Sept. 15, 2008
Buffalo Bulls (2-1) vs. #5/#5 Missouri Tigers (3-0)
Sept. 20, 2008 – Memorial Stadium/Faurot Field – Columbia, Mo.
TIGERS CLOSE NON-CONFERENCE SLATE VERSUS BUFFALO
The 5th-ranked Missouri Tigers (3-0) close out a 3-game homestand Saturday afternoon as they play host to the Buffalo Bulls (2-1) in its regular-season non-conference finale. Kickoff for the game is set for 1 p.m. at Faurot Field/Memorial Stadium.
The Tigers are coming off one of the more impressive wins in recent history, as MU trounced Nevada by a 69-17 score last Saturday in Columbia. Mizzou tied a modern-day school record for points, while amassing 651 yards of total offense (just 14 yards shy of the school record). The #1 offense was virtually perfect, as QB Chase Daniel and company scored 7 TDs and 1 FG on their 8 possessions of work together before reserves took over midway through the 3rd quarter. The Tiger defense rebounded from a challenging 1st half to pitch a 2nd-half shutout, and in the end held the Wolf Pack to 362 yards of offense, well below Nevada’s pre-game average of 558.50 yards coming in.
Buffalo, coached by former Nebraska standout QB Turner Gill, comes into Columbia with a 2-1 record. The Bulls are coming off a win that drew national attention, as Buffalo scored a last-second 30-28 win at home over fellow-MAC foe Temple. The Bulls scored on the last play of the game on a 35-yard “Hail Mary” TD pass from QB Drew Willy to WR Naaman Roosevelt for the thrilling win. The play has been nominated for the weekly Pontiac Game-Changing Performance award.
TIGERS HAVE NATION’S TOP-RANKED OFFENSIVE UNIT
Buffalo Coach Turner Gill was part of some prolific Nebraska offenses during his day as Husker QB from 1981-83, including the 1983 unit that is regarded as one of college football’s alltime best. While the 2008 Missouri offense still has a lot of season left to go, through 3 games so far, they’re putting up numbers which resemble that famed “Scoring Explosion” unit.
Mizzou enters Saturday’s game against Buffalo with the nation’s top-ranked offense in two major categories: total offense (597.33 ypg) and scoring offense (57.67 ppg). The Tigers have the 3rd-ranked passing offense (392.67 ypg), and also rank 5th in pass efficiency (186.19 rating), while rating 24th in rushing offense (204.67 ypg).
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| Rank |
Team |
# of TD Drives |
| 1. |
Missouri |
11 |
| 2. |
California |
10 |
| 3. |
Oklahoma State |
9 |
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Oklahoma |
9 |
| 5. |
Navy |
8 |
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Arizona |
8 |
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Florida State |
8 |
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QUICK-STRIKE OFFENSE
If you like following the Tiger offense, you’re best advised not to blink when they’re on the field, because Mizzou strikes quickly when it’s out there. MU is quickly disproving that winning the time of possession battle is the key to winning football – while Missouri leads the nation in total offense, they’re doing it despite ranking 108th nationally in time of possession (26:03 average through 3 games).
In fact, in a survey of Div. I (FBS) SIDs, Mizzou leads the country in most TD drives of under two minutes in length, with 11. Mizzou had 6 TD drives in this category against Nevada last Saturday, while turning in 3 previously against SEMO and 2 against Illinois. Here’s a look at the NCAA leaders in this category.
DANIEL AND COMPANY RIDING STRING OF NEAR PERFECTION
Mizzou’s offense, under the direction of Heisman-hopeful QB Chase Daniel is humming along at epic proportions. In the last 2 games, Daniel has taken the field for 13 possessions. In those 13 possessions, MU has scored 12 TDs and 1 FG. Included in that output was a perfect 5-of-5 TDs vs. SEMO in game #2, and 7 TDs and 1 FG in 8 opportunities last Saturday vs. Nevada.
Daniel played only 1 1/2 quarters vs. SEMO, while playing 2 1/2 quarters before being pulled against Nevada, meaning he’s essentially played just 1 full game the last 2 weeks, and he’s thrown for 650 yards and 7 TDs in that stretch. In his last 2 games, Daniel has more TD passes (7) than he does incomplete passes (6)!
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| Category |
MU |
OPP |
| Points |
608 |
228 |
| Scoring Avg. |
40.5 |
15.2 |
| 1st Half Points |
343 |
118 |
| 1st Half Pts. Avg. |
22.9 |
7.9 |
| Rushing TDs |
30 |
11 |
| Passing Yds. |
4,765 |
2,916 |
| Total Offense Yds. |
7,519 |
4,806 |
| 3rd Downs |
119-210 |
83-231 |
| 3rd Down Pct. |
56.7 |
35.9 |
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TIGERS ARE 27-6 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 27-6 at home, good for a winning percentage of 81.8%, 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 2-0 in 2008.
The Tigers carry an active win streak of 9 games at The Zou, and have won 17 of their last 18 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 15 home games (2006 through 2008 seasons):
MIZZOU-BUFFALO SERIES HISTORY
There is no history, to speak of, with Mizzou and Buffalo, as Saturday will represent the first-ever matchup between the two schools. Mizzou is 8-4 alltime against teams currently comprising the Mid-American Conference, which Buffalo has been a member of since joining the MAC in 1999.
Mizzou’s alltime record against current MAC teams includes a 3-0 mark against Ball State, 2-0 versus Western Michigan, and 1-0 marks against Eastern Michigan and Ohio. Mizzou stands 1-3 against Bowling Green and 0-1 against Temple.
Tiger Coach Gary Pinkel spent 10 years coaching at Toledo prior to coming to MU, and he amassed a MAC record of 53-23-3 (.689), winning one conference title and claiming three West division championships as well. Pinkel is 5-2 against MAC teams since coming to Mizzou, giving him a career mark of 55-25-3 (.681) against the league.
TIGERS RIDING SCHOOL-RECORD NON-CONFERENCE WIN STREAK
Dating back to the season-opening win against Illinois in 2007, Mizzou has won 8 consecutive non-conference games. That is the longest such streak in school history, with last Saturday’s win over Nevada breaking a tie with the previous mark from 1981-82. The last non-conference defeat the Tigers suffered was a 39-38 loss to Oregon State in the 2006 Sun Bowl. If you take bowl games out of the equation, then the Tigers have won 12 straight regular-season non-league games, dating back to a win over Troy in 2005.
Mizzou Coach Gary Pinkel has enjoyed success against non-conference foes in his time at MU, as he’s a solid 22-7 in all (.759) while stepping outside of Big 12 play.
DEFENSE PITCHES 2ND-HALF SHUTOUT OF NEVADA
Overshadowed by their high-profile offensive teammates, the Tiger defense turned in a solid overall day in last Saturday’s 69-17 win over Nevada. After allowing 17 points in the first half, including a 42-yard TD pass on the final play of the 2nd quarter, the Tiger defense settled down after halftime and stifled the Wolf Pack’s potent Pistol attack, keeping them off the scoreboard for the final 30 minutes of play.
In all, Mizzou limited Nevada to nearly 200 yards below its total offense average coming into the game. The Wolf Pack came in ranked 6th nationally in total offense, averaging 558.50 ypg, but were held to 362 by Mizzou. Their rushing attack, which was ranked 5th coming in (325.00 ypg) was held to nearly 150 yards below that – 182.
The total offense number is even more impressive, considering the Tiger defense was on the field for a total of 84 plays (compared to just 65 for the quick-strike MU offense), giving Nevada a per-play average of 4.3 yards (compared to Mizzou’s whopping average of 10.0 yards per snap).
The Tiger defense has had its most success against the run through the early going in 2008, as MU ranks 53rd in the NCAA in rushing defense, allowing 115.67 yards per game.
Mizzou’s defense shut down its first 2 foes on the ground, including allowing just 81 yards in the opener to Illinois and 84 yards to Southeast Missouri State. 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 11 teams with 3 games played to allow no more than 1 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.
TIGERS SCORE EARLY, OFTEN TO ROUT NEVADA, 69-17
Missouri wants to score on every possession. Against Nevada, the No. 6 Tigers almost did.
Chase Daniel threw for 405 yards to set the school career passing record and Missouri scored on its first 10 possessions in a 69-17 over Nevada.
Daniel threw for four TDs and was 23-for-28 to take Missouri (3-0) to seven touchdowns and a field goal before exiting in the third quarter. His backups, Chase Patton and Blaine Gabbert, led two more scoring drives before Missouri was finally forced to punt late in the fourth quarter.
By the time Daniel was done, he had shattered predecessor Brad Smith’s record. He has 9,513 yards passing. Smith finished with 8,799 yards in four seasons as a starter.
The Tigers gained 651 yards and averaged 10 yards per play. The 69 points tied a team record set against Kansas in 1969, and they’ve scored 173 points in three games. This came against a Nevada defense that just one week prior held Texas Tech’s high-profile passing attack in check, limiting QB Graham Harrell to career lows in completions and completion percentage.
Daniel connected on touchdown passes of 80, 14 and 49 yards with Jeremy Maclin, and threw a 27-yarder to Jared Perry. Derrick Washington ran for two scores.
Missouri also scored on a fake field goal and an interception return in the second half, after Daniel had already put the game out of reach.
Maclin had six catches for 172 yards. Three other receivers had six catches - Chase Coffman for 127 yards and a touchdown on a fake field goal, Tommy Saunders for 100 yards and Perry for 98 yards.
Missouri led 14-0 2:58 into the game on Washington’s 59-yard run and Maclin’s 80-yard catch-and-run - which moved Daniel into first place on the career list.
Nevada scored on a 1-yard run by quarterback Colin Kaepernick in the first quarter, a 31-yard field goal by Brett Jaekle in the second and on a 42-yard pass from Kaepernick to Marko Mitchell on the final play of the first half that cut the deficit to 38-17.
But after gaining 237 yards of offense in the first half, the Wolf Pack managed just 125 in the second.
Kaepernick was 17-for-31 for 152 yards and led Nevada with 71 yards rushing on eight carries.
Washington led Missouri with 80 yards rushing on eight carries. He has scored two touchdowns in all three games.
DEFENSE SCORES AGAIN, MAKES IT FOUR STRAIGHT GAMES WITH TD
Perhaps taking a cue from their offensive counterparts, the Mizzou defense has gotten into the act of scoring with regularity of late. The Tiger defense has scored one TD in all 3 games this season, and dating back to the 2008 AT&T Cotton Bowl victory over Arkansas, Mizzou’s defenders have now scored in 4 straight games.
The latest effort was put in by reserve LB Jeff Gettys, who took his first career interception back for a 27-yard TD in the 4th-quarter last week against Nevada. Prior to that, it was fellow LB Sean Weatherspoon who scored in each of MU’s 1st 2 games – becoming the first Tiger in history to record INT returns for touchdowns in consecutive games, when he returned one 35 yards for a score in the opener against Illinois and then ran one back 65 yards to paydirt in week #2 against SEMO.
The streak started on Jan. 1 of this calendar year, when FS William Moore took an interception back for a 26-yard TD against Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl, on his way to game Defensive MVP honors.
This marks the first time in school history that Mizzou has had interception returns for a TD in four straight games. The last time Mizzou had defensive scores in 4 straight games was in 1998, when MU had an INT return against Oklahoma, followed by fumble return scores against Nebraska and Texas Tech, and an INT return against Colorado in consecutive games.
The 2008 Tiger defense has already tied the MU record for most INT returns for TDs in a season with its 3 – tying the mark of the 2005, 1987 and 1979 defenses.
TIGERS AVERAGING NATION-BEST 8.30 YARDS PER SNAP
One of the more eye-popping stats to come out of Saturday’s game with Nevada is the fact that Mizzou amassed 651 yards of total offense on just 65 snaps – good for a massive 10.0 yards per snap average! That pushed MU’s season average to a healthy 8.30 yards per snap, and that is the highest in the country among teams that have played 3 games so far. Currently, only Tulsa (8.7 avg.) and Florida State (8.4 avg.) have higher per-snap averages than MU, but both teams have played only 2 games.
Among teams with 3 games, here’s a rundown of the leaders on yards per play: 1. Mizzou (8.30), 2. Oklahoma State (7.9), 3. Arkansas State (7.7), 4. Ball State (7.6), 5. Texas Tech (7.5), 6. Penn State (7.4), 7. Navy (7.3), 8. Baylor (7.2), 9. Georgia (7.1), 10. Oklahoma (7.0).
MIZZOU-NEVADA WRAP-UP NOTES
Here are some post-game notes from Mizzou’s 69-17 win over Nevada...
- Mizzou had 3 players with 100 yards receiving against the Wolf Pack, led by WR Jeremy Maclin (6-172, 3 TDs), TE Chase Coffman (6-127, 1 TD) and WR Tommy Saunders (6-100, plus 1 TD pass on a fake FG). That’s the first time in MU history it has had 3 players reach 100 receiving yards, and WR Jared Perry (6-98, 1 TD) was just 2 yards shy of making it a fourth Tiger to reach the century mark. The yardage totals were career highs for all 4 Tigers...
- A pair of Tigers previously out with injury made their 2008 season debut against the Wolf Pack, as junior WR Danario Alexander and senior LB Van Alexander (no relation) saw the field for the first time. Both had missed the first 2 games due to knee injuries suffered during the off-season. Danario had 1 catch for 7 yards and also ran 1 time for 3 yards, while Van notched 3 tackles in his comeback effort...
- Junior P Jake Harry is quickly becoming like the Maytag Repair Man – the loneliest man around. Due to the Tigers’ offensive prowess, he was called on to punt just once on Saturday, and it wasn’t until the 4th quarter! Harry boomed a 44-yarder in his only effort, and nearly got it stuck inside the Nevada 5-yardline, but it hit on the 2-yardline and skidded on the wet turf into the endzone for a touchback. Through 3 games, Harry has punted just 8 times, which is not enough for him to qualify for Big 12 statistical rankings. His current 43.3 punting average would be good enough for 3rd on the conference listing if he had enough kicks to qualify...
- Maclin had 3 receiving TDs on the day (80, 14, 49), tying him for the single-game school record that had been achieved 3 times previously – by Victor Bailey vs. Kansas in 1991, by Dwayne Blakley vs. Western Michigan in 1999 and by TE Chase Coffman at Colorado in 2007...
- Mizzou’s 651 yards of total offense was just 14 yards shy of the MU single-game record of 665 set in a 34-28 win at Kansas in 1949. Saturday’s total ranks tied for 3rd on the school game chart, with #2 being a 657-yard outing against Arkansas State at Arrowhead Stadium in 2005 (the debut of MU’s spread attack), with the other 651-yard occasion coming in 1969 at Kansas...
- Mizzou’s 519 passing yards on the day broke the school record of 480 yards, set in 1992 at Oklahoma State.
WOLFERT NAMED BIG 12 SPECIAL TEAMS POW AGAINST NEVADA
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.
He’s coming off a game in which he set an MU record with 9 PATs against Nevada. He also connected on both of his FG tries (27, 24) to go a perfect 11-of-11 on the day, in addition to handling kickoff duties (2 touchbacks, opponent return average of just 19.5 yds. on 11 kickoffs). For his efforts, Wolfert was named Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week. It’s the 2nd time he’s won the award, as he claimed the award in 2007 after a big performance against Kansas.
Wolfert has put up incredible numbers over the last two+ years, as he’s made 178-of-184 (96.7%) combined kicks in 2006, 2007 and 2008. Those numbers break out to 43-of-49 (87.8%) on FGs and a perfect 136-of-136 on PATs. He’s already broken numerous school kicking and scoring records, and with 264 career points entering the Buffalo game, he needs just 21 more to break Brad Smith’s MU career scoring record of 284 (2002-05).
Wolfert began his senior season with a bang, as he connected on all 7 of his extra points and on his only FG try – a 51-yarder against Illinois that would have been good from several yards farther away. His FG gave the Tigers a 10-6 2nd-quarter lead, and it made him only the 3rd kicker in Mizzou history to make more than one 50-yarder in his career (Tom Whelihan had 5 in 1985-86 and Jeff Jacke had 4 from 1988-92).
Wolfert carries a string of 91 consecutive combined made kicks into the Buffalo game, as he’s made all 27 of his kicks so far in 2008 (23 PATs, 4 FGs) to go with 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.
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.
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.
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 3-game start to the season has done nothing to dissuade voters from keeping him entrenched among the top candidates.
All he’s done so far is direct the Tigers to the nation’s top-ranked outfit in total offense (597.33 ypg) and scoring offense (57.67 ppg), while the Tigers rank 3rd in the NCAA in passing (392.67 ypg) and 5th in pass efficiency (186.19 rating). Individually, after his 405-yard, 4-TD outing Saturday against Nevada, Daniel now ranks 4th nationally in pass efficiency (197.48 season rating) and 7th in total offense (343.67 ypg).
Against Nevada, Daniel was in another stratosphere, going 23-of-28 for 405 yards and 4 TDs. His 1st TD of the day, an 80-yarder to WR Jeremy Maclin, gave him enough career passing yards to break the MU record of 8,799 previously held by former great Brad Smith (2002-05). Daniel now has 9,153 passing yards for his career.
As noted previously, Daniel has a string of 13 straight possessions where he’s led MU to a score (12 TDs, 1 FG) spanning his last 2 games, playing just 1 1/2 quarters versus SEMO and 2 1/2 quarters vs. Nevada before being pulled.
Daniel had about as perfect performance as you can have against SEMO in game #2, as he completed 16-of-17 passes for 245 yards and 3 TDs. 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 has a shot at reaching Smith’s seemingly unreachable total offense career record of 13,088 yards, as Daniel has 9,900 entering the Buffalo game (needs 3,189 to break).
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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 |
52 |
8 (2001-Present) |
52-37 |
.584 |
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 125-74-3 (62.6%). The Illinois game was the 200th in Pinkel’s head coaching career.
Pinkel, who has led MU to a combined record of 43-23 (65.2%) over the past 5 seasons, and to bowl games in 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2007, has an 8-year record in Columbia of 52-37 (58.4%). Dating back to the 2005 Independence Bowl win over Steve Spurrier and South Carolina, Pinkel has won 24 of his last 31 games overall.
MU’s win in the 2008 opener against Illinois gave Pinkel his 50th MU win, and he now ranks 3rd on the coaching wins list at MU, with 52.
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.
Here’s a quick look at the top winning coaches in MU history at right.
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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