Tag Archives: University of Missouri

What We Learned Week 1 Saturday Edition

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  • West Virginia became the fifth team in 15 years to score 65 or more points in consecutive games.  They put up 70 on Clemson in last year’s Orange Bowl and beat Marshall 69-34 Saturday.
  • Missouri’s Marcus Murphy had quite a day in the Tigers’ rout of Southeastern Louisiana.  Murphy became the first Tiger ever with two punt returns for score in the same game when he took punts back for 70 and 72 yards. He finished the game with 180 yards on five punt returns, breaking the school record of 156 previously held by NFL Hall of Famer Roger Wehrli set Oct. 21, 1967.
  • Missouri scored two defensive touchdowns in the first quarter.  The last time Tigers had two defensive scores in a game was 2006 at Texas Tech.
  • Notre Dame scored 50 points against Navy on Saturday. it’s the most points the Fighting Irish have scored in a season-opener since scoring 52 against Purdue in 1983.  It’s the fourth-most since 1920/
  • Tavarres King recorded his sixth career reception of 50+ yards to score for Georgia. Since King’s freshman year in 2009, only two SEC receivers have more catches of 50+ yards: Cobi Hamilton (Arkansas) and Alshon Jeffery (South Carolina), with eight each.
  • Ryan Nassib set new Syracuse records for single-game pass yards (470), passes (65) and completions (44) against Northwestern. The previous pass yards record was held by Marvin Graves, set in 1992.
  • Northwestern allowed 28 points in the 2nd half at Syracuse, blowing a 35-13 lead before coming back to win in the final minute. In 2011, Northwestern allowed the most 2nd half points in the Big Ten. Syracuse allowed 21 second half points in the game. Last year, Cuse allowed 172 2nd half points, 2nd most in the Big East.
  • Urban Meyer led the Buckeyes to 56 points in his Ohio State head coaching debut. It was the 2nd-most points by any Ohio State head coach in their first game on the sidelines in school history.  John Wilce’s team put up 58 in 1913 against Ohio Wesleyan.
  • Urban Meyer is now 4-0 in his debuts as head coach at a new school, winning by an average of just under 23 points. The 56 points scored and the 46-point margin of victory Saturday against Miami (OH) are also Meyer’s highs in a debut at a new school.
  • Penn State hadn’t lost a season-opener since 2001, when they lost to Miami (FL). They haven’t lost a season-opener to a non-BCS AQ conference team (current BCS AQ) since 1967, lost at Navy.  Until Saturday, that is, when they lost to Ohio.
  • Despite scoring 62 points, North Carolina finished three points shy of tying the school record and had its best output since beating Ohio 62-0 under Mack Brown in September 1995.  It was also the Tar Heels’ first shutout since beating Duke 38-0 to close the 1999 season.
  • UTSA picked up it’s first FBS victory, with a comeback win against fellow FBS newbie South Alabama.
  • Cal Lost to Nevada for only the second time at home in 25 tries and first since 1903.
  • Florida won it’s 23rd consecutive opener.  That’s second nationally behind Nebraska’s 27 consecutive opening wins.
  • With it’s win over Tulsa, Iowa State has won nine of it’s last 10 openers.
  • Chase Rettig threw for 441 yards against Miami, the sixth-highest single-game total in school history and most since Glenn Foley threw for 448 yards in 1993.
  • Nebraska quarterback Taylor Martinez had been known for his running.  Saturday, he showed America he can also pass.  Martinez threw for a career-high 354 yards and rushed for only 10 as the Huskers won their 27th consecutive opener.
  • Wisconsin won it’s 17th consecutive home game, tied with LSU for longest streak.
  • With his third quarter touchdown run, Montee Ball has now scored a touchdown in each of his last 21 games, dating back to 2010.
  • Jim McElwain became the first Colorado State coach to win his debut in 42 years Saturday when the Rams rallied past their arch rival for a 22-17 win over the Colorado Buffaloes.
  • New Mexico scored 66 points in its opener against Southern. That puts the Lobos almost halfway to their total of 144 points scored all last season.  The Lobos scored 38 points in the second quarter, as many as they totaled in the final six games last season.
  • Dustin Hopkins, who is on pace to shatter both the school and Atlantic Coast Conference scoring records, added field goals of 28 and 30 yards and extended his string of successful consecutive point after kicks to 139. Hopkins now has 341 career points, 53 shy of the league and school records.
  • Pittsburgh’s loss to Youngstown State was the school’s first in 11 all-time games against FCS opponents. It was the Panthers’ third meeting all-time against the Penguins. In the previous two meetings, Pitt outscored Youngstown State 79-3.
  • The Penguins, a Football Championship Subdivision program, beat a Bowl Championship Series team for the first time in school history.
  • Andre Ellington ran for 228 yards in Clemson’s win against Auburn. Ellington is the only the third ACC player since 2004 with multiple 200-yard rushing games. Seven ACC _teams_ don’t even have multiple 200-yd rushing games by an individual in that period.
  • Clemson wins consecutive meetings with Auburn for the first time since 1950-51. From 1952 until 2010, they played each other 14 times. Auburn was 14-0. Since then, Clemson is 2-0.
  • Clemson now has a win against an SEC team in 9 of the last 11 seasons.
  • The 84 points that Oklahoma State scored Saturday vs Savannah State is the most by an FBS team since Oct. 1991 when Fresno State dropped 94 on the New Mexico Lobos.
  • Oklahoma State’s 84 points were the most by any full-fledged FBS member since 2000. Western Kentucky scored 87 points against West Virginia Tech in 2007, but the Hilltoppers were reclassifying from FCS to FBS.
  • Oklahoma State had no problem scoring against Savannah State, becoming the first team since the turn of the century to top 80 points in its opener.
  • Oklahoma State’s 84 points are their most in a season-opener… since 19116.
  • After being tied with Missouri State at nine in the third quarter, Kansas State scored 42 consecutive points to win 51-9.
  • Indiana ended a nine-game losing streak — winning for the first time since beating South Carolina State 38-21 on Sept. 17, 2011.
  • Texas State got its first won as an FBS member, when they whalloped a rebuilding Houston squad, 30-13.
  • Alabama ran for 232 yards on 42 carries Saturday against Michigan. The Tide are now 40-0 since the start of the 2008 season when they run for at least 150 yards.
  • The 27-point loss for the Wolverines is the worst loss in a season-opener in the 133 years of Michigan football.
  • With its loss to Rutgers, Tulane lost its 11th consecutive game dating to last year, its longest losing streak since dropping 16 in a row from 1961-63.
  • Arizona, which needed overtime to defeat Toledo, amassed 624 yards to Toledo’s 358 but had two touchdowns called back by penalties, turned the ball over three times and missed the two short field goals.
  • Washington scored its first defensive touchdown since Quinton Richardson returned an interception for a score against UCLA two seasons ago.
  • Ryan Aplin became Arkansas State’s career leader in total offense with 9,075 yards, surpassing Corey Leonard (2006-09) and also became the leader in yards passing with 7,721, to pass Cleo Lemon (1997-2000).  Unfortunately, his team lost to Oregon 57-34.  The Ducks led 29-0 after the first quarter and 50-3 halfway through the second period.

Week Four Weekend Observations

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  • Cincinnati held NC State to only -26 rushing yards Thursday night. The -26 rush yards are the fewest rush yards in a game by an ACC over the last 10 seasons.
  • Georgia Tech was held to a field goal in its first drive vs North Carolina. This is the first time this season that the Yellow Jackets didn’t score a TD on their opening drive.  The 4-0 start is their first since 1990, when they shared the national championship with Colorado. Continue reading →

Week 2 Observations

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  • Brandon Weeden rewrote the Oklahoma State record book against Arizona with 42 completions on 53 pass attempts. He finished with 397 passing yards, narrowly missed throwing for 400 yards for the 4th time in his career. Continue reading →

Columbia Regional

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Missouri – The Tigers come into the postseason after winning the Big 12 outright.  For the first time, the Big 12 did not have a conference tournament, so whoever won the regular season title would win the league’s automatic berth.  Continue reading →

>Signing Day

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>For college football knuckleheads, Signing Day is like Christmas.  And that’s been seen by not only the  around the clock coverage on things like ESPN, but also sites like rivals and scout, which rank the players starting in their freshman years of high school.  Now I admit, I look at those sites constantly, so I’m not really one to talk but giving out these “stars” is ridiculous.

The stars and rankings given to these kids are what going to ruin the high school sports world, if it hasn’t already.  But what is truly sad about it all, is whether it is the kids, the “experts,”, coaches or PARENTS that are doing the “pimping out” of the student-athletes. 

To be on one of those sites, someone needs to send in a video of the athlete, so he can be “evaluated” and then given a ranking or star.  A five-star ranking means you are one of the top kids in the nation, a three-star means you are pretty much an average player, while anything lower usually means you are a fringe player.  If a parent or athlete sees they are “only” s three-star and want to get better scholarship offers, which might mean doing anything going from extra lessons from professionals to possibly doing steroids.  The extra push, however, can also burn out the kid. 

The one thing the coaches, parents or kids seem not to realize is that all these stars, rankings and such are all other people’s OPINIONS.  There are time where the different sites disagree with how good of a kid is.  I’ll give you the example of Missouri, since it’s my alma mater and a school that has been known for getting lesser rated kids and getting them to play better than those rankings.  Let’s look at the Tigers’ last three first round draft picks, Jeremy Maclin, Sean Weatherspoon and Ziggy Hood.  Sean Weatherspoon came to Mizzou as a two-star safety prospect and left as the third-highest tackler in school history with 413 tackles and a two-time All-American.  Maclin was the highest rated of the three, garnering four stars from rivals and three from scout, but was rated the 70th best wideout by scout.  All he did was leave as the school’s all-time leader in all-purpose yards, third in career receiving yards and fourth in career receptions.  All in two years.  Hood is now a starter on the Super Bowl-bound Pittsburgh Steelers.

Of the 62 athletes that were given five stars by scout, 11 made it to the NFL or lived up to expectations. That’s 17 percent.  Now that may seem a lot, but let’s not forget these were cream of the crop kids who people expect to come in and have a big effect on their teams.  Well that wasn’t the case for 52 of them.  In a smaller sample size of 26 five stars, the 2006 class also had 11 players that made an impact of play(ed) in the NFL.

Now don’t get me wrong, I truly appreciate and respect what all of the analysts who go out all across the country all year.  But my problem is that everyone takes too much stock into these stinking rankings.  Sure, most of the time it turns out to be right, as you see the Alabama’s USC’s, Florida’s, etc. always getting top classes and succeeding.  But what about the schools like TCU or Boise State and up to this year, Oregon?  The rankings are good and all, but they’re mainly there to make all the fans and those associated with the program go crazy.  As long as a school gets players they need, that fit their system and those who they feel are perfect for the, who says they won’t succeed?

>College Basketball Previews

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>While this weekend’s matchups may not be as sexy as last week’s there are some very intriguing games that might go a long way in determining how a team ends up in the conference.  There are four games featuring ranked teams and those will be previewed here.

Game of the Week: Missouri vs. Texas

   Missouri comes into the game on a two-game winning streak, having defeated both Kansas State and Iowa  State handily.  The Tigers come in at 17-3, but two of their losses have been on the road (at Colorado and at Texas A&M by two points in overtime).  Junior guard Marcus Denmon leads five Tigers in double figures with 17.3 points per game.  Missouri uses a 10-man rotation and eight of the ten play 17 minutes per game or more (the other two play 11-12 mpg).  The Tigers average 85 ppg, which is good for fifth nationally and dish out 18 ppg, which is good for sixth in the nation.  Three players could be key factors in the game, besides Denmon. Ricardo Ratliffe, who is second on the team with 12 ppg and seven rpg, will be looked upon to neutralize the Texas big men.  The other two keys are Kim English and Phil Pressey.  English was expected to have a breakout season, but has struggled early in the season and Pressey has come back from an early season wrist injury to be second on the team in assists with nearly four dimes per game.  Texas was featured in last week’s preview as well.  The team is led by the frontcourt duo of Justin Hamilton and Tristan Thompson.  Cory Joseph will be the key for Texas in this game.  How he reacts to the “Fastest Forty Minutes in Basketball” will be crucial.  The Tigers love to press and create turnovers after made baskets so how he will be able to handle the pressure will be the difference.  Joseph has only turned the ball over more than three times once and has had some of his cleanest games against UNC, UConn and USC.  Prediction:  Mizzou pulls the road upset: 78-76

Louisville at Connecticut

   The Cardinals come in having won three of their last five, including two buzzer beaters over Marquette and West Virginia.  Louisville is led by Preston Knowles, who averages just over 15 points per game and is hitting 40 percent of his three point attempts.  Two others, Peyton Siva and Chris Smith, are also averagibg double figures.  Siva, who hit the game-winner against West Virginia, is going for nearly 11 points per game and a team-high five assists per game.  Smith averages 10 ppg and leads the team, hitting nearly half of his three pointers.  Three of Louisville’s bog men (Rakeem Buckles, Jared Swopshire and Gorgui Dieng) are out with injuries.  The key could be Kyle Kuric.  He is an on and off player, who when he is hot, is able to put up 20 ppg but has also had five games of zero points.  The Huskies rely on guard Kemba Walker and their inside presence, which is helping them average 41 rebounds per game.  Walker is being considered as one of the top two contenders for NCAA POY, averaging 24 ppg, five rpg and four apg.  Big man Alex Oriakhis is the only other Huskie averaging double figures at 11, but leads the team with nine boards per game.  The key could be freshman Shabazz Napier, who is averaging 8.4 ppg and over three assists per game.  Like Kuric, he is hot and cold, going for double digits in six games, including three this month.  Prediction: The Huskies’ depth and Louisville injuries help the Huskies pull out a 75-60 win.

 Georgetown at Villanova


   Georgetown has been on a bit of a slide lately, going 4-4 in their last eight and are coming into a hostile environment on Saturday.  The Hoyas are riding a three-game winning streak, however.  They are led by Mr. Do-It-All Austin Freeman, who is averaging over 18 points per game.  The senior guard has scored in double digits in all but two games and has scored 25 points or more in two of the last three.  Georgetown has two others, Jason Clark and Chris Wright, who are averaging double digits.  Clark is pouring in 13 points a game, while wright is averaging over 10 and leads the team with 5.6 assists per game.  Guard play will be the key in this game.  If one guard is having a rough night, there will have to be others to pick up the slack. And if the guards struggle, the frontcourt has to be able to bail them out too.  After knocking off Syracuse on the road, Villanova got blown out in their game against Providence.  Villanova has won two of the three, losing the last to Connecticut on a last-second shot by Kemba Walker.  The Wildcats have three players who average double figures, including two seniors: Corey Fisher and Corey Stokes, both of whom are scoring 15 points per game.  While Stokes leads the team in free throw (94) and three point (44) percentage, Fisher is second on the team in assists per game, with five.  The other player in double figures, Maalik Wayans (13.5 ppg), also leads the team with 5.3 dimes per game. Prediction: Villanova is just too good and wins 80-65

Minnesota at Purdue

   Minnesota, on a four-game winning streak, started that streak with a home win against Purdue.  A key piece from that win, Al Nolen, is out for the season with an injury however and that has caused Blake Hoffarber to take over PG duties.  Three of the Gophers’ four losses have been on the road.  Hoffarber is one of three Minnesota players in double digits, averaging 14 points per game.  He not only leads the team in assists with 4.4 per game, but also three-point percentage, knocking in 40 percent of his treys.  Trevor Mbakwe is second in points with 13.4 and leads the team with 10.5 rebounds per contest.  Ralph Sampson III is the other Gopher is double figures, throwing in 11 ppg.  The key will be the play of Mbakwe and Sampson, as they will have to go up against the beasts of Purdue.  The Boilermakers, on the other hand, have been on a bit of a skid lately, dropping three of their last five.  JaJuan Johnson continues to be a beast for them inside, averaging nearly 21 ppg and eight rebounds per game.  Johnson has scored 20 points or more in his last five games.  He is supported by guard E’Twaun Moore, who is averaging 18 ppg.  No other Purdue player is averaging over six points per game.  The key here is for Johnson to continue his hot streak.  Prediction: Purdue pulls out a squeaker, 67-64

>Insight.com Bowl

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>Missouri vs. Iowa

   This matchup features teams going in different directions.  Iowa started the season ranked ninth and started the season 7-2, including a demolishing of then- fifth-ranked Michigan State.  But the Hawkeyes struggled down the stretch, losing their last three and struggling to defeat Indiana.  The Tigers, on the other hand, are on a three-game winning streak, one in which they have scored 35 points or more twice.

   Not only has Iowa had its problems on the field, but it has ended the season with some major off the field problems as well.  All-time leading receiver Derrell Johnson-Koulianos was arrested on drug charges and therefore suspended by Coach Kirk Ferentz,  Then Adam Robinson, the team’s leading rusher who had rushed for nearly 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns was also suspended, he for failing to “comply with team expectations and policies.”  The two backup running backs also left the team, leaving true freshman Marcus Coker as the starter.

   Luckily for Iowa, they still have quarterback Ricky Stanzi, who threw for 2,804 yards and 25 touchdowns, while throwing a career-low four interceptions.  With Johnson-Koulianos out, he will rely on St. Louis-native Marvin McNutt, who led the team with 51 grabs for 798 yards and eight touchdowns.  Coker rushed for 403 yards and two touchdowns in limited duty.

   But it’d not only the offense that the Tigers need to worry about.  The Iowa defense is quite stout itself being led by yet another St. Louis-native, defensive end Adrian Clayborn.  Clayborn has 51 tackles, including seven for loss and three and a half sacks.  The defensive backfield is also quite talented, led by Tyler Sash and Shaun Prater also were named first-team all-Big Ten. Sash was third on the Hawkeyes with 73 tackles and Prater tied for the team lead with four interceptions.

   Up to this year, Missouri had been known for its explosive offense.  Well this year, the Tigers have their best defense in years and it is paying off for them.  They are giving up only 15 ppg, which is fifth in the nation.  Linebackers Andrew Gachkar and Zaviar Gooden lead the team with 81 and 79, tackles, respectively, while six players have two interceptions and four more with one.  The team has forced 27 turnovers on the year.

   But that’s not to say the Tiger offense hasn’t been explosive.  The team is averaging 30 points per game and has become a more balanced offense this year.  While Blaine Gabbert has thrown for over 2,700 yards and 15 touchdowns, four Tigers, including Gabbert have rushed for 239 yards or more.  The team is led by De’Vion Moore who has run for 485 yards and eight touchdowns.

   After losing starters Danario Alexander and Jared Perry, everyone wondered who would step up to be the next in a recent run of great receivers.  Four receivers have 32 catches or more.  T.J. Moe leads the squad with 77 catches for 893 yards and six touchdowns.  Michael Egnew continues the line of recent Mackey Award finalists/winners and All-American tight ends after catching 83 balls for 698 yards and four touchdowns.

Prediction: Missouri 34, Iowa 21

>Rivalry Week Part 1

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>The last couple of weeks of the college football season always brings us some of the nation’s top rivalries, and that is the case again this year.  There is a minimum of 13 rivalry games this weekend, highlighted by Missouri-Kansas, Texas-Texas A&M, Ohio State-Michigan and .  Here’s a look at some, if not all, of them.

Texas-Texas A&M

   This is the first time the teams have met without Texas (5-6, 2-5) ranked in the Top 25 since 1998, when the Longhorns defeated the then-No. 6 Aggies 26-24 on a late field goal.  The Aggies started the season sluggishly, but have won five straight, pushing them into the top 20 in the country. The Longhorns were unable to recover from theirs and need a win to avoid missing a bowl game for the first time since 1997 — also the last time they had a losing season.

   The football series between the two universities is the third longest running rivalry in all of college football.  Since 1900, the last regular season football game is usually reserved for their matchup. Each school mentions the other in their fight song (Texas with “and it’s goodbye to A&M” in Texas Fight and the Aggies singing about Texas for essentially the entire second verse of the Aggie War Hymn).  In the past, mischief has preceded the annual game, such as “kidnapping” each other’s mascots.  The Longhorns lead the series 75-36-5.

Auburn-Alabama

   The Iron Bowl is a common name for the college football game between the Auburn University Tigers and the University of Alabama Crimson Tide.  Auburn and Alabama played their first football game in Lakeview Park in Birmingham, Alabama, on February 22, 1893.  Disagreement between the schools began immediately as Alabama considered the game to be the final matchup of the 1892 season and Auburn recorded it as the first of 1893.  The series was indeed suspended after the 1907 game when the schools could not come to agreement over the amount of expenses to be paid players, as well as from where officials for the game should be obtained.

   In 1947 the Alabama House of Representatives passed a resolution encouraging the schools to “make possible the inauguration of a full athletic program between the two schools.” Ralph B. Draughon, the president of Auburn (then named the Alabama Polytechnic Institute), and Alabama president John Gallalee decided during the winter and spring of 1948 to end the disagreement and renew the series. The games would be played in Birmingham because it had the largest stadium in the state, 44,000-seat Legion Field, and the tickets would be split evenly between the two schools. Alabama won the first game when the series renewed 55–0, the most lopsided victory of the series.

   Auburn desired to make the Iron Bowl a “home-and-home” series, and the schools reached an agreement where Auburn could play their home games for the Iron Bowl in Auburn starting in 1989 (except for the 1991 game, which was played at Legion Field), and Alabama would have a “home” ticket allocation for games in Legion Field.  Since 1893, the Crimson Tide and Tigers have played 74 times. Alabama leads the all-time series, with 40 wins to Auburn’s 33, with one tie. The game has been played in four cities: Auburn, Birmingham, Montgomery, and Tuscaloosa. Alabama leads the series in Birmingham (34–18–1). Auburn leads the series in Tuscaloosa (6–1–0) and Auburn (7–3–0). The series is tied in Montgomery (2–2–0).

Kansas-Missouri

   The intense rivalry between the two universities can be traced to the open violence involving anti-slavery and pro-slavery elements that took place in the Kansas Territory and the western frontier towns of Missouri throughout the 1850s. These incidents were attempts by Missouri (a slave state) to influence whether Kansas would enter the Union as a free or slave state. The term Bleeding Kansas is often used to refer to the pre-war conflict, culminating with the burning and looting of Osceola, Missouri in 1861 by James Lane’s Kansas Jayhawkers, which was a contributing factor to the Lawrence Massacre reprisal two years later. The raid on Lawrence was led by William Quantrill, a Kansas citizen who had actually taught school in Lawrence prior to the Civil War. SI.com supervising producer Dan George summed up the rivalry by stating “It’s more than the schools — it’s a state thing going back to before the Civil War, when William Quantrill’s Confederate guerillas burned Lawrence and murdered nearly 200 people. Neither Missouri nor Kansas folks have forgotten it.” Those on the Missouri side are quick to point out that the Jayhawkers were guilty of the same things – crossing into Missouri, leading brutal raids and burning towns, and that Quantrill was part of a group that almost burnt down Columbia due to it being a Union stronghold.

   The 2007 football season brought the origins of the rivalry between the two states back into the spotlight. A t-shirt created by a Missouri alumnus gained national attention with its reference to Quantrill’s Raid of 1863. The shirt depicted the burning of Lawrence in 1863 following the raid of William Quantrill and his Bushwhackers against the Jayhawkers of Kansas. The image of Lawrence burning was paired with the word “Scoreboard” and a Mizzou logo. On the back of the shirts, William Quantrill was quoted, saying “Our cause is just, our enemies many.” Some Kansas fans interpreted these shirts as supporting slavery. KU supporters returned fire with a shirt depicting abolitionist John Brown with the words, “Kansas: Protecting America from Missouri since 1854.”

    The Missouri-Kansas football series is the second-most-played rivalry in college football history. The teams first matched up in football on October 31, 1891. There have been 9 ties in the 118 games played.  On November 24, 2007, the two teams entered the game both ranked in the top five in the nation: Kansas at #2 and Missouri at #3. On the heels of #1 LSU’s loss the day before, Missouri won the game 36-28 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, with a near-record 80,537 people (the second-largest crowd in stadium history) in attendance and the largest TV audience to watch any 2007 regular season game, and therefore became #1 in both the Bowl Championship Series and Associated Press polls.

   Although 55-54-9 for MU is the official series result, there is an ongoing discussion about whether the 1960 games should have been counted as a win for Kansas, making the series 55-54-9 in their favor. The Big 8 forfeited the win to Missouri due to Kansas’ ineligible player, Bert Coan. The University of Kansas still considers the game a Kansas win, fueling the controversy. Due to the Kansas win on the field, several other publications have also referenced the series record more to the favor of Kansas.  


>Week 7 College Football Observations

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>   For seven weeks, we have been waiting for the so called “Upset Saturday.”  Well this past Saturday, we all got what we have been waiting for: seven Top 25 teams were knocked off by opponents either ranked lower than them or not ranked at all.  The latter was the case in six of the seven upsets.

  • For the second week in a row, the top-ranked team in the nation lost, this time Ohio State losing to Wisconsin on the Badgers’ Homecoming date, 31-18.  Wisconsin hadn’t defeated a No. 1 since 1981, when the Badgers knocked off Michigan 21-14. For Ohio State, its national title hopes are in critical condition after a third straight loss as the No. 1 team in the country. The last two came in the 2007 season, to Illinois in the regular season and in the BCS title game to LSU. That season was also the last time No. 1 in the AP poll lost in consecutive weeks.
  •  Florida lost consecutive home games for the first time since 2003 and dropped three in a row for the first time since the Steve Spurrier era. Urban Meyer has accomplished something that former coach Ron Zook never did. Mississippi State won in Gainesville for the first time since 1965. They snapped a 16-game losing streak at Florida Field.  It is the first time since 2004 that the Gators have not been ranked.
  • Kansas State quarterback Carson Coffman completed 15 passes in 16 attempts Thursday in the Wildcats’ 59-7 romp at Kansas. That 93.8 completion percentage is the best among FBS players this season (min. 15 attempts). Kansas lost 55-7 to Baylor last week and 59-7 to Kansas State tonight. Kansas has been playing football since 1890. Only once before in school history have they have allowed at least 55 points in consecutive games. In 1988 they lost 63-24 to Oklahoma State on November 12 and 55-17 to Missouri on November 19.
  • Missouri has allowed 65 points this season, including a shutout last week and nine points Saturday. That’s the Tigers fewest through six games since 1973, when they allowed 49.  It was the first time since 1967 that Missouri had held conference opponents scoreless for six straight quarters.  Missouri is 6-0 for just the third time in the last 50 years and fifth ever.
  • The Texas defense held Nebraska to 202 yards as the Longhorns beat the Huskers for the ninth time in 10 games since joining the Big 12. Nebraska ran for 125 yards. It was averaging over 337 yards a game on the ground entering Saturday, which ranked second in the nation. Texas ran for 209 yards. It averaged less than 130 on the ground entering the game.  Nebraska had not trailed all season.  Counting sacks, QB Garrett Gilbert entered with 19 career rushing yards. He had 51 in the 1st quarter
  • Eastern Michigan head coach Ron English gets his 1st win. He started his career losing 18 straight games before finally winning on Saturday in overtime at Ball State.  The Eagles trailed 28-7 in the second quarter, before scoring 28 unanswered points
  • Colorado State ended a 10-game conference losing streak with a 43-10 victory over UNLV on Saturday.
  • Auburn QB Cam Newton over 100 yards rushing for the 4th time in 7 games this season.  In that same game, Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett left the game with a  concussion
  • Matt Barkley passed for 352 yards and a school record-tying five touchdowns, and Southern California roared to a 42-point halftime lead while snapping its first losing streak in nine years with a 48-14 victory against California on Saturday. Cal hasn’t won at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in a decade. USC hadn’t lost back-to-back games since early in 2001, former coach Pete Carroll’s first season. The Trojans’ dominant performance brightened a gloomy, gray day at the Coliseum, where USC had lost three of its past five games after a 47-1 stretch.

  • Iowa won in Ann Arbor for the first time since 2002 despite allowing three fourth-quarter touchdowns.  The Hawkeyes allowed more than seven points for the second time this season. Rich Rodriguez fell to 2-8 against AP top 25 teams as Michigan coach. 
  • SMU ended up losing its 20th consecutive nonconference road game, a streak that began after a win against Navy in 1998.
  • Justin Blackmon had a career-high 207 yards receiving with a touchdown for Oklahoma State, who beat Texas Tech 34-17 on Saturday for its first win in Lubbock since 1944.  Oklahoma State is 6-0 for the second time in three seasons. The Cowboys won their first seven games in 2008 before losing four of their last six. It was the first time the road team has won in this series since 2001 when the Red Raiders won in Stillwater.
  • Ross Jenkins threw for three touchdowns and ran for another, and Louisiana Tech had 678 yards of offense in a 48-35 win over Idaho on Saturday. The Bulldogs needed their fifth-highest offensive total in school history as the Vandals totaled 526 offensive yards. 
  • Kentucky had its first win over a ranked team since beating then-No. 1 LSU in 2007.  South Carolina’s win over Alabama last week was the seventh win at home by a team ranked outside of the top 10 over a conference opponent ranked No. 1. The Gamecocks became the fourth straight such team to lose the following Saturday.
  • T.J. Yates threw for three touchdowns and North Carolina won for the first time since 1981 at Scott Stadium, beating Virginia 44-10 Saturday night.
  •  North Texas is on their fourth starting quarterback of the season, after Chase Baine had to replace Riley Dodge two weeks ago.  Dodge recently had surgery to insert a screw in his broken wrist.
  • The San Diego State Aztecs beat a ranked team for the first time since defeating No. 16 Wyoming 28-24 on Nov. 7, 1996. Since then, they’d lost 25 straight games to ranked opponents. Overall, SDSU is 6-55 against ranked teams dating to 1973.
  • San Jose State was outgained 537-80 by Boise State on the night, the fewest yards in a game for the Spartans since also getting 80 in a 13-12 win Stanford in 1971. The Broncos have the nation’s longest active win streak at 20 straight games. They’ve also won 16 straight road games, 18 straight conference games, and 31 straight regular season games. All of their marks are the longest active streaks in the nation. 
  • Alabama has won 10 straight home games vs. Ole Miss. It’s 24-1 overall in Tuscaloosa against the Rebels.  
  • After an upset loss at Hawaii, Nevada remains winless at Hawaii since joining the WAC in 2000, falling to 0-6 and hasn’t won at Hawaii since 1948

    >Football Preview: Missouri

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    >  In the early 2000’s, an eight-win season would be considered a great success for the Missouri Tigers.  But that isn’t the case anymore and for a fan base that now expects nine wins or more, last season’s 8-5 season could have been seen by some as a disappointment.  But unlike last year, when the Tigers were one of the youngest teams in the country, the team brings back 16 starters and many others who have seen the field in their days in the Black and Gold.

       Offense – The team brings back seven starters from last year’s squad, most notably quarterback Blaine Gabbert.  But it is replacing who the offense lost that will define the season.  Last year’s top two receivers, Danario Alexander and Jared Perry, both have moved onto the NFL.  The team will also be without two-year starting running back and co-captain Derrick Washington, as he has encountered some legal problems that have caused him to be permanently suspended. 

       As of right now, Gabbert is the star of the offense and deservedly so.  He is only the most recent quarterback at a school that has had some of the best quarterbacks in the nation since 2002.  Gabbert is coming off a sophomore year where he threw for 3,593 yards, 24 touchdowns and only nine interceptions, despite playing with a severely injured ankle for half the season.  As was the case last year, the quarterbacks will be very inexperienced behind Gabbert.  Gabbert’s backup is a true freshman from Texas, James Franklin, who has impressed coaches so much that he has moved past returning players Jimmy Costello and Ashton Glaser to win the backup role.  In fact, Glaser, a redshirt freshman, has also moved past Costello, who was Gabbert’s backup last season.  The team also has Gabbert’s younger brother, Tyler, who will be another highly recruited true freshman in the fall.

       The loss of Washington can be one that is devastating to the Tiger offense.  It could also be a blessing in disguise, as it will give Mizzou an opportunity to see some of the younger players.  The team will look to sophomore Kendial Lawrence or De’Vion Moore to carry the load.  Lawrence was a Parade All-American in his senior year of high school and rushed for 219 yards as a true freshman.  Moore is coming into his junior year after backing up Washington last year as well.  He rushed for 258 yards and a touchdown in 2009.  The other two players on the depth chart are true freshmen Henry Josey and Marcus Murphy.

       Replacing Perry and Alexander will be key for the Tiger offense.  The two helped combine for 66 percent of the receiving yards lost.  But the cupboard isn’t bare in Columbia.  The team does return numerous players who saw action last year, as well as a cast of young players who will be looking to make their mark.  Wes Kemp started all 13 games for the Tigers last year and caught 23 balls for 418 yards and three touchdowns.  The only other player with starting experience, Jerrell Jackson, is coming off of wrist surgery.  Jackson, however, is the team’s top returning receiver after he had 37 catches for 458 yards and two touchdowns. Sophomore T.J. Moe will be the other starter in the Missouri spread attack.  The Tigers also have redshirt freshmen L’Damian Washington and Jaleel Clark, sophomores Rolandis Woodland and Gahn McGaffie, as well as highly regarded true freshmen Bud Sasser and Marcus Lucas.  The Tigers will be young at the receiver position but quite talented.  The team is also one who uses the tight end in the spread offense and numerous players who have seen playing time return there as well.  Michael Egnew will be looking to make his first start of the year as he replaces last year’s starter, junior Andrew Jones.

       Defense – The defense returns eight starters from last year’s team, one which finished 26th in rushing defense.  The team does lose linebacker Sean Weatherspoon, but the teams’ recruiting has prepared them to overcome such a great loss.

       End Aldon Smith, is back for his second time around in a Tiger uniform, and he’s looking to build on his redshirt freshman season from a year ago that saw him earn Big 12 Defensive Freshman & Newcomer of the Year, as well as 1st-Team Freshman All-American honors. Smith ended his freshman season with 64 tackles, including team-high totals in tackles for loss (19) and sacks (11.5). The sack total broke the MU single-season sacks record of 11.0 set in 2000 by All-American DE Justin Smith, who has been in the NFL for a decade now. Smith’s sack total led all of the NCAA’s freshmen in 2010, and ranked 9th among all players.  Dominique Hamilton started 12 games last year and pitched in with 46 tackles.  The other two starters on the line figure to be Terrell Resonno and Jacquies Smith.

       Replacing Weatherspoon’s 111 tackles will be no easy task, but the Tigers will look to sophomore Zaviar Gooden, who saw action in all 13 games last season.  Gooden has improved his speed this offseason and hopes to provide Missouri a spark at the third linebacker position.  Andrew Gachkar returns as another linebacker after finishing second on the team in tackles with a career-high 80, in 2009.  The middle linebacker position looked to be a battle between Luke Lambert and Will Ebner, until Ebner

       The defensive secondary boasts five players who have started games in their Missouri careers.  Of those five, four are seniors.  Jasper Simmons returns at the free safety position after finishing fourth on the team with 73 tackles, three tackles for loss and two forced fumbles.  Corner Carl Gettis started every game last year for the Tigers, on the way to 61 tackles, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.  Fellow senior Kevin Rutland started opposite of Gettis in all 13 games.  He came up with 47 tackles and a team-high two interceptions.  Kenji Jackson and Jarrell Harrison split time at the strong safety spot and it looks as if they will continue to do the same in 2010.  Harrison was in on 47 tackles and three passes broken up.  He also chipped in with two tackles for loss, an interception and a sack.  Jackson, on the other hand, had 41 tackles, one for loss and one pass broken up.  A good but also potentially bad thing for the secondary is that there is little experience behind the starters, as most are either sophomores or redshirt freshmen.

       Recruiting – Missouri signed 23 recruits in it’s 2010 class and nine of them will play this year. James Franklin checks in as the backup quarterback after having a stellar career in the state of Texas, a state Missouri has recruited very well.  He comes in after being ranked no lower than No. 11 on any quarterback list.  As a senior, he threw for 2,360 yards, rushed for 1,282 yards and accounted for 41 total touchdowns.  Marcus Lucas and Bud Sasser are both third on the depth chart at receiver positions and deservedly so.  Lucas comes in as a four star recruit and, despite being blanketed his senior year, still managed to come up with 38 catches for 819 yards and nine touchdowns.  Sasser finished with 64 catches for 1,250 yards and a school-record 24 touchdowns.  The only defensive player getting playing time will be defensive back E.J. Gaines. He had a monster senior season, as he ran for 1,500 yards and 20 touchdowns and caught 20 passes for 400 yards, while also starring in the secondary by making 72 tackles and 2 interceptions.  This is after a junior season where he had 89 tackles and five interceptions and a sophomore year when he had 88 tackles and five picks as well.


       Schedule – As they have for the majority of the decade, the Tigers start the season with a game against Illinois in St. Louis.  This, however, will be the last game of the Arch Rivalry for the foreseeable future.  The team then gets its next four games at home, while preparing for the rough stretch of the season.  The four games include tilts against McNeese State, San Diego State, Miami (Ohio) and Colorado.  The Tigers have a good shot at being 5-0 as they head to a grueling four-game stretch which will ultimately decide what type of season it will be.  The stretch starts off with a game at Texas A&M before the Homecoming game against Oklahoma.  Did you know Missouri is home to the first-ever Homecoming?  The team finishes the rough stretch with away games at Nebraska and Texas Tech.  The Tigers then finish with a home game against Kansas State, a road game at Iowa State and the traditional regular season finale against Kansas in Kansas City.