Up and roaring
Tiger football has its strongest start in 37 years
If you ask Missouri football players to name the last time the Tigers were 7-1, don’t blame them if they can’t answer. The answer is 1969, and they weren’t even born then.
Players may be too focused on their next game against Oklahoma Oct. 28 (11 a.m., ABC regional coverage) to worry about trivial stats. Fans, on the other hand, have plenty of time to revel in the numbers Missouri football is putting up this year. Here are a few highlights:
- The Tigers have an AP ranking of 23rd. The highest so far this season was 19th, which also was the highest in Coach Gary Pinkel’s six seasons. The team's Bowl Championship Series ranking is 20th.
- Mizzou players won Big 12 Player of the Week honors for three weeks in a row in early September, with offensive accolades going to quarterback Chase Daniel and defensive ones going to linebacker Marcus Bacon and defensive end Brian Smith. More recently, safety David Overstreet won defensive honors after the game against Kansas State.
- The 6-0 start in 2006 plus the come-from-behind victory in the 2005 Independence Bowl put the now-broken winning streak at seven in a row, the third-longest in school history.
- Mizzou is perfect at home this year, with a record of 5-0 on Faurot Field. The Tigers have won their last eight games at home.