COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball head coach Robin Pingeton announced the signing of Iowa native Grace Berg. Berg, a 6-foot explosive scorer from Indianola, Iowa, inked a National Letter of Intent to play for Mizzou on Wednesday.

“I chose Mizzou because I love the coaches and Mizzou feels like a second home to me,” Berg said. “I felt that Mizzou was the best fit for me.”

Berg is No. 37 in the nation and No. 2 in the state of Iowa in espnW’s 2018 HoopGurlz Recruiting Rankings. She is a two-time Class 5A Iowa Girls Coaches Association First Team All-State honoree and three-time state tournament qualifier. Entering her senior campaign, she has already racked up 1,276 career points, 575 career rebounds, 161 career assists and 184 career steals.

As a junior, Berg averaged 20.4 points and 10 rebounds per game while leading Indianola High School to a 24-1 record and a No. 1 ranking for the majority of the season. She garnered First Team All-Little Hawkeye Conference and Newspaper Association First Team All-State recognition. In postseason play, Berg set the 5A single-game state tournament scoring record with a career-high 36 points in Indianola’s quarterfinal win.

In 2015-16, Berg was the Class 5A Iowa state leader in field goal percentage, shooting a scorching 63.6 percent. She also led all classes in the state in field goal percentage during her freshman season as she shot 68.3 percent from the field.

As a sophomore, she poured in 17.3 points per game and added 7.0 rebounds and 3.2 steals per contest. She was a unanimous First Team CIML Metro Division selection following both her freshman and sophomore campaigns.

Berg is also a standout runner, competing and succeeding at a high level in both cross country and track & field. She is a three-time individual state qualifier in cross country and holds the 5K school record with a time of 19:07. Additionally, last spring, she helped her 4×800-meter relay team place sixth overall at the Iowa State Track & Field Championships.

Berg boasts a 3.7 GPA. She is a member of Indianola’s National Honor Society and has received Academic All-Conference recognition every season in each of the three sports she has lettered in.

Mizzou Women’s Basketball opens the 2017-18 season at the Hawkeye Challenge on Friday as the Tigers take on Western Kentucky at 2:30 p.m. CT in Iowa City, Iowa.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Arena will be rowdy and packed to the rafters for the first season of the Cuonzo Martin era, as Mizzou Men’s Basketball season tickets for 2017-18 are officially sold out, the athletic department announced Tuesday.

“The response from Mizzou fans and the excitement here in Columbia and around the state of Missouri has been outstanding,” Martin said. “Our home court advantage has the potential to be tremendous, so we’ll need Mizzou fans night in and night out. Whether it’s a Saturday in December or a Tuesday night in February, our program will work to do its part. We can’t wait to see you all there with us every step of the way.”

Mizzou Arena holds 15,061 fans, and Mizzou Athletics has sold 15,600 season tickets to date, including 6,028 student combo tickets which are good for both Tiger men’s basketball and football games.

The Tigers’ 2017-18 public season ticket sales total of 9,572 is a Mizzou Arena record, and an increase of nearly 4,000 tickets over last year’s final total of 5,802. Mizzou’s student season ticket total of 6,028 is double last year’s total of 3,008 and marks the most sold since the 2013-14 campaign when 6,816 student tickets were purchased. Mizzou Arena’s last sold-out men’s basketball game was for the Tigers’ 93-63 victory over Arkansas, March 5, 2013.

“We are looking forward to seeing the excitement and energy at Mizzou Arena this season, and are extremely grateful for all Mizzou fans who have purchased season tickets for the upcoming season,” said Mizzou Director of Athletics Jim Sterk. “I am confident that our fans will provide the Tigers with a tremendous home court advantage this winter.”

Historically, Mizzou Athletics has over-sold student seating at men’s basketball games, dating back to when the Tigers played in the Hearnes Center, due to a high no-show rate among student ticket purchasers. Student tickets will be available to claim online at www.mutigers.com/students approximately one week before home games and once all 4,000 tickets are claimed, the window will close and students will no longer be able to claim tickets.

The general public will have extremely limited opportunities to purchase single-game tickets when unclaimed visiting team or Mizzou student tickets are returned to the Mizzou Ticket Office. Mizzou Fans looking for single-game tickets are encouraged to visit MizzouPass.com on their mobile devices, or select “Mizzou Pass” from within the “Mizzou Tigers” app. In the event of returned tickets becoming available, Mizzou Pass enrollees will receive text notification and directions on how to quickly purchase tickets from their mobile device.

Fans checking the secondary market for Mizzou Men’s Basketball tickets are encouraged to use Vivid Seats, the official resale marketplace of Mizzou Athletics. The best place to purchase and resell Mizzou tickets is at VividSeats.com, where sales and purchases are 100 percent guaranteed.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball finished exhibition play in resounding fashion, using stifling defense and a balanced offensive attack to beat McKendree, 80-30, on Monday night at Mizzou Arena. The Tigers held the Bearcats to just 25 percent shooting, while shooting 45 percent from the field themselves to build the 50-point lead. Eleven different players scored for head coach Robin Pingeton, marking the second straight game in which at least 11 different members of the Black and Gold found the scoring column. Junior guard Sophie Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.) led the way, dropping 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting. Redshirt senior forward Kayla Michael (Cincinnati, Ohio) joined Cunningham in double figures, scoring 10 points, while also pulling down six rebounds.

Turning Point
The Tigers’ first quarter defense set the tone, as they were able to jump out to a 31-7 lead courtesy of a 22-2 run to close the frame. Mizzou came out in a full court trap, making life difficult on the Bearcats from the opening tip. The Tigers forced six turnovers in the early going, using pressure and quick hands to force McKendree into early mistakes. The turnovers led to easy offense for the Black and Gold, as the Tigers generated 10 points off of those errors. Mizzou’s stout defense held McKendree to just 25 percent shooting in the opening quarter.

Top Tigers
– Junior Sophie Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.) led the Tigers in scoring and in rebounding, putting in 13 points and nabbing seven rebounds in just 15 minutes played.

– Redshirt senior Kayla Michael (Cincinnati, Ohio) showed off her versatility, registering 10 points on 50 percent shooting, pulling down six rebounds and dishing out three assists.

– Redshirt sophomore Hannah Schuchts (Tallahassee, Florida) patrolled the paint all game long, registering four blocked shots during the game, which matched her career high. She last had four blocked shots against Indiana State (11/22/16).

Notes
– Mizzou scored 31 points in the first period of play, the most points in a quarter by any Tiger team in exhibition play during the Robin Pingeton era.

– Mizzou scored 48 points in the first half, just edging their performance last time out against Southwest Baptist, when the Tigers dropped 47 points.

– Frericks had two blocked shots in the game, her most since Mizzou played Texas in the NCAA Tournament in 2016. She added nine points and seven rebounds.

Up Next
The Tigers tip off the regular season Friday, playing Western Kentucky in their first game of the Hawkeye Challenge. The game starts at 2:30 p.m. CT in Iowa City, Iowa.

— MWSU Athletics —

ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Preseason accolades continue to come in for Mizzou Men’s Basketball freshman forward Michael Porter, Jr. (Columbia, Mo.), as the Tigers’ highly touted newcomer was named to the 2017-18 Oscar Robertson Trophy Preseason Watch List, it was announced on Monday by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA).

One of nine freshmen selected to the watch list from around the country, Porter’s addition to the 32-player group comes on the legs of his recognition as the Southeastern Conference’s Co-Preseason Player of the Year.

The award is to be presented to the national player of the year by its namesake at the NCAA Final Four in San Antonio. Members of the USBWA’s board of directors chose the players to be included on the list as contenders for the Oscar Robertson Trophy.

Widely considered the nation’s No. 1 recruit after his standout high school career, the current Tiger averaged an outstanding 36.2 points and 13.6 rebounds per game as a senior in 2016-17 at Nathan Hale High School in Seattle, Washington. Prior to his stint in the Northwest, Porter led Father Tolton Catholic High School to Columbia’s first high school state basketball championship in 54 years as a junior in 2015-16. The 6-10 forward posted averages of 28.5 points and 11.8 rebounds per game during that championship campaign.

Porter has additionally been named a preseason All-American by outlets such as ESPN (Oct. 23), Athlon Sports (Oct. 9), Blue Ribbon (Sept. 18) and NBC Sports (May 25).

The full watch list can be found here. All NCAA Division I players are eligible for postseason honors from the USBWA. For the ninth straight season, the USBWA will present an Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week each Tuesday beginning Dec. 12.

In mid-March, the USBWA will announce its 2017-18 All-America Team and, at that time, finalists will also be chosen for the player of the year. Once finalists are announced, the entire USBWA membership will vote for the winner of the Oscar Robertson Trophy.

Since the 1958-59 season, the USBWA has named a National Player of the Year. In 1998, the award was named in honor of the University of Cincinnati Hall of Famer and two-time USBWA Player of the Year Oscar Robertson. It is the nation’s oldest player of the year award and the only one named after a former player.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou senior S Anthony Sherrils (Kansas City, Mo.) was named SEC Defensive Player of the Week, announced Monday by the league office. Sherrils had a pair of takeaways that led to scores to go along with six tackles in Mizzou’s 45-16 win over Florida last Saturday, its third consecutive win. This marks the first time that Sherrils has been honored with an SEC weekly honor in his career.

Sherrils recovered a muffed punt early in the first quarter against the Gators. Three plays later, Mizzou found the endzone to gain a lead that it did not relinquish. In the second quarter, Sherrils jumped a route and perfectly timed Florida QB Malik Zaire for an interception on an out-route. It was his first interception this season and third in his career. Mizzou’s offense promptly turned that pick into seven points with a Larry Rountree III touchdown run on the ensuing drive.

In the third quarter with Mizzou on top 28-6 and Florida knocking on the door on its first possession out of halftime, Sherrils again made a great play. On first and goal from the two-yardline, Sherrils broke through the right side and blew up a Lamical Perine run, likely saving a touchdown. Florida was forced backwards on the next two plays and was forced to kick a field goal as Mizzou began to run away with the game.

Mizzou will honor Sherrils and 17 other seniors Saturday at Memorial Stadium as it takes on Tennessee in big SEC East showdown. The game will kick at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN 1550 AM.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Three weeks ago, Missouri coach Barry Odom set fire to game plans, scouting reports and negative articles from the first half of the season in a motivational ploy. The Tigers haven’t lost a game since.

Perhaps Florida interim coach Randy Shannon should gather flammable objects for his own bonfire.

In a game pitting two teams riding emotional waves in opposite directions, Missouri trounced Florida 45-16 on Saturday. The Tigers (4-5, 1-4 Southeastern Conference) have won three straight games, while the Gators (3-5, 3-4) have dropped four straight.

“You’re never as good as you think, and you’re never as bad as you think,” said Odom, whose job security was questioned after Missouri opened the season 1-5. “I’ll take the positive momentum, and we’ll use it.”

Shannon can only hope the Gators aren’t as bad as they’ve looked the last two weeks. Coach Jim McElwain was fired last Sunday after a 42-7 loss to Georgia, and Florida didn’t play any better against Missouri. Shannon was asked if players were losing interest in the season.

“Never have to worry about guys checking out,” Shannon said. “Somebody wants to play in the game. If a guy’s going to check out, just go to the next guy. . You’ve just got to keep playing, keep coaching. Now if you check out as a coach? That’ll go down to the players.”

Missouri took control of the game with a 14-play, 98-yard touchdown drive that spanned the first and second quarters. The key play was a 36-yard Drew Lock pass to Emanuel Hall on first-and-25. Larry Rountree III capped the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run, giving the Tigers a 14-0 lead.

The Tigers, known for Lock’s prolific passing, leaned heavily on the running game early. Rountree carried 15 times for 83 yards and three touchdowns, and Ish Witter added 83 yards on 17 rushes. The Tigers finished with 227 rushing yards.

Lock and his receivers also exploited Florida’s tight man-to-man coverage over the top. Lock completed 15 of 20 passes for 228 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. Hall had five catches for 113 yards. J’Mon Moore had six catches for 64 yards and one touchdown.

In his previous two games against Florida, Lock was a combined 20 of 57 for 190 yards and four interceptions as the Tigers lost 21-3 and 40-14. In those games, Missouri wide receivers struggled to get off the line of scrimmage. Not this time.

“They know how to attack guys way better than what we had in the past couple years,” Lock said of his wideouts. “We’re not worried about teams trying to man us up, press us up. I’m confident in those guys being able to get off the ball. If they get off the ball, there’s not a lot of guys that will be able to run with them in this league.”

In his first start at quarterback for the Gators, graduate transfer Malik Zaire completed 13 of 19 passes for 158 yards and one interception. Florida settled for three Eddie Pineiro field goals, including a 24-yarder after it squandered a first-and-goal opportunity from the 2-yard line.

“Any time you’re in that 5-yard range going in, it hurts not to be able to punch it in due to miscues or missed assignments,” said Zaire, who previously played at Notre Dame. “Whatever the case is, that’s unacceptable.”

Florida finally reached the end zone when backup quarterback Feleipe Franks connected with Lamical Perine on a 16-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter.

Missouri safety Anthony Sherrils set up two touchdowns with turnovers. He recovered Brandon Powell’s muffed punt in the first quarter and intercepted Zaire in the second quarter. The Tigers’ defensive improvement has been a key to their turnaround. The group that yielded 43 points to FCS opponent Missouri State in the season opener has held its last three opponents to 21 points or less.

Missouri’s second-half surge also has been aided by a friendly schedule. The recent wins came against Idaho, Connecticut and Florida, which all have losing records. But the same can be said for Missouri’s next three opponents: Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Arkansas. If the Tigers win at least two of those games, they’ll be eligible for a bowl, which seemed far-fetched a month ago when Odom built his fire.

“They’re aware of it, but we won’t talk about it in here,” Odom said about the possibility of making a bowl. “We’ll talk about having an unbelievable Sunday night practice and meetings and getting the week started off Monday academically in the correct way and jump on the preparation for Tennessee and do everything possible to have a great Tuesday practice. I know that’s a boring answer

“I’d love to talk a little bit more about grander ideas and thoughts, but I don’t know that we can handle that. We’ve got something going right now, and we’ve got to focus on one day at a time. We do that, then all that other stuff will take care of itself.”

THE TAKEAWAY

MISSOURI: Lock, a junior, moved past Brad Smith into second place on Missouri’s career touchdown passes list. Lock has 58 TD passes, which is 43 behind record-holder Chase Daniel. Lock has 31 touchdown passes this season.

FLORIDA: When asked if the quarterback job would be up for grabs after Franks guided the Gators to their only touchdown and completed 7 of 10 passes for 98 yards in the fourth quarter, Shannon said he would look at the film before making a decision. “When we put Feleipe in, it was a little bit smoother,” Shannon said.

UP NEXT

MISSOURI: The Tigers will try for their fourth straight victory with a home game against Tennessee.

FLORIDA: The Gators will try to break their four-game slump at South Carolina.

— Associated Press —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball defeated Southwest Baptist, 77-55, in an exhibition matchup to begin the 2017-18 season on Thursday night at Mizzou Arena. Mizzou used a balanced offensive attack to dominate the ballgame as it shot 50 percent from the field and 12 different Tigers found the scoring column. Mizzou maintained a strong presence inside all evening as senior forwards Jordan Frericks (Quincy Ill.) and Kayla Michael (Cincinnati, Oh.), and junior forward Cierra Porter (Columbia, Mo.) dominated the glass and shot efficiently from the paint. The trio combined for 32 points and grabbed 29 boards.

Turning Point
Frericks and Michael sparked a Mizzou offensive surge in the closing minutes of the first quarter. Frericks set up Michael on a back door cut and Michael’s layup gave the Tigers a three-point lead with four minutes left in the quarter. The possession led to fluidity in the Mizzou offense and the Tigers ended the frame on a 10-2 run and held a 24-13 lead. Mizzou translated the momentum to the defensive side to start the second quarter as the Tigers forced six turnovers in the period’s first five minutes and built a 33-16 lead.

Top Tigers
– Senior Kayla Michael’s 13 rebounds were her most in a single game since she pulled in 11 in a matchup against California on November 23, 2014.

– Junior Cierra Porter recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Porter had a team-best 12 double-doubles last season.

– In her first action since the 2015-16 season, senior Jordan Frericks led all scorers with 13 points on six-of-eight shooting from the field. She also hauled in six rebounds.

– Newcomer Lauren Aldridge poured in nine points, all coming on threes. Aldridge was three-for-four from behind the arc and also grabbed a pair of rebounds. The transfer shot 36 percent from long distance for Kansas during the 2015-16 season.

Notes
– Mizzou’s 24-point first quarter matched a 24-point frame against Truman State in an exhibition game last season.

– Mizzou’s 47 points in the first half were its most in an exhibition game since the second half of an exhibition matchup with Quincy University on November 9, 2015.

– Sophomore guard Jordan Roundtree matched a career-high in points with six. She scored six in against Mississippi State on February 5, 2017.

– Mizzou held the Bearcats to a 33 percent shooting clip from the field. The shooting percentage was the lowest the Tigers have allowed since a matchup with Aurburn last season on January 26, 2017.

Up Next
Mizzou continues exhibition play Monday vs. McKendree at Mizzou Arena. Tip off is slated for 7 p.m. CT. Admission is free.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball was selected to finish third in the Southeastern Conference in a vote of the league’s coaches, announced Wednesday. Mizzou was also tabbed to place third in the SEC in the preseason media poll on Oct. 16 and once again trails only the two teams that reached the 2017 National Championship game, South Carolina and Mississippi State, in the Coaches Poll.

Third is the Tigers’ highest predicted finish since joining the SEC. Mizzou is ranked No. 16 nationally in the USA Today Coaches Preseason Top 25. That is the highest Mizzou has ever been ranked in the Coaches Poll specifically.

A trio of Tigers, junior Sophie Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.), junior Cierra Porter (Columbia, Mo.) and redshirt senior Jordan Frericks (Quincy, Ill.), earned Preseason All-SEC recognition from the league’s coaches.

Cunningham was named Preseason First Team All-SEC for the second consecutive campaign. In 2016-17, Cunningham averaged a team-best 17.5 points per game, 5.3 rebounds per game and 3.4 assists per contest. She earned First Team All-SEC honors and received AP All-America Honorable Mention recognition after pouring in 19.1 points per game during league play and reaching double figures in 26 of 31 games. Cunningham has 989 career points heading into her junior season, the second-most by any Tiger through two campaigns in program history.

Porter and Frericks were both named Preseason Second Team All-SEC. This is the first time Porter has received Preseason All-SEC honors. The 6-foot-4 junior is coming off a stellar sophomore campaign in which she started all 33 games, reaching double figures 26 times and racking up a team-best 12 double-doubles. Porter topped the SEC in total free throws made with 141 and shot a blistering 86.8 percent from the charity stripe. She also led the Tigers in rebounds (266), rebounds per game (8.1) and blocked shots (1.4) a season ago.

Frericks, a 2016 Second Team All-SEC honoree, returns to the court after being sidelined during the 2016-17 campaign with a knee injury. Entering her final season at Mizzou, Frericks has already put together an outstanding career with 1,057 career points, 789 career rebounds and 139 career assists and counting. The redshirt senior has 23 career double-doubles. She averaged 12.1 points, a team-high 7.7 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.2 steals as a junior in 2015-16, shooting 55.6 percent from the field.

As a team, Mizzou is coming off back-to-back 22-win seasons and victories in consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time in program history. The Tigers finished tied for third in the SEC last season, their highest conference finish since 1990. Mizzou went 15-1 at home in 2016-17 and the Tigers are 31-4 at Mizzou Arena since Feb. 5, 2015.

Mizzou opens up exhibition play Thursday against Southwest Baptist at 7 p.m. at Mizzou Arena. Admission is free. The Tigers begin the season Nov. 10 at the Hawkeye Challenge vs. Western Kentucky. The regular season home opener is set for Nov. 16 vs. Wright State.

For all the latest on Mizzou’s Women’s Basketball, follow the team on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @MizzouWBB and stay tuned to MUTigers.com.

Preseason Coaches’ Predictions
Order of Finish
1. South Carolina
2. Mississippi State
3. Missouri
4. Texas A&M
5. Tennessee
6. Kentucky
7. LSU
8. Georgia
9. Alabama
10. Vanderbilt
11. Auburn
12. Ole Miss
13. Florida
14. Arkansas

Player of the Year
A’ja Wilson, South Carolina

First Team All-SEC
Raigyne Louis, LSU
Victoria Vivians, Mississippi State
Morgan William, Mississippi State
Sophie Cunningham, Missouri
A’ja Wilson, South Carolina
Jaime Nared, Tennessee
Mercedes Russell, Tennessee
Khaalia Hillsman, Texas A&M

Second Team All-SEC
Caliya Robinson, Georgia
Taylor Murray, Kentucky
Shandricka Sessom, Ole Miss
Teaira McCowan, Mississippi State
Cierra Porter, Missouri
Jordan Frericks, Missouri
Tyasha Harris, South Carolina
Anriel Howard, Texas A&M
Danni Williams, Texas A&M

— Mizzou Athletics —

STORRS, Conn. (AP) — Drew Lock threw for 377 yards and five touchdowns and Missouri routed Connecticut 52-12 on Saturday night, winning back-to-back games for the first time since the start of the 2015 season.

Lock, who played just under three quarters, picked apart the nation’s worst pass defense, finishing with a career high 31 completions on 37 attempts.

“We’re talking about our outside guys being able to run by anybody,” Lock said. “And then being able to take the hitches all night made my job a lot easier, because you get 6 or 7 on those, miss a tackle and you get a first down on those as well. That just allowed us to get in our shots a little more.”

The Tigers (3-5) gave up a safety after an errant snap on the opening drive, then scored on their next five possessions to lead 31-5 at halftime.

Lock completed 14 of 15 passes in the first quarter, three of them for touchdowns, including two to freshman tight end Albert Okwuegbunam.

He also hit J’Mon Moore for two scores and hooked up with Johnathon Johnson for a 72-yard catch and run in the third quarter.

The Tigers had 583 yards of offense, 408 through the air.

“I think when the offense is going that spreads throughout the entire team and sideline,” said coach Barry Odom. “(Drew)’s got a really high skill set and receivers are catching the ball well.

Bryant Shirreffs completed 19 of 39 passes for 202 yards for UConn (3-5), but was sacked five times. The Tigers also had nine tackles for loss.

“We’re not going to show this film to these guys,” UConn coach Randy Edsall said. “We’re going to move forward and just make sure we have the right guys out there.”

THE TAKEAWAY

Missouri: Lock becomes the first Missouri quarterback to throw for at least five touchdowns five times. He has 7,298 yards passing and now trails only Brad Smith (8,799 yards) and Chase Daniel (12,515 yards) on Missouri’s all-time passing list.

“That’s really cool to me, growing up a huge Missouri Tiger fan, watching all those guys,” Lock said. “Putting my name with those guys, that’s the biggest part,” `cause that’s the coolest thing to me.”

 

Over his last five games, the junior is 114-for-166 passing for 1,668 yards. He has thrown 20 touchdowns and just three interceptions.

UConn: The Huskies were coming off back-to-back wins over Temple and Tulsa, but have not won win three in a row since 2015. UConn has now given up more than 350 yards passing to six of its eight opponents.

STREAKING

This is the first winning streak for the Tigers since beating Southeast Missouri ad Arkansas State to start the 2015 season. The win at Arkansas State also was the team’s last road win.

UP NEXT

Missouri: The Tigers return home to resume SEC play by hosting Florida next Saturday.

UConn: The Huskies begin the toughest stretch of their schedule by hosting No. 17 South Florida next week in a game rescheduled from September because of Hurricane Irma. The Bulls are coming off their first loss of the season. The Huskies then travel to the sunshine state to face No. 18 UCF.

— Associated Press —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Football junior QB Drew Lock (Lee’s Summit, Mo.) was named one of eight Manning Award Stars of the Week, announced Monday by the All-State Sugar Bowl. Lock threw for 467 yards and six touchdowns, which are the second-most in school history trailing only the seven that he threw in the season-opener against Missouri State. Lock’s 467 yards in the game are the fourth-most in program history and Lock now owns three of the top five single-game passing marks at Mizzou.

Lock had four of his TD passes in the first quarter alone as the Tigers erased an early 7-0 deficit by scoring 37-unanswered points – including a school-record 34 points in the first quarter on the way to a 51-14 halftime lead. His four 1st-quarter TD passes is tied for most in a single quarter this season among Power Five QBs.

Over his last four games, Lock has 15 passing TDs and just three interceptions while passing for 1,291 yards on 83-of-129 attempts (64.3 percent). That is good for a 182.13 QB rating in that span. Keep in mind, that those games are against Auburn, Kentucky, Georgia and Idaho. Georgia ranked ninth in the nation in pass defense when Mizzou played the Bulldogs and Idaho was ranked sixth in the nation in pass defense before Lock torched the Vandals last week.

Mizzou will be back in action Saturday as it heads to UConn for its final nonconference game of the season. The game will air on ESPN 1550 at 5:30 p.m.

— Mizzou Athletics —