COLUMBIA, Mo. – The Southeastern Conference has finalized the 2018 football schedules for all 14 league members, as announced Tuesday by the league office. Mizzou will play seven games at Faurot Field/Memorial Stadium next season, including the annual Battle Line Rivalry game Presented by Shelter Insurance against Arkansas (Nov. 24).

The 2018 season will begin with a pair of home non-conference games against UT-Martin on Sept. 1 and Sept. 8 against Wyoming. The Labor Day weekend matchup with UT-Martin will mark the first-ever gridiron meeting between the schools, as will the next week against Wyoming.

Week three will see the Tigers take to the road to face Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind. on Sept. 15. Mizzou will be making its fourth appearance there, but first since 1954. The September portion of the 2018 schedule will close out with the SEC opener on Sept. 22 in Columbia against Georgia. It marks the third time since joining the SEC that Mizzou has started conference play against UGA (2012, 2016).

After an open date on Sept. 29, the Tigers will take to the road for consecutive away contests at South Carolina (Oct. 6) and at Alabama (Oct. 13), the latter of which will be Mizzou’s first-ever game in Tuscaloosa. The Tigers played Alabama in Birmingham in 1975, and claimed a 20-7 upset win over the second-ranked Tide.

 

The Tigers will return home for two weeks, beginning with an Oct. 20 game against Memphis, followed by Kentucky on Oct. 27. The Memphis game will mark Homecoming for Mizzou, continuing the proud tradition made famous on the MU campus beginning in 1911.

When the calendar turns to November, Mizzou will alternate away home games each week, beginning with a Nov. 3 game in The Swamp at Florida, followed by a Nov. 10 home game with Vanderbilt. The regular-season schedule closes with a Nov. 17 game at Tennessee, and wraps up with the budding Thanksgiving Week rivalry game with Arkansas.

2018 MIZZOU FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

Sept. 1 vs. Tennessee-Martin
Sept. 8 vs. Wyoming
Sept. 15 at Purdue
Sept. 22 vs. Georgia
Oct. 6 at South Carolina
Oct. 13 at Alabama
Oct. 20 vs. Memphis
Oct. 27 vs. Kentucky
Nov. 3 at Florida
Nov. 10 vs. Vanderbilt
Nov. 17 at Tennessee
Nov. 24 vs. Arkansas

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Purdue quarterback David Blough started his first game of the season Saturday against Missouri. He played like he never wants to give up the role.

Blough led the Boilermakers to touchdowns on their first three drives in a 35-3 victory.

“David played very well. He was very efficient,” Purdue coach Jeff Brohm said. “Made plays, made some plays with his feet, didn’t turn the ball over. I see improvement.”

Purdue (2-1) uses a two-quarterback system, and Elijah Sindelar started the first two games. Blough’s strong showing in last week’s victory over Ohio earned him the start at Missouri. He made the decision look smart, completing 22 of 28 passes for 187 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for Purdue’s first touchdown, carrying 5 yards for the only points the Boilermakers needed.

Purdue opened the game with methodical touchdown drives of 75, 87 and 96 yards.

“It’s just a title, it doesn’t define anything for me,” Blough said of getting the start. “I would have been ready if I played the second quarter. It feels good when you walk down the field, score a couple of touchdowns on the first couple of drives.”

Sindelar was efficient, too, completing 4 of 6 passes for 85 yards and a touchdown.

“We’re going to need them both at some point in time,” Brohm said

Nine Purdue players had at least one rush, with Tario Fuller carrying 19 times for 90 yards and a touchdown.

As well as Purdue played offensively, its defense was even better, holding Missouri (1-2) to just 203 yards. Missouri quarterback Drew Lock completed 12 of 28 passes for 133 yards with two interceptions. The Tigers looked like an offensive powerhouse in a season-opening 72-43 victory over Missouri State but have scored a combined 16 points in two games since.

“I feel like we got lined up, covered down and made them earn everything they got,” Brohm said. “Because of that, they didn’t earn a lot. We didn’t give them cheap plays. I thought it was a dominant defensive effort from the beginning to the end.”

The Tigers’ only points came on Tucker McCann’s 29-yard field goal as time expired in the first half. That cut the Purdue lead to 28-3.

Any thought of Missouri carrying momentum to the second half ended when linebacker Markus Bailey intercepted Lock’s sideline pass on the first drive after halftime. Blough capped that drive with a 1-yard touchdown pass to Richie Worship.

Purdue shut down running back Damarea Crockett, who entered the game with 299 yards rushing, averaging 8.3 yards per carry. The Boilermakers held him to 19 yards on 10 carries.

“We didn’t have much room to run up front,” Missouri coach Barry Odom said. “It didn’t matter much what back was in there.”

A few sequences summed up the Tigers’ listless performance. In the second quarter, Missouri committed penalties on four straight plays — three false starts and a holding infraction. Late in the fourth quarter, Lock threw what appeared to be a touchdown pass to J’Mon Moore, but Purdue cornerback Kamal Hardy wrestled it away from Moore for an interception.

“I think we all know how much potential this team has,” Crockett said. “To see us come out there like that . reality smacked us in the face.”

THE TAKEAWAY

PURDUE: The Boilermakers spread the offensive wealth. Nine players got at least one carry, and 13 receivers caught a pass. Jackson Anthrop led the receiving corps with six catches for 36 yards and a touchdown.

MISSOURI: The only positive for Missouri was the play of Corey Fatoney, who averaged 48.2 yards per punt and killed four of them inside the Purdue 20-yard line.

SOUL SEARCHING

From 2005-14, under coach Gary Pinkel, the Tigers made bowl games in nine out of 10 seasons and posted double-digit win totals in five of those seasons. After going 4-8 in his first season and starting this year 1-2, Odom’s Tigers appeared lost.

Odom conducted a fiery, lectern-smacking press conference after last week’s 31-13 loss to South Carolina. The next day, he fired defensive coordinator DeMontie Cross, citing “philosophical differences.” The move was surprising, since Odom calls all the defensive signals and is considered the de facto defensive coordinator. The defense struggled again against Purdue, and afterward Odom was somber and subdued.

“We’ve got decisions to make about what we’re going to be,” he said. “Like I’ve done since I’ve been a head coach, we’ll have very hard, frank and open discussions. Sometimes they’re really hard to do when you deal in truth and fact and honesty. That’s where we’re at.”

TIME AFTER TIME

Missouri, which runs its offense at one of the fastest paces in the nation, isn’t interested in winning the time-of-possession battle, but this was ridiculous. Purdue had the ball for 43:43, compared to Missouri’s 16:17.

UP NEXT

PURDUE: The Boilermakers travel to Michigan for their Big Ten opener.

MISSOURI: The Tigers return to Southeastern Conference play with a home game against Auburn.

— Associated Press —

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — DeMontie Cross was fired as Missouri’s defensive coordinator after a year and two games in the position.

The school announced the move Sunday, a day after the Tigers (1-1) lost 31-13 to South Carolina and a week after they gave up 43 points to Football Championship Subdivision opponent Missouri State.

Cross’ firing is effective immediately, and no immediate replacement was named in the school’s announcement. It comes ahead of the Tigers matchup with Purdue on Saturday.

A former Missouri safety from 1994-96, Cross was stripped of his play-calling duties seven games into the 2016-17 season. Even after Odom took over play-calling, the Tigers finished the season ranked worst in the Southeastern Conference in yards allowed per game.

“I am very appreciative of all that DeMontie has done for Mizzou, and am sorry that this did not work out,” Missouri coach Barry Odom said. “However, after careful evaluation, I believe it is important to make this change now.”

Through two games in this season, Odom has continued to call plays with co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Ryan Walters, outside linebackers coach Brian Odom and defensive line coach Brick Haley looking on.

Cross continued to coach inside linebackers and focus on recruiting efforts after Odom took over play-calling.

He was hired to a three-year contract at Missouri worth $600,000 per year after a three-year stint at TCU, where he coached linebackers and was a co-defensive coordinator.

— Associated Press —

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Deebo Samuel ran for two touchdowns to help South Carolina cruise to a 31-13 victory over Missouri on Saturday night in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams.

Missouri (1-1, 0-1) led 10-0 early in the second quarter when tight end Jason Reese slipped past linebacker T.J. Brunson, hauled in a Drew Lock pass and outran his pursuers. South Carolina (2-0, 1-0) trailed for only 30 seconds. Samuel returned the ensuing kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown — his second TD return in two weeks. After the Gamecocks’ Jamyest Williams intercepted Lock, Samuel struck again, scoring on a 25-yard jet sweep. Samuel finished with five catches for 45 yards.

Jake Bentley was 18 of 28 for 187 yards passing and threw a 39-yard touchdown pass to Hayden Hurst to stretch South Carolina’s lead to 21-10 midway through the third quarter. Hurst added a 2-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter.

Lock had 245 yards passing and a touchdown, but was intercepted twice.

THE TAKEAWAY

South Carolina: For the second straight week, the Gamecocks won a game in which they were outgained from scrimmage. Missouri outgained South Carolina 423-359, but the Gamecocks were plus-three in turnovers and allowed Samuel’s big kickoff return. South Carolina beat North Carolina State 35-28 last week despite being outgained 504-246.

Missouri: Missouri running back Damarea Crockett was having a big night until he jogged off the field with an injury in the third quarter and did not return. The nature of the injury wasn’t immediately revealed. He finished with 18 carries for 97 yards.

UP NEXT

South Carolina: The Gamecocks will face another SEC East opponent when Kentucky visits next Saturday.

Missouri: The Tigers face Purdue at home on Saturday.

— Associated Press —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Football junior QB Drew Lock (Lee’s Summit, Mo.) was named SEC Offensive Player of the Week, announced Tuesday (Sept. 5) by the league office. Lock quarterbacked a Mizzou offense that hung a school record 815 yards of total offense and 72 points on in-state foe Missouri State Saturday. Lock himself set Mizzou school records for passing yards (521) and passing TDs (seven).

In addition to setting school records in the aerial assault of the Bears, Lock’s 521 yards were the sixth-most ever by an SEC quarterback while his seven TDs make him just the sixth SEC player to connect on seven touchdowns.

Lock is the first Mizzou player to take home an SEC weekly honor since Marcell Frazier (Portland, Ore.) earned Defensive Lineman of the Week on Nov. 28, 2015, following his performance against Arkansas. He is the first Mizzou player to earn Offensive Player of the Week since Russell Hansbrough in 2014.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — The gold standard of quarterbacks at Missouri is Chase Daniel, who holds most of the school’s passing records. Drew Lock grabbed a few of his own Saturday, setting single-game marks for touchdown passes and passing yards as the Tigers beat Missouri State 72-43 in the season opener.

Lock threw for 521 yards and seven touchdowns.

“It’s really cool to break these records,” said Lock, a junior. “Thinking about all the guys that played quarterback in my position that I grew up watching, idolizing. . I was tied with them last year, now I get to bump up ahead of them.”

The previous passing touchdown record was five, shared by Daniel, Maty Mauk and Lock. The previous yardage record was 480, set by Jeff Handy against Oklahoma State in 1992.

When Lock threw his sixth touchdown pass, Daniel, Missouri’s starting quarterback from 2006-08 and now a backup for the New Orleans Saints, tweeted, “Records are meant to be broken!!”

While Lock’s exploits were a nice bonus for Missouri, the fact he was still piling up statistics in the fourth quarter was a troubling sign that the MU defense couldn’t get enough stops to turn a game against an FCS opponent into a blowout. The Bears hung right with the Tigers for most of the first half, leading 35-34 in the second quarter, and piled up 492 yards.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do,” Missouri Coach Barry Odom said. “I don’t want to have a lot of Arena Football scores as we keep going on this deal. We’ve got to get it fixed on that side.”

Odom, who calls the defensive signals, said he greatly simplified things at halftime, sticking almost entirely with the base defense. Missouri State scored just one touchdown in the second half after trailing 48-35 at the break.

Missouri, which racked up a school-record 815 total yards, never slowed down after scoring on the first play from scrimmage. Lock threw a quick perimeter pass to Johnathon Johnson, and Johnson veered around a downfield block from Dimetrios Mason and raced 65 yards down the right sideline to the end zone. Lock completed 21 of 34 passes and spread the touchdowns to five receivers.

J’Mon Moore had four catches for 187 yards and two touchdowns, and Johnson had five receptions for 116 yards and two scores. Damarea Crockett, who surpassed 1,000 rushing yards last year as a true freshman, carried 18 times for 202 yards and two TDs.

“I feel like that’s the best part of this offense — how many weapons we’ve got out on the perimeter, in the backfield,” Johnson said. “We’ve got a lot of weapons that we can use, a lot of stuff we can do with them.”

Missouri State showed off its playmakers, as well. The Bears scored touchdowns on their first three drives — including scoring runs of 75 and 34 yards by Calan Crowder. With 5:32 left in the second quarter, Malik Earl’s 89-yard tackle-breaking touchdown reception on a third-and-24 play gave Missouri State a 35-34 lead.

Earl had eight catches for 163 yards, and Crowder rushed 11 times for 124 yards. Sophomore quarterback Peyton Huslig completed 24 of 35 passes for 353 yards and two touchdowns in his first start.

“He did a really good job,” Missouri State coach Dave Steckel said of Huslig. “He’s got this calm confidence about himself that really helped guide the offense to keep coming back and answering.”

TAKEAWAYS

Missouri State: The Bears lost the game but found a quarterback. Huslig, a sophomore making his first start after guiding Garden City (Kan.) Community College to the junior college national championship last season, was sharp in his debut.

Missouri: It was a bad defensive day for Missouri, which ranked 118th nationally in total defense last season and hoped to show improvement in the second year of Odom’s coaching tenure. The Bears averaged 6.6 yards per play.

POINTS OFF THE BOARD

Crockett seemingly scored on a 75-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, but he unnecessarily dived from the 2-yard line into the end zone and drew a flag for unsportsmanlike conduct. It was considered a live-ball foul that took the touchdown off the board and moved Missouri back to Missouri State’s 17-yard line. The Tigers wound up settling for Tucker McCann’s 35-yard field goal.

“I was looking at big board and saw two guys behind me,” Crockett said. “One guy grabs my ankle, and I jumped out of it. I just know the second guy is coming up, and I was like, `I gotta score, I gotta score.’ The No. 1 rule is do not get tackled inside the 5, so I just dove.”

Crockett insisted he wasn’t celebrating. Odom wasn’t so sure.

“I saw the replay, and there was a touch of celebration there,” Odom said. “It was a good call.”

OFF TARGET

Missouri safety Cam Hilton was ejected for a targeting personal foul on a blindside block on a punt return in the third quarter. Hilton, a backup safety, will have to sit out the first half of next week’s game against South Carolina.

SUSPENDED

After the game, Missouri announced that senior nose tackle A.J. Logan will be held out of the first six games as a disciplinary measure stemming from the NCAA’s review of MU’s athletic tutoring program. In November, a former tutor went public with allegations that she cheated for athletes, whom she did not name.

“While I am saddened I will miss six games of my senior year, I know in my heart that I have told the truth, cooperated with the university and the NCAA, and taken full responsibility,” Logan said in a prepared statement.

UP NEXT

Missouri State: The Bears will visit FCS opponent North Dakota.

Missouri: The Tigers open Southeastern Conference play at home against South Carolina.

— Associated Press —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball added transfer Haley Troup to the program, head coach Robin Pingeton announced Wednesday. Troup joins the Tigers after originally signing with South Carolina and will sit out the 2017-18 campaign due to NCAA transfer rules. She has four years of eligibility remaining.

Troup is a 5-foot-10 guard from Gadsden, Ala., who racked up 2,284 career points, 1,235 career rebounds and 842 career assists in her illustrious career at Gadsden High School. She poured in 19.4 points and grabbed seven rebounds per game in 2016-17. The standout senior campaign earned her Alabama Super All-State First Team recognition.

As a junior, Troup averaged 17.9 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists and claimed a spot in the Alabama North/South All-Star Game in July of 2016. She was the Gadsden Messenger Co-Player of the Year and was named a finalist for Alabama Sports Writers Association Class 7A Player of the Year.

Troup garnered Alabama Sports Writers Class 7A First Team honors in 2016. By the end of her junior season, she was already in her school’s 1,000-point club as well as the 1,000-rebound club.

Troup joins a host of talented newcomers joining Pingeton’s program this fall, including redshirt junior Lauren Aldridge and freshmen Elle Brown, Nadia Green, Emmanuelle Tahane and Kelsey Winfrey. Mizzou opens the 2017-18 season Nov. 10 vs. Western Kentucky at the Hawkeye Challenge in Iowa City, Iowa. The Tigers’ home slate launches Nov. 16 against Wright State at Mizzou Arena.

— Mizzou Athletics —

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The first season of the Cuonzo Martin era will feature an exciting Southeastern Conference schedule for the 2017-18 Mizzou Men’s Basketball squad, bringing intriguing matchups to Mizzou Arena throughout the months of January, February and March.

“The Southeastern Conference has built an identity of tough, physical basketball, which is certainly exciting for me as we start this season of Mizzou Basketball,” Martin said. “The league is competitive, top to bottom, and it will be our goal as a program to factor into what makes the SEC one of the top basketball conferences in the country. We’ll certainly take pride in protecting our home court, and we look forward to seeing our fans pack Mizzou Arena to help us accomplish that.”

Mizzou’s 2018 SEC opener will take place on the road, with the Tigers heading to 2017 NCAA Final Four participant South Carolina (Jan. 3). Martin’s group returns home for back-to-back league games at home with Florida (Jan. 6), which advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight a year ago, and Georgia (Jan. 10).

The Tigers follow that two-game home stand with a trip to Arkansas (Jan. 13). Home games against Tennessee (Jan. 17) and Auburn (Jan. 24) bookend a trip to old conference foe Texas A&M (Jan. 20).

Mizzou closes January with back-to-back away matchups at Mississippi State (Jan. 27) and Alabama (Jan. 31).

The Tigers open February against defending 2017 SEC champion and Elite Eight participant Kentucky (Feb. 3) before road-tripping to Ole Miss (Feb. 6). Black & Gold fans get another chance at consecutive games in Mizzou Arena when Mississippi State (Feb. 10) and Texas A&M (Feb. 13) visit.

Martin’s squad finishes February with three road trips out of four games, beginning away at LSU (Feb.17) ahead of a home matchup with Ole Miss (Feb. 20). The Tigers then have back-to-back road games at Kentucky (Feb. 24) and at Vanderbilt (Feb. 27).

Senior Day and the conclusion of Mizzou’s SEC slate will take place vs. Arkansas (March 3).

Game times and network designations for the 2017-18 schedule will be announced at a later date by the SEC.

The 2017-18 schedule can be viewed here.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Football had four players selected to the Preseason All-SEC Teams as voted on by the league’s coaches and announced Wednesday (Aug. 23) by the Southeastern Conference. RS junior OL Paul Adams (Franklin, Tenn.) and RS senior WR J’Mon Moore (Missouri City, Texas) earned second-team honors while junior DT Terry Beckner, Jr. (East St. Louis, Ill.) and senior DE Marcell Frazier (Portland, Ore.) landed on the third team.

Adams, a standout starter at right tackle in all 12 games last year, anchored an offensive line that was one of the nation’s top turnaround stories a year ago. The group finished first nationally in tackles for loss allowed (2.92), the lowest in the nation for any team since at least 2005, a remarkable note considering Mizzou ranked 15th nationally in plays. The offensive line also led the SEC in sacks allowed (16th nationally) and paved the way for a Mizzou offense that led the SEC and ranked 15th nationally (500.5 yards per game and 205.1 on the ground).
Moore became just the eighth Mizzou player with more than 1,000 receiving yards in a single season after racking up a career-best 1,012 yards on 62 catches. The 1,012 yards rank seventh in a single season in program history and led the SEC in 2016. Moore hauled in eight touchdown receptions and posted 84.3 receiving yards per game, which ranked second in the SEC a season ago. If Moore surpasses 1,000 receiving yards during his final campaign, he would be only the second Tiger ever to have a pair of 1,000-yard seasons, joining Mizzou legend Jeremy Maclin.

Beckner, the former No. 1 overall recruit out of high school by ESPN, has been slowed by injuries in his first two years as a Tiger, seeing both years cut short by knee injuries. Back and fully healthy heading into the season, Beckner boasts 51 career tackles with 10.0 tackles for loss and three sacks. He was a First Team Freshman All-American, a Freshman All-SEC choice and the team’s Interior Lineman of the Year in 2015.

Frazier closed 2016 in strong fashion, and looks to be next in the long line of game-changing rush ends for the #DLineZou tradition. Frazier was named the SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week on Nov. 28 after sparking Mizzou’s defense in a 28-24 comeback win over Arkansas (Nov. 25), as he ended that game with three quarterback sacks (35 yards) and a quarterback pressure, as part of his four-tackle day. For the season, Frazier totaled 33 tackles in 12 games (five starts) and was second on the team with his 8.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 quarterback sacks. He also led the Tiger defense in 2016 with two fumble recoveries. Frazier had 7.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks over his final three games of 2016.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Men’s Basketball will be led by first-year head coach Cuonzo Martin onto Norm Stewart Court at Mizzou Arena seven times during the Tigers’ 2017-18 nonconference schedule, beginning with the highly anticipated season opener at home vs. Iowa State on Friday, Nov. 10.

“The season will be here soon, and we’re very excited as a program to see fans come out to Mizzou Arena,” Martin said. “Starting with the Iowa State game and also two true road games, there are opportunities for our team to compete, learn and grow. The environment at Mizzou Arena and the passion this fan base brings will play a huge role in our success, not only this season, but in the many seasons to come.”

Two of the Tigers’ next three games will take place at Mizzou Arena, with contests against Wagner (Nov. 13) and Emporia State (Nov. 20) bookending a road trip to Utah (Nov. 16).

Martin’s squad will then spend four games in Orlando, Fla., as part of the AdvoCare Invitational. For tournament play at HP Field House inside ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Complex, the Tigers begin with Long Beach State (Nov. 23), set to tip off at 10:30 a.m. CT on ESPN2. Mizzou will face either St. John’s or Oregon State in its second game (Nov. 24) before its final game against a to-be-determined opponent (Nov. 26).

The Tigers return to face fellow AdvoCare Invitational participant, UCF, in a non-bracketed game on Nov. 30, played inside CFE Arena in Orlando. Other squads heading to the AdvoCare Invitational include: Marist, Nebraska and West Virginia.

Mizzou begins a four-game home stand with Miami (Ohio) on Dec. 5, followed by Green Bay on Dec. 9. The Tigers then host North Florida (Dec. 16) and Stephen F. Austin (Dec. 19).

The Tigers will close their nonconference schedule with the annual holiday tradition of the Bud Light Braggin’ Rights Game vs. Illinois on Dec. 23 inside St. Louis’ Scottrade Center.

Game times and network designations for nonconference games will be announced at a later date by the SEC.

The 2017-18 schedule can be viewed here.

— Mizzou Athletics —