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Nov. 27, 2007
#1/2/1 Missouri Tigers (11-1, 7-1) vs. #9/8/9 Oklahoma Sooners (10-2, 6-2)
Dec. 1, 2007 -- Alamodome -- San Antonio, Texas
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KICKOFF: 7:00 p.m. CT.
STADIUM: Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas (65,000).
RADIO: Tiger Network (Mike Kelly, play-by-play/John Kadlec, color/Chris Gervino, sidelines). Carried on over 50 stations statewide, and on the Internet at mutigers.com and on XM Satellite Radio (Channel #241).
TV: ABC Sports. Brent Musberger (play-by-play), Kirk Herbstreit (analysis), Lisa Salters (sidelines), Bill Bonnell (producer), Derek Mobley (director).
RANKINGS (BCS/AP/COACHES): MU - 1st/2nd/1st;
OU - 9th/8th/9th.
SERIES: OU leads, 64-23-5, and has won 5 straight and 17 of 18 overall dating back to 1984. MU's last win in the series was in 1998 (20-6 in Columbia).
COACHES:
Mizzou: Gary Pinkel (Kent, `75), 48-36 at MU (7th year) and 121-73-3 overall (17th year). Pinkel is 0-4 vs. OU and Bob Stoops.
OU: Bob Stoops (Iowa, `83), 91-20 at OU and overall (9th year). Stoops is 5-0 vs. MU and 4-0 vs. Gary Pinkel.
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TOP-RANKED TIGERS BATTLE 9TH-RANKED SOONERS FOR BIG 12 TITLE
In a season of continuing firsts, the newly-annointed #1 team in the land, the Missouri Tigers (11-1 overall, 7-1 in Big 12 Conference play), winners of their first-ever Big 12 North Division title, will square off against the Oklahoma Sooners (10-2, 6-2) in Mizzou's first-ever Big 12 Championship Game appearance. Kickoff for the 2007 Dr. Pepper Big 12 Championship Game is set for 7 p.m. in the Alamodome in San Antonio.
The Tigers are coming off of arguably the biggest win in school history, as MU knocked off bitter rival and formerly 2nd-ranked Kansas, 36-28 last Saturday in Kansas City, Mo. The win vaulted Mizzou to #1 in the AP and BCS polls and gave the Tigers their first North Division crown (1st league title of any kind since 1969).
The 9th-ranked Sooners are also coming off a rivalry victory, as they rolled to a 49-17 win over Oklahoma State in the Bedlam Series. Oklahoma went 8-0 this season at home, and stands 2-2 away from Norman.
TIGERS CLAIM NORTH DIVISION TITLE
The Missouri Tigers, winners of six straight contests, look to keep the momentum going on their magical 2007 season, as they face longtime nemesis Oklahoma in the 2007 Dr. Pepper Big 12 Championship Game Saturday in San Antonio.
The title game will be MU's first-ever such appearance, as Mizzou won its first-ever Big 12 North Division title with its 36-28 win last Saturday over arch-rival Kansas in Kansas City's Arrowhead Stadium, knocking the Jayhawks from their unbeaten and 2nd-ranked status.
Mizzou enters Saturday's game as the hunted, holding down the #1 spot in both the Associated Press Top-25 poll, as well as the much-coveted #1 spot in the BCS standings. The latter, of course, means that a Tiger win Saturday over Oklahoma would put MU in the BCS title game on Jan. 7th in New Orleans, La.
MIZZOU NEW TO TITLE GAME, NOT SO MUCH TO NEUTRAL-SITE MATCHUPS
While Mizzou can count its previous Big 12 Championship exerience on exactly zero fingers, MU havs been very impressive this season playing in championship-like neutral-site atmospheres.
The Tigers stand 2-0 on the season in neutral-site affairs, with wins over current #15 (BCS) Illinois and the aforementioned win over former #2 (current #5 BCS) Kansas last week.
The Illinois win came in the season opener, and was played in the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis before a roughly half-half crowd of 62,352 Tiger and Illini fans.
Last Saturday saw the Tigers jump to a 21-0 lead into the 3rd quarter over the previously unbeaten and 2nd-ranked Jayhawks, before withstanding a late KU rally to post the landmark win before a split and raucous crowd of 80,537.
TEXAS TIGERS RETURN TO HOME STATE
The Lone Star State has been kind to the Missouri Football program over the years, as Gary Pinkel and his staff have combed the talent-rich state very successfully to find talented players.
The Tigers will have a nice Texas contingent taking the field Saturday, as 18 players on the MU roster hail from the state (the most of any state other than Missouri on the MU roster).
Included in that total are 6 starters for the Tigers, with 5 of them on the defensive side of the ball (DE Tommy Chavis, DT Ziggy Hood, S Del Howard, DE Stryker Sulak and LB Sean Weatherspoon). On offense, QB Chase Daniel is the lone starter who hails from the Lone Star State, but significant contributors include WR Danario Alexander, TB Earl Goldsmith and WR Jared Perry.
Here's a quick look at MU's Texas Tigers:
MIZZOU-OKLAHOMA SERIES HISTORY
Mizzou and Oklahoma have played 92 previous times, and Oklahoma holds a commanding 64-23-5 edge in the series, including a current string of 5 straight wins in Big 12 play since MUs last win in 1998 (20-6 in Columbia).
The Sooners have won 17 of the last 18 meetings overall dating back to 1984, and 18 of the last 21 going back to 1981 when the two schools were brethren in the old Big Eight Conference.
Mizzou and Oklahoma play for a game trophy that is called the Tiger-Sooner Peace Pipe, with the winner claiming the traveling trophy.
The ceremony of smoking the peace pipe was inaugurated in 1929 by Chester M. Brewer, Mizzou's director of athletics, and by members of Mystical Seven, a University of Missouri honorary group.
The peace pipe was donated by Mr. R.L. Hill, an M man and former president of the Missouri student body. The ceremony takes place during halves, with the Mystical Seven representing Mizzou, and a similar organization representing Oklahoma.
Mizzou won the peace pipe the very first year it was up for grabs, in 1929, by claiming a 13-0 shutout win over Oklahoma in Columbia. Ever since the pipe has been in play, OU leads by a 55-14-4 count, while leading the series overall by a 64-23-5 edge (series started in 1902).
LAST MEETING: #6 OKLAHOMA 41, #11 MIZZOU 31
The Tigers will be looking Saturday to exact some revenge against Oklahoma and avenge MU's only loss of the 2007 season.
Back on Oct. 13th, Mizzou went toe-to-toe on the road with the 6th-ranked team in the nation, holding a 24-23 lead early in the 4th quarter, before the homestanding Sooners took advantage of key Tiger mistakes to hold on for a hardfought 41-31 over the 11th-ranked visitors.
The Tigers showed great resiliency all night long in the hostile environment of 85,041 in attendance, and clawed back from a 23-10 deficit in the 3rd quarter, to take a 24-23 lead into the last period.
The lead was regained with help from different areas, as the offense first scored on a 10-yard end-around by WR Jeremy Maclin (his 2nd rushing TD of the night) with 4:41 left in the 3rd, followed by TB Jimmy Jackson's 4-yard plunge with 1:30 remaining. The latter possession was set up when the Sooners' Juaquin Iglesias fumbled a kickoff return, giving the ball back to the Tigers.
Leading 24-23 in the 4th, Mizzou had a golden opportunity slip out of its hands, literally, when SS Pig Brown couldn't hold onto a potential interception in MU's endzone on an errant ball thrown by OU quarterback Sam Bradford. The drop proved costly, as Bradford regrouped and led the Sooners the remaining 33 yards needed to regain the lead, at 29-24 with 12:26 left.
Mizzou signal caller Chase Daniel, who would end the night 37-of-47 passing for 361 yards with 1 TD and 2 INTs, was ready to lead another drive downfield, but on the ensuing possession, a fumbled exchange with Maclin spelled doom, as OU's Curtis Lofton alertly scooped the ball up at the Tiger 12-yardline and rambled into the endzone for a quick score that pushed the Sooner lead to 35-24 with 11:40 left.
That bit of disaster put the Tigers in a big hole, and forced the Tigers to abandon the run altogether, as Oklahoma sat back in pass defense. After the teams traded punts, Daniel was intercepted on a tipped pass near the sideline, and OU converted by driving only 24 yards for a game-icing TD, on TB Chris Brown's 3rd TD of the game.
Mizzou wouldn't die easily, though, as Daniel led an 80-yard TD drive that culminated in a 5-yard TD pass to TE Martin Rucker to account for the final score.
A year after Oklahoma scored all 26 points in a 26-10 win over Mizzou in Columbia off of Tiger turnovers and drive-extending penalties, the Sooners once again capitalized on MU miscues to win for a second straight year. In all, Mizzou committed four turnovers on the night in Norman - three interceptions and one fumble - that Oklahoma converted into 21 key points.
The Tigers, looking for the schools' first win in Norman since 1966, did their part in forcing a pair of Sooner fumbles that MU converted into 14 points, but the 4th-quarter mistakes proved to be too costly to overcome.
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| No. |
Season |
| 11 |
2007 |
| 10 |
1960* |
| 9 |
1969 |
| 9 |
1899 |
| 8 |
Seven times |
*-Includes forfeit win
from Kansas |
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MIZZOU-OKLAHOMA FLASHBACK NOTES
- Despite playing without leading rusher Tony Temple (out w/ankle injury), Mizzou outgained Oklahoma on Oct. 13th by a total offense margin of 418-to-384. The Tigers gained nearly 135 more yards than Oklahoma was allowing coming into the game, and its defense held the Sooners nearly 100 yards below their season average coming in - OU came into the game ranked 11th in both total defense (283.33 ypg) and total offense (482.17 ypg)...
- Mizzou's 31 points scored were the most the Tigers have tallied against Oklahoma since winning a 44-10 game in Columbia in 1969, and the most scored by MU in Norman since 1960, when the Tigers won a 41-19 ballgame. That was also the 2nd-most scored in Norman against OU Coach Bob Stoops...
- WR Jeremy Maclin was an offensive star on the night in defeat, as he gained 189 all-purpose yards, including 104 on kickoff returns (one of which he returned 56 yards). He also ran 4 times for 32 yards and 2 TDs, while catching 5 passes for 53 yards...
- TE Chase Coffman led all receivers on the night with 10 catches for 102 yards - both career high totals...
- PK Jeff Wolfert was perfect on 4 PATs and 1 FG (19 yards), and he broke the MU record for most consecutive PATs made with his 3rd one of the night...
- Midwest City, Okla., native Lorenzo Williams made a big play in the 2nd quarter playing in his home state, as he got to OU QB Sam Bradford for a sack that helped stall a Sooner drive, and give momentum back to Mizzou. After notching a game-clinching sack for a safety with :12 seconds remaining last Saturday against Kansas, Williams now ranks 3rd on the MU career QB sack list, with 18.5 - a school record for interior linemen...
- MLB Brock Christopher tied a career high by making 12 tackles, while fellow LB Sean Weatherspoon added 10 stops of his own...
- MU won the time of possession battle (30:27 to OU's 29:33) for the 2nd-straight game, after owning a time advantage of 31:40 to 28:20 against Nebraska. That marked the 1st time since 2005 that MU has held a time of possession edge in consecutive Big 12 games, when the Tigers did so in back-to-back games against Texas (30:30) and at Oklahoma State (32:57)...
- P Adam Crossett did a nice job on the night, averaging 40.5 yards per punt on 4 tries, with 3 of his punts being downed inside the Sooner 20-yardline. He had a long of 51 yards on the night that was his longest of the season. He also handled kickoff duty for the first time this season, making 4 kicks and registering 1 touchback...
DANIEL, WOLFERT WIN BIG 12 WEEKLY HONORS
The Big 12 Conference announced Monday morning that a pair of Tigers won weekly player of the week honors, as QB Chase Daniel won the offensive player of the week award, while PK Jeff Wolfert won special teams player of the week.
The honor for Daniel is the third time he's won the award this season, matching the honor for his previous performances against Nebraska and at Colorado. Last Saturday against #2 Kansas, Daniel completed 40-of-49 passes for 361 yards and 3 TDs with zero interceptions, and has led MU to #1 in the BCS standings for the 1st-time ever.
Wolfert was a perfect 6-of-6 on kicks in the KU win, including a pair of clutch 43-yard FGs in the 4th quarter that helped the Tigers hold off the hard-charging Jayhawks. It is the first weekly POW honor for Wolfert, who is 17-of-21 on FGs this season, and 62-of-62 on PATs.
TIGERS LOOKING FOR 1ST CONFERENCE TITLE SINCE 1969
A win Saturday over Oklahoma would give MU its first conference title since 1969. Mizzou has won 12 conference titles in its previous 116 seasons.
Here's a quick listing of Mizzou's previous conference championship teams:
- Missouri Valley - 1909, 1913, 1919, 1924, 1925, 1927
- Big Six - 1939, 1941, 1942, 1945
- Big Eight - 1960, 1969
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| DATE |
MU |
OU |
RESULT |
SITE |
| 10/13/2007 |
11 |
6 |
OU 41, MU 31 |
Norman |
| 10/28/2006 |
23 |
19 |
OU 26, MU 10 |
Columbia |
| 10/18/2003 |
24 |
1 |
OU 34, MU 13 |
Norman |
| 9/30/1978 |
14 |
1 |
OU 45, MU 23 |
Norman |
| 11/13/1976 |
11 |
14 |
OU 27, MU 20 |
Norman |
| 11/15/1975 |
18 |
6 |
OU 28, MU 27 |
Columbia |
| 11/10/1973 |
10 |
3 |
OU 31, MU 3 |
Columbia |
| 11/11/1972 |
14 |
7 |
OU 17, MU 6 |
Norman |
| 11/8/1969 |
9 |
20 |
MU 44, OU 10 |
Columbia |
| 11/9/1957 |
19 |
2 |
OU 39, MU 14 |
Columbia |
| 11/8/1948 |
9 |
15 |
OU 41, MU 7 |
Norman |
| 11/18/1939 |
12 |
5 |
MU 7, OU 6 |
Columbia |
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TIGERS RISE TO #1 IN A.P. & BCS POLLS WITH WIN OVER KANSAS
After its 36-28 victory over then #2-ranked Kansas last Saturday, the Missouri Tigers ascended to the top of the heap in terms of the national rankings, much to the delight of Tiger Nation.
The #1 listing in the BCS polls is the first time attaining such a perch for the school, and the #1 ranking in the AP poll is just the 2nd week in school history that the Tigers have held the #1 spot -matching the only other time, which was a one-week stay there in 1960 before an upset loss to close the regular season.
This marks the 11th-consecutive week the Tigers have been ranked in 2007, and the Tigers have climbed to #1 despite not being ranked in the pre-season top-25.
The 7th week of BCS rankings was released Sunday, and the Tigers rose to a school-best #1 there, as well, and were one of 4 Big 12 Conference teams included in this week's top-25: #5 Kansas, #9 Oklahoma, and #20 Texas were the others.
A few notes about MU carrying a ranking into a game:
- MU is 96-59-1 overall (61.9%) in its previous 156 games as a ranked team, but it is 0-1 alltime as the #1-ranked team, dropping its only game with that ranking, a 23-7 decision to unraked Kansas in the regular-season finale in 1960...
- This will mark the 13th time that MU and OU have met with both teams carrying AP rankings into the game. While MU holds just a 2-10 mark in those instances against OU, the Tigers have been the higher-ranked team (which they are this Saturday) only three times (going 1-2 in those affairs). Here's a look at those contests...
- Mizzou is 3-1 in 2007 when playing against ranked opponents, adding last week's win against #2-ranked Kansas to its list of wins along with with a 41-10 win over #22 Texas Tech (Oct. 20th in Columbia) and a 41-6 win over then-#25 Nebraska (Oct. 6th in Columbia). MU's sole loss against a ranked team this season remains its only loss to date a 41-31 defeat at #6 Oklahoma (Oct. 13th)...
- Mizzou is 13-7 under Head Coach Gary Pinkel when playing as a ranked team, including 8-1 in 2007, 3-2 in 2006, 1-1 in 2004 and 1-3 in 2003...
TIGERS' SPOT IN BCS POLL IS HIGHEST IN PROGRAM HISTORY
The BCS standings this week reflect the Mizzou Tigers at #1, climbing from #16 after the initial rankings six weeks ago, and up 3 from last week's #4 spot.
This week is the 75th week a set of rankings has been compiled, and Mizzou's showing at #1 is the highest any Tiger team has stood in the rankings (which began in 1998), and only the 14th time overall that MU has made the BCS rankings.
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| CATEGORY |
MU |
OPP |
| Rush Yds. |
165.7 |
92 |
| Rush Avg. |
4 |
3.1 |
| Rush TDs |
13 |
7 |
| Pass Yds. |
315.5 |
266.3 |
| Pass TDs |
17 |
8 |
| Pass Effic. |
164.1 |
116.2 |
| Total Offense |
481.2 |
358.3 |
| Turnovers |
5 |
14 |
| Time of Poss. |
30:28 |
29:32 |
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TIGERS HAVE WON SIX-STRAIGHT SINCE OU LOSS
Mizzou suffered its only defeat of the season to this Saturday's Big 12 title game opponent, Oklahoma, back on Oct. 13th in Norman. Many Tiger players credit that game, though, which MU led 24-23 in the 4th quarter, as a turning point in the season, saying that they knew after that game they could compete with anyone if they played their best.
Since then, the Tigers have been playing very good football, as they've won 6 straight games heading into the rematch with OU. Here's a quick look at some stat breakdowns that show advantages MU has owned in the 6-game streak.
Some individual standouts during the 6-game string include QB Chase Daniel, who is completing 72.4% of his passes in the win streak (163-of-225), and has thrown for 1,878 yards with 17 TDs and just 3 INTs for a QB rating of 164.8.
FS William Moore, has surged to the top of the Big 12 rankings in interceptions and played his way into all-league honors contention during the string, as he's recorded 5 INTs in MU's 6-game streak.
Another standout has been Mr. all-everything Jeremy Maclin, who has been MU's leading receiver in the 6 games, catching 39 passes for 595 yards and 6 TDs, averaging 99.2 yds. per game.
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| NO. |
SCHOOL |
| 12 |
Mizzou |
| 10 |
Florida, Hawaii, LSU, Texas Tech, UCF |
| 9 |
Arkansas, Boise State, Houston, Kansas,
Navy, Tulsa, West Virginia |
| 8 |
Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Kansas State,
Kentucky, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Purdue,
Tennessee, Texas, UTEP |
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MIZZOU ONLY TEAM TO SCORE 30 PTS. EACH GAME IN 2007
Another testament to the consistency with which Chase Daniel and the Tiger offensive attack is playing this year - a check of the national results in 2007 shows that Mizzou is the only school in the country to score at least 30 points in every game.
MU also has the most 30-point games in the nation, doing it 12 times so far. Here's a quick look at teams with the most 30-point games so far (through games of Nov. 24th)...
DANIEL IN THE CHASE FOR HEISMAN CONSIDERATION
Junior QB Chase Daniel continues to make a claim to top signal caller status in the Big 12 Conference, and for top national honors as well with his stellar play. Among those national honors that his name keeps popping up for around the country is the mother of them all - the Heisman Trophy.
Daniel received a letter from the Heisman Trust three weeks ago, indicating that he is being followed by many of the voters, and thus, is in a position to potentially garner an invite to the Heisman ceremony in New York City the weekend of Dec. 8. Finalists will be announced Dec. 5.
The Tiger signal caller, who has already been named a finalist for the O'Brien Award, made the most of his national television appearance last Saturday in leading MU to a 36-28 win over #2-ranked and previously unbeaten Kansas. The impression he left on the nation had to be a favorable one, as he surgically dissected the Jayhawks, completing 40-of-49 passes for 361 yards and 3 TDs, with zero INTs.
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| Opponent |
Big 12 |
NCAA |
Stat |
| TD Passes |
2nd |
4th |
33 |
| Completion Pct. |
2nd |
4th |
70.50% |
| Completions/Game |
2nd |
4th |
29.08 |
| Total Offense |
2nd |
4th |
350.75 |
| Passing Yards |
2nd |
4th |
3,951 |
| Passing Yds./Game |
2nd |
6th |
329.25 |
| Pts. Responsible For |
2nd |
8th |
18.33 |
| Pass Efficiency |
3rd |
8th |
155.92 |
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Daniel has been stellar during crunch time, as his QB rating in the 4th quarter of Big 12 games in 2007 is 181.59 - he's 46-of-55 passing for 508 yards, with 4 TDs and 1 INT.
Daniel became the 1st repeat winner of the Big 12 Conference Offensive Player of the Week this season, when he won the Big 12 award for his 421-yard, 5-TD performance at Colorado in which he completed 26-of-44 passes and had a QB rating of 172.42. The yardage marked a career high for Daniel, with the TD passes tying his own school single-game record he'd established twice previously as he led MU to a 55-10 win in Boulder.
After being named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week Monday for his performance in the Kansas game, Daniel has now won the weekly Big 12 award three times this season, and 5 times overall. He won the award earlier this year for his performance in leading Mizzou to a 41-6 win over #25 Nebraska on Oct. 6th, when he passed for a then-career-best 401 yards and had a career-high 473 yards of total offense in all as the Tigers rolled up 606 yards on the night. He also won during the 2006 season for his efforts against Murray State and Kansas.
Daniel enters Saturday's game against Oklahoma ranked among the best in the Big 12 and the NCAA in several categories, and he has the Tigers 11-1 and sitting 1st in the latest BCS poll (MU's highest-ever showing). He has also led MU to consecutive 8-win regular seasons for just the 2nd time in school history (1941-42).
TIGERS CLAIM NORTH DIVISION TITLE BY KNOCKING KANSAS FROM UNBEATEN
The Missouri Tigers improved to 11-1 last Saturday by jumping on top of previously unbeaten and 2nd-ranked Kansas, and then held off a late KU surge to claim the Big 12 Conference North Division title with a 36-28 win in Kansas City's Arrowhead Stadium.
The Tigers, who came into the game ranked 4th in the BCS standings, won its first conference title of any kind since 1969 by jumping out to leads of 7-0 (1st quarter), 14-0 (halftime) and 21-0 (3rd quarter), before KU was able to make a run. But the closest the Jayhawks would get was 6 points in the final minutes, and their last-ditch shot at a score was snuffed out deep in their territory on a QB sack for a safety with :12 seconds left by NOSE Lorenzo Williams to account for the final score.
Chase Daniel added to his Heisman-worthy resume as he completed 40-of-49 passes on the night for 361 yards and 3 TDs. His precision passing systematically picked apart a Jayhawk defense that came into the game ranked 8th in the NCAA in total defense, allowing an average of 300.00 total yards per game. MU outgained the Jayhawks on the evening, 519-to-391.
Daniel's most dangerous target on the night was WR Danario Alexander, who hauled in 8 receptions for a career-best 117 yards and 1 TD. Alexander had caught a total of 4 passes for 25 yards combined in the previous 2 games, but he came up big early and often on the night.
As good as MU's offense was, its defense maybe turned the most heads, especially for the opening 30 minutes, as it pitched its first shutout against a BCS opponent since 2005 against Baylor, as the Tigers led 14-0 at halftime. Mizzou allowed only 139 Jayhawk yards of total offense in the opening half, limiting KU to just 1-of-6 on 3rd downs in the process.
In all, the Tiger defense stymied the KU rushing attack, holding them to a season-low 42 yards rushing on the night - far below their per-game average of 210.64 coming into the game, which had ranked 15th nationally coming in.
The Tigers also turned the tables on Kansas in the turnover battle, as MU nabbed a pair of interceptions on QB Todd Reesing, who hadn't thrown an interception since the Truman administration. Both picks led to touchdowns for the Tiger offense that helped the Tigers build a 21-0 lead midway through the 3rd quarter.
TB Tony Temple, playing in his hometown of Kansas City, ran like a man possessed, hitting holes, breaking tackles, making something out of nothing, and running over and through people, as he finished with 98 yards on 22 carries (4.5 avg.).
Todd Reesing's 5-yard touchdown pass to Marcus Henry with 2:03 to go drew the Jayhawks within six points and after Mizzou milked all but 17 seconds off the clock before punting deep into KU territory, Lorenzo Williams put the finishing touches on it for Mizzou, sacking Reesing in the end zone for a safety with 12 seconds left.
Kansas came into the game second nationally averaging almost 46 points a game, but fell behind 21-0 before Reesing finally got the Jayhawks into the end zone. Scott Webb missed two field goals in the second quarter for the Jayhawks, who had been an even bigger surprise than Missouri up to this point and were gunning for what would have been their first national championship as well.
MU's Alexander caught eight passes for 117 yards, including a 16-yard gain on third-and-14 with 6:46 to play after Reesing's touchdown pass to Dexton Fields pulled Kansas to 31-21.
A moment later, Jeff Wolfert kicked his second field goal, a 43-yarder, for a 34-21 lead with 3:31 to go.
The Tigers had only one first down on their first three possessions but finally broke through with a 78-yard touchdown drive once Daniel found his groove.
Facing a fourth-and-goal from the 1 on his fourth possession, Daniel hit tight end Martin Rucker on a quick slant for the night's first touchdown with 29 seconds left in the first quarter.
Reesing seemed to find his touch after a poor first quarter when he hit Kerry Meier for a 39-yard gain on the first play of the second quarter. That was his school-record 213th straight pass without an interception. But on the next play, safety William Moore stepped in front of Fields at the 2 and made the pick. It was his seventh interception of the season, tying the Missouri record of NFL Hall of Fame defensive back Roger Wehrli, and gave all the momentum right back to the Tigers.
The Jayhawks, one of the nation's least-penalized teams, made another big mistake, a defensive holding after stopping Missouri on third-and-12 from the 40.
Given new life, Daniel found Alexander for 20 yards and then on third-and-goal from the 11, the junior quarterback danced away from pressure and fired a pass to Alexander as he fell into the corner of the end zone, capping a 98-yard drive.
Twice Kansas, which had scored on 22 straight trips to the red zone, got to the Missouri 16. But both times, Scott Webb missed field goals.
Tommy Saunders had eight catches for 82 yards for Missouri and Fields led the Jayhawks with eight receptions for 116 yards.
|
|
| Player, School |
Cl. |
Gm. |
Rec. |
Yds |
TDs |
RPG |
YPC |
YPG |
| Martin Rucker, MU |
SR |
12 |
75 |
739 |
8 |
6.25 |
9.85 |
61.58 |
| Travis Beckum, Wisc. |
JR |
12 |
73 |
960 |
6 |
6.08 |
13.15 |
80.00 |
| Cody Slate, Marshall |
SO |
12 |
66 |
818 |
5 |
5.50 |
12.39 |
68.17 |
| Dustin Keller, Purdue |
SR |
12 |
61 |
731 |
6 |
5.08 |
11.98 |
60.92 |
| Darius Hill, Ball St. |
SR |
12 |
56 |
837 |
9 |
4.67 |
14.95 |
69.75 |
| Dennis Pitta, BYU |
SO |
11 |
50 |
728 |
4 |
4.55 |
14.56 |
66.18 |
| Fred Davis, USC |
SR |
11 |
49 |
753 |
6 |
4.45 |
15.37 |
68.45 |
|
RUCKER LEADS ALL OF NCAA'S TIGHT ENDS IN RECEPTIONS PER GAME, NAMED MACKEY FINALIST
All-American candidate TE Martin Rucker bypassed the NFL draft after his junior year, in order to come back to help lead his team to great things in 2007, and also to help improve his draft status for next year. Through 11 games, his decision appears to have been an extremely good one, as Rucker has played like a man among children, as he leads all of the nation's tight ends with his per-game averages of 6.36 receptions and his yardage average of 63.55 yards (70 receptions, 699 yards, 7 TDs in all) is 5th-best nationally among tight ends. He also ranks 24th nationally - among all position players - with his 6.36 catches per game.
Rucker was named on Monday one of three finalists for the John Mackey Award, which goes annually to the nation's top tight end. The winner will be announced on Dec. 6th as part of the Home Depot ESPN College Football Awards Show.
Rucker has been a beast every time he's touched the ball - we're hyperbolizing a little here, probably, but it's hard to remember a time when he was brought down by any less than 3 people on a play when he's touched the ball this season.
And when teams choose to focus on limiting his touches, as Kansas State did recently, that attention opens things up for others, like a Jeremy Maclin, who had 9 catches for 143 yards and 2 TDs. Rucker was held to 4 catches for 28 yards in Manhattan, but still played a key role in MU's big win, as he caught a pair of TD passes for his 1st multiple-score game since his freshman season at Baylor. Rucker had 5 catches for 40 yards and a huge TD last time out against Kansas, as the Tigers defeated KU, 36-28. His TD catch opened scoring on the night, and came on a 4th-and-goal from the 1-yardline.
The co-captain was a focal point of the offensive attack that rolled up 606 yards against Nebraska, as Rucker caught 9 passes for 109 yards and 1 TD against the Huskers. He followed with a 6-catch, 35-yard outing at Oklahoma where he caught a TD pass in the 4th quarter. Rucker is had a 6-catch night at Colorado that saw him break the MU single-season record for most receptions by a tight end (old mark was 54 by Chase Coffman in 2006), and he had a 6-catch, 54-yard day against Texas A&M.
Rucker, who was voted a team co-captain by his teammates this off-season, caught 53 passes for 511 yards and 5 TDs a year ago. He entered his senior season (after bypassing the NFL Draft) already holding the MU career records for TEs in receptions (119) and yardage (1,341).
With updated career numbers of 194 receptions for 2,080 yards and 18 TDs, Rucker is now just the 3rd Tiger ever (1st tight end) to reach 2,000 yards. He also stands just 7 catches shy of breaking the MU career receptions record of 200 held by former standout WR Justin Gage (200 from 1999-2002).
Rucker is the younger brother of Mike Rucker, who was an All-American defensive lineman at Nebraska and is a standout with the NFL's Carolina Panthers. His father, Martin Sr., also has a very public job, as he is a State Representative in the Missouri House of Representatives, for District 29.
Here's a look at the NCAA's top tight ends statistically speaking...
MACLIN BREAKS NCAA FRESHMAN ALL-PURPOSE YARDAGE MARK
Freshman wide receiver/return man extraordinaire Jeremy Maclin was named the Walter Camp Football Foundation National Offensive Player of the Week, for his record-breaking efforts in MUs 49-32 win in Manhattan, Kan., over Kansas State two games ago.
Maclin, who is proving himself to be the most dynamic and versatile freshman in the nation, amassed an MU single-game record of 360 all-purpose yards, breaking the NCAA freshman single-season all-purpose yardage record in the process. The old record was 2,026 by Terrell Willis of Rutgers in 1993, and after a 200-yard night last Saturday against Kansas, Maclin now has 2,509 in 12 games.
Maclin broke the NCAA record on an historic play, as he took a kickoff return 99 yards for a touchdown in the 1st quarter, for Mizzous first kickoff return for a score since 1982. Mizzou had gone 287 games and 976 kickoff returns between its last touchdown, both of which were nation-long streaks.
Maclin, who leads the Big 12 Conference and ranks 2nd in the NCAA in all-purpose yards (209.1 ypg), is the only player in the nation to have touchdowns via receiving (9 TDs), rushing (4), punt return (2) and kickoff return (1). He also became only the third Tiger in history to have a kickoff return and punt return for a touchdown in a season joining former greats Roger Wehrli (1968) and John Moseley (1973).
After his big day at Kansas State, which also included nine receptions for 143 yards and two touchdowns, Maclin had a career-best 10 catches last Saturday in the win over Kansas, for 69 yards. He also had a punt return for 43 yards that he was one man away from taking the distance, and he rushed 4 times for 22 yards.
Maclin now leads MU with 954 receiving yards on the season. He ranks 2nd in the Big 12 (15th nationally) in punt returns (13.59 avg.), 6th in the league in receiving yards (79.50 ypg), 9th in scoring (8.00 ppg) and 10th in kickoff returns (24.28 avg.).
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