Nov. 5, 2007
Texas A&M Aggies (6-4, 3-3) at #7/7 Missouri Tigers (8-1, 4-1)
Nov. 10, 2007 -- Faurot Field/Memorial Stadium -- Columbia, Mo.
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KICKOFF: 11:30 a.m. CT.
STADIUM: Faurot Field/Memorial Stadium (68,349 -- FieldTurf surface). Opened in 1926. MU is 241-163-20 there alltime (5-0 in 2007), and has won 14 of its last 15.
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 #107).
TV: Fox Sports Net. Joel Meyers (Play-by-Play), Dave Lapham (Analysis), Jim Knox & Dan McLaughlin (Sidelines), Bob Steinfeld (Producer).
RANKINGS (BCS/AP/COACHES): MU - 6th/7th/7th; A&M - NA/NA/NA.
SERIES: A&M leads, 7-2, including 3-2 since the Big 12 formed in 1996.
COACHES:
Mizzou: Gary Pinkel (Kent, `75), 45-36 at MU (7th year) and 118-73-3 overall (17th year). Pinkel is 2-1 vs. A&M and 1-1 vs. Dennis Franchione.
A&M: Dennis Franchione (Pittsburg St., `73), 31-27 at A&M (5th year) and 186-100-2 overall (25th year). Franchione is 1-1 vs. MU and Gary Pinkel.
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SURGING TIGERS CLOSE OUT 2007 HOME SCHEDULE WITH TEXAS A&M
The Missouri Tigers (8-1 overall, 4-1 in Big 12 Conferene play), look to continue their push for a potential division championship, but they'll have a tough task ahead of them, as they play host Saturday to the rugged Texas A&M Aggies (6-4, 3-3). Kickoff for the game is set for 11:30 a.m. at MU's Faurot Field. The game will be televised on Fox Sports Net.
Mizzou has surged to its highest-ever BCS ranking (6th) and its highest spot in the Associated Press poll (7th) since 1979 thanks to stellar play on both sides of the ball in league play. MU has won 3 straight since suffering its only loss of the year, at Oklahoma.
A&M is looking to bounce back from consecutive losses (19-11 at home to Kansas, and 42-14 at Oklahoma last week) since its last win, a 36-14 win at Nebraska. The Aggies are led by a punishing rushing attack that ranks 11th nationally (228.30 ypg). Texas A&M is 1-3 on the road in 2007.
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|
| Rank |
Class |
# Wins |
# Bowls |
| 1. |
1963 |
33 |
2 |
| 2. |
1962 |
32 |
3 |
| 3. |
1981 |
31 |
4 |
| 4. |
1969 |
30 |
2 |
|
1942 |
30 |
2 |
| 6. |
1961 |
29 |
2 |
|
1965 |
29 |
2 |
|
1968 |
29 |
2 |
|
1970 |
29 |
2 |
| 10. |
2007 |
28+ |
3 |
|
1941 |
28 |
2 |
|
1964 |
28 |
1 |
|
1982 |
28 |
3 |
|
1983 |
28 |
3 |
|
2006 |
28 |
3 |
| |
20 SENIORS TO TAKE FIELD ONE LAST TIME SATURDAY ON SENIOR DAY
Twenty Tiger seniors will suit up one last time at Faurot Field Saturday when they don the Black and Gold for the 2007 home finale vs. Texas A&M.
This class has been a part of some great moments in Tiger history. They have helped MU to 28 wins over the course of the 2004 season through now. This class (Gary Pinkel's third after taking over at Mizzou prior to the 2001 season) will join the 2006 senior class with the distinction of playing in three bowl games - something that hadn't happened at MU since 1983, prior to last year.
In fact, this class has a chance to help establish itself among the best in school history, in terms of number of wins in a 4-year period. Here's a look...
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| No. |
Season |
| 10 |
1960* |
| 9 |
1969 |
| 9 |
1899 |
| 8 |
eight years, most recently 2007 |
| *-Includes forfeit win from Kansas |
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TIGERS CAN BECOME 4TH MU TEAM IN HISTORY TO WIN 9 GAMES
The 2007 Tigers have already turned a big achievement, as they are only the 11th team in school history to amass 8 regular-season wins. With 3 games left, they have their sights set on bigger things, and a win Saturday against Texas A&M would make them only the 4th team in MU history to win 9 games in a regular season.
Mizzou has now won 8 regular-season games in consecutive years for only the 2nd time in school history 1941 and 1942 was the only other such occasion for the program, now in its 117th season of competition.
Head Coach Gary Pinkel joins MU legends Don Faurot and Dan Devine as the only Mizzou coaches to achieve multiple 8-win regular seasons. Faurot won 8 regular season games 4 times, while Devine did it twice. Pinkel's teams have now done it 3 times (2003, 2006, 2007).
MIZZOU IS 24-6 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 24-6 at home, good for a winning percentage of 80.0%, including 14-5 during that time in Big 12 competition (73.7%). That breaks down to records of 6-0 in 2003, 3-3 in 2004, 4-2 in 2005, 6-1 in 2006 and 5-0 currently in 2007. Mizzou has won 14 of its last 15 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.
BIG CROWD NEEDED FOR SATURDAY TO REACH SEASON AVERAGE OF 60,000
Through the end of last week, MU ticket officials estimated the crowd for Saturday's upcoming game against Texas A&M would be similar in scope to the crowd of over 53,000 that attended the previous home game against Iowa State.
MU officials are hopeful that the big win over Colorado will help boost sales, as will the $30 reserved ticket special in the south end zone stands that is being offered, in addition to the sentimentality of fans wanting to come root one more time for this senior class.
MU has averaged 59,290 for the season in 5 home games, and to reach the 60,000 mark for the season, it would need a crowd of 63,552 on Saturday.
The last time that MU averaged 60,000 for a season was in 1981 (61,787). Since then, this year's current average has only been surpassed in 2004 (59,571).
TIGERS RISE TO #7 IN A.P. POLL, ALSO STAND #6 IN BCS RANKINGS
After its 55-10 victory at Colorado last Saturday, Mizzou moved up 2 spots in the Associated Press Top-25, to 7th. This marks the 8th-consecutive week the Tigers have been ranked, with the current ranking the highest for any Mizzou team since peaking at #5 in the A.P. poll during the 1979 season.
The 4th week of BCS rankings was released Sunday, and the Tigers rose to #6, and were one of 4 Big 12 Conference teams included in this week's top-25: #4 Kansas, #5 Oklahoma, and #14 Texas were the others.
A few notes about MU carrying a ranking into a game:
- MU is 93-59-1 overall (61.1%) in its previous 153 games as a ranked team, including 4-3 alltime as the #7-ranked team in the AP poll.
- Mizzou has played 70 previous times at home as a ranked team, and the Tigers stand 48-22 alltime in those games (68.6%).
- Breaking that down further, Mizzou has played 48 times in its history at home as a ranked team, playing against an unranked opponent. In those instances, MU sports an alltime mark of 38-10 (79.2%), and MU has won 15 straight such occasions, with its last home loss as a ranked team against an unranked foe coming in 1979, when unranked Oklahoma State upset the 15th-ranked Tigers, 14-13, on Oct. 13, 1979.
- Mizzou is 10-7 under Head Coach Gary Pinkel when playing as a ranked team, including 5-1 in 2007, 3-2 in 2006, 1-1 in 2004 and 1-3 in 2003.
- Pinkel is 8-1 at home playing as a ranked team, with the only loss coming in 2006 to #19 Oklahoma (L, 26-10).
TIGERS' SPOT IN BCS POLL IS HIGHEST IN PROGRAM HISTORY
The BCS standings (www.bcsfootball.org) this week reflect the Mizzou Tigers at #6, climbing from #16 after the initial rankings four weeks ago, and up 3 from last week's #9 spot.
This week is the 72nd week a set of rankings has been compiled, and Mizzou's showing at #6 is the highest any Tiger team has stood in the rankings (which began in 1998), and only the 11th time overall that MU has made the BCS rankings.
TIGERS STORM TO 8-1 FOR 1ST TIME SINCE 1969 WITH 55-10 WIN AT COLORADO
Mizzou was a slight favorite heading into its game last Saturday at Colorado. Many prognosticators expected MU to struggle in the mountains of Boulder, Colo., where MU had lost 4 straight, and 10 of its last 11.
However, this 2007 team showed it isn't interested in hearing the tired history lessons from the naysayers, as it proceeded to lay a 55-10 beatdown on the Buffaloes that was historic in nature:
- The win improved MU to 8-1 on a season for the 1st time since 1969 - the last time that Mizzou has won a conference title in football;
- The 45-point margin of victory was the largest for MU in a Big 12 Conference game, and it was the largest conference win of any kind since a 48-0 whitewashing of Kansas in 1986;
- The 45-point road win was MU's largest margin of victory in a road conference game since 1979, when the Tigers won a 55-7 game at Kansas;
- The 55 points scored were the most by MU in a road conference game since 1988 (a 55-17 win at Kansas), and the last time MU scored more on the road in league play was back in 1984, when the Tigers won a 61-21 affair at Kansas State;
- The 55 points were the most scored by a CU opponent in Boulder since 1983, when Missouri claimed a 59-20 win there.
AFTER SLOW START, TIGERS SCORE 48 UNANSWERED TO KEY WIN AT COLORADO
There were a multitude of impressive things associated with MU's beatdown of Colorado last Saturday in Boulder, but perhaps most impressive was the adversity the Tigers overcame to post the blowout win.
Things started badly, as the Tigers suffered an interception on a tipped ball on only its second play of the game's opening drive, and CU all of a sudden had the ball on MU's 11-yardline. A few plays later, CU punched it in for a quick 7-0 lead. After the Tigers struck quickly for a 7-7 tie (keyed by a 72-yard pass from QB Chase Daniel to WR Will Franklin on the very 1st play of MU's ensuing drive), the teams traded field position until late in the 1st quarter, when an MU punt was blocked, and the Buffs had the ball again at the MU 38-yardline.
But the Tiger defense dug in and held the Buffs to only a field goal, and that would be the last that the Buffaloes would be heard from on the night, as they took a 10-7 lead into the 2nd quarter. Mizzou outscored CU 41-0 in the 2nd and 3rd quarters combined (outgaining CU by a combined 367-to-74 in that 30-minute span, including a whopping disparity of 229-to-14 in the 2nd quarter alone), to cruise to the win.
DEFENSE GETS THE BEST OF THE BUFALOES IN STATEMENT GAME
Mizzou's defense entered the Colorado game last Saturday minus its emotional leader, and arguably best player, in SS Pig Brown, who was lost for the season the game before against Iowa State (ruptured Achilles'), and many doubters were expecting the unit to take a step back.
But Brown was allowed to travel with the team to Boulder for leadership, and the co-captain made an impassioned pre-game speech that must have inspired his unit mates, as they went out and dominated Colorado, as they allowed only 196 yards of offense - a season low both for Colorado, and for MU opponents.
The Tigers forced CU to 7 consecutive 3-and-out possessions after the Buffs kicked the field goal to take a 10-7 lead with 2:10 left in the 1st quarter. Colorado's final 12 possessions read like this on the drive chart: fumble, punt, punt, punt, punt, punt, punt, interception, fumble, punt, punt, punt.
Colorado earned only 2 first downs after that field goal, and managed to move the ball 21 yards in its longest drive after that point (a drive which ended in a lost fumble).
Credit Columbia Daily Tribune beat writer Dave Matter with this great factoid: CU punter Matt DiLallo punted 11 times on the game. That was as many as MU punter Adam Crossett had punted combined in MU's 1st 4 conference games coming in.
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| Category |
Big 12 |
NCAA |
Stat |
| Completions/Game |
2nd |
4th |
28.22 |
| Tot. Offense |
2nd |
5th |
354.11 |
| Passing Yds./Game |
2nd |
5th |
328.22 |
| Passing Yards |
2nd |
6th |
2,954 |
| TDs Responsible For |
2nd |
9th |
17.78 |
| Pass Efficiency |
3rd |
15th |
151.36 |
| TD Passes |
3rd |
9th |
23 |
| Completion Pct. |
3rd |
6th |
68.70% |
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DANIEL MAKES CASE FOR TOP QB HONORS, WINS BIG 12 OFFENSIVE POW AWARD
Junior QB Chase Daniel continues to make a claim to top signal caller status in the Big 12 Conference, and for top national honors as well with his stellar play. After leading Mizzou to a 55-10 dismantling of Colorado, Daniel has been named the Big 12 Conference Offensive Player of the Week, as announced Monday morning by the league office.
Daniel, who was announced last week as a semifinalist for the Davey O'Brien Award (given annually to the nation's top QB), won the Big 12 award for his 421-yard, 5-TD performance at Colorado Saturday in which he completed 26-of-44 passes and had a QB rating of 172.42. The yardage marked a career high for Daniel, with the TD passes tying his own school single-game record he'd established twice previously (2006 vs. Murray State and 2007 at Ole Miss).
Daniel has now won the weekly Big 12 award for the 2nd time this season, and the 4th time in his 22 career starts. He won the award earlier this year for his performance in leading Mizzou to a 41-6 win over #25 Nebraska on Oct. 6th, when he passed for a then-career-best 401 yards and had a career-high 473 yards of total offense in all as the Tigers rolled up 606 yards on the night. He also won during the 2006 season for his efforts against Murray State and Kansas.
Daniel enters Saturday's game against Texas A&M among the best in the Big 12 and the NCAA in several categories, and he has the Tigers 8-1 for the 1st time since the Nixon Administration (1969), and sitting 6th in the latest BCS poll (MU's highest-ever showing). He has also led MU to consecutive 8-win regular seasons for just the 2nd time in school history (1941-42).
Here's a quick look where Daniel ranks...
OFFENSE SCORING AT A REMARKABLE PACE, WE WOULD SUGGEST
Mizzou ranks 6th nationally in scoring offense coming into Saturday's game, averaging 42.00 points per game. Perhaps, as you well know, the most remarkable thing about this is the consistency with which the Tigers have scored this year - Mizzou has scored 30 points or more in each of their 9 games so far, and that's something that's never been done before at the school.
The previous longest stretch of consecutive games scoring 30 points or more was 5, and that was done only twice before, in 1997 under Coach Larry Smith, and in 2002 under Coach Gary Pinkel.
The 9 games of scoring 30 or more this season is also the MU single-season record. With 378 points scored so far, the current Tigers need only 21 more to break the school record of 399 points, set in 13 games by the 2003 squad. Again, that was in 13 games. With a bowl game on the horizon, MU's current pace of 42.00 ppg extrapolates to a 13-game total of a massive 546 points! This year's team has also, in just 9 games, already surpassed the team records for points in a 12-game season (369 in 2005) and an 11-game season (368 in 1997).
TIGERS LOOK TO CLINCH UNDEFEATED HOME SEASON SATURDAY
Mizzou enters the Texas A&M game this Saturday looking to stay undefeated at home for the season, as the Tigers enter the ballgame a perfect 5-0 this year at Faurot Field/Memorial Stadium.
The last perfect home season for MU came back in 2003 when Gary Pinkel's squad went a record 6-0 at Faurot Field on the way to an 8-5 season mark.
Only 12 times in the history of Memorial Stadium (which opened in 1926), has MU had perfect records at home.
MIZZOU-TEXAS A&M SERIES HISTORY
Mizzou and Texas A&M will be meeting for the 10th time when they square off Saturday on Senior Day at Faurot Field. The Aggies hold a 7-2 edge in the series, but the Tigers have won 2 of the last 3 games, and A&M's edge since Big 12 play started in 1996 is a slim 3-2.
The Tigers are looking to avenge a bitter loss in 2006 in College Station, Texas, as the Aggies rode a ball control offense to hand the 19th-ranked Tigers their 1st loss of the season.
Prior to that, MU had won 2 straight over the Aggies, including a 33-27 double overtime win in College Station in 2002 that marked MU's 1st-ever win over A&M. The Tigers followed the next year by defeating A&M in Columbia by a 45-22 margin.
Texas A&M has won 3-of-4 meetings in Columbia, claiming wins here in 1957 (28-0), 1992 (26-13) and 1999 (51-14). Of course, one of the darker days in MU football history, took place at the hands of the Aggies, when A&M defeated Mizzou in College Station in 1993 by a 73-0 count.
LAST YEAR REWIND: TEXAS A&M 25, #19 MIZZOU 19 (2006)
Mizzou was dropped from the ranks of the undefeated, thanks in large part to three costly turnovers and an inability to get a methodical Texas A&M offense off the field, as the homestanding Aggies claimed a 25-19 win over the 19th-ranked Tigers.
The Tigers lost three fumbles on the day - all in the first half - and Texas A&M turned those into 10 points as the Aggies forged a 17-17 tie at halftime.
All 10 of those Aggie points off turnovers had an involvement with instant replay, as both plays that led to points were reviewed, and both ultimately went against Mizzou.
The first was potentially the most crucial, and it came just three plays into the game. Tiger QB Chase Daniel threw a perfectly-lofted pass deep downfield to a wide-open WR Will Franklin, who caught the ball in stride and raced toward the goalline for an apparent 65-yard TD. However, Franklin was caught from behind by A&M's Jordan Peterson inside the 5-yardline, and Peterson punched the ball out of Franklin's arms as he crossed the goalline, with the ball rolling out of the back of the endzone. The play was originally ruled a TD for MU, but replay showed that the ball came out before Franklin crossed the goalline, and it was overturned for a touchback.
The Aggies drove 74 yards on 15 plays for a 23-yard field goal to take a 3-0 lead, which represented MU's first deficit of the entire season.
The Tigers responded quickly, however, driving 73 yards in just 7 plays to take a 7-3 lead as TB Tony Temple scored on a 5-yard run.
Texas A&M used a reverse pass that went for 67 yards on its next possession to key a drive that saw them regain the lead at 10-7, but Mizzou again responded with a TD drive of its own, with Daniel and Franklin hooking up for a TD pass that covered 38 yards this time.
The next big replay that hurt MU came midway through the 2nd quarter, as Temple ran into traffic in the middle of the field, and was ruled to have fumbled the ball, which was recovered by A&M on the Tiger 23 yardline. Replay showed that Temple's knee appeared to be down, but the call was not overturned by replay officials, giving the Aggies field position that they cashed in for a subsequent TD to take a 17-14 lead.
MU's Jeff Wolfert tied the game just before half with a 39-yard field goal, and things looked to be going the Tigers' way when A&M QB Stephen McGee had to fall on an errant snap in his own endzone on the opening possession of the 3rd quarter for a safety, giving MU a 19-17 lead.
However, the Tiger offense - despite owning great field position at its own 45-yardline following the ensuing free kick - couldn't seize the momentum, and went three-and-out.
A&M responded with a 13-play, 80-yard drive that was aided by a McGee 12-yard pass to himself that was deflected at the line of scrimmage by MU's Brock Christopher. McGee caught the deflection and raced for 12 yards on a 2nd-and-10 situation to the A&M 43-yardline. Instead of facing a 3rd-and-10, the Aggies were near midfield and on their way to what would ultimately prove to be the winning score. That came 10 plays later, when TB Mike Goodson scored from 2 yards out with 6:38 left in the 3rd quarter, and after McGee rushed for the 2-point conversion, A&M held a 25-19 lead.
The Tigers had plenty of opportunities to regain the lead, but it couldn't score in any of its last four possessions. Its best chance came early in the 4th quarter, as Daniel directed a sharp drive that went from MU's 20-yardline to the A&M 4. Daniel hit his first 7 passes on the drive, before his 3rd-and-goal attempt to TE Chase Coffman in the endzone was batted away. After taking a delay of game penalty back to the 9-yardline, Mizzou went for the jugular, as it tried a fake field goal, but holder Brad Ekwerekwu's rush attempt was stopped after gaining only 3 yards.
That would prove to be MU's best chance to score the rest of the way, as the Tiger defense twice more got the ball back for the offense. But the Mizzou offense couldn't convert a 3rd-and-2 from its own 42-yardline on its first chance, and also came up short on a 4th-and-2 rush by Temple from its own 46 on its last possession. Replays showed that Temple might have gotten a bad spot, as he came up a football length short, but the the play was not reviewed.
A&M held the ball for a commanding 41 minutes and 30 seconds, and converted 9-of-15 third down situations, as the Tiger defense couldn't muster any turnovers, one week after forcing 5 Texas Tech turnovers that turned into 28 MU points.
DEFENSE TURNING HEADS AND 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.
But Defensive Coordinator Matt Eberflus' troops have worked hard to get better, and his young squad has done just that in the past month-and-a-half, as the Tigers have held 7 straight foes to under 400 yards of offense - and are coming off a smothering effort at Colorado, where they held Colorado to just 196 yards and 10 points.
The Buffaloes entered the game averaging 376.78 yards of offense and 25.33 points per game.
The 10 points that CU scored were set up by an interception that gave the Buffs the ball at MU's 11-yardline on the 1st possession of the game, and a field goal that was set up by a blocked punt that gave Colorado the ball at MU's 36-yardline.
Prior to that, Mizzou had a very impressive day against Texas Tech in which it held Tech's high-flying offense very much in check. The Red Raiders came into the game ranked 1st in the nation in passing offense (500.4 ypg) and total offense (582.0) and were 2nd nationally coming in in pass efficiency (177.9 rating) and 3rd in scoring (50.0 ppg). Eberflus was selected as the National Defensive Coordinator of the Week for his team's performance against the Red Raiders by both Rivals.com, and by the Master Coaches' Survey.
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1st 4 |
Big 12 |
Last 5 |
Big 12 |
| Category |
Avg. |
Rank |
Avg. |
Rank |
| Scoring Def. |
25 |
8th |
19 |
1st |
| Rush Def. |
158.8 |
9th |
83.8 |
2nd |
| Total Def. |
434.5 |
11th |
330.8 |
1st |
| Pass Eff. Def. |
123.3 |
10th |
110.3 |
2nd |
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DEFENSIVE NUMBERS IMPRESSIVE DURING CONFERENCE PLAY
Continuing the discussion about Mizzou's defensive improvement, here's a look at at where Mizzou ranked (and what it was allowing per game) in its first 4 games (all non-conference games), versus where it stands in Big 12-play (last 5 games only):
DON'T JUDGE THIS DEFENSE SOLELY BY ITS STAT RANKINGS
A quick look at the NCAA stat rankings shows that MU ranks 98th in pass defense, allowing 259.78 yards per game. That is a little misleading however, as the Tigers have played from ahead for the vast majority of time this season, forcing opponents to throw the ball early and often, and giving up mostly meaningless yards in between the 20s.
Perhaps a more impressive category to peruse would be pass efficiency defense, where the Tigers rank 36th nationally, with a rating of 115.73. The Tigers intercepted Texas Tech QB Graham Harrell 4 times on Oct. 20, when he had only 3 INTs all year coming into the game, and just held Colorado's Cody Hawkins to 112 yards passing and no TDs for the 1st time in his career.
In Big 12 Conference games, MU ranks 2nd in pass efficiency defense, with an opposing QB rating of 110.3. The Tigers have allowed only 4 TD passes in 5 league games, which is fewest in the conference.
For the season, even though MU ranks 98th in pass yardage allowed, the Tigers have allowed only 10 TD passes by opponents, which is tied with Oklahoma for fewest in the Big 12, and only 18 teams nationally have allowed fewer than 18 TD passes by foes.
TIGERS LEAD THE NATION IN 3RD-DOWN & 4TH-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 57.1% (76-of-133). Mizzou maintained the top spot in the rankings after a 10-of-17 performance last Saturday at Colorado.
Earlier, MU had a solid 9-of-16 showing (56.3%) on the road 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%.
TIGERS ALSO LEAD NATION IN FEWEST YARDS PENALIZED
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 leads the nation in fewest penalty yards per game, with just 32.89 yards averaged. Mizzou's opponent this Saturday, Texas A&M, sits very highly in that category as well, ranking 17th currently, with a per-game average of 44.50 yards.
Through 9 games, MU has been flagged 42 times for a grand total of 296 yards. They are coming off a game in which they were penalized just 4 times for 35 yards at Colorado, a game after they were flagged just 1 time for 7 yards against Iowa State - a tough pass interference call which went against MLB Brock Christopher that extended an ISU drive on 3rd-and-long.
Prior to that, MU was flagged just 3 times for 33 yards against Texas Tech. Previously, the Tigers were cited 5 times for 25 yards at Oklahoma, after getting flagged 9 times for a season-high 79 yards against Nebraska the week before.
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