Missouri junior guard Jordan Clarkson was named to the Bob Cousy Award National Watch List on Tuesday. A transfer from the University of Tulsa, Clarkson will play his first season with Mizzou after being named a first team All-Conference USA selection in 2011-12.

Clarkson was one of 46 players selected to the watch list, which honors the nation’s top point guard annually. Missouri has enjoyed a consistent presence on the Cousy Award ballot over the years, including 2012 when Phil Pressey was a finalist for the award.

Prior to his transfer, Clarkson spent two seasons at Tulsa and averaged 14.2 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. The 6-foot-5 guard played primarily off the basketball during his two years with the Golden Hurricane, but moves into his more accustomed role as a point guard for Head Coach Frank Haith.

Clarkson and the Missouri Basketball program open exhibition action on Friday night (Oct. 25) at 7 p.m. at Hearnes Center vs. Oklahoma City University. Mizzou Athletics will honor the undefeated (14-0) 1993-94 Big Eight Championship team during the event. Admission and parking is free. Doors open at 5:30 p.m.

— MU Sports Information —

Mizzou sophomore placekicker Andrew Baggett (Lee’s Summit, Mo.) has been recognized nationally for his record-breaking kicking performance in Mizzou’s 36-17 win over then-No. 22 Florida last Saturday. The Tiger earned “Star of the Week” status from the Lou Groza National Collegiate Placekicker Award, as well as National Specialist of the Week honors from the College Football Performance Awards.

Baggett broke Mizzou’s single-game scoring record for kickers with 18 points in the victory over the Gators, fueled by a school-record tying five field goals (43, 19, 39, 33, 28). Baggett also tapped in three PATs. The previous record mark in the category was 16 points by Jeff Jacke against Kansas in 1992 (5 FGs, 1 PAT).

Baggett is currently the leading scorer in the Southeastern Conference, based on his league-best per-game scoring average of 10.0 points per contest. Additionally, Baggett continues to be a big weapon in the field position battle, as his 41 touchbacks on kickoffs are most in the nation.  His touchback percentage of 71.9% ranks seventh in the country

No. 5 Mizzou (7-0) heads into its Homecoming week and will face No. 20 South Carolina on Saturday, Oct. 26, with a 6 p.m. kickoff on ESPN 1550 AM.

— MU Sports Information —

Mizzou Football redshirt freshman Maty Mauk (Kenton, Ohio) and senior defensive lineman Michael Sam (Hitchcock, Texas) have been named the Southeastern Conference’s Freshman Player of the Week and Defensive Player of the Week, respectively, the league office announced on Monday.

Mauk made his first-ever collegiate start as he subbed in for injured senior captain James Franklin and did not disappoint. He threw for 295 yards and a touchdown (with one interception), while also adding a rushing touchdown to seal the game in the fourth quarter, as he led the Tigers to a 36-17 win over No. 22 Florida. He is the only quarterback to throw for more than 164 yards against Florida’s vaunted defense this season.

Sam recorded 3.0 sacks against the Gators (22 yards lost), and added four tackles in all, to go with one other QB hurry. It marked the third time this season Sam has notched 3.0 sacks in a game (Arkansas State, Vanderbilt), an accomplishment that has only been reached 22 times across the Football Bowl Subdivision.

Sam currently leads the SEC in both QB sacks (9.0 total / 1.3 avg.) and tackles for loss (13.0 total / 1.9 avg.), and he ranks second in the nation and fourth in the nation in those categories, respectively. His career sack total of 18.5 ranks fifth all-time at Mizzou.

The third honor for Sam marks the first time since 2007 that a Mizzou player has been recognized with a weekly conference honor three times in one season. Sam previously earned two Defensive Lineman Player of the Week recognitions from the SEC (Sept. 28, Oct. 5). Former Mizzou and current Kansas City Chiefs QB Chase Daniel was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week three times during the 2007 season (Oct. 8, Nov. 5, Nov. 26).

The two recognitions mark the sixth and seventh weekly SEC honors earned by Tigers this season. Head coach Gary Pinkel’s 2007 squad brought home a total of eight individual honors.

No. 5 Mizzou (7-0, 3-0) enters Homecoming week and will match up against No. 20 South Carolina (5-2, 3-2) on Saturday, Oct. 26, with a 6 p.m. kickoff on ESPN2. Ticket information can be found at MUTigers.com.

— MU Sports Information —

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — No James Franklin, no problem for Missouri.

Maty Mauk threw for 295 yards in his first career start and Andrew Baggett converted five field goals to help the No. 14 Tigers defeat No. 22 Florida 36-17 on Saturday and open a two-game lead in the Southeastern Conference East Division.

With Franklin watching on the sideline in street clothes, Mauk put any doubts to rest about whether he was ready on the first play of the game with a 41-yard pass to L’Damian Washington and then a 20-yard toss to Bud Sasser for a 7-0 lead just 22 seconds in.

Coach Gary Pinkel said Saturday was the toughest situation he’s ever had to put in a quarterback, especially against a defense only allowing 235.3 yards per game. But the opening drive helped ease the stress on Mauk, who said he was determined to throw the ball downfield on the opening play.

”He looked like a seasoned veteran out there,” Pinkel said.

Missouri (7-0, 3-0) outgained the Gators 500-151 and became the first conference opponent in 14 games to score at least 21 points against them. The Tigers bullied Florida (4-3, 3-2) at the line of scrimmage, sacking quarterback Tyler Murphy six times and flushing him out of the pocket throughout the game.

The Tigers knocked off their second consecutive ranked opponent for the first time since 1973 and will face No. 11 South Carolina next week at home. The Gamecocks lost at Tennessee 23-21 on Saturday.

”This team is resilient, coming back from where we were last year,” Washington said. ”I told Coach Pinkel, ‘We’ve got to stop talking bowl games around here. Let’s talk BCS, let’s talk national championships.”’

Florida is off before facing Georgia on Nov. 2 in Jacksonville.

Mauk entered the game having only thrown six passes this season, but three of those came in the final quarter of a 41-26 win at Georgia last week after Franklin suffered a shoulder injury that will keep him out at least two more games. Mauk completed 18 of 36 passes Saturday, including three for 37 yards or more down the sideline.

The 6-foot, 200-pound redshirt freshman capped the scoring with 6:30 remaining on a 17-yard scramble, prompting the 67,124 in attendance to perform the ”Gator Chomp.”

”Backup quarterback?,” center Evan Boehm asked. ”Maty would be starting anywhere else.”

Mauk also made a few ill-advised throws, as Brian Poole intercepted a pass with 3:34 left in the first half and almost had another in the same quarter but dropped it.

Murphy completed 15-of-29 passes for 92 yards and an interception for the Gators as he tried to escape Missouri’s defensive line all game. Freshman Kelvin Taylor, son of former National Football League running back Fred Taylor, ran for 74 yards on 12 carries in his fifth career game.

Murphy thought he had time on some of his missed throws despite absorbing three sacks from SEC-leader Michael Sam and one apiece from Kony Ealy, Matt Hoch and Shane Ray.

”They did a good job covering, but we’re got to find ways to make plays,” Murphy said. ”I have to find ways to get guys the ball.”

The Gators only gained 61 yards in the first half – including nine rushing – but used six runs to drive 70 yards and pull within 23-17 with 46 seconds left in the third quarter. Missouri answered with a 33-yard field goal by Baggett following a 50-yard run by Henry Josey, who ran for 136 yards on 18 carries.

Baggett also converted from 19, 28, 39 and 43 yards to tie the school record in makes in a single game, as Missouri far exceeded the 13 points per game Florida allowed this season entering the matchup, the second-fewest in the SEC. In addition to Mauk’s 295 passing yards, the Tigers added 205 on the ground and had 24 first downs.

”This is not a very good football team, and certainly not today,” Gators’ coach Will Muschamp said. ”I am pretty disappointed that we have not made more positive strides offensively at this point of the season.”

Florida earlier narrowed its deficit to three on a 100-yard kickoff return by receiver Solomon Patton on the first play of the second half, but the Tigers responded with a 75-yard drive finished by a 6-yard scamper by Josey for a 20-10 advantage.

Florida drove 22 yards to the Missouri 28-yard line with 58 seconds left in the second quarter on its longest drive of the first half before Ealy burst through the line and forced Murphy to fumble on a sack. Missouri recovered to squelch the threat and end the half up 13-3.

— Associated Press —

Mizzou Football sophomore linebacker Kentrell Brothers (Guthrie, Okla.) has been named the Southeastern Conference’s Defensive Player of the Week, the league office announced on Monday. Brothers helped close out Mizzou’s 41-26 win at then-No. 7 Georgia last Saturday by intercepting Bulldog quarterback Aaron Murray inside the final minute of play for his third pick of the season. The Tiger made a career-high 10 tackles in the contest, including 1.0 tackle-for-loss.

The weekly honor is the first of Brothers’ career at Mizzou and also marks the first time a Mizzou player has earned SEC Defensive Player of the Week since Kenronte Walker brought home the award after the 24-20 win vs. Arizona State last season (Sept. 15, 2012). The interception tied Brothers for the team lead in picks.

Brothers’ recognition is the fifth weekly SEC honor earned by a Mizzou player this season. Senior DL Michael Sam (Hitchcock, Texas), junior DL Markus Golden (St. Louis, Mo.) and junior DL Kony Ealy (New Madrid, Mo.) combined for four Defensive Line Player of the Week honors (Sept. 7, Sept. 21, Sept. 28, Oct. 5).

No. 14 Mizzou (6-0) returns to Faurot Field to face No. 22 Florida on Saturday, Oct. 19, with an 11:21 a.m. kickoff on ESPN 1550 AM.

— MU Sports Information —

ATHENS, Ga. (AP) — Gary Pinkel said No. 25 Missouri won more than a second straight SEC road game when it upset No. 7 Georgia.

”I just think we earned a little more respect,” Pinkel said. ”The respect level just went up a couple notches.”

Receiver Bud Sasser threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to L’Damian Washington in the fourth quarter after quarterback James Franklin left with a shoulder injury and Missouri held off Georgia’s comeback attempt to beat the short-handed Bulldogs 41-26 on Saturday.

Pinkel said Franklin separated his right shoulder and expects the quarterback to miss at least one week.

Freshman Maty Mauk, who replaced Franklin in the fourth quarter, could start when Missouri (6-0, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) plays No. 17 Florida next week.

Missouri led by 18 points in the first half before Georgia (4-2, 3-1) cut the lead to 28-26 in the fourth quarter.

The Tigers answered the challenge with two late touchdowns, despite losing Franklin.

Missouri’s first road win over a top 10 team since 1981 helped continue the Tigers’ recovery from a 5-7 finish in 2012, their first in season in the SEC. The Tigers have scored 38 or more points in each of their six wins, including last week’s 51-28 win at Vanderbilt.

”There is no question that one of the goals for this team is to get back to Missouri’s winning ways,” Pinkel said. ”It is a big deal to them. … They want to get back to competing for championships.”

The Tigers ended Georgia’s streak of 15 straight home wins.

After Franklin was taken to the locker room, Mauk threw a lateral to Sasser, who stopped and tossed a high, deep pass to the end zone for Washington. Washington, who outfought cornerback Damian Swann for the catch, had 115 yards and two touchdowns.

”I came in and everybody just told me to keep calm,” Mauk said. ”So I came in and got the plays to our guys. We executed well at the end. … We scored when we needed to.”

James Ponder’s interception of Aaron Murray’s pass with 4:25 remaining set up Henry Josey’s 7-yard touchdown run to end Georgia’s hopes.

Murray threw two interceptions and lost one of Georgia’s two fumbles.

Georgia coach Mark Richt said turnovers helped decide the game.

”It was 4-0 on the turnovers,” Richt said. ”They did a really good job of securing the ball, and we didn’t. You hear coaches say it over and over, but you can’t win a game turning it over like that.”

The Bulldogs had won four straight on the strength of a powerful offense, including 44-41 over LSU and 34-31 in overtime over Tennessee the last two weeks. Georgia’s wave of injuries at tailback and wide receiver left Murray with inexperienced backups at the skill positions to keep pace against another high-scoring opponent.

Georgia almost filled a bench on its sideline with injured players who wore their red game jerseys over black warm-up pants. Among them was star tailback Todd Gurley (ankle).

After the game, Missouri players ran to edge of the Sanford Stadium hedges and celebrated their biggest SEC win yet with fans in the corner of an end zone.

Murray threw his second interception in the final minute. He completed 25 of 45 passes for 290 yards with three touchdowns.

”We had plenty of chances to tie it up, but we just didn’t execute,” Murray said.

”We did a pretty good job of getting back in the game. We were within 2 points of tying it up but just couldn’t quite get it done.”

Franklin scored on a 5-yard run in the first quarter and threw a 16-yard scoring pass to Washington in the second quarter.

Franklin completed 18 of 27 passes for 170 yards. Marcus Murphy had a 36-yard touchdown run for the Tigers.

Defensive end Michael Sam returned a fumble recovery 21 yards for a touchdown to give Missouri a 28-10 lead late in the second quarter. Murray fumbled when he was sacked by defensive end Shane Ray.

Georgia rallied as Murray threw touchdown passes of 7 yards to Rantavious Wooten in the third quarter and 10 yards to Chris Conley early in the fourth quarter. Conley couldn’t catch Murray’s pass on the 2-point conversion attempt that would have tied the game, leaving Missouri with a 28-26 lead.

Georgia was also without running back Keith Marshall (right knee) and three of its best receivers. Freshmen J.J. Green and Brendan Douglas filled in at tailback.

Georgia starting safety Tray Matthews, who hurt his hamstring in practice Tuesday, also did not play.

The loss of so many top threats on offense was the big news of the week for Georgia, but season-long problems on defense were just as glaring against Missouri. The Bulldogs began the day 12th in the SEC in pass defense and last in the league with its average of 32.2 points allowed.

Missouri almost matched that total in the first half.

Georgia needed help from three Missouri penalties, including two offside calls, for its only touchdown drive of the first half which ended with Murray’s 7-yard scoring pass to Douglas late in the first quarter.

Missouri outscored Georgia 28-3 the remainder of the half.

— Associated Press —

Mizzou Football senior defensive lineman Michael Sam (Hitchcock, Texas) has been named the Southeastern Conference’s Defensive Lineman Player of the Week for the second week in a row, the league office announced on Monday. Sam picked up his second consecutive 3.0-sack performance in the Tigers’ 51-28 win at Vanderbilt in their SEC opener. The Mizzou DE made two of his sacks on 4th-down plays in the fourth quarter as he recorded five total stops in the victory.

The second honor for Sam marks the first time since 2007 that a Mizzou defender has been recognized with a weekly conference honor twice in one season. Pig Brown earned Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 4 and Oct. 22 of that year.

Sam’s 3.0 sacks tie the NCAA single-game high through Oct. 5 this season, and Sam is the only player in the nation so far to record 3.0 sacks in a game twice. The feat has been accomplished 16 times overall across the country, with Sam as the only repeat performer on the single-game list.

Sam’s recognition is the fourth Defensive Line Player of the Week honor earned by a Mizzou player from the SEC after junior DL Markus Golden (St. Louis, Mo.) and junior DL Kony Ealy (New Madrid, Mo.) earned the award for their defensive scores in the Sept. 7 win over Toledo and the Sept. 21 win at Indiana, respectively.

No. 25 Mizzou (5-0) hits the road for a Top 25 matchup at No. 7 Georgia on Saturday, Oct. 12, with an 11 a.m. kickoff on ESPN.

— MU Sports Information —