Mizzou Morning Matters
11/23/2023 10:30:00 AM | General
There's plenty to be thankful for in Mizzou Athletics these days. Let's start here …
COLUMBIA, Mo. — It's a day to give thanks, so there's no better time to put together a gratitude list for Mizzou fans. There's plenty to be thankful for in Mizzou Athletics these days. Let's start here …
Fourth and 17. Enough said.
The ice that runs through the veins of Harrison Mevis. The Tigers' all-time scoring leader booted his second game-winning field goal of the season Saturday against Florida. Only two kickers in the country have more field goals than Mevis' 22 — and he's unfathomably not one of 10 semifinalists for the Lou Groza Award.
Cody Schrader's big bet. He led Division II in rushing but gambled on his potential to make an SEC roster. He'll leave Mizzou a legend.
Truman State's 2018 roster management. Five years ago Truman coach Gregg Nesbitt had a decision to make. He had promised Schrader's father that he'd preserve the freshman's year of eligibility, but late in the season the Division II Bulldogs needed a running back. Nesbitt could have lifted Schrader's redshirt and played him that season. If so, Schrader's college eligibility would have expired last year. Instead, he stayed on the sidelines and five years later is the SEC's leading rusher, a Doak Walker semifinalist and finalist for the Burlsworth Trophy.
Luther Burden III's catch radius. Luther's most impressive catch of the season went down as an incomplete pass — the ball grazed the turf on his called-back touchdown Saturday — but the effort embodied the player he's become in Year 2. He puts his body on the line to catch every pass thrown his way.
Brett Norfleet's vertical. Look out, Chase Coffman. You have an understudy.
Have you ever seen a freshman fly? @brettnorfleet5 ??#MIZ | #STP pic.twitter.com/vuxMIeF4CT
— Mizzou Football (@MizzouFootball) November 22, 2023
Brady Cook's gumption. Two months after some pregame boos greeted Brady from the Memorial Stadium student section, Brady raced to the same spot after Saturday's game to celebrate the Florida victory, creating this incredible image. He'll have that moment forever.
Mizzou's student fans. From Memorial Stadium to Mizzou Arena to the Hearnes Center, they set the tone for the crowd's energy. Student fan engagement is off the charts this year.
Darius Robinson's leadership. He is everything that's good about college athletics. He's about to earn his second degree from Mizzou. He's influential in the community. He's an ambassador for his university. And he's developed into an elite SEC defensive lineman who will play on Sundays next season.
Javon Foster and Xavier Delgado's connection. The left tackle and left guard have started 39 games apiece, more than any other Mizzou teammates, and both have developed into All-SEC performers and NFL prospects. Delgado, perhaps the team's most underrated standout this season, has won the team award for best offensive lineman in six of the Tigers' nine wins.
Football trophy games. Mizzou parted with some history when it joined the Big 12 but has since thrived in its SEC trophy games. The Mayor's Cup (South Carolina) has been in Boone County for five straight years. The Battle Line Trophy (Arkansas) has been in Mizzou's possession seven of nine years.
Hayley Frank's loyalty. Back for a fifth year, the face of Mizzou Women's Basketball wants nothing more than to lead her program back to the NCAA postseason. In her last two games, she's averaged 27.5 points, shot 57.1% from 3-point range and pulled down 18 boards. She'll go down as one of the program's all-time greats.
Resetting the record book ?? pic.twitter.com/MMhQPzvyPh
— Mizzou Basketball (@MizzouWBB) November 22, 2023
Grace Slaughter's potential. The ceiling is high for the freshman, who scored in double figures in her first four college games — a first for the program since a certain Sophie in 2015.
Nick Honor's shooting. The point guard is making 46.7% of his 3-point attempts. And Dennis Gates wants him to shoot more!
Brian Smith's consistent excellence. Twelve straight wrestling conference championships. Another top-five team. Another individual national champion. The NCAA Championships are in Kansas City this season. Let's see Coach Smith get that banner.
Our new Mizzou coaches and the strides they've made since moving to Columbia: Head coaches Dawn Sullivan (volleyball), Kerrick Jackson (baseball), Glen Millican (men's golf), Bianca Turati (tennis), plus huge additions to the football staff: offensive coordinator Kirby Moore and offensive line coach Brandon Jones.
Dale Shepherd's commitment. Shepherd just completed his 50th season on the Faurot Field sideline as part of the chain crew. Dale, a Vietnam War veteran and retired teacher and coach in the Parkway School District, has worked the chains since 1974, making the weekly drive for every game from St. Louis. Think about that longevity: He's been on the field for eight different Mizzou head-coaching regimes with a sideline view of multiple generations of Mizzou greats, from Kellen Winslow to Cody Schrader. Dale was honored during Saturday's home finale. Thank you, Dale!
More Football!
Watch this week's Mini Movie:
Watch Coach Drinkwitz's full press conference here:
By the Numbers
Here's a closer look at attendance figures for Mizzou Football's 2023 season:
- 5: Number of consecutive home sellouts, the most since 1980.
- 421,184: Mizzou total attendance for seven home games this season. That figure ranks No. 5 in team history.
- 10.4: Mizzou's home attendance percentage increase since 2022 — the highest increase in the SEC for the second straight year.
- 16.5: Mizzou's home attendance percentage increase since 2018 — the highest increase in the SEC and No. 5 among Power Five programs.
Tiger Trivia
Find answers at the end of today's newsletter.
1. Schrader needs 28 rushing yards to become the fourth Mizzou running back to reach 1,300 yards in a season. Which running backs are ahead of him on the single-season rushing list?
2. Who won the first Missouri-Arkansas football game?
Matter's Weekly Power Rankings
Each week we'll highlight the Best of Mizzou with a different theme. This week: Mizzou Football's best performances against Arkansas:
1. Tony Temple, 2008 Cotton Bowl: Matched against Arkansas' prolific three-headed running back crew, Temple punctuated a special season with a special performance, rushing for a Cotton Bowl-record 281 yards and four touchdowns. Temple, inducted into the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame this year, closed his career with perhaps the best walk-off play in Mizzou history, a 40-yard touchdown gallop that required his teammates to carry him to the sideline after he hurt his hamstring on his way to the end zone.
2. Drew Lock, 2017: The junior quarterback roasted the Hogs for 448 passing yards in a 48-45 shootout victory in Fayetteville. With his five touchdown passes, Lock broke both the Mizzou single-season record (38) and the SEC single-season record (40).
3. Harrison Mevis, 2020: All the freshman kicker did was boot five field goals, tying Mizzou's single-game record, including the walk-off, 32-yard game-winner in the Tigers' 50-48 victory.
4. Brady Cook, 2022: The first-year starting quarterback put together a vintage dual-threat game, throwing for 242 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 138 yards and another score to clinch bowl eligibility for the Tigers.
5. Jordan Elliott, 2018: The future Cleveland Browns defensive tackle stood out in Mizzou's 38-0 annihilation, posting three sacks, including a forced fumble recovered for a defensive touchdown.
Missed the cut: Bud Sasser, 2014: nine catches for 127 yards, game-tying 2-point conversion pass … Markus Golden, 2014: two tackles for loss, forced fumble, game-clinching fumble recovery … Marcell Frazier, 2016: three sacks … J'Mon Moore, 2017: 10 catches for 160 yards … Ish Witter, 2017: 172 rushing yards … Emanuel Hall, 2018: six catches for 153 yards … Larry Rountree, 2020: 188 rushing yards, three TDs … Connor Bazelak, 2020: 380 passing yards … Tyler Badie, 2021: 219 rushing yards.
Looking Ahead
Friday, Nov. 24
Football at Arkansas, 3 p.m., CBS (Fayetteville, Arkansas)
Women's Basketball vs. Tennessee Tech, 7 p.m., FloHoops (Daytona Beach, Florida)
Saturday, Nov. 25
Men's Basketball vs. Loyola-Maryland, 11 a.m., SEC Network+
Volleyball at Georgia, 1 p.m., SEC Network+ (Athens, Georgia)
Women's Basketball vs. Kent State, 4:45 p.m., FloHoops (Daytona Beach, Florida)
Monday, Nov. 27
Men's & Women's Swimming and Diving, at USA Diving Winter Nationals (Knoxville, Tennessee)
Tuesday, Nov. 28
Men's & Women's Swimming and Diving, at USA Diving Winter Nationals (Knoxville, Tennessee)
Men's Basketball at Pittsburgh, 6:30 p.m., ESPNU (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
Wednesday, Nov. 29
Men's & Women's Swimming and Diving, at USA Diving Winter Nationals (Knoxville, Tennessee)
Thursday, Nov. 30
Men's & Women's Swimming and Diving, at USA Diving Winter Nationals (Knoxville, Tennessee)
Women's Basketball at Virginia, 4 p.m. ACC Network (Charlottesville, Virginia)
Links to Click
You can request your bowl tickets here. Bowl pairings will be announced Dec. 3.
Fans can learn more about Men's Basketball tickets here and Women's Basketball tickets here.
For all the latest information on Mizzou Athletics, please visit MUTigers.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Tigers on X, Instagram and Facebook.
Tiger Trivia
1. Tyler Badie (1,604 in 2021), Devin West (1,578 in 1998) and Joe Moore (1,312 in 1969). West's true total for 1998 was 1,621 yards, but the NCAA did not begin counting bowl statistics toward official season totals until 2002.
2. Mizzou beat the Razorbacks 11-0 in 1906. It was Mizzou's second 11-0 win of the 1906 season — and the last time MU won a game by that score.
