Aug. 25, 2008
#20/#19 Illinois Fighting Illini (0-0) vs. #6/#7 Missouri Tigers (0-0)
Aug. 30, 2008 – 2008 State Farm Arch Rivalry – St. Louis, Mo.
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KICKOFF: 7:36 p.m. CT.
STADIUM: Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, Mo. (66,965 – FieldTurf surface). Opened in 1995. Mizzou is 3-0 in the building.
RADIO: Tiger Network. Mike Kelly (play-by-play), John Kadlec (color), Chris Gervino (sidelines), Mark Mills (engineer). Carried on over 50 stations across the Midwest, and on the Internet at mutigers.com.
Touchdown Radio is also broadcasting the game on a national basis, as well as on the Armed Forces Radio Network. Frank Frangie (play-by-play), Gino Torretta (color), Mike Dempsey (sidelines), Ed Murphy (engineer).
Satellite radio owners may also find the game on Sirius Channel 123.
TV: ESPN. Mark Jones (play-by-play), Bob Davie (color), Todd Harris (sidelines), Bart Fox (producer), Kelly Atkinson (director).
RANKINGS (AP/COACHES): MU –6th/7th;
ILL – 20th/19th.
SERIES: Mizzou leads, 14-7, including 4-1 in games played in St. Louis. Mizzou has won 3 straight overall in the series.
COACHES:
Mizzou: Gary Pinkel (Kent, ‘75), 49-37 at MU (8th year) and 122-74-3 overall (17th year). Pinkel is 3-0 vs. Illinois and 1-0 vs. Ron Zook.
ILL: Ron Zook (Miami, Ohio, ‘76), 13-23 at ILL (4th year) and 36-37 overall (7th year). Zook is 0-1 vs. Mizzou and Gary Pinkel.
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ARCH RIVALY RENEWS AS TIGERS, ILLINI SQUARE OFF IN ST. LOUIS
The #6/7 Missouri Tigers (12-2 in 2007) and the #20/19 Illinois Fighting Illini (9-4) will kick off the 2008 season in the battle ground of St. Louis, Mo., as the rivals will face each other in the State Farm Arch Rivalry game, set for Saturday, Aug. 30th in the Edward Jones Dome. Kickoff for for the nationally-televised ESPN airing is set for 7:36 p.m.
The Tigers are coming off a record-setting 2007 season that saw them achieve numerous milestones:
- A school-record 12 wins;
- First-ever Big 12 Conference North division title;
- #1 ranking in the Associated Press top-25 poll for 1st time since 1960 (only the 2nd-time ever);
- First-ever BCS #1 ranking;
- Final #4 A.P. ranking – the highest ever at MU;
- First time with 2 consensus 1st-Team All-Americans (Martin Rucker, TE / Jeremy Maclin, All-Purpose);
- First-ever Heisman Trophy finalist (Chase Daniel);
- First New Year’s Day Bowl win since 1966;
- Largest bowl game victory margin (31 pts., with 38-7 win over Arkansas).
WHAT RETURNS FOR MIZZOU
The 2008 season will be the 118th in Mizzou football history, and the Tigers bring an all-time record of 590-506-52 (53.7%) into ‘08.
The Tigers featured a record-setting offense a year ago that ended the season ranked 5th in the NCAA in total offense (490.29 ypg). Mizzou returns 6 starters from that unit, including Heisman finalist QB Chase Daniel, pre-season Playboy Magazine All-Americans TE Chase Coffman and all-purpose man Jeremy Maclin, as well as WR Tommy Saunders, and offensive linemen Kurtis Gregory (RG), Colin Brown (RT) and Ryan Madison (LG).
Mizzou also benefitted from a young defense that made big strides throughout the season and toward the end of the year was playing as well as any defense in the Big 12. The Tigers led the Big 12 in total defense in league play, allowing a league-low 353.9 yards per game on the way to the North Division title.
Ten starters return from that unit which nearly pitched a shutout in the 2008 AT&T Cotton Bowl against high-powered Arkansas, as the Tigers claimed a convincing 38-7 win. Mizzou held the Razorbacks and their Heisman runner-up running back Darren McFadden to one touchdown, one game after Arkansas hung 50 points on eventual national champion LSU. Returning headliners defensively include preseason All-American FS William Moore (who tied for the NCAA interceptions lead, with 8), LB Sean Weatherspoon (led MU with 130 tackles), CB Carl Gettis (2007 2nd-team Freshman All-American), DT Ziggy Hood, DE Stryker Sulak and LB Brock Christopher.
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| Coach |
Wins |
# Seasons (Years) |
Record |
Pct. |
# Bowls |
| Don Faurot |
101 |
19 (1935-42, 46-56) |
101-79-10 |
0.558 |
4 |
| Dan Devine |
93 |
13 (1958-70) |
93-37-7 |
0.704 |
6 |
| Gary Pinkel |
49 |
7 (2001-Present) |
49-37 |
0.57 |
4 |
| Warren Powers |
46 |
7 (1978-84) |
46-33-3 |
0.58 |
5 |
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PINKEL STANDS 3RD ON ALLTIME MU COACHING WINS LIST
Mizzou Head Coach Gary Pinkel is in his 8th season at MU and touts a career record of 122-74-3 (62.1%).
Pinkel, who has led MU to a combined record of 40-23 over the past 5 seasons, and to bowl games in 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2007, has a 7-year record in Columbia of 49-37 (57.0%). Dating back to the 2005 Independence Bowl win over Steve Spurrier and South Carolina, Pinkel has won 21 of his last 28 games overall.
MU’s win last time out against Arkansas in the 2008 AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic (W, 38-7) gave Pinkel his 49th MU win, which ranks him 3rd on the coaching wins list at MU. His next win will give him 50 at Mizzou.
Pinkel is in a select group of Mizzou coaches that includes College Football Hall of Famers Don Faurot and Dan Devine, as well as Warren Powers, to be the only coaches to have an MU record of above .500 (with at least one full season coached) dating all the way back to 1935.
For the efforts in 2007, Pinkel was a finalist for several national coach of the year awards, including the Robinson, Bryant and Munger awards. He was also named the National Coach of the Year by FieldTurf in 2007.
Pinkel has led MU to 4 bowl games, and if his Tigers reach a 5th in 2008, he will join Devine (6 bowls), and Powers (5 bowls) as the only coaches to guide MU to 5 bowl games. After beating Nebraska in 2007 (41-6) for the 3rd time in 5 years, Pinkel became the first MU coach since Onofrio to defeat NU three times.
Pinkel has guided Mizzou to 4 winning seasons (8-5 in 2003, 7-5 in 2005, 8-5 in 2006, 12-2 in 2007), with those representing 4 of MU’s 6 winning campaigns dating back to the 1983 season.
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| NORTH |
PTS. |
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SOUTH |
PTS. |
| 1. Mizzou (51) |
306 |
1. Oklahoma (49) |
304 |
| 2. Kansas |
234 |
2. Texas (2) |
230 |
| 3. Nebraska |
183 |
3. Texas Tech |
227 |
| 4. Colorado |
181 |
4. Oklahoma State |
140 |
| 5. Kansas State |
108 |
5. Texas A&M |
118 |
| 6. Iowa State |
59 |
6. Baylor |
52 |
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TIGERS TABBED TO WIN BIG 12 NORTH IN LEAGUE MEDIA PRESEASON POLL
In 2007, Mizzou was picked to win the Big 12 North Division title for the first time ever since the inception of the league in 1996. Playing as the favorites for the first time, the Tigers handled the pressure adeptly, cruising to a 7-1 league record (tied for most conference wins in a season in school history). The margin of victory in those 7 wins was impressive, as the average margin for MU was 23.4 points, including a 45-point win at Colorado (55-10), a 35-point win over Nebraska (41-6) and a 31-point win over 22nd-ranked Texas Tech (41-10).
Hopefully the experience gained last year as the favorite carries over into the 2008 season, as Mizzou was picked once again by league scribes to claim the North crown, in unanimous fashion. At right is a quick look at the preseason media poll (first place votes in parentheses).
TIGERS IN SEASON OPENERS
In its previous 117 seasons of play, Mizzou stands 73-39-5 alltime (64.5%) in season openers. The Tigers have won 6 straight season openers, and 10-of-11 overall, dating back to 1997. Included in the current 6-game streak were season-opening wins over Illinois in 2002 (33-20), 2003 (22-15) and 2007 (40-34). In its last 20 season openers, MU is 15-5 overall.
This will mark the 9th time that Mizzou has faced Illinois to open a season, and the Tigers have managed a solid 6-2 record against the Illini in the previous 8 such meetings.
Here’s a quick look at the previous MU-UI season-opening matchups:
- 1983 – Mizzou 28, Illinois 18 (Columbia)
- 1984 – Illinois 30, Mizzou 24 (Champaign)
- 1991 – Mizzou 23, Illinois 19 (Columbia)
- 1992 – Illinois 24, Mizzou 17 (Champaign)
- 1993 – Mizzou 31, Illinois 3 (Columbia)
- 2002 – Mizzou 33, Illinois 20 (St. Louis)
- 2003 – Mizzou 22, Illinois 15 (St. Louis)
- 2007 – Mizzou 40, Illinois 34 (St. Louis)
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| Games |
Opp. |
Last Mtg. |
Series |
| 23 |
SMU |
1996 |
SMU leads, 13-8-2 |
| 21 |
Illinois |
2007 |
MU leads, 14-7 |
| 12 |
Iowa |
1910 |
MU leads, 7-5 |
| 12 |
Ohio State |
1998 |
OSU leads, 10-1-1 |
| 10 |
Indiana |
1992 |
UI leads, 6-2-2 |
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MIZZOU-ILLINOIS SERIES HISTORY
Missouri and Illinois will meet for the 22nd time when they tussle in Saturday’s State Farm Arch Rivalry contest in St. Louis. MU holds a 14-7 edge in the series, based largely on the strength of taking 9-of-11 games between the rivals in a stretch spanning 1949 to 1983.
Since then, the series has been more even overall, with MU holding a 5-3 edge, from 1984-2007. The Tigers have won the last 3 meetings, however, and lead the Fighting Illini 4-1 alltime in games played in St. Louis.
Saturday will mark the first time that both teams will carry Associated Press rankings into the game. Mizzou has actually never faced the Illini when they were ranked at the time, but MU has been ranked 5 times previously when facing Illinois – the Tigers hold a 4-1 record in those matchups:
- 1969: #11 Mizzou 37, Illinois 6 (St. Louis)
- 1975: #5 Mizzou 30, Illinois 20 (Champaign)
- 1976: Illinois 31, #6 Mizzou 6 (Columbia)
- 1979: #11 Mizzou 14, Illinois 6 (Champaign)
- 1980: #15 Mizzou 52, Illinois 7 (Columbia)
Illinois is the 2nd-most commonly-played non-conference opponent in MU history. The previous 21 games played vs. Illinois ranks behind only the 23 played alltime vs. SMU. Here’s a listing of the Tigers’ most common non-league foes:
LAST YEAR: MIZZOU 40, ILLINOIS 34
The renewal of the Arch Rivalry series between Mizzou and Illinois in 2007 produced quite a memorable matchup. Missouri’s Chase Daniel threw three touchdown passes, Pig Brown intercepted a pass at the 1 with 51 seconds to play, and Missouri held off Illinois 40-34 in both teams’ season opener at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, Mo.
The Tigers scored on a 100-yard fumble return and a 66-yard punt return and were up 37-13 late in the third quarter.
Illinois redshirt freshman quarterback Eddie McGee - in the game after starter Juice Williams left after being knocked out of the game in the second quarter - scored from 16 yards with 4:08 to play in the third quarter to cut the margin to 17.
After Missouri’s Danario Alexander fumbled on a double-reverse, McGee hit Kyle Hudson on a 41-yard scoring pass on the next play. The Illini got within three early in the fourth quarter after Daniel was sacked and fumbled deep in his own territory. Rashard Mendenhall scored from the 4 two plays later to make it 37-34.
Missouri went ahead 40-34 on Jeff Wolfert’s 32-yard field goal with 8:32 to play, then held on.
The Illini had one final shot, taking over at their 30 with 2:51 to play and driving to the Missouri 22. But Brown leaped high to intercept McGee’s pass, and Missouri ran out the clock to claim its third straight win over Illinois in St. Louis, matching previous wins in 2002 and 2003.
McGee was 17-for-31 for 257 yards and a touchdown, but lost two fumbles and was intercepted twice. One of the fumbles came when McGee was inches from scoring on a quarterback draw in the second quarter. Missouri safety Pig Brown scooped up the ball and ran 100 yards the other way – tying an NCAA record in the process for longest fumble return.
Daniel was 37-for-54 for a 359 yards and threw touchdown passes of 1 yard to Chase Coffman in the first quarter, 2 yards to Will Franklin in the second quarter and 25 yards to Jeremy Maclin in the third quarter.
Maclin also scored on a 66-yard punt return that put Missouri up 37-13 with 6:11 to play in the third quarter, before the Illini began the comeback.
Martin Rucker caught 10 passes for 86 yards for Missouri, and Alexander had nine catches for 82 yards, before dislocating his left wrist while being tackled on a key 33-yard reception in the fourth quarter that extended a crucial drive for the Tigers.
Illinois rushed for 174 yards, led by Daniel Dufrene’s 58 yards on six carries. Mendenhall had 42 yards and scored on runs of 25 and 4 yards.
Williams was scrambling near the sideline early in the second quarter when he took the brunt of a head-on collision from Missouri cornerback Hardy Ricks. Ricks was playing despite suffering a dislocated shoulder just weeks prior in pre-season camp.
The Illini said Williams was held out for the remainder of the game as a precaution. He was 6-for-9 for 59 yards and rushed six times for 15 yards before leaving.
Both teams made the most of the opportunities presented them, as Illinois scored 20 of its points off Tiger miscues, including six on a blocked punt returned for a touchdown, and 14 more after recovering MU fumbles on the Tiger 5-yardline and 41-yardline.
Mizzou countered by scoring 16 points off of three Illini fumbles, with another seven coming on Maclin’s punt return score – only the third non-blocked punt return for a touchdown at Missouri since 1990.
RANDOMLY SPEAKING
Here’s a quick scatter-shooting of random tidbits to whet the appetite:
- A testament to the consistency and potency of the Tiger offensive attack in 2007 is the fact that Mizzou was the only school in the country to score at least 30 points in every game during the regular season. The lowest point total tallied by MU in its 12 regular-season games a year ago was 31 in a 41-31 loss at #6 Oklahoma. The Tigers scored in the 40s 7 times, and in the 50s 2 times during the 2007 regular season, on the way to shattering the school record for most points in a year, with 558 points (399 was the previous record, set in 2003)…
- Mizzou was 4-2 in 2007 when playing against ranked opponents, including a 38-7 shellacking of #25 Arkansas in the 2008 AT&T Cotton Bowl (38-7), adding to a win against #2-ranked Kansas (36-28), a 41-10 win over #22 Texas Tech and a 41-6 win over then-#25 Nebraska. MU’s 2 losses against a ranked team last year were a pair of defeats to nemesis Oklahoma (41-31 defeat at #6 Oklahoma & 38-17 loss to #9 OU in the Big 12 title game…
- Mizzou is 14-8 under Head Coach Gary Pinkel when playing as a ranked team, including 9-2 in 2007, 3-2 in 2006, 1-1 in 2004 and 1-3 in 2003…
- This marks the 4th straight game that Mizzou has played versus a ranked opponent, and they’ve all come on neutral fields. To close the 2007 season, MU defeated #2 Kansas (36-28 in Kansas City), lost to #9 Oklahoma (38-17 in San Antonio) and defeated #25 Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl (38-7 in Dallas)…
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| Category |
1st 4
Avg. |
Big 12
Rank |
Last 8
Avg. |
Big 12
Rank |
| Total Def. |
435 |
11th |
353.9 |
1st |
| Rush Def. |
159 |
9th |
93 |
2nd |
| Pass Eff. Def. |
123 |
10th |
117.7 |
2nd |
| Scoring Def. |
25 |
8th |
22.6 |
3rd |
| Pass Defense |
276 |
11th |
260.9 |
3rd |
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TIGER DEFENSE EXPECTED TO BE STOUT IN 2008
The Tiger defense was young overall to begin the 2007 season, and through its 4 non-conference games to open the season, it didn’t fare all that well statistically. It allowed 435 yards and 34 points to Illinois in the season opener, and then 534 yards and 25 points at Ole Miss.
After that point, however, Defensive Coordinator Matt Eberflus’ young pups really began to play well. After the rough start, the Tiger defense held their next 8 opponents under 400 yards of total offense – including sterling efforts against #25 Nebraska (297 total yards, 6 points) and #22 Texas Tech (380 yds., 10 pts.), which represented season-low yard and point totals for both. The defense closed the season with a bang, as well, as they shut down the high-powered offensive attack of Arkansas, holding the #25-ranked Razorbacks to 361 yards and just 7 points, one game after Arkansas scored 50 points to win at #1 LSU.
Here’s a look at at where Mizzou ranked (and what it was allowing per game) in its first 4 games (all non-conference games), versus where it stood in Big 12-play (8 regular-season conference games only)…
NO. 6 PRESEASON A.P. RANKING IS PROGRAM BEST
When the Associated Press preseason top-25 poll came out, most pundits had Mizzou pegged as a top-10 team, and those predictions rang true as the Tigers debuted at #6. That marked the highest-ever preseason ranking for Mizzou, surpassing the previous best of 10th, prior to the 1969 season that saw the Tigers go 9-2 under Hall of Fame Coach Dan Devine and share the Big Eight Conference title. That team finished the season ranked sixth in the final Associated Press poll.
Since the Associated Press began ranking teams in 1939, Mizzou has been included in the preseason rankings only 6 times prior to 2008. Oddly enough, out of those 6 times, only once has Mizzou finished the season ranked (1969). Seventeen other times, MU has received votes in the A.P. preseason poll, and 5 of those seasons saw the Tigers finished as a ranked team according to the A.P. (1961, 1965, 1968, 1998, 2007).
Additonally, four times (1962, 1963, 1964, 1979) Mizzou was unranked to end the year in the A.P. poll, but was ranked in the now-defunct UPI poll.
DANIEL RETURNS FOR ENCORE OF MAGICAL 2007 SEASON
Mizzou senior QB Chase Daniel returns for his final season in a Tiger uniform. If he can come close to matching his exploits from a year ago, it should prove to be a fun year for Tiger fans, indeed.
Daniel continued to smash all sorts of Mizzou passing and total offense records, as he became the school’s first-ever Heisman Trophy finalist (finishing 4th in balloting). He helped lead Mizzou to its 12-2 season as he threw for an MU-record 4,306 yards and 33 TDs.
His signature game in 2007 was in MU’s epic win over #2 Kansas that saw the #3 Tigers claim a 36-28 win that catapulted them to the top of both the Associated Press and BCS rankings. In the game, played before a national television audience in Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium, Daniel was virtually perfect, going 40-of-49 in the air for 361 yards and 3 TDs. Daniel ranked 7th in the NCAA a year ago in total offense (325.64 ypg) and was 15th overall in pass efficiency (147.89 rating), while amassing at least 300 passing yards in 8-of-14 games – including a pair of 400-yard performances (401 vs. Nebraska and 421 at Colorado).
Among the preseason favorites for Heisman contention again in 2008, Daniel was named the Big 12 preseason Offensive Player-of-the-Year by league media, after he won the postseason award in 2007, as well as claiming Big 12 Male Athlete-of-the-Year for the 2007-08 school season.
Already at the top of numerous MU records lists, Daniel needs just 620 passing yards in 2008 to become MU’s career passing yardage leader. He enters the season with 8,180 yards, and trails only Brad Smith, with 8,799. He also has a shot at reaching Smith’s seemingly unreachable total offense career record of 13,088 yards, as Daniel has 8,869 entering 2008 (needs 4,220 to break).
THE J-MAC ATTACK IS BACK
St. Louis native (Kirkwood, Mo.) Jeremy Maclin made his collegiate debut last year in the Edward Jones Dome against Illinois, and what he showed that day was only a preview of what ended up a record-shattering year for the then-freshman.
Maclin began his collegiate career with a 2-TD game against Illinois, as a pair of 3rd-quarter scores helped stake the Tigers to a 37-13 lead. His first TD came on a 25-yard laser pass from QB Chase Daniel, and after the MU defense forced a punt, Maclin ran it back 66 yards for a TD – marking only MU’s 3rd non-blocked punt return for a TD since 1990.
Maclin would go on to become arguably the nation’s most dangerous all-purpose threat, as he was the only player in the FBS classification to score a TD via receiving (9), rushing (4), punt return (2) and kickoff return (1). His 2,776 all-purpose yards broke the NCAA single-season record for freshmen, and ranked as the 5th-highest single-season total in NCAA annals. His season total of 2,776 all-purpose yards smashed the previous MU season record of 1,621 by Devin West (1998), and it already ranks Maclin 7th on the school CAREER all-purpose yardage chart.
For his efforts, Maclin was named a consensus 1st-Team All-American as an all-purpose player, becoming the first-ever freshman at Mizzou to earn 1st-Team All-American honors. He became the 9th Tiger to earn consensus 1st-Team All-American accolades, and he shared Big 12 Conference Freshman-of-the-Year honors with Texas Tech WR Michael Crabtree.
Maclin’s kickoff return for a TD – a 99-yarder at Kansas State – was extremely historic, as it was MU’s first kickoff return for a TD since 1982. That broke a string of futility for Mizzou that stretched 287 games and 976 kickoff returns without a score! Maclin ended that game with an MU single game record of 360 yards in the 49-32 win in Manhattan, Kan., and he broke the NCAA freshman season all-purpose record on the historic kickoff return.
His 2 punt returns for TDs in 2007 made him only the 4th Tiger in history to record 2 career punt returns for scores. And that’s the school career record, meaning that if he breaks one in 2008, he’ll hold the record to himself.
When teams geared up to shut down Maclin in 2007, that simply opened up the running lanes for the Tigers, as Mizzou demolished the only 2 foes to hold Maclin to under 100 all-purpose yards. Against #22 Texas Tech, Maclin was held to 66 all-purpose yards, but the Tigers rushed for 212 yards in a 41-10 blowout. Similarly, in the Cotton Bowl against #25 Arkansas, the Razorbacks limited J-Mac to just 63 all-purpose yards, but then TB Tony Temple ran roughshod, going for a Cotton Bowl-record 281 yards and 4 TDs on his own, as the Tigers pounded Arkansas, 38-7.
WILLY MO LED NATION IN INTERCEPTIONS IN 2007
Senior FS William Moore (a.k.a. - Willy Mo) had a breakout season in 2007, as his development into a big-time playmaker went hand-in-hand with the Tiger defense’s improvement throughout the year. Moore, from Hayti, Mo., stepped up his game, especially after the Tigers lost its biggest playmaker, SS Pig Brown, to a season-ending injury in game #8 against Iowa State (ruptured Achilles’). When Brown went down, MU lost a player who was among the best in the Big 12 Conference at his position, and someone who was on his way to all-Big 12, and possibly even some all-America recognition.
But Willy Mo stepped up his game to the next level, and ended up earning 2nd-Team All-American honors from the Associated Press after he tied for the nation’s lead with an MU single-season record 8 interceptions. He enters the 2008 season as a preseason 1st-Team All-American by several publications.
Moore closed his season in fine fashion, as he won defensive MVP honors of the AT&T Cotton Bowl, when he led the Tiger defense’s dismantling of Arkansas in MU’s 38-7 win. In the game, Moore had a career-best 13 tackles, forced a fumble and intercepted a pass that he returned 26 yards for a touchdown (the 3rd INT return for score in his career).
Moore ended the 2007 season with career highs in virtually every category, including 117 tackles, 9 tackles for loss, 2 QB sacks, 8 interceptions (61 yards in returns), and 2 forced fumbles. His 8 interceptions broke the previous MU season record of 7, set in 1968 by former All-American, and 2007 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, Roger Wehrli.
Moore played a big role in Mizzou’s 40-34 win over Illinois in 2007, as he registered 8 tackles, and intercepted a pass in the 4th quarter to snuff out an Illini drive deep in MU territory.
Within reach for Moore is the Mizzou career interceptions record of 15, set by Adrian Jones (1986-89). Moore enters the 2008 season with 10 career pick-offs, and his 3 INT returns for TD is tied for the most in MU history, alongside former standout Erik McMillan (1984-87).
As we mentioned before, Moore really stepped up his play when his running mate, Brown, went down to injury. In the 6 games MU played without Brown, Moore had 5 INTs and 2 forced fumbles, in addition to averaging 9.7 tackles per game in that stretch.
Perhaps his biggest play came in the Big 12 North-clinching win over #2 Kansas. The Tigers were leading 7-0, and with KU driving, Moore leaped up to snag a pass inside the MU 5-yardline, and made the catch with his momentum carrying him into the endzone. MU took over at its 2-yardline, and the offense responded with a 98-yard TD drive to go up 14-0. The INT broke a string of 213 consecutive passes without a pick by KU QB Todd Reesing.
COFFMAN HAS HIS CHANCE TO SHINE AS FEATURE TIGHT END
For the last 3 years, senior TE Chase Coffman has been one of the nation’s top tight ends, yet he was often overshadowed by his own teammate, Martin Rucker, who ended his Tiger career in 2007 earning consensus 1st-Team All-American honors.
Now, with Rucker gone to the NFL (Cleveland Browns 4th-round draft pick), Coffman has his chance to shine as Mizzou’s featured tight end. The numbers that Coffman, the son of former NFL tight end Paul Coffman, weren’t exactly chopped liver, despite sharing time with Rucker. In 2007, Coffman caught 52 passes for 531 yards and 7 TDs, which by most standards are outstanding for a college tight end. However, those numbers were down slightly from his sophomore season where he grabbed 58 balls for 638 yards and 9 TDs.
Coffman was hampered for the last half of the season with bone spurs in his ankle that limited his mobility. He had to miss the Big 12 Championship game against Oklahoma, and that undoubtedly played a role in MU’s 38-17 loss, as the Tigers uncharacteristically bogged down in the red zone, as they had to kick 3 field goals after reaching inside the Sooner 10-yardline. In MU’s regular-season game at Oklahoma (a 41-31 loss in which MU led in the 4th quarter), Coffman proved effective against the Sooners, as he had a career-best 10 catches for 102 yards.
Coffman had off-season surgery to clean up his ankle, and he was 100% this fall until suffering a broken pinky finger on his right hand in two-a-days. After practicing in pain for a couple of days, team trainers and doctors decided to have surgery to get a pin inserted in the finger to accelerate the healing process. Coffman missed less than a week of practice and returned to catching balls last week. He looked like his old self the first day back, as he caught everything in sight.
Coffman, who is a 1st-Team Preseason Playboy All-American pick, is also a preseason candidate for the Mackey Award, given annually to the nation’s top tight end. The Peculiar, Mo. native enters the 2008 season ranked 3rd on the MU career receptions chart, with 157 (needs 47 to break the record of 203 held by Rucker), and is 7th on the career receiving yardage chart, with 1,672. He already holds the school career record for most career TD receptions, with 20, which he broke with a 3-TD performance at Colorado last season, when he caught 5 passes for 60 yards.
CRYING WOLF IS OKAY WHEN IT'S KICKER Jeff Wolfert
One of the great “feel-good” stories in college football over the last 2 years has to be that of senior PK Jeff Wolfert, who came from virtually nowhere to become one of the most reliable kickers in the nation. What’s so amazing about his story is that he won the MU starting kicking job in fall camp of 2006 after kicking in just 1 game in his entire life (in high school, at that). If you haven’t heard the story, please find it below.
Wolfert has put up incredible numbers over the last two years, as he’s made 151-of-157 (96.2%) combined kicks in 2006 and 2007. Those numbers break out to 39-of-45 (86.7%) on FGs and a perfect 112-of-112 on PATs. He’s already broken numerous school kicking and scoring records, and with 229 career points entering the 2008 season, he needs just 56 more to break Brad Smith’s MU career scoring record of 284 (2002-05).
The term “automatic” can be a tad overused in the PR industry, but that’s exactly what Wolfert has been in Big 12 Conference play over the last 2 seasons. He’s never missed a kick of any kind in Big 12 games the last 2 years, going a perfect 90-of-90 combined overall, and that breaks down to 26-of-26 on FGs and 64-of-64 on PATs. The FGs haven’t just been all chip shots either, as he nailed a 54-yarder at Nebraska in 2006 that stands as the MU record for longest field goal away from Columbia.
Wolfert carries a string of 64 consecutive combined made kicks into 2008, as he made his last 64 kicks of 2007 (48 PATs, 16 FGs) since his last miss – a 3rd-quarter missed FG in game #4 last season against Illinois State.
For his efforts a year ago, Wolfert was named an honorable mention All-American by Sports Illustrated, and he took home 1st-Team All-Big 12 honors in virtual unanimous fashion. Wolfert led MU with a single-season record 130 points, while making 21-of-25 FGs and 67-of-67 PATs.
Two of the bigger kicks he made in his career came in the epic border showdown against rival Kansas. With MU clinging to a dwindling 4th-quarter lead, Wolfert calmly made a pair of 43 yarders in frigid wintry conditions to help the Tigers hold on for a 36-28 win that catapulted them to #1 in the Associated Press and the BCS polls.
As for his backstory: Wolfert originally came to Mizzou as a diver on the men’s swimming and diving team, but the former high school kicker gave up diving into water for jumping into the fire of placekicking. Wolfert was a soccer player in high school, and wanted to give kicking a try as a senior. He kicked two extra points in his first game that year, but then missed the rest of the year after breaking his hip on a kickoff in that same game.
After the injury, Wolfert decided to focus on diving collegiately, and he was a standout freshman diver on the Mizzou men’s swimming and diving team during the 2004-05 school year. He produced a top-five performance on the platform and top-10 finishes on the 1 and 3-meter boards at the 2005 NCAA Zone Diving Championships. He also finished 4th in the 1-meter board, 5th on the 3-meter board and 6th on the platform at the Big 12 Championships.
But his dreams to kick a football never died, and he gave up his Mizzou swimming scholarship money and joined the football team as a walk-on for the 2005 season. He did not play in 2005, and figured that he would give kicking one more try in 2006, and if it didn’t pan out, he’d return to the sport of diving, where a scholarship was waiting for him.
All of a sudden, that fall, Wolfert was very consistent kicking in scrimmages, and was named the starting placekicker for the season opener – despite his lack of experience, and the fact that the man who set the MU single-season kick scoring record of 81 points returned as a junior in 2006 (Adam Crossett).
The rest was history, and yes, he was awarded a football scholarship after the end of the 2006 season.
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