The 2007 season for the Missouri Tigers will go down as one of the best in school history.  Achievements such as a school-record 12 wins and the highest season-end ranking in school history, a first-ever Big 12 North Division title, and a number-one national ranking for the first time in nearly 50 years were highlights.  A New Year’s Day bowl victory for the first time since 1966, two consensus All-Americans in one season for the first time in MU history, and a Heisman trophy finalist for the first time ever, to go with national recognition like never before were just icing on the proverbial cake for what was truly a magical season for Tiger fans all over the country.

After an eight-win season in 2006, hopes were high that Gary Pinkel’s Tigers would take the next step.  To many, that next step meant a Big 12 title, which Mizzou was picked to win in the Big 12 pre-season polls.

Every Pig Has His Day

The quest for greatness began on Sept. 1st against an upstart Illinois team expected to challenge for a Big Ten title, as the two border rivals renewed their popular game in St. Louis, Mo. at the Edward Jones Dome.  After Illinois drew first blood on a blocked punt, the Tigers settled down and took control, scoring 23 straight points to hold a 23-6 halftime lead.  Included in that scoring binge was what will go down in Tiger annals as one of the biggest plays in school history.  With MU clinging to a 7-6 lead and Illinois threatening, safety Pig Brown took center stage, recovering an Illinois fumble in the Tiger endzone, and running untouched 100-plus yards for a touchdown to turn a likely 13-7 deficit into a 14-6 Tiger lead.

Illinois would open the second half with a score to pull to within 10 points, at 23-13, but then it was time for redshirt freshman Jeremy Maclin, playing in his hometown of St. Louis, to take over.  Maclin scored on consecutive possessions, one on a touchdown reception, and then the back-breaker came when he returned a punt 66 yards for another score to put MU on top, 37-13 with 6:11 left in the third quarter.  Illinois wouldn’t quite go away, as the Illini rallied for three straight touchdowns to pull to within 37-34 before Mizzou responded with Wolfert’s 32-yard field goal with 8:32 left to make it 40-34.

Illinois had one last chance to pull out a win.  But it was Brown, again, who stole the show.  His goal-line interception with 51 seconds left preserved the thrilling 40-34 win and served early notice that the Tigers could win a game with its offense or defense.

The next week saw Mizzou play its second straight game away from home, as it ventured to SEC territory to play the Ole Miss Rebels, who the Tigers easily dispatched of in Columbia the previous season.  Early on, the game appeared to be evenly-matched, as defenses held serve and forced a scoreless first quarter.  But an explosion was building within the Tiger offense, and Chase Daniel unleashed it with a record-setting barrage in the second quarter that featured four touchdown passes to put MU in business.

Daniel’s last scoring strike of the half, this one to Chase Coffman, came with just :04 seconds left, and sent the Tigers to the lockerroom up 28-7, and looking for more.

And more they would get right away, as Daniel tied his own MU single-game record by throwing his fifth touchdown pass just three plays into the opening drive of the second half.  Following an Ole Miss touchdown, and a Jeff Wolfert 27-yard field goal, the Tigers held a comfortable 38-13 lead midway through the third quarter.

The Rebels pulled to within 13 points after an early fourth-quarter touchdown, but after allowing three straight scoring drives, the Tiger defense put its foot down.  Mizzou’s defenders held on downs, forced a punt, and ended the game with an interception by safety Justin Garrett, to help send the Tigers to a 2-0 start to the season.

Daniel ended with 330 passing yards and five touchdowns on his big night, while Tony Temple picked up 123 rushing yards and Will Franklin had 105 receiving yards and two scores in the impressive victory.

After returning home to post convincing wins over Western Michigan and Illinois State, the Tigers, now ranked 17th in the national polls, turned their sights on the Big 12 Conference.

Tigers Keep Riding the Wave on a Memorable Night vs. Nebraska

After a bye week, Mizzou returned to action in a key early-season battle with 25th-ranked Nebraska.  An overflow crowd of more than 70,000 fans jammed Memorial Stadium for Mizzou’s annual Gold Rush game.  With a national television audience watching to see who would grab control of the Big 12 North race, Missouri showed early on that this would be its coming out party.  Chase Daniel accounted for 71-of-80 yards on the game’s opening possession, and his 1-yard touchdown run opened scoring as the Tigers drove 80 yards in 12 plays to take a quick 7-0 lead.  Safety William Moore and his defensive teammates also served notice early on that they were ready, too, as they kept the Huskers from moving the ball, and one Chase Daniel-to-Chase Coffman touchdown pass later, the Tigers were up 14-0.

Mizzou would get a pair of mid-range Jeff Wolfert field goals to take a 20-6 lead into halftime.  Nebraska had the ball to begin play in the third quarter, but any hopes of the Cornhuskers staying in the game were squashed with a three-and-out forced by Mizzou’s stingy defense.  With the ball back in his hands, Daniel smelled blood, and led a drive that he capped with his second of the game on the ground, to put Mizzou up 27-6 early in the half.

With a frenzied crowd sensing a knockout punch, the Tigers delivered six plays later in big-play fashion, as Daniel connected with Danario Alexander on a 48-yard touchdown strike, effectively sealing the game for the Tigers and their delirious backers.  Much to their further delight, tight end Martin Rucker scored in the fourth quarter with around 13 minutes left on a fake field goal to make the final score 41-6.  It was utter domination as the Tigers rolled to 606 yards of offense, and held Nebraska to less than 300 yards of offense for the first time since the 1950s.

Daniel was the star, as he accounted for a career-best 401 passing yards and 473 yards of total offense, running and throwing for two touchdowns each.

If this was a statement game coming in, what a proclamation the Tigers made.  On this virtually perfect night in Columbia, Mizzou improved to 5-0 and had shown a national audience that it was the new power in the Big 12 North. 

Earning Respect, Even in Defeat

Now ranked 11th in the polls, Mizzou hit the road for an early season game with national implications, as the Tigers traveled to Norman, Okla., to take on the 6th-ranked Sooners of OU.  In a battle of evenly-matched teams, often times turnovers are the difference.  The turnovers went Mizzou’s way early on, and Pig Brown came up with yet another big play on Oklahoma’s opening snap as he recovered a Sooner fumble.  Six plays later, it was 7-0, Mizzou, courtesy of a 5-yard Jeremy Maclin run.

But the Sooners got up off the mat and scored 17 straight points to go up by 10.  Just when it appeared they had the Tigers on the ropes, Mizzou turned in an impressive two-minute drill just prior to half that led to Jeff Wolfert’s 19-yarder at the gun that pulled Mizzou to within 17-10, and set up an exciting final 30 minutes of play.

Driving in the 3rd quarter, misfortune struck as the Tigers tried some trickery, but the Sooners weren’t fooled, as they intercepted a Maclin reverse pass near midfield to end a promising drive.  Oklahoma converted their second interception into a touchdown for a 23-10 lead.

Proving to be very resilient this night, however, Missouri responded with a clutch drive to get back in the game.  Maclin’s second TD run made it a one-score game, and when the Tiger special teams recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, it was time for more offensive fireworks, and MU marched down the field and punched it in as hard-charging tailback Jimmy Jackson (playing for the injured Tony Temple) scored from one yard out.  All of a sudden, Missouri held a 24-23 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Just when it appeared it might be MU’s night, things slipped through their hands in the final period.  It started with a missed opportunity for an interception, when safety Pig Brown dropped what looked to be a sure interception in the Tiger endzone on Oklahoma’s ensuing drive.  The Sooners took advantage of that reprieve and drove for a score to retake the lead.  On Mizzou’s next possession, a miscommunication between Daniel and Maclin put the ball on the ground in the Tiger backfield, and OU’s Curtis Lofton picked it up and ran 12 yards for a score to put the Tigers in a serious hole.

Forced to abandon the run, the Tigers were intercepted on their next possession as the Sooners sat back in the passing lanes, and OU converted the turnover into another touchdown.  Those miscues led to three Oklahoma touchdowns in the fourth quarter, and proved to be the difference in the game as OU claimed a 41-31 victory.

Walking off the field that night in Norman, even in defeat, the Tigers had gained a measure of respect as the nation saw them play toe-to-toe with the vaunted Sooners.  What Mizzou wanted was a rematch in the Big 12 Championship Game in December.

Time to Bounce Back

Having tasted defeat for the first time, the Tigers had to bounce back quickly, as they returned home the next week to face the high-flying Texas Tech Red Raiders, led by their prolific quarterback, Graham Harrell, who led the nation’s number-one ranked offense.  Mizzou’s defense faced doubting questions all week before the game.  No-one outside of the team thought they could contain the Red Raider offense, but the Tiger defenders showed early on that they weren’t going to be intimidated.  Defensive end Stryker Sulak picked a deflected ball out of the air on Tech’s opening possession and rambled 38 yards for a touchdown to put the Tigers quickly on top.  That pick-six was the third by MU in two games against Harrell and the Red Raiders, and it set the tone for the day.

The MU defense next made a big fourth-down stop to get the ball back to Chase Daniel and the Tiger offense.  The offense, playing again without injured rushing leader Tony Temple, obliged by driving for a field goal and a 10-0 first quarter lead.  After Tech connected on a long scoring pass, the Tigers turned to reserve running back Jimmy Jackson and the ground game to move the chains and control the clock.  Texas Tech played with seven and sometimes eight defenders dropping in pass coverage all day.  That strategy, which kept the potent Tiger passing attack in check, opened the running lanes, and MU took advantage.  Jackson’s 1-yard plunge gave the Tigers a 17-10 lead they would take into the lockerroom at halftime.

Tech began the second half by driving into Tiger territory, but Mizzou got the ball back with another key fourth-down stop, putting MU’s ground attack back in business.  The Tigers drove down field, and Jackson’s second short TD run gave the Tigers a 24-10 lead.  Texas Tech next gambled on another fourth-down attempt, but the Tiger defense once again rose to the challenge, stopping the Red Raiders.  What followed was a methodic 13-play, 76-yard drive that featured 11 running plays.  Jackson capped things with his third touchdown to make it a three-score advantage early in the fourth quarter.

Mizzou’s defense sacked Harrell on consecutive plays by Tommy Chavis and William Moore to set up Daniel on offense, and he responded by connecting with Jeremy Maclin on a 57-yard catch-and-run with 9:36 left in the game to effectively end the suspense.

Mizzou would tack on a Jeff Wolfert field goal, and the defense intercepted Harrell twice more in the final period to cap an impressive 41-10 domination of the 22nd-ranked Red Raiders. 

Tech’s strategy to contain Daniel worked to limit him to season lows of 19 pass attempts and 210 passing yards, but the Tiger offense took control by rushing for 212 yards and the three Jackson TDs.  Mizzou’s defense held Tech’s top-ranked offense to 40 points below their average and some 200 yards below their total offense average.

After the Tigers dispatched of pesky Iowa State by a 42-28 score in Columbia, the Tigers stood 7-1 and cracked the top-10 for the first time since the 1980s.  Not all of the news was good on this day, however, as Pig Brown, the heart of the Tiger defense to this point, was lost for the season with a ruptured Achilles tendon.  Missouri would have to find a way to make up for his loss.

Next up was a dangerous game on paper at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colo., which had been a house of horrors over the years for Missouri.  The Tigers had not won in Boulder since 1997, and it looked early on like it might be more of the same, as on just the second play of the game, disaster struck.  A tipped Chase Daniel pass was intercepted deep in MU territory and returned to the Tiger 11 yardline, and three plays later, CU punched it in for a quick 7-0 advantage.

But on the first MU play after Colorado took the lead, the Tigers struck back, as Daniel connected with Will Franklin for 72 yards that changed the momentum, and set up a Martin Rucker 3-yard touchdown catch to tie the game.  That play from Daniel-to-Franklin would serve as a message that this was to be Mizzou’s night, and that the Tigers would take what they wanted.

Colorado would later block a punt, but the Tiger defense dug in and held the Buffs to a field goal.  That defensive hold seemed to turn the momentum squarely in Mizzou’s favor.  What would follow in the next two quarters of play would be possibly the most dominant 30 minutes ever of Tiger football against a quality opponent. 

The defense set the tone on the first play of the second quarter, when DE Tommy Chavis knocked the ball loose from the Buff quarterback, and MU recovered near midfield.  Chase Daniel would quickly capitalize on the opportunity, as he hit a streaking Jeremy Maclin down the left seam for a 46-yard score and a 14-10 lead.  After forcing a three-and-out on defense, Mizzou extended its lead to 17-10 on a short Jeff Wolfert field goal with 10 minutes left in the half.  After another Buffalo three-and-out, the Tigers drove 65 yards, with a tough run by Tony Temple finishing things off.  That run made it 24-10 with just under 6 minutes left in the half.

After yet another three-and-out defensive series by the Tigers, it was time for the Chase-to-Chase show – Chase Daniel to star tight end Chase Coffman.  Coffman had a 25-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown with 1:32 left in the half to make it 31-10 at halftime. 

While CU was still within striking distance, any hopes they had coming out of the lockerroom were crushed when the Tigers forced a seventh-consecutive three-and-out.  Then, it was time for act two of the Chase Coffman show.  He caught a mid-range out from Daniel near the CU 10-yardline, and hurdled a Buff defender, spun and leaped into the endzone for the score, and just like that, it was 38-10, Mizzou.

The third-quarter dominance continued, as the Buffs finally got a first down, but William Moore ended the CU celebration on the next play with an interception.  That led to another short Wolfert field goal and a 41-10 lead.  The rout continued as Daniel and Coffman hooked up for a third time in the final minute of the quarter to make it 48-10.  That catch gave Coffman the MU career TD receptions record previously held by Justin Gage.  It also gave Daniel five TD passes on the night, tying his own MU record.

When the dust had settled, Mizzou had outscored Colorado 41-0 in the 2nd and 3rd quarters combined.  In those 30 minutes alone, MU outgained the Buffaloes 367 to 73 in yardage, and gained 16 first downs while allowing only two.

With the game in hand, Gary Pinkel turned it over to his reserves for a good portion of the fourth quarter, and promising freshman tailback Derrick Washington announced his presence with his first career touchdown.  Not everyone thought the Tigers could go to Boulder and win a tough road game.  Walking off the field that night as 55-10 victors, Mizzou had proved its team wasn’t concerned about the doubters.  Now at 8-1 for the first time since 1969, the Tigers had the feeling that they were on to something special.

A Senior Sendoff

Now ranked seventh in the polls, Missouri returned home for senior day, where 20 seniors played in their final game at Faurot Field, and held off a game Texas A&M squad by a 40-26 score.  With the win, Missouri improved to 9-1 and sent its seniors off in style, going a perfect 6-0 at Faurot Field.

Another daunting historical hurdle next faced Missouri, as it headed to Manhattan, Kansas, where MU hadn’t beaten Kansas State since 1989.  But Jeremy Maclin and his teammates weren’t interested in tired history lessons.  They set out on this day to write it themselves.  Three plays into the game, William Moore penned the first chapter, as he intercepted KSU’s Josh Freeman, returning the ball deep into K-State territory.  Maclin soon added to the script as he made a nice sliding catch in the endzone on a ball delivered by Chase Daniel for a quick 7-0 Tiger lead.

The Wildcats answered by driving inside the Tiger one yard line, but the defense held them off.  Moore made another big play on third down, and K-State had to settle for three points.  The next chapter in the story was an historic one, as Maclin took the ensuing kickoff and wrote his own piece of history, as he returned the kick 99 yards for a touchdown.  The play marked Mizzou’s first kickoff return for a touchdown since 1982 – a span of 287 games and 976 kickoff returns between scores for MU.  On the play, Maclin also broke the NCAA freshman all-purpose yardage record for a season.

K-State, who was still fighting for bowl eligibility, answered with a long touchdown run and scored on a blocked punt in a one-minute span to suddenly grab a 15-14 lead after the second quarter started.  Never one to feel the pressure, Chase Daniel and his offensive running mates calmly set about their business to get Mizzou the lead back, and they did with another short TD pass from Daniel, this one to TE Martin Rucker.  Mizzou held a 21-18 lead at half.

Mizzou took the opening kick of the second half, knowing it had the game in its grasp.  The Tigers drove with precision, with the bulk of the damage coming from Tony Temple and Jeremy Maclin.  Temple finished it off with a 2-yard run to cap a 77-yard drive that took just :59 seconds and gave the Tigers a 28-18 advantage.  After a defensive stop by Mizzou, Daniel and company faced a 3rd-and-17 from the K-State 44 yardline.  The Tiger signal caller dialed up some more magic, as he scrambled to buy time, and found a somehow wide-open Maclin in the endzone for a TD that made it 35-18 midway through the third.

On a day that Mizzou unveiled a formal campaign for Chase Daniel for the Heisman Trophy, he saw to it personally that the Tigers took care of business.  Daniel’s fourth TD pass, coming on a 4th-and-goal gamble, made it 42-25.  But the Tigers weren’t yet done.

Temple’s second touchdown, with 6:25 left in the game, pushed the MU lead to 49-25, and when the gun sounded, Mizzou had a 49-32 win, its first in Manhattan in 18 years.  The day belonged to Jeremy Maclin, who had three touchdowns and a Missouri-record 360 all-purpose yards.

But the bigger story written on the day was the fact that Mizzou had taken care of business, moving to 10-1 and more importantly, 6-1 in Big 12 play.  That set the stage for an epic showdown the next week against rival Kansas for the North Division Championship.

Armageddon

Listen to a Deep Dive into the 2007 Border War from the voice of the Tigers Mike Kelly, SID Chad Moller and Mizzou Network's Ben Arnet

On a cold, Saturday night on Thanksgiving weekend, the college football universe turned its attention to a rivalry that mostly went unnoticed in the past.  This year, however, bitter rivals Missouri and Kansas were kings of the world, and playing for all the marbles.

“Armageddon at Arrowhead” was the popular title for the game, as the longtime border rivals took their contest for the first of two years to a neutral site at Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium.

ESPN’s College Gameday was on hand to cover a game with title implications.  The winner would claim the Big 12 North Division title and a berth in next week’s Big 12 Championship game against Oklahoma.  With Kansas ranked #2 in the polls coming in, and Mizzou at #3, the winner would also still be in the mix for the national title.

Like a great heavyweight title fight, the teams took awhile to find their rhythm offensively, as the underrated defenses controlled the early going.  Midway through the opening quarter, a 43-yard punt return by the electric Jeremy Maclin set the Tigers up deep in KU territory.  But they couldn’t capitalize, and some trickery on a fake field goal was stopped short by the Jayhawks.  Mizzou’s defense continued its stellar play however, stopping another KU possession.  This time, the Tiger offense got rolling, and Kansas City native Tony Temple helped get things started. 

Temple’s nifty efforts and gritty running helped move Mizzou to the Kansas one yardline, where it was fourth down.  Faced with a big decision, Gary Pinkel chose to go for it.  That gamble paid off, and the Tigers took a 7-0 lead as Daniel and Rucker connected on a 1-yard touchdown pass on 4th-and-goal.

The beginning of the second quarter saw the Jayhawks connect on their first big play of the chilly night.  But on the very next snap, safety William Moore sent a shiver down the spine of KU fans with an All-American play, as he made a leaping interception near the MU endzone to prevent what looked like a sure Jayhawk score.  After officials ruled that the interception took place on the two-yardline, the Tigers took over in the shadow of their own endzone.  What followed was possibly the greatest drive in school history.  It got started with a punishing running game, and it continued with some precision passing by Chase Daniel, who was on his way to a magical night.  Facing third and goal from the KU 11, the Heisman Trophy candidate might just have cemented a trip to New York City when he evaded pressure, rolled out of the pocket to his right to buy time, retreating some 15 yards in the process, before he spotted Danario Alexander breaking toward the right sideline.  Daniel fired a precision bullet into Alexander’s waiting arms near the front corner of the endzone, and Alexander waltzed in for a score to cap a 98-yard drive that made it 14-0, Tigers, with 9:21 left in the half.

Kansas responded, as you would expect from the nation’s 2nd-ranked team, and drove deep into MU territory before the Tiger defense stiffened and forced a short field goal try that was doinked off the upright and was no good.

After Mizzou drove into KU territory, a fourth-down try was stopped short, and the Jayhawks looked to capitalize prior to halftime.  Again, the Tiger defense was up to the challenge, forcing a 45-yard field goal try, and once again, the KU kicker misfired, and the Tigers took a 14-0 lead into the lockerroom.

The second half started with the Jayhawks moving the opening kick to the Tiger 16 yardline.  Cornerback Castine Bridges saw to it that the threat went no further, as he made a spinning interception and returned it 49 yards to set up a 1-yard TD plunge by Jimmy Jackson for a 21-0 Tiger lead midway through the third.

The Jayhawks, who came into the game 11-0 for the first time in school history, wouldn’t go away, however, as they drove for their first score of the game to cut into the Tiger lead.  But Chase Daniel and company weren’t fazed, as they drove 69 yards and made it 28-7 on a short pass from Daniel to TB Derrick Washington.

The lead got a little smaller, as KU drove for a score to make it 28-14 with 13 minutes remaining.  The Tigers responded by driving, but had to settle for a field goal by Mr. Reliable, kicker Jeff Wolfert.  Unlike his KU counterpart, Wolfert came through, nailing the 43-yarder to put the Tigers up 31-14 with 10 minutes left.

Kansas kept firing away, though, and drove quickly for another score to make it a 10-point game with still eight and-a-half minutes to play.  Facing another pressure-packed situation, Daniel and the offense responded.  Facing a crucial 3rd-and 14 at his 42, Daniel played magician once again.  Danario Alexander, who would have a career night with 8 catches for 117 yards, was the recipient of a big conversion that covered 16 yards and kept the clock ticking.  After a Daniel-to-Maclin connection moved the chains again, the drive stalled at the Jayhawk 25.  Enter, Jeff Wolfert.  His second 43-yarder extended the Tiger lead to 34-21.  Only 3:31 separated MU from a title.

Kansas proved to be a worthy adversary on this evening, as the Jayhawks drove once again for a quick score, and with 2:03 left, all of a sudden, it was a six-point game.  Forced to onside kick, KU’s plans went awry, thanks to the steady hands of Mizzou’s Tommy Saunders, who recovered.  Mizzou burned all but :17 seconds off the clock before having to punt.  KU had the ball on its 11 yardline.  Senior captain Lorenzo Williams put a thrilling exclamation point on the night, as he sacked Todd Reesing in the endzone for a game-ending safety and a memorable 36-28 Tiger win for the ages.  Mizzou had upset the favored Kansas Jayhawks, and claimed the North title. 

The Tigers also laid claim to the top ranking in the land, with #1 LSU losing the day before.  With MU’s win over #2 Kansas, the third-ranked Tigers waited anxiously for the polls to come out on Sunday.  When they did, they read like a slice of heaven to Tiger fans across the world:  Mizzou was #1 for the first time since 1960.

Playing For a Chance at The Whole Thing

Now the hunted, the Missouri Tigers set their sights on San Antonio, where they would get another shot at the 9th-ranked Oklahoma Sooners in the Big 12 title game.  Ranked #1 in every major poll, including the BCS standings, the mission was clear:  beat OU, and the Tigers would play in the BCS championship game. 

The task was much easier said than done.  The proud Sooners came into the game with an uncharacteristic two losses, but they were responsible for the only blemish on Mizzou’s 11-1 record.  The Tigers downplayed the revenge factor leading up to the game, and set about their business in the Alamodome.

The teams traded a pair of first-quarter punts, as the defenses controlled the early play.  Midway through the quarter, Mizzou’s offense got on track.  A promising Tiger drive reached the Sooner nine yardline, but stalled out, forcing MU to settle for a Jeff Wolfert chip shot field goal and a 3-0 lead.

Oklahoma began the 2nd quarter inside the Tiger five yardline after a 47-yard pass play put them in business.  The Sooners couldn’t be kept out of the endzone and took a 7-3 lead.  Mizzou responded with another long drive, and appeared poised to punch it in for a touchdown, getting to within inches of the goalline, but two straight runs were stuffed by OU’s stout defense, and again the Tigers had to settle for a field goal, and trailed, 7-6.

Midway through the quarter, Oklahoma took over at midfield.  The Sooners drove and got near the Tiger goalline.  Again, OU couldn’t be held out of the endzone.  In an evenly-played game to this point, the difference in OU’s 14-6 lead was the Sooners’ ability to turn both of its red zone opportunities into TDs, while Mizzou had to settle for field goals.

But the Tigers weren’t done.  A big 3rd-down conversion deep in Tiger territory, and a Danario Alexander run got the ball to midfield.  It was a costly play for MU, however, as Alexander left the game with a season-ending knee injury.  Already playing without the services of the injured Chase Coffman, the Tiger attack was suddenly minus two key playmakers.  With time running out, the Tigers again got within striking distance of the endzone.  This time, they wouldn’t be stopped, as Daniel ran it in from four yards out, and converted a nifty two-point conversion that saw Jeremy Maclin take a reverse and pull up for a pass to a wide open Martin Rucker in the endzone.  That play tied the game at 14 apiece at halftime, and set the stage for 30 minutes of play to determine the Big 12 champion.

With momentum on the Tigers’ side, Mizzou’s defense forced a punt to open the third quarter.  Taking over on their own 7 yardline, MU needed just eight plays to reach the Sooner 25 yardline.  Seemingly poised to take the lead, the air quickly went out of the Tiger balloon, however.  Oklahoma’s defense saw to that, as it stiffened with a pair of sacks on Daniel that took the Tigers out of field goal range.

With that golden opportunity lost, the veteran Sooners, playing in their sixth Big 12 title game, took advantage and drove for a touchdown.  Now trailing 21-14 with 4 minutes left in the quarter, disaster struck, as Rucker wasn’t ready for a quick pass from Daniel, and the All-American tight end had the ball bounce off him, and straight to OU’s Curtis Lofton, who returned the interception inside MU’s 10-yardline.  OU exploited the unforced error and got another red zone touchdown.  That quick turn of events left the Tigers trailing 28-14. 

Down, but not out, Daniel directed a drive that reached a 1st-and-goal at the Sooner 6 yardline.  But once again, the Tigers would be held out of the endzone, and forced to settle for a short Wolfert field goal.  Trailing 28-17, the Tiger defense needed a stop, but the Sooners were too much on this night, as they drove for a touchdown that essentially ended the contest.

Oklahoma would tack on a needless field goal as the Tigers tried in vain to rally, and the Sooners claimed a 38-17 win.  The loss was a bitter pill to swallow for this proud Mizzou squad.  With so much on the line, it couldn’t make the plays it had been making all year long.  Even in defeat, however, the Tigers walked off the Alamodome field proud, knowing that they had reached a new level for the program.  They also knew there was plenty left to play for, as an invitation to a high-level bowl game awaited.

When bowl invitations were passed out, Missouri fans felt shunned, as the Tigers were shut out of BCS bowl games, getting bypassed by two teams it had beat earlier in the year.  Illinois took a Rose Bowl bid, while Kansas went to the Orange.

Instead of dwell on any injustice, Gary Pinkel and his Tigers dialed into making the most of an invitation to play in the very prestigious Cotton Bowl against the Arkansas Razorbacks.  The game would be MU’s first New Year’s Day bowl since 1970.  It would feature a pair of Heisman Trophy finalists in MU’s Chase Daniel, along with Arkansas tailback Darren McFadden.

Tigers Land in Tall Cotton

On a crisp but sunny New Year’s morning in Dallas, Texas, the Cotton Bowl kicked off to a national television audience which expected to see a closely-contested ballgame.

It appeared early on that Arkansas would move the ball at will, as it took the opening kick and promptly drove deep into Tiger territory, using the two-pronged rushing attack of McFadden and fellow speedster Felix Jones.  But Mizzou’s defenders dug in and held their ground, forcing a short field goal attempt.  It missed.

After the teams traded possessions, Chase Daniel stepped up and moved the Tigers downfield into Arkansas territory.  Tony Temple took it the rest of the way, scoring on a 22-yard run, to match his uniform number, and MU held a 7-0 lead.  A long Arkansas kickoff return put the Razorbacks in business on MU’s side of midfield, but again, the Tiger defense held stiff, and on a fake punt, Stryker Sulak made Arkansas regret the decision by stopping the play for a loss and giving the ball back to the Tiger offense.

Early in the second quarter, with MU leading 7-0, Temple got the Tigers some breathing room with a 41-yard dash to midfield.  The drive would eventually stall, but that run served as a foreshadowing of things to come.  After another Tiger stop on defense, when the offense took the field, it was time for Temple to go to work.

Arkansas’ gameplan was to drop seven, sometimes eight or even nine defenders in pass coverage to limit the explosive Tiger passing attack.  That strategy worked to a degree, but what it also did was open running lanes that had Temple and company licking their chops.  Eventually, Temple scored from four yards for his second TD of the day, and a 14-0 Tiger lead with 4:35 to go in the half.  That’s how the half would end, as Arkansas missed another short field goal try, and later, Ziggy Hood would thwart another last-ditch drive.

Arkansas, playing without former Head Coach Houston Nutt, who resigned prior to the bowl game to take the same post at SEC rival Ole Miss, chose a curious strategy to open the second half.  The Razorbacks tried a squib kick to catch Mizzou off guard, but the Tigers were ready, and recovered near midfield.  The Tiger offense welcomed the cushy field position, and quickly drove downfield.  With a 3rd-and-1 from the Arkansas 4-yardline, it was time for Temple once again.  His third TD of the day made it 21-0 Mizzou, and had Cotton Bowl officials scrambling in the press box to look up game records that were in danger of going down on this day.

In the lead-up to the Cotton Bowl, the vast majority of pre-game attention was lavished on the explosive offenses of both teams, for good reason.  But on this day, the Tiger defense, led by safety William Moore, made the nation take notice of its abilities.  Even when Arkansas made a big play, Moore and his friends were there.  Moore stripped Felix Jones of the ball from behind to force a turnover and end a scoring threat, after Jones had dashed 40 yards on the play.  Later in the quarter, Moore made an even bigger statement, when he picked off an errant pass and returned it 26 yards untouched for a back-breaking touchdown.  That interception, Moore’s eighth of the season, broke a longstanding Tiger season record of seven held by former All-American Roger Wehrli, and it staked Mizzou to a comfortable 28-0 lead with 7:37 left in the third.

The Razorbacks finally broke through with a touchdown run on a 4th-and-goal by McFadden to break the shutout.  But it was too little, too late for Arkansas, as MU opened the 4th quarter with a 28-7 lead that it was content on protecting.

Holding a 31-7 advantage with under nine minutes left, Gary Pinkel inserted Temple back into the game for one last run.  The senior had 241 rushing yards to that point, and needed just 25 more to break Dicky Maegle’s Cotton Bowl record of 265 yards, set way back in 1954.

In just one play, Temple dashed into the record books, as he burst, spun and dashed 40 yards for a touchdown and the record.  A Cotton Bowl-record 281 rushing yards and 4 TDs gave Temple the game’s offensive most valuable player honors.  William Moore won defensive MVP honors for his two turnover-induced day and his game-high 13 tackles.

As the final seconds ticked off of Mizzou’s 38-7 win over the 25th-ranked Razorbacks, Missouri had made quite a statement to the nation.  Its offense was its potent self, but showed an ability to take advantage of what was presented by the opposing defense.  The Tiger defense harassed one of the nation’s most prolific offenses all day long, and shut the Razorbacks down time and again, holding them to some 33 points below their season average.

In the end, it was as dominating a total performance in a bowl game seen at Mizzou in a long time, perhaps forever. 

Amid a confetti-strewn field in the trophy presentation, Gary Pinkel and his Tigers walked off that day to a very appreciative 35,000 Mizzou fans who made the game in person, and countless millions more who watched on television.  They had all just witnessed a special day by a special team.

When it was all said and done, Gary Pinkel’s 2007 Missouri Tigers turned in a season for the ages.  Beginning the year unranked, the Tigers took the nation by storm with their exciting play.  The list of achievements was stunning:

• A school record 12 wins;
• A final ranking of 4th in the polls – the highest-ever in school history;
• A first-ever Big 12 North championship;
• A New Year’s Day bowl victory for the first time since 1966;
• Two consensus All-Americans in senior tight end Martin Rucker and electric freshman receiver/return man extraordinaire Jeremy Maclin;
• Two A.P. second-team All-Americans in safety William Moore and quarterback Chase Daniel;
• A Heisman Trophy finalist for the first time in school history in Chase Daniel;
• One week in the #1 spot of the Associated Press poll for the first time since 1960, and a #1 ranking in the BCS poll for the first time ever;
• A cover of Sports Illustrated for the first time ever, and countless other never before seen national media exposures;
• A school-record eight Tigers who were named 1st-Team All-Big 12;
• A 1st-Team Academic All-American in punter Adam Crossett;
   

And countless team and individual records that fell during the year, with many more achievements too many to detail in one sitting.

What it all meant in the end was that this bunch of Tigers had met the challenge of taking the program to new heights.  Outstanding senior leadership and a selfless team-first attitude permeated the lockerroom and it spilled over onto the field, where the results spoke for themselves.

The 2007 season brought many things for the University of Missouri football team.  Most importantly, Gary Pinkel and Missouri had arrived.  The Tigers were finally, Unleashed!!