Nov. 19, 2007
#3/4/4 Missouri Tigers (10-1, 6-1) vs. #2/2/2 Kansas Jayhawks (11-0, 7-0)
Nov. 24, 2007 -- Arrowhead Stadium -- Kansas City, Mo.
 |
KICKOFF: 7:00 p.m. CT.
STADIUM: Arrowhead Stadium (79,451 - Natural Grass surface). MU is 1-0 alltime at Arrowhead, defeating Arkansas State, 44-17, on Sept. 3, 2005.
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 #122).
TV: ABC Sports (HD). Brent Musberger (play-by-play), Kirk Herbstreit (analysis), Lisa Salters (sidelines), Bill Bonnell (producer), Derek Mobley (director).
RANKINGS (BCS/AP/COACHES): MU - 3rd/4th/4th;
KU - 2nd/2nd/2nd.
SERIES: Tied, 53-53-9 - the nation's 2nd most played rivalry in the FBS.
COACHES:
Mizzou: Gary Pinkel (Kent, `75), 47-36 at MU (7th year) and 120-73-3 overall (17th year). Pinkel is 3-3 vs. KU and 2-3 vs. Mark Mangino.
KU: Mark Mangino (Youngstown State, `87), 36-35 at KU and overall (6th year). Mangino is 3-2 vs. MU and Gary Pinkel.
|
|
|
CLASH OF THE TITANS: TOP-3 TEAMS SQUARE OFF FOR BIG 12 NORTH TITLE
The game that has been circled on calendars in both the states of Missouri and Kansas has finally arrived, and what a showdown it will be, as the 3rd-ranked Missouri Tigers (10-1 overall, 6-1 in Big 12 play) will face the 2nd-ranked Kansas Jayhawks (11-0, 7-0) Saturday night at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo.
It's a winner-take-all proposition in this neutral-site clash of the titans, with the winner claiming the Big 12 North Division title, and a spot in the Big 12 Championship game, set for Dec. 1st in San Antonio, Texas. And with both teams currently in the top-4 of the BCS standings, the winner can keep its hopes alive for a chance to play for the BCS title.
Mizzou is coming off a 49-32 win at Kansas State to earn a 10th regular season win for the 1st time in school history (on-field), while Kansas was equally impressive in closing out its home slate with a 45-7 dismantling of Iowa State last Saturday.
|
|
| Rivalry |
# Meetings |
Series Leader |
Next Meeting |
| Mizzou-Kansas |
115 |
Tied |
Nov. 24th |
| Baylor-TCU |
105 |
Tied |
TBD |
| Army-Navy |
107 |
Navy by 2 |
Dec. 1st |
| Auburn-Georgia |
111 |
Auburn by 3 |
TBD |
| North Carolina-Virginia |
112 |
North Carolina by 6 |
TBD |
| Minnesota-Wisconsin |
117 |
Minnesota by 9 |
TBD |
|
TIGERS, JAYHAWKS RESUME NATION'S 2ND-MOST PLAYED RIVALRY
With roots dating back all the way to the Civil War period in American history, Missourians and Kansas have always had a fierce rivalry in everything from washers to football.
Not only is it a spirited one, but it has several other things going for it that makes it one of the best (and most underrated) in the country...
- The MU-KU series is the 2nd-most played in the nation, with its 115 previous meetings. Only Minnesota and Wisconsin (117 meetings including their 2007 contest won by the Badgers) have played each other more than MU and KU...
- It is one of the most even rivalries around. Amazingly, the series is dead even, at 53-53-9 in the previous 115 meetings. The series tie makes it tied for the most closely-contested of the nation's top-23 most-played rivalries - those with 100 or more games played alltime (tied with Baylor-TCU; see chart at right)...
- And like all great fierce rivalries, it's complete with controversy. Many stories abound about the bad blood between the two programs throughout the years. While the two schools maintain diplomatic relationships, they don't even agree on the series results, as MU claims a series deadlock at 53-53-9, while KU claims that it leads by 2 games (54-52-9). The dispute goes back to the 1960 season, when unranked KU came to Columbia and upset undefeated and #1-ranked Mizzou, 23-7. The win was later forfeited by KU after the NCAA ruled that ineligible players took the field for the Jayhawks. Kansas counts the result on the field in their record books, while MU sides with the NCAA and counts the forfeit in its win column.
The loss remains as likely the most bitter in Tiger history, as it cost MU a chance at its only national championship, as the Tigers went on to finish 10-1 on the field (11-0 in the record books with the forfeit), and ranked 5th after defeating Navy in the 1961 Orange Bowl.
SATURDAY IS WORTH MORE THAN A WIN ON THE GRIDIRON
Saturday's winner will not only take home the traditional bass drum trophy given to the winner of the rivalry game, but the school will earn 3 points in the MU-KU Border Showdown Series.
This marks the 6th year of the Border Showdown, which records the head-to-head results between MU and KU in all sports each season. Each competition is assigned a certain amount of points during the year, and the school that wins the most at the end wins a traveling trophy and bragging rights.
Entering Saturday's football game, Mizzou holds a 5.0-to-4.5 lead thus far in the 2007-08 series, as the Tigers earned 1.5 points each for wins in volleyball and women's swimming and 1.0 points each in men's cross country and women's cross country, while KU got 3 points for soccer, and another 1.5 points for an early-season volleyball win.
Keeping in line with the closeness of the MU-KU football series, the season series in the Border Showdown is 3-2 in favor of MU coming into this year, as Mizzou won in 2002-03 (32.0-to-8.5), in 2004-05 (22.5-to-17.5) and again in 2006-07 (25.0-to-14.0), with KU claiming wins in 2003-04 (21.5-to-18.5) and in 2005-06 (22.0-to-17.0).
MIZZOU-KANSAS SERIES HISTORY
As previously stated, MU and KU have the 2nd-most played rivalry in college football history, and this Saturday will mark the 116th meeting between the two heated rivals, with the series evenly deadlocked at 53-53-9.
Mizzou broke a 3-game losing streak to KU last season with a 42-17 triumph in Columbia in what was the regular-season finale for the Tigers.
The series returns to Kansas City, Mo., for the next two years, as both schools agreed to move home games in 2007 and 2008 to Arrowhead Stadium, home of the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs.
Kansas City was the historical site of the MU-KU rivalry, as the city was the host of the 1st 16 games in the series, from 1891-1906, and for 21 games overall. KU holds a 12-6-3 edge overall in games played in the series in Kansas City, and Saturday marks the first games played there since MU won in consecutive years in 1944 (28-0) and 1945 (33-12).
MU Head Coach Gary Pinkel won his first 2 games against Kansas, making him only the 3rd coach in Tiger history to win his first 2 games over the Jayhawks. After last year's win, he stands 3-3 overall against KU.
MU-KU BASS DRUM UP FOR GRABS SATURDAY
Most every school has goofy trophies that they play rivals for each year, and Mizzou is no exception. MU and KU play annually for a bass drum. Here are details of the significance behind the drum...
MU-KU BASS DRUM -- Issued to the winner of the Missouri-Kansas football game ... Originated in 1935 ... Trophy was originally conceived as an Indian War Drum in nature by a couple of Mizzou alumni, since Osage Indians roamed the plains of Kansas and Missouri long before the state universities were founded ... Original intent was to stimulate new interest in longtime series that had dwindled during the Depression of the '30s and MU's all-time low in football victories ... Supposedly authentic Indian drum was purchased in a Kansas City pawn shop, and new drum was acquired prior to 1986 game ... Autographed originally on both drum heads by KU and MU alumni ... Tradition was temporarily forgotten for a few years but resumed on an annual basis in 1947 ... The first game ended in a scoreless tie.
LAST YEAR REWIND: MIZZOU 42, KANSAS 17 (2006)
Chase Daniel threw for a career-best 356 yards and four touchdowns to lead Missouri to a 42-17 win over Kansas in the regular-season finale to give MU 8 wins, and to knock its bitter rival from a bowl game of its own.
Chase Coffman caught two scoring passes for Missouri (8-4, 4-4 Big 12), which ended a three-game losing streak on the season, and also to the Jayhawks. The Tigers tied for second in the Big 12 North with Kansas State.
Jon Cornish had 126 yards on 15 carries for Kansas (6-6, 3-5), which had won three in a row. Cornish scored on a 42-yard run in the first quarter en route to his eighth 100-yard game of the season and a school-record 1,457 yards, passing Tony Sands (1,442) and June Henley (1,349).
Missouri twice led by 13 in the first half, but the lead was shaved to three in the third quarter soon after offsetting personal fouls away from the play nullified a 75-yard touchdown pass from Daniel to Brad Ekwerekwu. Officials first announced that the score would count but changed their minds after huddling for several minutes.
Missouri's Jared Perry and Kansas' Jerome Kemp exchanged clips while Ekwerekwu was sprinting to the end zone. The Tigers ended up punting after a third-down incompletion, and Kansas needed only three plays to narrow the gap to 20-17 when Aqib Talib scored on a 42-yard swing pass from Kerry Meier.
A fourth-down offsides call when the Tigers were preparing to punt kept alive the ensuing 11-play drive capped by Temple's 20-yard scoring run that gave Missouri a 10-point lead. Jeff Wolfert added his third field goal of the game, and Coffman and Greg Bracey added touchdown receptions in the fourth quarter as the Tigers pulled away.
Daniel, who was 26-for-38, topped his previous best of 320 yards in the opener against Murray State in his first season as starter. His 74-yarder in the first quarter to Perry, was the school's longest pass play since 1989.
|
|
| No. |
Season |
| 10 |
2007 |
| 10 |
1960* |
| 9 |
1969 |
| 9 |
1899 |
| 8 |
Seven times |
*-Includes forfeit win
from Kansas |
|
TIGERS CAN BECOME 1ST MU TEAM IN HISTORY TO WIN 11 GAMES
Mizzou will take to the field Saturday in Kansas City, Mo., with a chance at making history. With a 10-1 record entering the game, the Tigers will look to become the 1st team in school history to win 11 games in a season on the field.
The only other time MU has won 10 games was back in 1960, when the Tigers had a 10-1 record on the field, but a perfect 11-0 mark in the record books, after a regular-season finale loss to rival Kansas was later forfeited by KU for using an ineligible player.
That 1960 team won 9 regular season games, then won its bowl game (1961 Orange) for 10 on-field wins, and 11 wins in the record books.
The 2007 squad has already become the first Tiger team to ever win 10 regular-season games on the field with its 49-32 win last Saturday in Manhattan. And with a minimum of 2 games remaining in the season (including a bowl outing), the overall record of 11 wins by the 1960 team is still in play.
Mizzou has now won at least 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).
TIGERS LOOKING FOR 1ST 7-WIN CONFERENCE SEASON SINCE 1960
At 6-1 currently in the Big 12 Conference, the Missouri Tigers are looking for a win Saturday that would give them 7 league wins for the first time since 1960.
The school record for most wins in a conference season is 7, from the 1960 team that went 7-0 in league play in the record books - with the loss to Kansas later forfeited. That team went 6-1 on the field in league play, so if the Tigers were to defeat Kansas this Saturday, that would give them an MU-record 7 on-field league wins.
The current bunch is already only the 4th team in school history to win as many as 6 league games.
|
|
| Yrs. |
Record |
Pct. |
| 1940-49 |
60-37-4 |
0.614 |
| 1950-59 |
43-53-5 |
0.45 |
| 1960-69 |
77-22-6 |
0.762 |
| 1970-79 |
58-56 |
0.509 |
| 1980-89 |
45-64-4 |
0.416 |
| 1990-99 |
43-67-3 |
0.394 |
| 2000-07 |
50-44 |
0.532 |
|
MIZZOU IN THE MIDST OF ITS WINNINGEST DECADE SINCE THE 1960S
A fun fact to ponder is that in the decade of the 2000s, Mizzou has upped its record to 50-44 (.532), and that is the school's best winning percentage in a decade since the 1960s, when MU enjoyed its most successful era ever.
From 1960-69, the Tigers went 77-22-6 (.762), and were the only school in the nation to never lose more than 3 games in any season during that decade. Under Hall of Fame Coach Dan Devine, the Tigers finished the season ranked in 8 of those 10 years, including 4 in the top-10 (5th in 1960; 6th in 1965; 9th in 1968; 6th in 1969).
Additionally, the 50 wins MU currently has posted this decade (8 seasons), has already surpassed the 10-year win totals for the school in both the 1980s (45) and 1990s (43).
Here's a look at the decade-by-decade marks...
TIGERS RISE TO #3 IN A.P. POLL, ALSO STAND #4 IN BCS RANKINGS
After its 49-32 victory at Kansas State last Saturday, Mizzou moved up 3 spots in the Associated Press Top-25, to 3rd. This marks the 10th-consecutive week the Tigers have been ranked, with the current ranking the highest for any Mizzou team since 1960, when the Tigers reached #1 for one week (for the only time in school history). The opponent for that game? It just so happens it was the same Kansas Jayhawks that Mizzou faces this Saturday.
The 6th week of BCS rankings was released Sunday, and the Tigers rose to a school-best #4, and were one of 4 Big 12 Conference teams included in this week's top-25: #2 Kansas, #10 Oklahoma, and #13 Texas were the others.
A few notes about MU carrying a ranking into a game:
-
|
|
| DATE |
MU |
KU |
RESULT |
SITE |
| 11/23/1968 |
13 |
7 |
KU 21, MU 19 |
Columbia |
| 11/24/1973 |
19 |
20 |
KU 14, MU 13 |
Lawrence |
|
MU is 95-59-1 overall (61.6%) in its previous 155 games as a ranked team, but it has never taken the field as the #3-ranked team in the Associated Press.
- This will mark just the 3rd time that MU and KU have met with both teams carrying AP rankings into the game.
- Mizzou is 4-15 alltime when playing against the #2-ranked team in the Associated Press poll. The last time MU faced a #2 team was in 2005, when Texas won in Columbia, 51-20. Oddly enough, 3 of MU's 4 wins alltime vs. #2 have been on the road.
- Mizzou is 12-7 under Head Coach Gary Pinkel when playing as a ranked team, including 7-1 in 2007, 3-2 in 2006, 1-1 in 2004 and 1-3 in 2003.
TIGERS ROLL TO 10-1 WITH 49-32 WIN AT KANSAS STATE LAST SATURDAY
Mizzou continued to shatter barriers on its historic season, as it turned a tight ballgame at halftime into a comfortable 49-32 victory at Kansas State, representing MU's first win in Manhattan since 1989. The win broke an 8-game losing streak in Manhattan for the Tigers, and gave the program 10 regular-season on-field wins for the first-time ever.
Playing the guest to K-State's senior day, and with the Wildcats fighting for bowl eligibility, the Tigers scored first and jumped to a 14-3 lead in the 1st quarter, and eventually held a 21-18 lead at halftime after withstanding a KSU surge that gave them a brief lead.
Junior FS William Moore got things started on the game's opening series, as he intercepted KSU's Josh Freeman on the 3rd play of the game, setting up the Tigers at the KSU 15 yardline. Two plays later, QB Chase Daniel connected with WR Jeremy Maclin from 8 yards out to make it 7-0 just like that.
After a K-State field goal, Maclin turned in possibly the play of the game, as he fielded the ensuing kickoff at the MU 1-yardline, went up the middle, spun out of traffic to reach the corner, and raced down the sideline for a 99-yard touchdown to give MU a 14-3 lead. The return was more than significant, it was super-mega significant because it represented MU's first kickoff return for a TD since 1982 (Ricky Doby 85 yards at Oklahoma State). Mizzou had gone 287 games and 976 kickoff returns between TDs!!
K-State answered to take a brief 15-14 lead by scoring 12 points in a one-minute span, when James Johnson ran for a 66-yard TD with :16 seconds left in the 1st quarter, followed by a Wildcat blocked punt return for a TD at the 14:16 mark of the 2nd. MU managed to block both extra point attempts, and quickly regained the lead with its following offensive possession, driving 81 yards for a Daniel-to-Martin Rucker TD pass of 8 yards.
With the Wildcats sensing a chance at the upset, Daniel and company would have nothing of it, as the Tigers drove 77 yards and 93 yards to begin the 3rd quarter for consecutive TDs that made it 35-18 at the 9:20 mark. Tony Temple scored the first TD on a 2-yard run and Daniel found Maclin wide open for a 44-yard TD (on a 3rd-and-17) for the latter score.
The Wildcats closed to within 10 points with 2:23 left in the 3rd on a Freeman TD pass, but the Tiger offense again applied the kill shot by scoring consecutive TDs, on a Daniel-to-Rucker TD pass and a Temple run, to put MU up, 49-25. K-State scored a garbage TD in the closing minutes to account for the final margin.
MACLIN NAMED WALTER CAMP NATIONAL OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK AFTER BREAKING NCAA FRESHMAN ALL-PURPOSE YARDAGE MARK AT KANSAS STATE
Freshman wide receiver/return man extraordinaire Jeremy Maclin was named the Walter Camp Football Foundation National Offensive Player of the Week, for his record-breaking efforts in MUs 49-32 win in Manhattan, Kan., over Kansas State.
Maclin, who is proving himself to be the most dynamic and versatile freshman in the nation, amassed an MU single-game record of 360 all-purpose yards, breaking the NCAA freshman single-season all-purpose yardage record in the process. The old record was 2,026 by Terrell Willis of Rutgers in 1993, and after Saturday, Maclin now has 2,309 in 11 games.
Maclin broke the NCAA record on an historic play, as he took a kickoff return 99 yards for a touchdown in the 1st quarter, for Mizzous first kickoff return for a score since 1982. Mizzou had gone 287 games and 976 kickoff returns between its last touchdown, both of which were nation-long streaks.
Maclin, who leads the Big 12 Conference and ranks 2nd in the NCAA in all-purpose yards (209.9 ypg), is the only player in the nation to have touchdowns via receiving (9 TDs), rushing (4), punt return (2) and kickoff return (1). He also became only the third Tiger in history to have a kickoff return and punt return for a touchdown in a season joining former greats Roger Wehrli (1968) and John Moseley (1973).
After his big day at Kansas State, which also included a career-best nine receptions for 143 yards and two touchdowns, Maclin now leads MU with 885 receiving yards on the season. He ranks 2nd in the Big 12 (18th nationally) in punt returns (12.19 avg.), 6th in the league in receiving yards (80.45 ypg), 6th in scoring (8.73 ppg) and 8th in kickoff returns (24.47 avg.).
|
|
| Player, Pos. |
School |
TDs |
Record |
| 1. Michael Crabtree, WR |
Texas Tech |
21 |
8-4 |
| 2. Jeremy Maclin, WR |
Mizzou |
16 |
10-1 |
| 3. DeMarco Murray, RB |
Oklahoma |
15 |
9-2 |
| 4. Knowshon Moreno, RB |
Georgia |
12 |
9-2 |
| Ryan Matthews, RB |
Fresno State |
12 |
6-4 |
| Harvey Unga, RB |
BYU |
12 |
8-2 |
| LeSean McCoy, RB |
Pittsburgh |
12 |
4-6 |
|
MORE ON THE J-MAC ATTACK
One could make a pretty good argument that Maclin has been the biggest impact freshman in the country this season, at least in terms of being key to his team's success.
He's made big play after big play in key situations for the Tigers, and has no doubt been a big reason why MU is 10-1 for the 1st time since 1960 and in its highest-ever BCS position currently, at 4th. Maclin has scored a TD in 6 straight games, has at least 1 score in 9-of-11 outings, and has 6 multiple-TD games thus far.
In addition to already having broken the NCAA freshman single-season all-purpose yardage record, the Kirkwood, Mo., native is also on pace to break the NCAA freshman per-game all-purpose yardage mark of 184.8, established in 1991 by Marshall Faulk of San Diego State.
With his 267-yard day against Texas A&M, Maclin broke the Big 12 Conference freshman season record of 1,937 set by Adrian Peterson of Oklahoma in 2004.
MACLIN 2ND NATIONALLY IN TOUCHDOWNS AMONG FRESHMEN
Just one more note to illustrate the impact that Jeremy Maclin is making - he ranks 2nd nationally in TDs scored this year among freshmen. Here's a look...
|
|
| Opponent |
Big 12 |
NCAA |
Stat |
| TD Passes |
2nd |
3rd |
30 |
| Completions/Game |
2nd |
4th |
28.09 |
| Tot. Offense |
2nd |
4th |
349.27 |
| Passing Yds./Game |
2nd |
5th |
326.36 |
| Passing Yards |
2nd |
5th |
3,590 |
| Pts. Responsible For |
2nd |
7th |
18.36 |
| Completion Pct. |
3rd |
5th |
69.3% |
| Pass Efficiency |
4th |
9th |
155.06 |
|
DANIEL MAKING A RUN FOR HEISMAN CONSIDERATION
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. Among those national honors that his name keeps popping up for around the country is the mother of them all - the Heisman Trophy.
Daniel received a letter from the Heisman Trust two weeks ago, indicating that he is being followed by many of the voters, and thus, is in a position to potentially garner an invite to the Heisman ceremony in New York City the weekend of Dec. 8. Finalists will be announced Dec. 5.
The Tiger signal caller, who has already been named a semifinalist for the O'Brien and Maxwell Awards, justified that Heisman correspondance on Saturday, when he burned K-State for 4 TD passes and 284 passing yards in leading MU to its 1st win in Manhattan since 1989.
Daniel recently turned in a QB rating of 189.91 in leading MU to a 40-26 win over Texas A&M. He completed 27-of-35 passes (77.1%), for 352 yards and 3 TDs with zero INTs.
Daniel has been stellar during crunch time, as his QB rating in the 4th quarter of Big 12 games in 2007 is 194.56 - he's 37-of-42 passing for 399 yards, with 4 TDs and 1 INT.
Daniel became the 1st repeat winner of the Big 12 Conference Offensive Player of the Week this season, when he won the Big 12 award for his 421-yard, 5-TD performance at Colorado 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 led MU to a 55-10 win in Boulder.
Daniel has now won the weekly Big 12 award twice this season, and 4 times overall. 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 Kansas ranked among the best in the Big 12 and the NCAA in several categories, and he has the Tigers 10-1 for the 1st time in 47 years (1960), and sitting 4th 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...
|
|
| Player, School |
Cl |
Gm |
Catches |
Yds |
TDs |
Rec/Gm |
Yds/Catch |
Yds/Gm |
| Martin Rucker, Missouri |
SR |
11 |
70 |
699 |
7 |
6.36 |
9.99 |
63.55 |
| Travis Beckum, Wisconsin |
JR |
12 |
73 |
960 |
6 |
6.08 |
13.15 |
80.00 |
| Cody Slate, Marshall |
SO |
11 |
60 |
746 |
5 |
5.45 |
12.43 |
67.82 |
| Dustin Keller, Purdue |
SR |
12 |
61 |
731 |
6 |
5.08 |
11.98 |
60.92 |
| Jed Collins, Washington State |
SR |
11 |
52 |
512 |
3 |
4.73 |
9.85 |
46.55 |
| Darius Hill, Ball St. |
SR |
11 |
52 |
788 |
8 |
4.73 |
15.15 |
71.64 |
| Dennis Pitta, BYU |
SO |
10 |
47 |
693 |
4 |
4.70 |
14.74 |
69.30 |
| Chase Coffman, Missouri |
JR |
11 |
49 |
509 |
7 |
4.45 |
10.39 |
46.27 |
| Fred Davis, USC |
SR |
10 |
44 |
634 |
5 |
4.40 |
14.41 |
63.40 |
| Gary Barnidge, Louisville |
SR |
11 |
48 |
590 |
7 |
4.36 |
12.29 |
53.64 |
|
RUCKER LEADS ALL OF NCAA'S TIGHT ENDS IN RECEPTIONS 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 11 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 averages of 6.36 receptions and his yardage average of 63.55 yards (70 receptions, 699 yards, 7 TDs in all) is 5th-best nationally among tight ends. He also ranks 24th nationally - among all position players - with his 6.36 catches per game.
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.
And when teams choose to focus on limiting his touches, as Kansas State did last Saturday, that attention opens things up for others, like a Jeremy Maclin, who had 9 catches for 143 yards and 2 TDs. Rucker was held to 4 catches for 28 yards in Manhattan, but still played a key role in MU's big win, as he caught a pair of TD passes for his 1st multiple-score game since his freshman season at Baylor.
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 is had a 6-catch night at Colorado that saw him break the MU single-season record for most receptions by a tight end (old mark was 54 by Chase Coffman in 2006), and he had a 6-catch, 54-yard day against Texas A&M.
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).
With updated career numbers of 189 receptions for 2,040 yards and 17 TDs, Rucker is now just the 3rd Tiger ever (1st tight end) to reach 2,000 yards. He also stands just 12 catches shy of breaking the MU career receptions record of 200 held by former standout WR Justin Gage (200 from 1999-2002).
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.
SPIEKER, RUCKER SET TO TIE CONSECUTIVE STARTS RECORD SATURDAY
There's something to be said for longevity, and that trait will be on display Saturday night, as senior center Adam Spieker and senior tight end Martin Rucker are set to tie a school record for most consecutive starts, when they take the field for their 48th straight start.
Each has started every game of his Tiger career, and will tie the MU record of 48 straight starts by former QB Brad Smith.
|
|
| No. |
Player, School |
| 7 |
Elbert Mack, Troy |
| 7 |
Tavious Polo, Florida Atlantic |
| 7 |
Shane Carter, Wisconsin |
| 6 |
William Moore, Mizzou |
| 6 |
11 Others |
|
WILLY MO LEADS BIG 12 IN INTERCEPTIONS, TAKING OVER FOR INJURED PIG
When Mizzou lost its biggest playmaker, SS Pig Brown, to a season-ending injury in game #8 against Iowa State (ruptured Achilles'), with the loss went a player who was among the best in the Big 12 Conference at his position, and someone who was on his way to all-Big 12, and possibly even some all-America recognition.
Brown's running mate in the secondary, FS William Moore (a.k.a. Willy Mo), had been having a good year up to that point, but since Brown has been out, Moore has turned his game up to 11 on the Spinal Tap volume knob, and he's playing his way into potential all-conference honors, as well.
Moore has notched an INT in each of the 3 games without Brown, raising his season total to 6, which is most in the Big 12, and 4th nationally. The total is tied for 2nd-most on the MU single-season list, just 1 behind the record of 7 set in 1968 by former all-American, and 2007 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, Roger Wehrli.
Each of those INTs has led to points for the Tigers, with MU getting a FG at Colorado, followed by a TD against Texas A&M and again last week vs. Kansas State. Moore's play at KSU set the tone right away, as he jumped a pass in the flat by KSU's Josh Freeman on just the 3rd play of the game, and returned it 22 yards to the K-State 15 yardline to set up the Tigers to take a quick 7-0 lead.
Against the Wildcats, Moore had 8 tackles in all, including 1 QB sack, and he also had a huge stop of Freeman at the Tiger 1-yardline which forced a 4th down and a KSU field goal attempt. The week before, against Texas A&M, Moore had 6 tackles, including 1 TFL, and added 1 PBU to go with his INT.
Prior to that, he had his best outing of the year at Colorado, in what was the defense's 1st game without Brown. At CU, Moore had 11 tackles, including a huge stop on a 3rd-and-short try early in the game that forced a Buffalo punt and swung momentum MU's way, in addition to forcing a fumble, grabbing an interception and notching 1 QBH.
Here's a look at the NCAA INT leaders thru Nov. 17th:
|
|
 |
