Tigers Prepare For Big 12 Opener Versus No. 5 Nebraska
Sept. 19, 1999 MISSOURI TIGERS (2-0) vs. NEBRASKA CORNHUSKERS (3-0)
GAME AT A GLANCE KICKOFF: 6:00 p.m. CDT
RANKINGS: Missouri is receiving votes from ESPN/USA Today (29th). Nebraska is #5 in the ESPN/USA Today rankings and #6 in the AP poll.
HEAD COACHES:
Nebraska - Frank Solich, 12-4 at Nebraska and overall (2nd season). He stands 1-0 against Missouri and Larry Smith. EXPECTED ATTENDANCE: The game has been sold out for weeks (68,174). Attendance will be 68,174 - MU's second sellout crowd in the Tigers' last four home games.
Tigers Want To Snap Streak,
Go To 3-0 For First Time Since '80
Game time is 6 p.m., and a sellout crowd of 68,174 will be on hand. It's Mizzou's second sellout in its last four home games. The game will be televised nationally by Fox Sports Net, with Ron Thulin, Artie Gigantino and Eric Clemons calling the action. Missouri will be out to snap a pair of dubious streaks on Saturday. The Tigers have lost 20 straight games to the Huskers, and have dropped 35 consecutive games to teams ranked in the Associated Press Top-10. A victory would give Mizzou its first 3-0 start since 1980. It's the first time Missouri and Nebraska have ever played in the month of September, and the first time MU has faced Nebraska in its first conference game since 1974. The Tigers won that one, in Lincoln, 21-10. The Tigers have won 13 of their last 18 regular-season games - with the five losses coming at the hands of two No. 1 teams - the 1997 Nebraska unit and last year's Ohio State Buckeyes - and, also in 1998 to No. 2 Kansas State, No. 6 Texas A&M, and No. 7 Nebraska. Missouri has held the halftime lead in 20 consecutive games, and since Larry Smith came to Columbia, in 1994, the Tigers are 26-8 when leading at the half and 27-3 when leading after three quarters. Overall, MU has won 19 of its last 27 games, and 23 of its last 37. Mizzou has also gone 11-3 at home the last three seasons, and the Tigers have won 13 straight games against unranked teams. Standing 2-0 against non-conference opponents in 1999, when the Tigers play at Memphis, Oct. 2, they'll have a chance to go undefeated in non-league play for the first time since 1981 (4-0), and to win three out-of-conference games for the first time since 1982 (3-1). Missouri is 8-6 the last two years in games decided by eight points or less, including two seven-point defeats to Nebraska. The Tigers' four games prior to Saturday's 48-34 victory over Western Michigan were decided by a total of 15 points.
Missouri on Fox Sports Net
The Missouri-Nebraska Series
The Tigers haven't beaten Nebraska since taking three straight in Lincoln in 1974-76-78. In Columbia, Mizzou hasn't prevailed since a 13-12 decision in 1973. Included in Nebraska's current winning streak over Missouri, there have been plenty of blow-outs. But there have also been eight games that were decided by eight points or less, including the last two seven-point verdicts, 45-38 in overtime here in 1997, and 20-13 in Lincoln last year.
BIG 12 STANDINGS North Division League Overall Colorado 1-0 2-1 Iowa State 0-0 3-0 Nebraska 0-0 3-0 Kansas State 0-0 2-0 MISSOURI 0-0 2-0 Kansas 0-1 1-2
Scouting the Cornhuskers
The Cornhuskers rank second in the nation in rushing defense (40.7 yards per game), sixth in pass efficiency defense, ninth in total defense (202.3 yards per game) and eighth in scoring defense (6.7 points per game). Against Southern Mississippi on Saturday, Nebraska scored two defensive touchdowns to win, 20-13. Nebraska's usually stout rushing game is a bit off its norm, but still is ranked 25th in the country averaging 193.3 yards per game. Missourian Dan Alexander tops the list with 175 yards, followed by quarterback Eric Crouch who has gained 139 yards. Crouch took over Saturday as Nebraska's regular quarterback, after splitting time with Bobby Newcombe, now playing wingback, in the first two games. He has completed 11-of-17 passes for 236 yards, with two interceptions and one touchdown. Matt Davison, the hero of the 1997 miracle victory in Columbia, is the Huskers' leading receiver with seven catches for 106 yards. Linebacker Eric Johnson, who sacked Corby Jones on the final play of last year's game in Lincoln, is out for the next 4-6 weeks after suffering an injury against Southern Miss. But they won't miss a beat with his stand-in, Julius Jackson, who scored two TDs to win Saturday's game. Rover Mike Brown is Nebraska's leading tackler with 24 stops. Nebraska has intercepted seven passes, recovered five fumbles and logged 13 quarterback sacks so far in 1999.
A MIZZOU WIN ...
A MIZZOU LOSS ...
LAST WEEK'S GAMES
COLUMBIA, Mo. - DeVaughn Black ran for 205 yards and two touchdowns as Missouri outscored Western Michigan 48-34 Saturday. Zain Gilmore also ran for 139 yards on 17 carries and tight end Dwayne Blakley tied a Missouri team record with three touchdown catches. Black's performance marked the 7th 200-yard game in Missouri history, and five have come since Larry Smith became the Tigers' coach in 1994. Tim Lester, the nation's fifth-ranked passer coming into the game, tried to spark Western Michigan (1-2) from a 31-14 halftime deficit. "It was a heck of a win," Smith said. "Our team played with a lot of intensity. We had to fight and those guys don't quit." Lester's third-quarter lateral to Corey Alston set up a 60-yard halfback pass to Micah Zuhl. Robert Sanford scored one play later to make it 34-21. After Black's second touchdown run at the end of the third quarter, Lester connected with Steve Neal from the 3 to make it 41-27 early in the fourth quarter. Blakley's third touchdown catch with 8:41 left moved Missouri (2-0) ahead 48-27, but Lester again rallied the Broncos, throwing a 6-yard touchdown pass to Neal with 4:51 remaining. Lester didn't get another chance to rally the Broncos as he finished with 260 yards passing, four touchdowns and one interception. Tigers quarterback Jim Dougherty started his second straight game, and was relieved as expected by redshirt freshman Kirk Farmer in the second quarter. Both threw first-half touchdown passes to Blakley. After Blakley caught a 4-yard pass from Dougherty to cap the Tigers' opening possession, the Broncos' Steve Neal tied the game at 7 on a 3-yard pass from Lester near the end of the first quarter. On the first play of the second quarter, Dougherty's third-down pass from the Western Michigan 31 was intercepted by Ronald Rogers. After Western Michigan punted, Missouri scored on each of its remaining possessions of the half. Black, in his second game as the replacement for departed second-team All-American tailback Devin West, scored on a 1-yard run with 3:55 left in the half. Blakley's second TD reception, this one from Farmer, made it 21-7. Lester's second touchdown pass of the day got the Broncos within 21-14 two minutes later. Missouri closed the half by scoring 10 points in 55 seconds. Eric Spencer caught a 28-yard pass from Farmer. After Missouri linebacker Barry Odom intercepted Lester's second-down pass with 21 seconds left, Brad Hammerich pushed Missouri up 31-14 with a 22-yard field goal to end the half. The night began on a somber note as the crowd observed a moment of silence for Carlalee Ankney, wife of MU defensive coordinator Moe Ankney, who passed away early Saturday after a long bout with cancer. "I just think Moe being here was an inspiration," Smith said. "He wanted to be here and thought she would have wanted him to be here. He said this was the best therapy for him."
Nebraska 20, S. Mississippi 13 LINCOLN, Neb. - It was not new starting quarterback Eric Crouch who bailed out No. 6 Nebraska, but linebacker Julius Jackson and cornerback Keyuo Craver who came through when the Cornhuskers needed them most. As the Nebraska offense sputtered under Crouch, Jackson returned a fumble 16 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter and ran back an interception 28 yards for the go-ahead score in the third quarter in a 20-13 victory over Southern Mississippi. Craver tipped the pass that Jackson intercepted, then sealed the victory with 1:17 left by picking off Jeff Kelly at the Nebraska 6-yard line with Southern Miss driving for the potential tying or winning score. Crouch could muster little against the defense of Southern Miss (2-1), but Jackson came to the rescue 7:10 into the game when he picked up a fumble by Kelly after a sack by Kyle Vander Bosch and ran it in for a 6-0 lead. Crouch ran 12 times for 27 yards and completed 6-of-10 passes for 66 yards with two interceptions. He was awarded the starting job last week ahead of Bobby Newcombe, who moved to wingback and fumbled a punt that led to the Golden Eagles' first touchdown. Nebraska was limited to 185 yards of offense, its lowest total since gaining 179 in a 21-7 win over Oklahoma on November 26, 1993. The Cornhuskers did not get a first down until the 12:08 mark of the second quarter and could not eclipse 100 total yards until 5:17 was left in the third. "I'm not quite sure why the execution is at the level where it is now," Nebraska coach Frank Solich said. "Anytime you play a defensive team that is that good, you're probably going to have some problems. We need to not make so many problems for ourselves. I don't believe that moving personnel around affected it all that much, because those guys have executed well at those positions before." Nebraska (3-0) found itself behind for the first time this season, 7-6, just under seven minutes later when Kelly threw an eight-yard scoring pass to Todd Pinkston. It came six plays after Newcombe's fumble. Pinkston had 11 catches for 163 yards and has at least one reception in 32 straight games. Fullback Willie Miller gave the Cornhuskers a 12-7 edge with 9:45 left in the second quarter when he ran eight yards for a score. But Dan Alexander fumbled on Nebraska's first play of the second half and Kelly gave the Golden Eagles a 13-12 lead at 2:06 with a five-yard TD pass to Sherrod Gideon. Gideon made eight receptions for 81 yards and Kelly was 19-of-39 for 268 yards with four interceptions. Kelly made a mistake that cost Southern Miss the lead with 8:25 left in the third quarter. Craver got a hand on a pass that Jackson corraled for an interception and a touchdown. Alexander ran for the two-point conversion and a 20-13 cushion. Alexander will receive the bulk of the work since DeAngelo Evans left the team earlier in the week. He carried 16 times for 54 yards. Nebraska's Matt Davison made a pair of receptions for 19 yards and has caught at least one pass in 20 straight games.
Last Year: Nebraska 20, MU 13 LINCOLN, Neb. - Senior backup quarterback Monte Christo ran for a pair of second-half touchdowns and linebacker Eric Johnson sacked Corby Jones to end the game as No. 7 Nebraska held on for a 20-13 victory over Big 12 Conference North Division rival No. 18 Missouri. In a finish reminiscent of 1997's game of the year, Jones and Missouri were on the Nebraska 22 with one play left to erase a seven-point deficit - this time in regulation, not overtime. But just as in '97, Jones was sacked without getting off a throw, securing Nebraska's 20th straight win in the series since 1978. Christo, who played parts of the first half and all of the second as Bobby Newcombe's nagging knee injury flared up once again, nearly blew the game with a pair of fumbles. With just under three minutes gone in the second quarter, he made a bad pitch on an option right and Missouri defensive tackle Steve Erickson grabbed it and scurried 41 yards to give the Tigers a 6-3 lead. With Nebraska trying to kill the clock, Christo fumbled a snap that was recovered by Mizzou linebacker Al Sterling at the Cornhuskers 46 with 1:38 left. Missouri ran 10 plays, including a 12-yard pass from Jones to John Dausman on 4th-and-10 to the Nebraska 22. With four seconds left, Jones' throw into the end zone was broken up by cornerback Erwin Swiney before Johnson's sack. "I didn't have a prayer," claimed Jones, who scrambled from pressure before getting pushed down. "The guys ran the routes they were supposed to, but there were too many guys standing back there. I was just trying to run around and find somebody open somewhere." "At the very end there, I thought it would be ironic if we would have scored on the last play and took it into overtime," said Missouri coach Larry Smith. Nebraska extended the fifth-longest home winning streak in NCAA history to 47 games behind a defense that limited Devin West, the second-leading rusher in the nation, to 72 yards on 24 carries. The Cornhuskers received 125 yards on 25 carries from Correll Buckhalter en route to a 328-166 advantage in total yardage. Jones completed 8-of-20 passes for 89 yards and carried 11 times for no yardage for the Tigers. His fumble at his own 36 set up the first points of the game, a 38-yard field goal by Kris Brown. Missouri rebounded on defense with Erickson's touchdown, but Brian Long missed the extra point for a 6-3 lead. Nebraska's ensuing possession resulted in Brown's 38-yard field goal try getting blocked by defensive tackle Jeff Marriott and returned by cornerback Wade Perkins and then free safety Harold Piersey to the Nebraska 25. Jones then led a 10-play drive that took nearly five minutes, running the final yard over left end on 4th-and-goal for a 13-3 lead with 3:52 left before the half. Nebraska responded with a 14-play, 68-yard march that resulted in Brown's 30-yard field goal on the final play of the half that made it a seven-point game. Missouri found itself ahead of a highly ranked team at the half for the second time this season. But just as it did against top-ranked Ohio State, the Tigers' offense failed to produce a second-half point. Christo carried 20 times for 67 yards and completed just 1-of-5 passes for seven yards, while Newcombe carried nine times for 33 yards and was 7-of-11 for 65 yards. Christo found a comfort zone after recovering his own fumble and throwing an incompletion on the first drive of the second half. He then marched the Huskers to the Missouri 12, but the usually automatic Brown missed a 29-yard kick. The defense held for a second straight three-and-out and Shevin Wiggins, one of the heroes in the previous year's classic, returned Vince Sebo's punt 43 yards to the 14. Six plays later, Christo ran a yard over right end for a 13-13 tie. MU managed a first down on their next drive but Sebo flubbed a punt for six yards, giving Nebraska the ball at the MU 49. It took Christo eight plays to find the end zone, this time on a dive over the left side from three yards for a 20-13 edge with 10:27 left. "Defense won the game," Jones said. "I don't know why we were out of synch. We see basically the same defense each week, and we had a good week of practice. We were confident that we were going to win the game if we could have gotten into a rhythm." West, who is Jones' roommate, agreed. "That was a team we could have beat and probably should have beat but offensively, we lost the game," West said. "We know it. They probably know it, too. Nebraska is a great football team, but when you believe you can do something, you should come out and do it." MISSOURI 0 13 0 0 - 13 NEBRASKA 3 3 7 7 - 20 TEAM STATISTICS
MU NU
First downs 10 22
Rushes-yards 37-77 61-256
Passing yards 89 72
Sacked-yards lost 3-19 1-6
Return yards 96 66
Passes 8-20-0 8-16-0
Punts-average 8-45.1 4-49.3
Fumbles-lost 2-1 4-2
Penalties-yards 5-41 4-26
Time of possession 27:06 32:54
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
PASSING - MU: C.Jones 8-20-0-89. NU: Newcombe 7-11-0-65, Christo 1-5-0-7.
RECEIVING - MU: Dausman 4-34, Black 2-7, Wise 1-32, Layman 1-16. NU: Buckhalter 2-20, Wiggins 2-17, S. Jackson 2-12, Haafke 1-16, Davison 1-7.
TIGERS WHO HAVE GOTTEN THEIR FIRST CAREER START IN 1999 Offense (7) Year OT Justin Bland Sophomore OG Mike Hayes Sophomore OG Joe Glauberman Junior FB T.J. Leon RS Freshman QB Jim Dougherty Sophomore TB DeVaughn Black Senior FB Joe Chirumbolo Freshman
MU Head Coach Larry Smith
He has a 23-year career record of 138-111-7, and coached previously at Tulane (18-27, 1976-79), Arizona (48-28-3, 1980-86), and Southern California (44-25-3, 1987-92). He was out of coaching in 1993. Smith is one of only two active coaches who have taken four schools to bowl games, along with Lou Holtz (S. Carolina), and one of only four who've ever done it (Earle Bruce and Bill Mallory). Smith ranks 11th among active coaches in career victories. A native of Van Wert, Ohio, Smith is a 1962 graduate of Bowling Green State University. He served as a collegiate assistant coach at Miami (Ohio), Michigan and Arizona before beginning his head coaching career. MISSOURI COACHES IN THEIR 5th SEASON COACH 5th SEASON W-L TOT. SEASONS Gwinn Henry 1927 7-2 9 Don Faurot 1939 8-2 19 Dan Devine 1964 6-3-1 13 Al Onofrio 1975 6-5 7 Warren Powers 1982 5-4-2 7 Bob Stull 1993 3-7-1 5 LARRY SMITH 1998 8-4 6 MISSOURI COACHES IN THEIR 6th SEASON COACH 6th SEASON W-L TOT. SEASONS Gwinn Henry 1928 4-4 9 Don Faurot 1940 6-3 19 Dan Devine 1965 8-2-1 13 Al Onofrio 1976 6-5 7 Warren Powers 1983 7-5 7 LARRY SMITH 1999 2-0 6 THE TIGERS UNDER LARRY SMITH - Their Record When ... CATEGORY SIX YEARS 1999 '97-99 Scoring first 18-8-1 2-0 10-1 Scoring 40 or more points 11-0 1-0 8-0 Scoring 30 or more points 22-2-1 2-0 15-1 Scoring 24 or more points 26-5-1 2-0 16-3 Scoring more than 14 points 28-10-1 2-0 16-3 Leading at halftime 26-8 2-0 17-6 Leading after 3 quarters 27-3 2-0 17-2 Outscoring opponent in 2nd half 18-2 0-0 12-0 Outscoring opponent in 4th quarter 13-7 0-0 10-2 Holding opponent to 17 points or less 7-4 0-0 4-2 Rushing for 300 yards 13-1 1-0 8-1 Rushing for 250 yards 19-2 1-0 12-1 Rushing for 200 yards 23-8 2-0 14-3 Having at least one 100-yard rusher 20-8 2-0 13-2 Having more than one 100-yard rusher 5-1 1-0 3-1 Having a 200-yard rusher 5-0 1-0 3-0 Outrushing opponent 23-9 2-0 14-4 Holding opponent under 100 yrds rush. 9-2 0-0 6-1 Rushing for more yards than passing 24-18 2-0 15-6 Passing for 200 yards 5-6-1 0-0 4-2 Passing for more yards than rushing 4-13-1 0-0 2-3 Making fewer turnovers than opponent 16-10-1 0-0 12-3 Committing two-or-fewer turnovers 24-20-1 2-0 14-5 CATEGORY SIX YEARS 1999 '97-99 Amassing 400 yards of total offense 20-2 1-0 12-1 Holding opp. under 300 yds total off. 8-5 1-0 5-1 Holding time of possession edge 24-15 2-0 13-6 Making 20-or-more first downs 25-11-1 2-0 14-3 Hold edge in 1st downs and poss. time 19-7 2-0 11-4 Converting 50%-or-better on 3rd down 17-4 2-0 11-1 When punting two or fewer times 6-0 1-0 5-0 TEAM BEST PERFORMANCES Rushing 473 yards vs. Iowa State, 1995 Passing 320 yards vs. Iowa State, 1994 Total Offense 560 yards vs. Western Michigan, 1999 Points 51 at Oklahoma State (2 OT), 1997 WINNINEST ACTIVE COACHES
COACH, SCHOOL WON 1. Joe Paterno, Penn State 307 2. Bobby Bowden, Florida State 292 3. LaVell Edwards, BYU 243 4. Lou Holtz, South Carolina 216 5. Don Nehlen, West Virginia 191 6. John Cooper, Ohio State 178 7. George Welsh, Virginia 176 8. Jackie Sherrill, Mississippi State 154 9. Dick Tomey, Arizona 147 10. Ken Hatfield, Rice 139 11. LARRY SMITH, MISSOURI 136 LARRY SMITH'S WINS
1980 Arizona 23, #2 UCLA 17
1981 Arizona 13, #1 USC 10
1982 Arizona 16, #9 Notre Dame 13
Arizona 28, #6 Arizona State 18
1985 Arizona 28, #3 SMU 6
1986 Arizona 34, #4 Arizona State 17
1987 USC 17, #5 UCLA 13
1988 USC 23, #3 Oklahoma 7
USC 31, #6 UCLA 22
1989 USC 17, #3 Michigan 10
1991 USC 21, #5 Penn State 10
1992 USC 14, #7 Arizona 7
"THIS WEEK IN MU FOOTBALL"
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MU's Tiger Network
Mizzou Getting Closer And Closer To Winning The Big One
While Mizzou has lost 35 straight games to Top-10 opponents, the Tigers have been narrowing the gap. In their last five games against teams in the Top 10 (and those are Missouri's only losses in its last 18 regular-season contests), the aggregate score has been 148-104, or an average score of 29.6-20.8.
MISSOURI vs. AP TOP 10 SINCE 1981 Missouri has lost 35 consecutive games against Top-10 ranked teams since 1981. From 1970-80, Mizzou was 10-19 when playing against the Top 10. 10/3/81 Missouri 14, at #9 Mississippi State 3 10/23/82 at #5 Nebraska 23, Missouri 19 10/15/83 #1 Nebraska 34, Missouri 14 10/13/84 at #6 Nebraska 33, Missouri 23 11/3/84 at #9 Oklahoma 49, Missouri 7 11/10/84 at #4 Oklahoma State 31, Missouri 13 COACH WOODY WIDENHOFER
10/19/85 #9 Nebraska 28, Missouri 20 11/9/85 #7 Oklahoma 51, Missouri 6 11/16/85 #10 Oklahoma State 21, Missouri 19 10/18/86 at #3 Nebraska 48, Missouri 17 11/8/86 at #4 Oklahoma 77, Missouri 0 10/31/87 #2 Nebraska 42, Missouri 7 11/14/87 at #1 Oklahoma 17, Missouri 13 10/1/88 at #1 Miami (Fla.) 55, Missouri 0 COACH BOB STULL
9/23/89 #2 Miami (Fla.) 38, Missouri 7 10/7/89 at #3 Colorado 49, Missouri 3 10/14/89 #4 Nebraska 50, Missouri 7 10/13/90 at #7 Nebraska 69, Missouri 21 10/26/91 at #9 Nebraska 63, Missouri 6 9/19/92 #5 Texas A&M 26, Missouri 13 10/8/92 #9 Colorado 6, Missouri 0 10/24/92 #8 Nebraska 34, Missouri 24 10/23/93 at #5 Nebraska 49, Missouri 7 COACH LARRY SMITH
OUTLAND TROPHY CANDIDATE
Says Rob of his goals for 1999: "If you accomplish your team goals, the individual things will take care of themselves ... I'd like to be the best center in college football."
Tigers Refuse To Punt
The Tigers, though, found the perfect way to remedy that problem against Western Michigan - they didn't punt at all! For Missouri, it was the first time since 1960 that the Tigers had not punted in a game. The last time was in a 45-0 victory over Kansas State, Oct. 15, 1960.
Hammering Home A Point
Hammerich is 3-for-3 on field goals this season, and the 48-yarder he kicked on Saturday was the longest by a Tiger since Kyle Pooler hit from 49 yards against Kansas State in 1994. With 19 points in two games, Hammerich is just four points shy of Missouri's leading kick scorer of a year ago - Tim Geiger - who scored 23 points. He's also been effective on kickoffs. His booming kickoffs have helped the Tiger coverage team limit opponents' average returns to 18.9 yards.
Mizzou Hits High-Water Marks
Quarterbacks Kirk Farmer (3) and Jim Dougherty (1) combined to throw four touchdown passes, tying the school record of four accomplished four other times, most recently vs. Oklahoma State in 1991. Sophomore Dwayne Blakley caught three TD passes, tying the school record for touchdown receptions previously set by Victor Bailey against Kansas in 1991. Blakley has now caught 13 passes in his career at Mizzou and five have gone for touchdowns. Tiger all-American Kellen Winslow (1976-78) had 10 touchdown receptions during his collegiate career.
True Freshmen Who've Played
MISSOURI NON-LEAGUE RECORDS 1970-1983 1984-1999 1970 2-2 1984 1-3 1971 1-3 1985 0-4 1972 3-1 1986 1-3 1973 4-0 1987 2-2 1974 2-2 1988 1-2-1 1975 3-1 1989 1-3 1976 3-1 1990 2-2 1977 1-3 1991 2-1-1 1978 3-1 1992 1-3 1979 3-1 1993 1-2-1 1980 3-1 1994 1-3-1 1981 4-0 1995 2-2 1982 3-1 1996 2-1 1983 2-2 1997 2-1 TOTAL 37-19 1998 2-1
Young Tigers Score The Points
Sophomore Dwayne Blakley has scored four touchdowns. Sophomore kicker Brad Hammerich has kicked three field goals and 10 PATs. Mizzou's other TDs have come from sophomores Zain Gilmore and Eric Spencer, and freshmen John McPherson and Joe Chirumbolo.
MISSOURI IN BIG 12 CONFERENCE/NCAA TEAM STATS CATEGORY STATISTIC BIG 12 NCAA Rushing Offense 310.3 yards/game 2nd 4th Passing Offense 159.5 yards/game 9th 85th Total Offense 469.5 yards/game 4th 13th Scoring Offense 39.5 points/game 5th T-17th Turnover Margin -1/game T-10th T-90th Pass Efficiency Defense 138.8 rating points 12th 85th Rushing Defense 135.5 yards/game 8th 53rd Total Defense 357.5 yards/game 10th 65th Scoring Defense 31 points/game 9th T-81st Net Punting 5.4 yards/punt 12th 114th Punt Returns 14.5 yards/return 3rd 11th Kickoff Returns 20.6 yards/rreturn 8th 57th TIGERS IN BIG 12 CONFERENCE/NCAA INDIVIDUAL STATS
CATEGORY PLAYER STATISTIC BIG 12 NCAA
Rushing DeVaughn Black 172.5 yards/game 2nd 4th
Zain Gilmore 92 yards/game 5th T-43rd
All-Purpose Running DeVaughn Black 180 yards/game 3rd 12th
Zain Gilmore 102 yards/game 11th -
Passing Efficiency Kirk Farmer 156.9 rating points 5th -
Total Offense DeVaughn Black 172.5 yards/game 9th -
Pass Receptions Dwayne Blakley 4 receptions/game T-8th -
Scoring Dwayne Blakley 12 points/game T-2nd T-11th
Brad Hammerich 9.5 points/game 5th T-32nd
Field Goals Brad Hammerich 1.5/game 5th T-22nd
Kickoff Returns Ricardo Rhodes 23 yards/return 3rd T-41st
Pass Interceptions Barry Odom 0.5/game T-7th T-49th
Black Rings Up 200
Five of the seven 200-yard rushing efforts by Missouri Tigers have come since Larry Smith became the Tigers' head coach in 1994 (two by Devin West, two by Brock Olivo, one by Black). He ranks second in the Big 12 and fourth nationally in rushing, averaging 172.5 yards per game. That's just two yards per game less than Wisconsin's Heisman Trophy favorite Ron Dayne. His sidekick, sophomore Zain Gilmore, gained 139 yards against the Broncos, the sixth time under Smith that Mizzou has had two backs gain 100-or-more yards in the same game. The Tigers are 5-1 in those contests. Missouri currently ranks fourth in the nation in rushing offense, averaging 310 yards per game. This is the fourth straight season in which MU has ranked among Division I-A's top nine rushing teams.
National Spotlight Shines on Justin Smith
He was featured in the most recent issue of Sports Illustrated in an article written by reporter B.J. Schecter. For the story, Smith endured a three-hour photo session. One of the poses for Smith was a weight-lifting scene on The Quad in front of MU's historic Columns. Tigers Turn Turnovers into Points Missouri has turned the ball over four times this season, but the opposition is yet to score as a result of those miscues. On the other hand, MU has scored 10 points following turnovers by its opponents. Last year, MU scored 108 points off of 25 turnovers, while MU opponents tallied just 23 following Tiger miscues. All of this opportunistic play continues the trend that began in 1997 when Mizzou scored 93 points as a result of 21 turnovers by the opposition, while MU foes managed just 20 points off of Tiger mistakes. In 1996, MU gave up 136 points following its own turnovers. Since Larry Smith came to Missouri, the Tigers have forced 111 turnovers and committed 98. They've forced at least one turnover in 53 of 59 games since Smith became the head coach. And the Tigers have scored 13 defensive touchdowns during the Smith era, including six last season. Missouri is 9-2-1 since 1994 when its defense finds the end zone:
1994 @ Iowa State (MU wins, 34-20)
1994 @ Hawaii (MU ties, 32-32)
1995 vs. Iowa State at home (MU wins, 45-31)
1996 @ Baylor (MU wins, 49-42)
1997 vs. Baylor at home (MU wins, 42-24)
1998 @ Ohio State (MU loses, 35-14)
1998 @ Texas Tech (MU wins, 28-26)
1998 vs. Oklahoma at home (MU wins, 20-6)
1998 vs. Colorado at home (MU wins, 38-14)
1998 @ Nebraska at home (MU losses, 20-13)
1998 vs. West Virginia (MU wins, 34-31)
1999 vs. UAB (MU wins, 31-28)
100-YD. RUSHERS UNDER LARRY SMITH 1. Devin West vs. Kansas, 9/12/98 33-319 2. Devin West vs. Iowa State, 10/10/98 40-252 3. Brock Olivo vs. NE Louisiana, 9/23/95 38-222 4. DeVaughn Black vs. W. Mich., 9/18/99 32-205 5. Brock Olivo vs. Iowa State, 11/18/95 28-201 6. Corby Jones vs. Okla. State, 10/26/96 18-193 7. Devin West vs. Northwestern St., 10/3/98 30-176 8. Brock Olivo vs. Kansas, 11/23/96 26-166 9. Corby Jones vs. Kansas, 11/23/96 12-159 10. Brock Olivo vs. Kansas St., 11/12/94 27-151 11. Devin West vs. Colorado, 11/7/98 32-146 12. DeVaughn Black vs. UAB, 9/4/99 25-140 13. Zain Gilmore vs. W. Mich., 9/18/99 17-139 14. Corby Jones vs. Iowa State, 11/18/95 22-136 15. Corby Jones at Iowa State, 9/28/96 13-135 16. Devin West at Texas Tech, 10/31/98 23-133 17. Corby Jones vs. Colo. St., 12/29/97 20-132 18. Joe Freeman at Houston, 9/17/94 23-131 19. Brock Olivo vs. North Texas, 9/2/95 28-129 20. Corby Jones at Tulsa, 9/20/97 19-126 21. Corby Jones vs. Baylor, 11/15/97 15-126 22. Devin West vs. W. Virginia, 12/26/98 31-125 23. Devin West vs. Bowling Green, 9/5/98 16-125 24. Devin West at Baylor, 11/16/96 14-118 25. Ernest Blackwell vs. E. Michigan, 9/6/97 12-116 26. Devin West vs. Iowa State, 10/4/97 24-114 27. Devin West at Texas A&M, 11/14/98 26-113 28. Joe Freeman vs. Tulsa, 9/3/94 25-110 29. Corby Jones vs. Colorado, 11/7/98 19-108 30. Brock Olivo at Oklahoma, 11/5/94 23-107 31. Brock Olivo vs. E. Michigan, 9/6/97 19-104 32. Devin West vs. Colo. St., 12/29/97 11-104 33. Brock Olivo at Kansas, 11/4/95 23-102 34. Brock Olivo vs. Kansas St., 10/12/96 21-100
Tigers Get Their Kicks
That gives Mizzou 25 blocked kicks since Larry Smith took over at MU - 12 PATs, eight punts and five field goals.
Layman Nears Record
He enters this week's game having nabbed 50 career passes and has caught at least one pass in 24 consecutive games. He can tie the school record of 25 this week. The mark is held by the Tigers' alltime leading receiver, Kenny Holly. MU CAREER RECEIVING LEADERS
name yards REC. YEARS
7. Brian Sallee 1313 119 1991-94
8. Andy Gibler 1290 101 1979-82
9. Tim Bruton 1286 97 1987-90
10. Harold Burnine 1145 75 1953-55
KENT LAYMAN 1058 50 1996-99
Odom Climbs the Charts, Too
MU CAREER TACKLE LEADERS
name UT-AT-TT YEARS
9. Van Darkow, lb 97-197-294 1978-81
10. Caldrinoff Easter, db 180-103-283 1995-98
11. Chris Garlich, lb 115-161-276 1975-78
12. Harold Piersey, db 162-106-268 1995-98
13. BARRY ODOM, lb 145-122-267 1996-99
14. Ken Downing, db 153-110-263 1973-75
Homegrown Tigers
TIGERS IN THE NFL
#Byron Chamberlain, TE Denver Broncos Craig Heimburger, OG Green Bay Packers Michael Jones, LB St. Louis Rams Rick Lyle, DE New York Jets Steve Martin, NT Philadelphia Eagles A.J. Ofodile, TE Baltimore Ravens Brock Olivo, TB Detroit Lions Harold Piersey, DB San Francisco 49ers Otis Smith, CB New York Jets# Completed eligibility at another school.
If It Goes to Overtime
Another Big Crowd At Faurot
The crowd of 50,356 that was on hand for the UAB opener was the 10th crowd of 50,000-or-more since Larry Smith became the Missouri head coach in 1994. And the crowd of 60,206 that witnessed the Western Michigan game was the biggest for a non-league game in Smith's tenure. Eleven of the top 17 home crowds Mizzou has had since '84 have come with Smith at the helm. This week MU will have its second sellout in a span of four home games. The tilt against the Cornhuskers was declared a complete sellout two weeks ago when the last general admission tickets were sold. That means a crowd of 68,174 will be on hand for the Big 12 Conference opener.
BIG CROWDS SINCE 1984 9/29/84 70,915 Notre Dame 16, Missouri 14 10/19/85 62,733 Nebraska 28, Missouri 20 11/9/85 50,321 Oklahoma 51, Missouri 6 10/31/87 55,594 Nebraska 42, Missouri 7 10/14/89 55,620 Nebraska 50, Missouri 7 10/24/92 53,337 Nebraska 34, Missouri 24 ARRIVAL OF LARRY SMITH 9/3/94 55,263 Tulsa 20, Missouri 17 10/22/94 50,537 Nebraska 42, Missouri 7 9/6/97 52,514 MISSOURI 44, E. Michigan 24 9/27/97 58,882 Ohio State 31, Missouri 10 11/8/97 66,846 Nebraska 45, Missouri 38 (ot) 9/12/98 59,720 MISSOURI 41, Kansas 23 10/17/98 61,586 MISSOURI 20, Oklahoma 6 11/8/98 57,261 MISSOURI 38, Colorado 14 11/21/98 68,174 Kansas State 31, Missouri 25 9/4/99 50,356 MISSOURI 31, UAB 28 9/18/99 60,206 MISSOURI 48, W. Michigan 34
QUARTERBACK COMPARISON
Tiger Tales
Big Crowds Necessitate
New Traffic Patterns
Patrons are reminded that most parking lots in the immediate vicinity of the stadium are reserved for donors to the Tiger Scholarship Fund. General public parking may be found on the east side of Hearnes Center and at the Maryland Ave. Parking Garage. In 1999, Mick Deaver Drive (which runs between Hearnes Center and Memorial Stadium) and South Hearnes Drive (south of the stadium) will be accessible pre-game only to those persons who have permits to park in Tiger Scholarship Fund lots. Post-game, traffic exiting most lots will be required to turn right for the first 30-45 minutes to clear the stadium area as quickly as possible.
New Media Parking Lot
Two media shuttle vans will run continuously from the new lot to the Memorial Stadium press box. Shuttle service will begin three hours prior to kickoff, and will run until four hours after the game's conclusion.
Tigers Score Against Hunger
For more information, call 1-800-764-3663, or 573-474-1020. Since the program began five years ago, more than $750,000 has been raised and more than 11 million meals have been provided to Missourians in need.
New Facilities Dedicated
The Daniel J. Devine Pavilion, Glenn L. McElroy, M.D. Sports Medicine Center and the Shelden Academic Resource Center each had separate ribbon-cuttings on Sept. 11. Construction on the $12 million facilities, which were designed by the Kansas City architectural firm of Ellerbe Becket, began last year and was completed in August. The general contractor was Curtiss Manes Schulte of Eldon, Mo.
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