Sept. 8, 2008
Nevada Wolfpack (1-1) vs. #6/#6 Missouri Tigers (2-0)
Sept. 13, 2008 – Memorial Stadium/Faurot Field – Columbia, Mo.
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KICKOFF: 11:37 a.m. CT.
STADIUM: Memorial Stadium/Faurot Field (68,349 – FieldTurf surface). Opened in 1926. MU is 243-163-20 there alltime (1-0 in 2008) and has won 8 straight, 16 of its last 17 overall and is 26-6 there since 2003.
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.
Satellite radio owners may also find the game on Sirius Channel 127.
TV: PPV through Fox Sports Net. Dan McLaughlin (play-by-play), D’Marco Farr (color), Jason Ray (analysis), Mike Claiborne (sidelines), Jamie Burns (director), Mark Hulsey (producer).
RANKINGS (AP/COACHES): MU – 6th/6th;
NEVADA – NA/NA.
SERIES: This is the first meeting between the two schools. MU is 6-0-1 alltime against teams currently comprising the Western Athletic Conference.
COACHES:
Mizzou: Gary Pinkel (Kent, ‘75), 51-37 at MU (8th year) and 124-74-3 overall (17th year). Pinkel is 3-0 vs. Nevada and Chris Ault (all while coaching at Toledo).
NEVADA: Chris Ault (Nevada, ‘68), 191-86-1 at Nevada (24th year) and overall. Ault is 0-0 vs. Missouri and 0-3 vs. Gary Pinkel.
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TIGERS HOST WOLFPACK IN SATURDAY MORNING GAME
The 6th-ranked Mizzou Tigers (2-0) continue the middle portion of a 3-game homestand Saturday as they play host to the Nevada Wolfpack (1-1) at Faurot Field/Memorial Stadium. Kickoff for the game, which will be televised on a pay-per-view basis by Fox Sports Net, is set for 11:30 a.m.
The Tigers are coming off a 52-3 trouncing of Southeast Missouri State last Saturday night in Columbia. Mizzou jumped out to a 42-0 lead, thanks to a near-perfect offensive night from Heisman-hopeful QB Chase Daniel and company, before the starters got pulled with 8:45 left in the 2nd quarter. In his only five possessions before being pulled, Daniel was 16-of-17 passing for 245 yards and 3 TDs while leading the Tigers to 5 TDs. His QB rating of 273.4 was an MU single-game record.
Nevada is coming off a tough 35-19 home loss to 12th-ranked Texas Tech. The Wolfpack held the high-flying Red Raider aerial attack in check most of the night, before surrendering nearly 200 yards of total offense in the 4th quarter as Tech put together a pair of long scoring drives to salt away the win. Nevada outgained Texas Tech by a 488-to-421 margin in total offense, and showed great balance offensively, passing for 264 yards and rushing for 224 more, but they were done in by troubles on 3rd down (converting only 3-of-16 3rd-down tries), as well as a rough 3rd quarter in which the Wolfpack held the ball for 12:17 but managed only 3 points.
HIGH-POWERED OFFENSES SET FOR DUEL ON SATURDAY
Obviously the defensive teams of both Mizzou and Nevada will try to put their stamp on Saturday’s game between the Tigers and Wolfpack, but on paper going in, it certainly has the makings of an offensive shootout, as two of the nation’s top attacks will be on display in Columbia.
Mizzou enters Saturday’s game ranked 4th in the NCAA in total offense, averaging a robust 570.50 yards per game, and also rank highly in several other categories, including scoring (7th – 52.0 ppg), passing (12th – 329.50 ypg) and rushing (19th – 241.00 ypg). The Tigers have scored exactly 52 points in each of their first 2 games, marking the first time in school history that MU has tallied 50 points in consecutive games.
Nevada will counter with their equally-prolific attack that comes into Saturday’s game ranked 6th-ranked offense in tow, as the Wolfpack average 558.50 yards per game. Nevada relies a little more heavily on the run to get things done, as they average 325.00 yards a contest on the ground, a total which ranks them 5th nationally through 2 games played in 2008. The Wolfpack also throw for a healthy 233.50 yards a game, which ranks them 52nd in the NCAA coming into the weekend.
MIZZOU RUNS NATION’S MOST-BALANCED OFFENSE
As noted above, the Tiger offense ranks highly on a national basis in both passing (12th – 329.50 ypg) and rushing (19th – 241.00 ypg), and they are one of only two teams through 2 games this year to have both facets rank among the nation’s top-20. Since the other school, Georgia, has both units rank below Mizzou in each category, 20th in both, (rushing 237.50 ypg; passing 306.00 ypg) in the NCAA rankings, we officially declare that the Tiger offense enters this weekend’s game against Nevada with the country’s most balanced offensive attack!
Here’s a quick look at the teams with both units ranked in the top 25 in the NCAA rankings:
- Mizzou – Passing (12th, 329.50 ypg); Rushing (19th, 241.00 ypg)
- Georgia – Passing (20th, 306.00 ypg); Rushing (20th, 237.50 ypg)
- Boise State – Passing (7th, 352.00 ypg); Rushing – (22nd, 230.00 ypg)
- South Florida – Passing (25th, 283.00 ypg); Rushing – (23rd, 229.00 ypg)
RUSH DEFENSE HAS BEEN STINGY THROUGH TWO GAMES
The Tiger defense has been very good against the run through the early going in 2008, as MU ranks 30th in the NCAA in rushing defense, allowing just 82.50 yards per game.
They’ll be challenged mightily on Saturday by Nevada, which comes to Columbia ranked 5th nationally in rushing, averaging a stout 325.00 yards per game. The Wolfpack opened the year by running for 426 yards and 7 touchdowns in a 49-13 home win over Grambling State, and followed by tallying 224 more yards (no scores) on the ground in last week’s defeat to Texas Tech.
On the other side of the ball, Mizzou’s defense has shut down its 2 foes on the ground, including allowing just 81 yards in the opener to Illinois and 84 yards to Southeast Missouri State last Saturday. The performance against Illinois was very impressive, as the Illini had won the Big 10 Conference rushing title for each of the past 2 seasons. The Tigers are one of only 17 teams with 2 games played to not yet allow a rushing TD to its opponents.
Illinois ran the ball 35 times in MU’s 52-42 win on Aug. 30th, and netted just 81 yards, good for an average of just 2.3 yards a carry, while SEMO got its 84 yards on 28 attempts, good for an average of 3.0 yards per try.
SCORING EXPLOSION PROPELS TIGERS TO 52-3 ROUT LAST SATURDAY
The Tiger offense was a model of efficiency last Saturday in MU’s 52-3 win over Southeast Missouri State. As usual, senior QB Chase Daniel was in the middle of it all, as he led Mizzou to 5 touchdown drives in 5 possessions, before being pulled from the game with 8:45 remaining in the 2nd quarter.
Daniel was virtually perfect Saturday while playing only a quarter and a half, as he completed 16-of-17 passes for 245 yards and 3 TDs (zero INTs)…
Daniel was pulled from the game after a Derrick Washington TD run made it 42-0 in favor of Mizzou with 8:45 left in the 2nd quarter, meaning that Daniel was available for only 21:15 of the game, while he sat for the final 38:45 of the contest…
Mizzou’s 5 scoring drives under Daniel’s direction took, respectively, 2:01 (70 yards), 1:43 (83 yards), 0:59 (75 yards), 2:48 (82 yards) and 2:04 (48 yards) – meaning that Daniel led the Tigers to 35 points in just a grand total of 9:35 of possession time…
Daniel’s QB rating for the game was a massive 273.41, which broke the MU single-game record of 260.7 set by former Tiger great Corby Jones against Iowa State in 1997…
His sole incompletion of the night was in the 1st quarter on a slight overthrow to TE Chase Coffman. Daniel then finished the game by completing his last 14 consecutive passes before retiring before the midway point of the 2nd quarter…
The MU record for most consecutive passes completed is 15, a record that Daniel co-holds with Kent Kiefer (1990). Daniel did the feat in a two-game span in 2007.
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| Category |
MU |
OPP |
| Points |
539 |
211 |
| Scoring Avg. |
38.5 |
15.1 |
| 1st Half Points |
305 |
101 |
| 1st Half Pts. Avg. |
21.8 |
7.2 |
| Rushing TDs |
27 |
10 |
| Passing Yds. |
4,246 |
2,736 |
| Total Offense Yds. |
6,868 |
4,444 |
| 3rd Downs |
113-200 |
76-212 |
| 3rd Down Pct. |
56.5 |
35.9 |
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TIGERS ARE 26-6 AT ‘THE ZOU’ SINCE 2003 SEASON
Since nicknaming Faurot Field/Memorial Stadium “The Zou” prior to the 2003 season, Gary Pinkel’s Tigers have done a nice job of defending their home turf (FieldTurf surface, which was also installed prior to the ‘03 season, by coincidence).
Since 2003, the Tigers are an impressive 26-6 at home, good for a winning percentage of 81.3%, including 15-5 during that time in Big 12 competition (75.0%). That breaks down to records of 6-0 in 2003, 3-3 in 2004, 4-2 in 2005, 6-1 in 2006, 6-0 in 2007 and 1-0 in 2008.
The Tigers carry an active win streak of 8 games at The Zou, and have won 16 of their last 17 at home dating back to midway through the 2005 season. The only loss in that stretch was a 26-10 setback in 2006 to #19 Oklahoma.
Here’s a few statistics that really jump out as being decidedly in MU’s favor over the last 14 home games (2006 through 2008 seasons):
SPECIAL TEAMS HAVE HAD SPECIAL FEEL TO THEM
Mizzou’s special teams have been outstanding in the opening pair of games in 2008, as virtually every unit has excelled and contributed significantly to the Tigers’ 2-0 start to the year.
In the opener against Illinois, the special teams made big plays all night long. Here were some highlights:
- Jeremy Maclin wowed the national TV audience with his 99-yard kickoff return for a TD that came in the 2nd quarter right after Illinois took its only lead of the game...
- Maclin also had a punt return of 46 yards in the 3rd quarter that set up a one-play TD drive that gave the Tigers a commanding 45-20 lead late in the stanza...
- When Illinois got its first TD of the game, the Tigers denied the Illini a chance to tie the game at 7-all, as the special teams unit blocked the extra point to preserve MU’s lead. DE Stryker Sulak got through the line for the block...
- Senior PK Jeff Wolfert came through with a 51-yard field goal in the 2nd quarter to kick-start the Tigers to a 24-point quarter that eventually gave them a 31-13 halftime lead...
Last time out against SEMO, it was more of the same, featuring these efforts:
- Again, with the blocking of kicks! SEMO had its only prime scoring chance of the 1st half snuffed out when DT Ziggy Hood burst through the line to block a 28-yard field goal in the 1st quarter...
- Junior P Jake Harry was outstanding on the night, as he averaged 50.3 yards a punt in 3 attempts. Harry had 2 kicks travel 50 yards or more (including a long of 55 yards), and good coverage helped the Tigers average a solid net punt number of 42.9 for the game...
- Wolfert was perfect once again, as he made his only FG attempt of the night – a 43-yarder in the 3rd quarter – to go along with 7-of-7 PATs. Wolfert has now made all 16 kicks in 2008 (14 PATs, 2 FGs), and he carries a streak of 80 consecutive combined made kicks into Saturday’s game. Wolfert 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 vs. Illinois State...
Entering Saturday’s game with Nevada, the Tigers rank 7th nationally in kickoff return average (32.83 yds.), 40th in net punting (36.38 avg.) and 43rd in punt returns (11.67 avg.). Individually, Maclin ranks 2nd in the NCAA in kickoff returns (48.33 avg.) and 29th in punt returns (12.86 avg.).
MIZZOU-NEVADA SERIES HISTORY
Saturday will represent the first-ever matchup between Mizzou and Nevada, and it will mark the first of two games in consecutive years between the two schools – the Tigers will travel to Reno for a Sept. 26, 2009 return game.
Tiger Head Coach Gary Pinkel definitely has a history with Nevada, however, as he went 3-0 versus the Wolfpack and their coach, Chris Ault, while at Toledo. His Rockets defeated Nevada twice in the 1995 season, winning a 49-35 game at Nevada early in the year, and then claiming a 40-37 overtime win that same season in the 1995 Las Vegas Bowl. That game had historical significance, as it was the first-ever overtime game played in Division I, after the new rule had been placed into effect just prior to bowl season that year. Toledo also took a 31-13 win over Nevada in Toledo in 1997.
In all, Pinkel is 3-2 versus teams currently comprising the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), with the other two games being losses while at Toledo to Louisiana Tech (L, 61-20 at La. Tech in 1996: L, 34-17 at Toledo in 1999).
Mizzou stands 6-0-1 against current WAC teams, and that includes a 4-0 mark against Utah State (last time played: 1990), 2-0 versus Idaho (last time played: 1963) and 0-0-1 against Hawaii (1994). That Hawaii game ended in a 32-32 tie in bizarre circumstances, as the Tigers held a 25-24 lead late in the game. Tiger DE Marc Pedrotti intercepted a Hawaii pass deep in UH territory, but instead of falling on the ball with 1:29 left, he returned it 20 yards for a TD to make it 32-24. If he had taken a knee, the Tigers could have run out the clock and left with a win, but the return gave Hawaii one last chance, and UH drove the field for a TD just before the final gun, and they forced the tie with a successful 2-point conversion. It’s certainly hard to fault someone for making a play like Pedrotti did, it was just another example of the bizarre luck that MU football ran up against in the 1990s (games such as the 5th Down Game and the Flea-Kicker Game come to mind).
LAST TIME OUT: #6 MIZZOU 52, SOUTHEAST MISSOURI STATE 3
Missouri’s offense was nearly perfect in the first half.
Heisman-hopeful QB Chase Daniel was 16-for-17 for 245 yards and three touchdown passes before coming out midway through the second quarter and Derrick Washington scored three times, helping No. 6 Missouri run up a quick 42-point lead before calling in the reserves in a 52-3 romp over Southeast Missouri on Saturday night.
Missouri (2-0) scored on its first five possessions, Sean Weatherspoon returned an interception for a score and the Tigers ended up three points shy of the school record for first-half scoring against San Diego State in 1979.
The first-string offense faced only one third down, averaged 13.3 yards per play in the first quarter and didn’t punt until after Daniel left with 8:45 left in the 2nd quarter.
Daniel followed his lone misfire, a ball over the head of tight end Chase Coffman, with 14 straight completions - one off the school record he shares with Kent Kiefer (1990). None of the drives lasted three minutes.
TB Derrick Washington had 67 yards on eight carries and scored on a pair of 5-yard runs and a 28-yard reception from Daniel, giving him five touchdowns in his first two weeks as the starting tailback. Maclin, who sprained his left ankle in the fourth quarter of a 52-42 opening victory over Illinois, scored on a 3-yard reception and had a 29-yard punt return.
Weatherspoon became the first player in school history to score on an interception in consecutive weeks and Ziggy Hood blocked a Redhawk 1st-quarter field goal attempt, to give Missouri blocked kicks in its first two games.
Southeast Missouri didn’t get a first down until its third possession. The Redhawks came up empty on two effective drives in the first half, with Hood blocking a 28-yard field goal attempt and Doug Spada missing a 28-yard field goal attempt, before Spada broke the shutout on a 41-yarder early in the fourth.
The second half was notable because Missouri started freshman quarterback Blaine Gabbert, one of the top recruits in the nation last year. Gabbert ended his collegiate debut 3-for-8 for 64 yards while Patton, a senior, was 7-for-8 for 64 yards.
Missouri improved to 8-0 against teams from the Championship Subdivision, with a total score of 214-33.
4TH-LARGEST HOME OPENER CROWD SAW SEMO GAME
With season ticket sales exceeding the 41,000 mark by late last week, MU Athletic officials anticipated a big crowd for last Saturday’s home opener against Southeast Missouri State, and they got just that, to the tune of 62,305. While it was short of reaching sellout standards (68,349 is the official capacity for Memorial Stadium), it was still historically significant, as that marked the 4th-highest crowd in MU history to see a home opener. You have to go all the way back to 1978 for the last time there was a larger crowd at a Tiger home opener. That’s when the record of 73,655 was set, as Alabama came to town (the Crimson Tide won, 38-20).
Since the capacity of Memorial Stadium was different back then (retrofitting and accessible seating accommodations done throughout the 1980s and 1990s decreased the official capacity to what it is today), last Saturday’s crowd is technically a modern-day home opener record.
A crowd between 60,000-65,000 is expected for Saturday’s game against Nevada.
QUICK HITTERS FROM SEMO GAME
Here are some random news and notes uncovered while reviewing the Southeast Missouri State game stats:
- Mizzou’s 52-point outing gave the Tigers consecutive 50-point games for the first time in school history...
- The 49-point victory was the largest margin of victory by Head Coach Gary Pinkel at Mizzou, eclipsing the previous mark of 48 points in a 48-0 win over Ball State in 2004...
- Three true freshmen saw action for the first time in the game – QB Blaine Gabbert, OL Dan Hoch and DB Kenji Jackson. That brings the total of true freshman who have played this season to 10 at this point. The other 7 – TE Andrew Jones, WR Jerrell Jackson, LB Will Ebner, WR Michael Egnew, DE Jacquies Smith, WR Wes Kemp and TE/long snapper Beau Brinkley – all played in the opener against Illinois...
- Ten different Tigers caught passes on the night, and it was true freshman WR Jerrell Jackson who led the way, with team-high totals of 6 catches for 70 yards...
- Mizzou averaged a healthy 7.1 yards per rush, gaining 256 yards on 36 carries, while scoring on the ground 3 times (2 from Derrick Washington and 1 from Jimmy Jackson). Redshirt freshman TB De’Vion Moore made his first career appearance and was lights out, as he gained a game-high 75 yards on just 9 carries, good for a per-carry average of 8.3 yards an attempt. Washington, who was pulled early in the 2nd quarter, was just as effective in his short time, as he rambled to 8.4 yards per carry (8 rushes, 67 yards), and scored 2 of his 3 TDs on night on the ground (both from 5 yards out). Senior TB Jimmy Jackson also had his say, as he gained a career-high 64 yards on 10 attempts, and got his 11th career rushing TD on a 17-yard scamper in the 4th quarter...
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| Coach |
Wins |
# Seasons (Years) |
Record |
Pct. |
# Bowls |
| Don Faurot |
101 |
19 (1935-42, 46-56) |
101-79-10 |
.558 |
4 |
| Dan Devine |
93 |
13 (1958-70) |
93-37-7 |
.704 |
6 |
| Gary Pinkel |
51 |
8 (2001-Present) |
51-37 |
.580 |
4 |
| Warren Powers |
46 |
7 (1978-84) |
46-33-3 |
.580 |
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 124-74-3 (62.4%). The Illinois game was the 200th in Pinkel’s head coaching career.
Pinkel, who has led MU to a combined record of 42-23 (64.6%) over the past 5 seasons, and to bowl games in 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2007, has a 7-year record in Columbia of 51-37 (58.0%). Dating back to the 2005 Independence Bowl win over Steve Spurrier and South Carolina, Pinkel has won 23 of his last 30 games overall.
MU’s win last time out against Illinois last week gave Pinkel his 50th MU win, which ranks him 3rd on the coaching wins list at MU, with 51.
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.
DANIEL BACKING UP HEISMAN HYPE WITH IMPRESSIVE START TO SEASON
Mizzou senior QB Chase Daniel began the 2008 season on the short list of Heisman Trophy favorites, according to most prognosticators. His 2-game start to the season has done nothing to dissuade voters from keeping him entrenched among the top candidates.
Daniel is coming off about as perfect performance as you can have, as he completed 16-of-17 passes for 245 yards and 3 TDs last week against SEMO. He did all of this in just a quarter and a half of play, as he was pulled after MU scored to make it 42-0 with 8:45 remaining in the 2nd quarter! Daniel was in for 5 possessions against SEMO, and he led MU to 5 TD drives, with the longest consuming just 2:48 off the clock. In fact, those 5 scoring drives combined took just 9:35 off the clock in total.
In the 2008 season opener, Daniel threw for 323 yards and 3 TDs in helping lead Mizzou to a 52-42 win over 20th-ranked Illinois. The points were a record for Mizzou against a ranked opponent. Daniel had 369 yards of total offense on the night, as he burned the Illini for 46 rushing yards on just 9 attempts (5.1 avg.).
Daniel was his best in the middle of the game, when he led MU to 4 offensive TDs in a 5-possession span, bridging the 2nd and 3rd quarters. In that stretch, he had TD passes of 17 yards to TE Chase Coffman just before halftime, and followed with TD strikes of 4 yards and 21 yards to WR Tommy Saunders on consecutive 3rd-quarter possessions as MU took a commanding 45-20 lead with 2:50 left in the 3rd.
The performance was a nice follow-up to his 2007 season, when 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 52 more passing yards to become MU’s career passing yardage leader. He enters the Nevada game with 8,748 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 9,483 entering the Nevada game (needs 3,605 to break).
THE “DISH”: SPOON RUNS AWAY WITH THE BALL
Junior LB Sean Weatherspoon, known henceforth and heretofore as “Spoon” has had quite a start to his 2008 season – especially in terms of big plays. One week after he opened the year with a 2-interception game (including one that he ran back 35 yards for a 4th-quarter TD) and was named the Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts against Illinois, Spoon was up to his old tricks again last Saturday against Southeast Missouri State.
Against SEMO, Weatherspoon intercepted a pass in the 2nd quarter and returned it untouched, 65 yards for a TD. That left him with the distinction of becoming the first Tiger in history to record INT returns for a touchdown in consecutive games. The MU career record for most INT returns for TDs is co-held by current senior FS William Moore (3 – 1 each in 2005, 2006, 2007) and former great Erik McMillan (3 in 1987).
Through 2 games, Weatherspoon – who had no interceptions in his first two years – ranks tied for first with his 3 INTs. Spoon led the defensive effort against SEMO in more ways than one, however, as he tied for the team lead with 7 tackles, including 1.5 TFLs and 1 QB sack, in addition to breaking up a pass.
That was a solid follow-up to his outing against Illinois, when he was a game-changer in the 4th quarter of MU’s 52-52 win. In that game, Spoon had 9 tackles on the night, including 1 tackle for loss, but his biggest plays came in the 4th quarter, when he intercepted a pair of Juice Williams passes while the Illini were trying to stage a late rally. His first pick came at the Tiger 26-yardline to snuff out an Illini threat with 10:20 left in the game and MU holding onto a 45-35 lead at the time.
On Illinois’ next possession, Spoon made a pair of tackles, including a stop on 3rd down to force a punt, and on the Illini’s next drive, he took things into his own hands, literally, when he caught a pass over the middle simultaneously with an Illini player. He ripped the ball out of the opposing player’s hands, and went the other way, going 35 yards untouched into the endzone with 3:18 left in the game for a back-breaking TD that made it 52-35.
Weatherspoon’s 4th quarter vs. Illinois was amazing, as 7 of his tackles came in the final 15 minutes, in addition to grabbing his 2 interceptions.
After earning playing time as a true freshman mostly in a reserve role and on special teams, Weatherspoon emerged on the scene in 2007 as a sophomore. He took over the starting spot at the weakside linebacker position a year ago, and from the get-go was a leader on the defense. He ended the year with a team-best 130 tackles, and was named a 1st-Team All-Big 12 performer by the Associated Press.
Spoon proved adept at getting his hands on the ball, as he broke up 8 passes on the year (2nd-most on the team), and had two more balls which he deflected on pass rushes that were intercepted by FS William Moore – including one which Moore returned 26 yards for a back-breaking TD in the Cotton Bowl against Arkansas.
Seven times in 2007, Weatherspoon reached double-digits in tackles, including 3 games where he had a career-best 12 stops (Illinois State, Iowa State, Kansas State).
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