Tigers Host Red Raiders For 2007 Homecoming Game
Matchup pits two of the nation's best offenses
Pregame Photo GALLERY
Oct. 15, 2007
#22/21 Texas Tech Red Raiders (6-1, 2-1) at #15/17 Missouri Tigers (5-1, 1-1)
Oct. 20, 2007 -- Faurot Field/Memorial Stadium -- Columbia, Mo.
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KICKOFF: 2:30 p.m. CT.
STADIUM: Faurot Field/Memorial Stadium (68,349 -- FieldTurf surface). Opened in 1926. MU is 239-163-20 there alltime, and has won 12 of its last 13 there.
RADIO: Tiger Network (Mike Kelly, play-by-play/John Kadlec, color/Chris Gervino, sidelines). Carried on over 50 stations statewide, and on the Internet at mutigers.com, and on Sirius Satellite Radio (Channel #158).
TV: ABC Sports - Bob Wischusen (Play-by-Play), James Hasty (Analysis), Vince Welch (Sidelines), Joe Vencius (Producer), Bruce Treut (Director).
RANKINGS (AP/COACHES): MU - 15th/17th; TECH - 22nd/21st.
SERIES: MU leads, 4-2 and has won the last two meetings.
COACHES:
Mizzou: Gary Pinkel (Kent, `75), 42-36 at MU (7th year) and 115-73-3 overall (17th year). Pinkel is 2-1 vs. Tech and Mike Leach.
TECH: Mike Leach (BYU, `83), 62-34 at Tech and overall (8th year). Leach is 1-2 vs. Mizzou and Gary Pinkel.
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TIGERS HOST RED RAIDERS FOR 2007 HOMECOMING GAME
The #15/17 Missouri Tigers (5-1 overall, 1-1 in Big 12 action), will play host to the #22/21 Texas Tech Red Raiders (6-1, 2-1) Saturday in what will serve as Mizzou's 2007 Homecoming game. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m., and the game will be televised on ABC Sports.
Mizzou was knocked from the ranks of the unbeaten last Saturday in Norman, Okla., but they didn't go down without a fight, taking the then 6th-ranked Sooners down to the wire in a 41-31 loss. The Tigers held a 24-23 lead in the 4th quarter before the Sooners capitalized on Tiger turnovers to get the hardfought win.
Texas Tech has flown under the radar, so to speak, but sports a salty 6-1 overall record and 2-1 mark in league play, and are one of the most underrated and dangerous teams in the country. The Red Raiders feature the nation's most prolific passing attack, and are led by star QB Graham Harrell. Tech is coming off a 35-7 dismantling of rival Texas A&M last Saturday, with its only loss a last-second heartbreaker at Oklahoma State.
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| Overall from 1911-2006 (54-36-5) |
| Last 10 Homecoming Games (6-4) |
| 1997 |
MU 37, Texas 29 |
| 1998 |
MU 20, Oklahoma 6 |
| 1999 |
Iowa State 24, MU 21 |
| 2000 |
Kansas 38, MU 17 |
| 2001 |
Iowa State 20, MU 13 |
| 2002 |
MU 36, Kansas 12 |
| 2003 |
MU 62, Texas Tech 31 |
| 2004 |
Oklahoma State 20, MU 17 |
| 2005 |
MU 27, Iowa St. 24 (OT) |
| 2006 |
MU 41, Kansas St. 21 |
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THE BIRTHPLACE OF HOMECOMING RENEWS ITS TRADITION SATURDAY IN COLUMBIA
It's Homecoming week at Ol' Mizzou, and the 15th-ranked Missouri Tigers will cap the nation's oldest such celebration by playing host to the Texas Tech Red Raiders Saturday afternoon.
Legend states that the Homecoming tradition got its start at the University of Missouri in 1911, thanks to the vision and efforts of Chester L. Brewer, MU's Director of Athletics at the time. Although Illinois claims to have staged a similar celebration in 1910, Missouri claims to have been the first school to hold a Homecoming football game.
That year, the Missouri-Kansas game was to be played on a college campus for the first time ever. Previously, the game had been played in either Kansas City of St. Joseph, and Mizzou trailed in the series at the time by a 12-5-3 count.
Brewer wanted to add some spice to the season-ending game in Columbia, so he issued a plea to Mizzou alumni, and especially to former Tiger football players to "Come Home" for the game. They did just that, with a record crowd of 9,000 overflowing old Rollins Field.
With four minutes to play in that inaugural Homecoming game, and MU trailing by three points, Tiger captain Glen Schuck booted a tying field goal from a difficult angle. Then little Billy Blees caught a rampaging KU fullback in the open field in the final seconds to preserve a 3-3 tie, and he was carried off the field a hero.
Hence, "Homecoming" was born. MU has a 54-36-5 alltime record in Homecoming games, and has won 4 of its last 5 dating back to 2002, including a 41-21 win over Kansas State a year ago. In all, rival Kansas has been MU's most frequent Homecoming guest, a total of 27 times, with Mizzou holding an 18-7-2 edge in those meetings.
Texas Tech has been MU's Homecoming opponent once previously, and that resulted in a 62-31 Tiger triumph in 2003, as Brad Smith went crazy, running for 291 yards and a school-record 5 TDs.
MU Head Coach Gary Pinkel is 4-2 in his previous 6 Homecoming games.
For more information on Mizzou's 2007 Homecoming celebration (titled "Paws for Tradition"), please visit its online home.
Former Mizzou gridiron great Roger Wehrli is serving as Grand Marshal this year for his alma mater. Wehrli was an All-American defensive back at Mizzou under Coach Dan Devine, and went on to be inducted into both the College Football and Pro Football halls of fame.
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| Category |
MU |
OPP |
| Points |
364 |
144 |
| Scoring Avg. |
36.4 |
14.4 |
| 1st Half Points |
202 |
68 |
| 1st Half Pts. Avg. |
20.2 |
6.8 |
| Rushing TDs |
16 |
7 |
| Passing Yds. |
3,098 |
1,605 |
| Total Offense Yds. |
4,933 |
2,944 |
| 3rd Downs |
91-155 |
43-141 |
| 3rd Down Pct. |
58.7 |
30.5 |
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MIZZOU IS 22-6 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 22-6 at home, good for a winning percentage of 78.6%, including 12-5 during that time in Big 12 competition (70.6%). That breaks down to records of 6-0 in 2003, 3-3 in 2004, 4-2 in 2005, 6-1 in 2006 and 3-0 currently in 2007. Mizzou has won 12 of its last 13 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 10 home games (2006 season plus the 2007 season so far)...
TIGERS SLIP TO #15 IN A.P. POLL, RATE #16 IN INITIAL BCS RANKINGS
Despite playing current 4th-ranked Oklahoma very tough on the road, Mizzou slipped four spots in the latest Associated Press poll, to 15th, after climbing to 11th after a 41-6 dismantling of Nebraska two weeks ago.
The first week of BCS rankings was released Sunday, and the Tigers debuted at #16, and were one of five Big 12 Conference teams included in this week's top-25: #5 Oklahoma, #13 Kansas, #22 Texas and #24 Texas Tech were the others.
A few notes about MU carrying a ranking into a game:
- MU is 90-59-1 overall (60.3%) in its previous 150 games as a ranked team, including 3-2 alltime as the #15-ranked team in the AP poll. Here's a look at those games...
- This will mark the 3rd straight week that Mizzou has played as a ranked team against a ranked opponent. Mizzou has played 53 games in which both teams carried rankings into a game, and the Tigers' record in those instances alltime stands at 17-36 overall (32.1%). Mizzou's 41-6 win over then-#25 Nebraska two weeks ago (when MU was ranked 17th) was the school's first win in a game featuring two ranked teams since 1978, when 19th-ranked MU beat 20th-ranked Iowa State (26-13 in Columbia)...
- This is the first time that Mizzou has played three consecutive ranked opponents (A.P. poll) since 2000, when Larry Smith's team played consecutively at #17 Clemson (losing, 62-9), at home against #20 Michigan State (L, 13-10) and at #1 Nebraska (L, 42-24)...
- Mizzou has played 67 previous times at home as a ranked team, and the Tigers stand 45-22 alltime in those games (67.2%), including 4-1 under Gary Pinkel...
- Mizzou is 7-7 under Head Coach Gary Pinkel when playing as a ranked team, including 2-1 in 2007, 3-2 in 2006, 1-1 in 2004 and 1-3 in 2003.
TIGERS' SPOT IN BCS POLL IS 2ND-HIGHEST FOR PROGRAM
The debut of the BCS standings (www.bcsfootball.org) this week marks the return of the rankings for the 10th season. This week is the 69th week a set of rankings has been compiled, and Mizzou's showing at #16 this week marks the 2nd-highest for the school, and only the 8th time overall that MU has made the BCS rankings.
MIZZOU PLAYING THE NATION'S 11TH-TOUGHEST SCHEDULE
Per current NCAA numbers, the Tigers entire 2007 schedule rates as the nation's 11th-toughest, based on opponents' cumulative record of 39-24 (.619) through games of Oct. 13th.
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| (MU Leads, 4-2) |
| 1995 |
L, 41-14 |
at Lubbock |
| 1998 |
W, 28-26 |
at Lubbock |
| 1999 |
W, 34-7 |
at Columbia |
| 2002 |
L, 52-38 |
at Lubbock |
| 2003 |
W, 62-31 |
at Columbia |
| 2006 |
W, 38-21 |
at Lubbock |
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MIZZOU-TEXAS TECH SERIES HISTORY
Mizzou and Texas Tech have met only 6 times previously, with the Tigers holding a 4-2 series edge entering Saturday's game in Columbia.
The Red Raiders won the first-ever meeting, 41-14, in Lubbock, in 1995, but since the formation of the Big 12, the Tigers have taken 4-of-5 matchups.
Only 1 of the previous 6 meetings has been decided by less than 2 touchdowns, when the Tigers claimed a 28-26 nailbiter in Lubbock in 1998. The average margin of victory in the remaining 5 meetings between the two schools has been more than 3 touchdowns (22.6 avg. winning margin).
The 2002 and 2003 games provided tons of record-setting offense, as Tech QB Kliff Kingsbury set MU opponent records in 2002 for total offense (501 yards), passing yards (510), pass completions and attempts (49-of-70) and TD passes (5), while Tech WR Nehemiah Glover tied the MU opponent record by catching 3 TD passes. That year, Tech also set MU team opponent records in 1st downs gained (38), passing yards (518), pass completions and attempts (50-of-71).
The next year in Columbia, Mizzou returned the favor, as Brad Smith set numerous MU records, including: TDs scored (5), points scored (30), most yards rushing by a QB (291) and most yards per play (9.7 - 43 plays, 419 yards), while PK Mike Matheny tied MU records for most PATs made and tried in a single game (8).
LAST YEAR REWIND: #23 MIZZOU 38, AT TEXAS TECH 21 [2006]
Missouri enjoyed a total team effort, making enough big plays on both sides of the ball, to earn a solid 38-21 win at Texas Tech, spoiling the Red Raiders' Homecoming game.
The No. 23 Tigers' defense, which came into the game ranked No. 10 in the nation, set up most of the scoring on the night. Mizzou forced four turnovers - two interceptions and two fumbles - by Tech quarterback Graham Harrell, which led to 28 points for Missouri. In all, MU collected five turnovers on the night, the most by Mizzou since 2003 against Nebraska.
Xzavie Jackson and William Moore scored on interception returns on consecutive Texas Tech snaps in the second quarter, to help stake the Tigers to a commanding 24-0 lead, before Tech staged a rally to pull to within 24-21 early in the 3rd quarter.
Daniel, who turned 20 that day - completed 15 of 22 passes (171 yds., 1 TD), threw one interception and ran for 37 yards as MU improved to 6-0 for the 1st time since 1973.
Missouri (2-0 Big 12) got up 24-0 before Texas Tech (4-2, 1-1) crossed the 50. The Red Raiders scored two touchdowns before halftime and appeared to have momentum turned around. But Missouri stiffened and allowed only one score in the second half. Daniel and his offensive teammates responded after Tech closed it to 24-21 with a methodical 10-play, 73-yard drive for a TD to end the Tech momentum and push the lead back to 31-21, as Daniel connected with TE Chase Coffman from 6 yards out.
Harrell's second fumble came early in the second half and gave the Tigers good field position at Tech's 44. Daniel threw a 36-yard pass to Will Franklin and Tony Temple ran 8 yards for a touchdown (his 2nd of the night) on the first play of the fourth quarter to give the Tigers their winning margin.
Missouri's defense pressured Harrell early, forcing a fumble at the Red Raiders 12 on the first play of Tech's second possession. DeMarcus Scott recovered the ball and four plays later Temple put Missouri up 10-0 on a 1-yard run.
Missouri's defense got better in the second quarter.
Jackson got the first Missouri defensive score as he intercepted an attempted screen pass over the middle by Harrell and the defensive end lumbered 17 yards into the end zone untouched to give the Tigers a 17-0 lead.
Harrell's very next pass - to Robert Johnson near the sideline - was picked off by Moore, who scampered 22 yards to put Missouri up 24-0.
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| Opponent |
MU 3rd Downs |
Pct. |
| Illinois |
8-of-19 |
42.1% |
| at Ole Miss |
9-of-16 |
56.2% |
| Western Mich. |
11-of-17 |
64.7% |
| Illinois State |
8-of-11 |
72.7% |
| Nebraska |
10-of-15 |
66.7% |
| at Oklahoma |
9-of-16 |
56.3% |
| Totals |
55-of-94 |
58.5% |
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TIGERS LEAD THE NATION IN 3RD-DOWN CONVERSIONS
The latest NCAA stats show that Missouri enters this weekend's games atop the nation's rankings in 3rd-down efficiency, converting a nation-best 58.5% (55-of-94). Mizzou maintained the top spot with a solid 9-of-16 showing (56.3%) last Saturday in the Tigers' 41-31 loss at 6th-ranked Oklahoma - that, despite the fact that OU came into the game ranked 3rd nationally in 3rd-down defense, allowing opponents a conversion rate of just 25.5%.
This week will be quite a test for both defenses, as Texas Tech comes into Saturday's game right behind Mizzou in 3rd down offense, as its conversion rate of 55.4% (46-of-83) ranks 2nd in the NCAA.
Here's a quick look at MU's 3rd down history through 6 games in 2007...
TIGERS 5TH NATIONALLY IN FEWEST PENALTY YARDS
One of Head Coach Gary Pinkel's tried and true lines has to do with Missouri beating Missouri, and how penalties and mistakes do just that. So far in 2007, his Tigers have done a good job of not beating themselves with penalties, as MU ranks 5th in the nation in fewest penalty yards per game, with just 36.8 yards averaged.
Through 6 games, MU has been flagged 34 times for a grand total of 221 yards. They are coming off a game in which they were penalized just 5 times for 25 yards at Oklahoma, after getting flagged 9 times for a season-high 79 yards against Nebraska the previous game.
TIGERS TOP BIG 12 IN RED ZONE OFFENSE
Mizzou's potent offensive attack currently sits atop the Big 12 statistical heap in terms of production in the red zone, as Mizzou has converted on a league-best 92.9% of its trips inside the opponents' 20-yardline (26-of-28). The conversion rate ranks Mizzou 9th nationally heading into Saturday's game with Texas Tech.
Of those 26 conversions, 19 (73.1%) have resulted in TDs (10 rush, 9 pass), with 7 FGs. The two missed opportunities both came against I-AA Illinois State in game #4, as the Tigers threw an INT in the endzone, and also missed on a short FG attempt.
LAST TIME OUT: #6 OKLAHOMA 41, #11 MIZZOU 31
Mizzou went toe-to-toe on the road with the 6th-ranked team in the nation, holding a 24-23 lead early in the 4th quarter, before the homestanding Sooners took advantage of key Tiger mistakes to hold on for a hardfought 41-31 over the 11th-ranked visitors.
The Tigers showed great resiliency all night long in the hostile environment of 85,041 in attendance, and clawed back from a 23-10 deficit in the 3rd quarter, to take a 24-23 lead into the last period.
The lead was regained with help from both sides of the ball, as the offense first scored on a 10-yard end-around by WR Jeremy Maclin (his 2nd rushing TD of the night) with 4:41 left in the 3rd, followed by TB Jimmy Jackson's 4-yard plunge with 1:30 remaining. The latter possession was set up when the Sooners' Juaquin Iglesias fumbled a kickoff return, giving the ball back to the Tigers.
Leading 24-23 in the 4th, Mizzou had a golden opportunity slip out of its hands, literally, when SS Pig Brown couldn't hold onto a potential interception in MU's endzone on an errant ball thrown by OU quarterback Sam Bradford. The drop proved costly, as Bradford regrouped and led the Sooners the remaining 33 yards needed to regain the lead, at 29-24 with 12:26 left.
Mizzou signal caller Chase Daniel, who would end the night 37-of-47 passing for 361 yards with 1 TD and 2 INTs, was ready to lead another drive downfield, but on the ensuing possession, a fumbled exchange with Maclin spelled doom, as OU's Curtis Lofton alertly scooped the ball up at the Tiger 12-yardline and rambled into the endzone for a quick score that pushed the Sooner lead to 35-24 with 11:40 left.
That bit of disaster put the Tigers in a big hole, and forced the Tigers to abandon the run altogether, as Oklahoma sat back in pass defense. After the teams traded punts, Daniel was intercepted on a tipped pass near the sideline, and OU converted by driving only 24 yards for a game-icing TD, on TB Chris Brown's 3rd TD of the game.
Mizzou wouldn't die easily, though, as Daniel led an 80-yard TD drive that culminated in a 5-yard TD pass to TE Martin Rucker to account for the final score.
A year after Oklahoma scored all 26 points in a 26-10 win over Mizzou in Columbia off of Tiger turnovers and drive-extending penalties, the Sooners once again capitalized on MU miscues to win for a second straight year. In all, Mizzou committed four turnovers on the night in Norman - three interceptions and one fumble - that Oklahoma converted into 21 key points.
The Tigers, looking for the schools' first win in Norman since 1966, did their part in forcing a pair of Sooner fumbles that MU converted into 14 points, but the 4th-quarter mistakes proved to be too costly to overcome.
MIZZOU-OKLAHOMA NOTEABLES
- Despite playing without leading rusher Tony Temple (out w/ankle injury), Mizzou outgained Oklahoma on the night by a total offense margin of 418-to-384. The Tigers gained nearly 135 more yards than Oklahoma was allowing coming into the game, and its defense held the Sooners nearly 100 yards below their season average coming in - OU came into the game ranked 11th in both total defense (283.33 ypg) and total offense (482.17 ypg)...
- Mizzou's 31 points scored were the most the Tigers have tallied against Oklahoma since winning a 44-10 game in Columbia in 1969, and the most scored by MU in Norman since 1960, when the Tigers won a 41-19 ballgame. That was also the 2nd-most scored in Norman against OU Coach Bob Stoops...
- WR Jeremy Maclin was an offensive star on the night in defeat, as he gained 189 all-purpose yards, including 104 on kickoff returns (one of which he returned 56 yards, representing the longest KOR for MU since 2002). He also ran 4 times for 32 yards and 2 TDs, while catching 5 passes for 53 yards...
- TE Chase Coffman led all receivers on the night with 10 catches for 102 yards - both career high totals...
- PK Jeff Wolfert was perfect on 4 PATs and 1 FG (19 yards), and he broke the MU record for most consecutive PATs made with his 3rd one of the night. He enters the Texas Tech game having made an MU-record 75-straight PATs (75-of-75 overall) in his career, breaking the old mark of 73 held by former great Jeff Jacke, who made 73 straight from 1988-91. Wolfert is 30-of-30 in 2007 on PATs, after going a perfect 45-of-45 in 2006...
- Midwest City, Okla., native Lorenzo Williams made a big play in the 2nd quarter playing in his home state, as he got to OU QB Sam Bradford for a sack that helped stall a Sooner drive, and give momentum back to Mizzou. The sack was carer number 15.5 for Williams, and that moved him up the MU career chart into 7th place, along with C.J. Mosley (2002-04) and Xzavie Jackson (2003-06)...
- MLB Brock Christopher tied a career high by making 12 tackles, while fellow LB Sean Weatherspoon added 10 stops of his own...
- MU won the time of possession battle (30:27 to OU's 29:33) for the 2nd-straight game, after owning a time advantage of 31:40 to 28:20 against Nebraska. That marked the 1st time since 2005 that MU has held a time of possession edge in consecutive Big 12 games, when the Tigers did so in back-to-back games against Texas (30:30) and at Oklahoma State (32:57)...
- P Adam Crossett did a nice job on the night, averaging 40.5 yards per punt on 4 tries, with 3 of his punts being downed inside the Sooner 20-yardline. He had a long of 51 yards on the night that was his longest of the season. He also handled kickoff duty for the first time this season, making 4 kicks and registering 1 touchback...
TIGER OFFENSIVE ATTACK AMONG NATION'S MOST BALANCED
Spread offensive attacks such as Mizzou's aren't usually thought of as strong in the run game, but the Tigers, through 6 games, have shown they can do more than just throw the ball.
Mizzou enters Saturday's game against Texas Tech ranked 44th in the NCAA in rushing (175.3 ypg), 5th in passing (358.2 ypg), 5th in total offense (533.5 ypg) and 10th in scoring (40.0 ppg).
Mizzou is looking to get its running game back on track, after being held to a season-low 57 rushing yards at Oklahoma last week. The Tigers were playing without leading rusher Tony Temple, who missed the game due to an ankle injury sustained against Nebraska. Temple's status is unknown for Texas Tech.
The NCAA numbers show that MU is one of only 5 schools in the country to average at least 300 yards passing and 175 yards rushing.
DEFENSE MAKING STATISTICAL STRIDES
Mizzou's defense took some lumps from the peanut gallery after its first two games, when it allowed 435 yards to Illinois and 534 yards to Ole Miss to begin the season.
The Tigers have made improvements statistically each of the last 4 outings, keeping each opponent to under 400 yards, including a brilliant outing against Nebraska, when they held the Huskers to a season-low 297 yards (nearly 200 yards below their per-game average coming in).
Despite the scoreboard saying that Oklahoma scored 41 points last time out, the Tiger defense played much better than that, as OU scored 21 points off of turnovers.
The big plays have come down markedly, as MU allowed only 4 plays of 20 yards or more in their last 4 games combined, compared to 14 of 20 or more in the 1st 2 games alone. Nebraska failed to produce a single offensive play of 20 yards or more, with the longest pass going for 18 yards, and the longest rush being 17 yards.
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| Opp. |
Att |
Comp |
Int |
Pct |
Yards |
TD |
Long |
Sack |
Yds |
Effic |
| Illinois |
54 |
37 |
0 |
68.5 |
359 |
3 |
33 |
2 |
26 |
142.7 |
| Ole Miss |
42 |
31 |
0 |
73.8 |
330 |
5 |
40 |
1 |
11 |
179.1 |
| Nebraska |
47 |
33 |
0 |
70.2 |
401 |
2 |
48 |
0 |
0 |
155.9 |
| Oklahoma |
47 |
37 |
2 |
78.7 |
361 |
1 |
34 |
3 |
24 |
141.8 |
| TOTALS |
190 |
138 |
2 |
72.6 |
1,451 |
11 |
48 |
6 |
61 |
153.8 |
| 2006 |
Att |
Comp |
Int |
Pct |
Yards |
TD |
Long |
Sack |
Yds |
Effic |
| Kansas |
38 |
26 |
0 |
68.4 |
356 |
4 |
74 |
1 |
15 |
181.9 |
| Oregon St. |
29 |
16 |
0 |
55.2 |
330 |
2 |
74 |
3 |
23 |
173.5 |
| 6 GAMES |
257 |
180 |
2 |
70.0 |
2,137 |
17 |
74 |
10 |
99 |
160.2 |
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DANIEL LEADING THE WAY FOR MIZZOU'S HIGH-FLYING OFFENSE
There can't be many QBs in the nation playing at a higher level than Tiger signal caller Chase Daniel, who currently ranks 5th in the nation in total offense (376.67 ypg) and 16th nationally in passing efficiency (148.49 rating).
And he hasn't been putting up numbers against the sisters of the poor, exactly. Here's a look at Daniel's numbers against his last 6 BCS opponents...
Daniel had a scintillating night at Ole Miss, where he tied his own MU single-game record by tossing 5 TDs (all coming in a span of just 16:07), as he helped lead the Tigers to an important 38-25 road win. In the 2nd quarter alone at Ole Miss, Daniel was 12-of-17 passing for 177 yards and 4 TDs, good for a stout QB rating of 235.7.
Chase Daniel NAMED BIG 12 OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK VS. NEBRASKA
To no real surprise, QB Chase Daniel was named as the Big 12 Conference Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in leading Mizzou to a 41-6 dismantling of then-#25 Nebraska. It marks the 3rd time in his career that Daniel has won the league's weekly honor as he claimed the award in 2006 for performances against Murray State and Kansas.
Here's a few quick hitters about Daniel's night...
- Daniel had a career night, as he recorded a career-best 473 yards of total offense and 4 total TDs (2 passing/2 rushing). Daniel threw for a career-best 401 yards on 33-of-47 passing, and he tossed a pair of TDs, while running for a game-high 72 yards (11 carries), and running for 2 more scores on the night...
- Daniel's offense total came just 7 yards shy of the MU single-game record of 480 set by former great Brad Smith, who had that total against the same Nebraska team in 2005...
- Daniel helped rack up a whopping 606 yards of total offense on the night against the Huskers, an MU-record against Nebraska, and the 8th-highest single-game output in school history. Mizzou had 411 yards passing on the night, and added 195 yards rushing...
- Daniel's passing total was the 4th-highest in MU single-game history...
- Mizzou's game against Nebraska ended at 11:53 p.m. (central), just 7 minutes before Daniel celebrated his 21st birthday (Oct. 7th). Last year playing on his 20th birthday, Daniel led Mizzou to a 38-21 win at Texas Tech...
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|
| Player, School |
Cl |
Gm |
Catches |
Yds |
TDs |
Rec/Gm |
Yds/Catch |
Yds/Gm |
| Martin Rucker, Missouri |
SR |
6 |
44 |
474 |
3 |
7.33 |
10.77 |
79.00 |
| Travis Beckum, Wisconsin |
JR |
7 |
46 |
555 |
3 |
6.57 |
12.07 |
79.29 |
| Cody Slate, Marshall |
SO |
6 |
37 |
479 |
4 |
6.17 |
12.95 |
79.83 |
| Chase Coffman, Missouri |
JR |
6 |
34 |
341 |
3 |
5.67 |
10.03 |
56.83 |
| Dennis Pitta, BYU |
SO |
6 |
31 |
472 |
3 |
5.17 |
15.23 |
78.67 |
| Darius Hill, Ball St. |
SR |
7 |
35 |
517 |
6 |
5.00 |
14.77 |
73.86 |
| Dustin Keller, Purdue |
SR |
7 |
34 |
488 |
5 |
4.86 |
14.35 |
69.71 |
| Fred Davis, USC |
SR |
6 |
29 |
498 |
4 |
4.83 |
17.17 |
83.00 |
| Jed Collins, Washington State |
SR |
7 |
32 |
279 |
3 |
4.57 |
8.72 |
39.86 |
|
RUCKER LEADS ALL OF NCAA'S TIGHT ENDS IN RECEPTIONS & YARDAGE PER GAME
All-American candidate TE Martin Rucker bypassed the NFL draft after his junior year, in order to come back to help lead his team to great things in 2007, and also to help improve his draft status for next year. Through 6 games, his decision appears to have been an extremely good one, as Rucker has played like a man among children, as he leads all of the nation's tight ends with his per-game average of 7.33 receptions, while his 79.00 yards per game (44 receptions, 474 yards, 3 TDs) ranks 3rd among TEs nationally, less than a yard off the leader. He also ranks 15th nationally - among all position players - with his 7.33 catches per game.
It's hard to imagine a tight end playing more inspired ball right now, as Rucker has been a beast every time he's touched the ball - we're hyperbolizing a little here, probably, but it's hard to remember a time when he was brought down by any less than 3 people on a play when he's touched the ball this season.
The co-captain was a focal point of the offensive attack that rolled up 606 yards against Nebraska, as Rucker caught 9 passes for 109 yards and 1 TD against the Huskers. He followed with a 6-catch, 35-yard outing at Oklahoma where he caught a TD pass in the 4th quarter.
Rucker, who was voted a team co-captain by his teammates this off-season, caught 53 passes for 511 yards and 5 TDs a year ago. He entered his senior season (after bypassing the NFL Draft) already holding the MU career records for TEs in receptions (119) and yardage (1,341).
Rucker is the younger brother of Mike Rucker, who was an All-American defensive lineman at Nebraska and is a standout with the NFL's Carolina Panthers. His father, Martin Sr., also has a very public job, as he is a State Representative in the Missouri House of Representatives, for District 29.
Here's a look at the NCAA's top tight ends statistically speaking...
MACLIN LEADS BIG 12, RANKS 4TH IN NCAA IN ALL-PURPOSE YARDAGE
Redshirt freshman WR Jeremy Maclin was a highly-touted recruit in 2006 who figured to be a big part of the Tiger offense a year ago, before suffering a season-ending knee injury during summer drills prior to last season.
It didn't take long to show that he's fully recovered, and for MU fans to start looking for #9 jerseys in the Tiger Team Store at Memorial Stadium, as Maclin has been next-to-unbelieveable thus far for Mizzou, as he enters Saturday's game against Texas Tech leading the Big 12 Conference, and ranking 4th nationally, in all-purpose yardage, at 209.83 yards per game.
In fact, Maclin is the only player in the nation currently to have 100 yards in each of the 4 all-purpose categories, and after a 189-yard night at Oklahoma last Saturday, he now has over 200 yards in each category: rushing (207 yds.), receiving (359), punt returns (208) and kickoff returns (485).
At Oklahoma, Maclin scored a pair of rushing TDs, scoring from 5 yards out in the 1st quarter, and from 10 yards out in the 3rd quarter. He ended the night with 32 yards rushing (4 carries) and caught 5 passes for 53 yards, while returning 3 kickoffs for 104 yards total. Included in the kickoff number was a 56-yarder in the 1st quarter that was MU's longest kickoff return since 2002.
Maclin was a big part of MU's win against Nebraska, as he had 149 all-purpose yards, including 62 receiving (4 receptions) and 53 rushing (6 carries). Nebraska held him down in the return game, as he was able to make only 1 punt return (8 yds.) and kickoff return each (26).
Previously, J-Mac had a 238-yard outing against Illinois State, in which he scored on a 64-yard punt return for a TD and also on an 8-yard pass on offense. In all, Maclin had a team-best 5 catches for 53 yards (1 TD), 1 rush for 22 yds., 4 punt returns for 84 yds. (1 TD) and 3 kickoff returns for 82 yards (with a long of 38 yds.).
His 4th-quarter punt return for a TD against Illinois State gave him 2 for the season, and that already ties him for the MU season and career records - only 4 others alltime at Mizzou have returned 2 punts for TDs. He was named the Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Week for his big day.
Prior to that, Maclin had a career-high 275-yard all-purpose outing against Western Michigan - the 5th-highest single-game total in MU history. On the day, Maclin had 7 receptions for a career-high 96 yards and 1 TD, he rushed 6 times for 52 yards and 1 TD, had 2 punt returns for 31 yards and returned 5 kickoffs for 96 yards.
While it's very early in the season still, Maclin is on pace for 2,518 all-purpose yards so far (12-game season), which would obliterate the MU single-season record of 1,621 set in 1998 by former MU All-American, Devin West.
Maclin enters Saturday's game against Texas Tech currently tied for 1st in the Big 12 and 13th in the NCAA with his punt return average of 16.00 yards.
Maclin is currently 3rd on the team with 30 receptions, 2nd in scoring (48 points), 2nd in rushing (207 yards) and 3rd in receiving yards (359).
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