last month, scoring 14 points, (including three field goals of 40 yards or more), while he averaged 55.4 yards on five punts (two inside 20-yardline, plus a career-long 62-yarder), and booted all nine kickoffs through the end zone for touchbacks.
According to sports-reference.com, McCann became the first FBS player this century to average at least 50 yards per punt (minimum four punts), while making three field goals of 40 yards or more.
His three field goals were good from 42, 44 and 52 yards, with the latter giving him three career kicks of 50 yards or more (third-most in MU history).
McCann has been virtually automatic on kickoffs so far, as he is second nationally with a touchback percentage of 94.44% (34-of-36). One of his two kickoffs that did not result in a tocuhback came last week after an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty forced him to kick off from the 20. He still booted it down to the goal line, forcing a return and Mizzou's coverage team came up with a forced fumble and recovery on the kick.
He ranks 11th nationally among kickers in scoring through five games (45 points), while he also ranks 44th in net punting (393.4 avg.).
McCann has a shot at leaving his name all over the Mizzou record book. He enters week six with 321 career points, which is third on the MU chart, and 41 points behind the record of 362 set by former great Jeff Wolfert (2006-08).
Against West Virginia, McCann passed Brad Smith (284 points from 2002-05) on Mizzou's all-time scoring list to rank third.
With 52 career field goals (70 attempts), McCann is 14 behind record-holder Andrew Baggett (66 from 2012-15).
McCann made a 57-yarder in the final two minutes at South Carolina last season that gave MU a lead – it was the longest made field goal in the NCAA in 2018 by any kicker.

ALBERT O SCORING AT SCORCHING PACE

Stop us if you've heard this before, but Mizzou RS junior TE Albert Okwuegbunam found the end zone multiple times in Mizzou's week two win over West Virginia. He posted touchdown receptions of 26 and 16 yards, good for his 18th and 19th career touchdowns.
Okwuegbunam's 16-yard touchdown snag in the second quarter vs. Troy was the 22nd of his career, moving him into a tie for second place in Mizzou history (tied with former Tiger receivers Danario Alexander and Jeremy Maclin).
Okwuegbunam trails only Chase Coffman (30 receiving TDs) in all-time Mizzou touchdown receptions.
Keep in mind, he's tallied those 22 touchdowns in just 27 career games.
Okwuegbunam is the first Tiger to record receiving touchdowns in four-consecutive games since Jonathon Johnson did so in 2017-2018 (recorded at least one receiving touchdown from the 2017 Texas Bowl through the first three games of the 2018 season).
Albert O is averaging a touchdown every 3.8 receptions in his career. He has 12 catches this season and five have went for scores as his knack for finding the end zone is almost unprecedented at Mizzou. Below is a look at Mizzou's top five pass catchers ranked by number of touchdowns, and their reception-TD ratio.

Player (years)	TDs	Receptions	Ratio
1. Chase Coffman (2005-08)*	30	247	8.2
2. A. Okwuegbunam (2017-19)*	22	84	3.8
Jeremy Maclin (2007-08)	22	182	8.3
Danario Alexander (2006-09)	22	191	8.7
5. J'Mon Moore (2014-17)	21	158	7.5

As you can see, Albert O is scoring touchdowns at an incredible pace. The next-best player among Mizzou's top all-time TD catchers is J'Mon Moore at one every 7.5 catches.
In addition, Albert O now has six multiple-score games in his career as his performance vs. WVU was his first since housing three catches against Memphis on Oct. 20, 2018, vs. Memphis. His six multiple-touchdown games are the most-ever by a Mizzou TE, passing Chase Coffman who had five. Okwuegbunam tallied his six career multiple-TD performances in just 23 games. Coffman did his five in 50 career games.
Expectations both inside and outside the program are big for Albert O in 2019 – he's been named a preseason first-team All-American by Sports Illustrated, College Football News, the Associated Press and Phil Steele and he also began the season on both the Mackey and Biletnikoff watch lists.
His full name is Albert Chukwueneka Okwuegbunam, and the Nigerian translation of Okwuegbunam means "Evil cannot bring us down" while his middle name means "God has done wonderful for us."

ESPN'S FPI LOVES MIZZOU, TOO

Through the first six weeks of play, Mizzou ranks 17th nationally in ESPN's Football Power Index, which is a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of a team's performance going forward for the rest of the season. FPI represents how many points above or below average a team is. Projected results are based on 10,000 simulations of the rest of the season using FPI, results to date, and the remaining schedule.
The No. 17 ranking in the FPI is due in large part to Mizzou's No. 4 rank in defensive efficiency. That is the SEC's best mark.

ELLIOTT, WHITESIDE DOMINANT ON THE INTERIOR

Mizzou's starting DT combination of Jordan Elliott and Kobie Whiteside has been tremendous this season. Elliott leads the team with 5.0 tackles for loss (tied with Cale Garrett) while Whiteside leads the team with 4.0 sacks on the year.
Those two, aside from impressing with their TFL and sack numbers, have been Mizzou's two most consistently graded performers. According to ProFootballFocus.com, Elliott has a season grade of 91.0, second-best on the team and tops among DL. Whiteside is fourth on the team and second among DL with his 83.9 grade.