ST. LOUIS (AP) — Missouri has reinstated Maty Mauk, the quarterback who was twice suspended in 2015.

New coach Barry Odom confirmed the move Wednesday before the annual Braggin’ Rights basketball game between Illinois and Missouri.

“I believe in guys having opportunities and chances,” Odom said.

Odom said he was convinced after meeting with Mauk that he was excited about rejoining the program and wanted to make it official before players left for the holiday break. Mauk has one year of eligibility remaining and could contend with freshman Drew Lock for the starting job next season. He said the two had “long talks” the last few days.

“I wanted to hear really what he wanted. Did he want to be here? Did he want to get his degree? Does he want to play football?” Odom said.

The first suspension was for a violation of program policies in late September and then-coach Gary Pinkel declined to state the reason for the second suspension.

Missouri was 5-7 in Pinkel’s final season. He resigned a few months after being diagnosed with cancer. The Tigers begin winter workouts Jan. 18.

“We need to go to work, and the depth chart will take care of itself,” Odom said.

Mauk is 17-5 as the starter and had six touchdown passes and four interceptions in four games in 2015.

“Expectations for that position, fair or not, that’s life,” Odom said. “We’ll take it a day at a time, see where it ends up.”

— Associated Press —

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Sophie Cunningham scored 21 points, Jordan Frericks added 19 points and No. 25 Missouri shut down Texas State in the fourth quarter to stay undefeated and pull out an 82-56 win on Monday.

Missouri (12-0), leading 55-48 entering the fourth quarter, limited Texas Sate to eight points over the final 10 minutes. The Bobcats missed their first five field goal attempts in the quarter and made just 3 of 14 from the floor in the frame as the Tigers ran away.

An eight-point Missouri spurt — including a 3-pointer by Cunningham — pushed the once-tight lead over 20 points with 3:37 to go.

Sophie Cunningham grabbed nine rebounds and Lindsey Cunningham had a career-high 14 assists for the Tigers.

Texas State (5-5) was led by Kaitlin Walla with 18 points, including four 3-pointers. Ericka May added 10 points.

— Associated Press —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Head Football Coach Barry Odom has added Chris Wilson to his new coaching staff, as announced today.  Wilson will serve as Mizzou’s defensive line coach, a position he has enjoyed great success at coaching almost exclusively during his 23-year career.  Wilson has coached the position 19 of his 23 years, and has mentored some of the nation’s top linemen at programs such as Colorado, Oklahoma, Mississippi State, Georgia and USC in his career.

Wilson comes to Mizzou after coaching the past two seasons at USC, where he guided star defensive end Leonard Williams to first-team All-American status in 2014.  Williams went on to become the sixth overall pick of the 2015 NFL Draft.  Overall, Wilson has coached in 13 bowl games since 2001, including the 2009 BCS National Championship, while his teams have won three conference titles during that span.  Details of Wilson’s contract will be released once fully executed, along with the completion of human resources procedures.

“Chris Wilson is a great fit for our staff,” said Odom.  “I’ve known of him and thought highly of him for a number of years.  I’ve recruited against him, I’ve watched him at Oklahoma, Colorado, Mississippi State and Georgia and I’ve enjoyed the way he gets his guys to play with great energy and passion.  He’s very passionate about coaching the defensive line and he’s got a great feel for fundamentals and understanding what it takes to mentor a group and lead them and have them playing at their best level.  He’s really respected nationally as a recruiter and he’s done a great job of developing relationships in a lot of different places where we recruit in SEC territory,” he said.

“I’m definitely excited about the opportunity to be at such a great institution and program as Mizzou and also to be back in the SEC,” said Wilson.  “I’ve seen Mizzou in person a lot, both as a coach and a player, and I’ve always enjoyed the energy of their fan base.  You can tell the football program is important to the state and their culture.  What they’ve been able to accomplish as a program in their short time in the league, being in two championship games, is really impressive.  I’m excited about working with Coach Odom and his staff, I see him as progressive and as an outside the box guy who is going to do big things.  I understand the tradition of excellence that Mizzou has had with the defensive line, and I’m honored to come in and work hard to help give them a chance to be even better in the future,” he said.

Wilson, 46, spent 2013 as Georgia’s defensive line coach. The Bulldogs, who played in the 2014 Gator Bowl, were 28th nationally in sacks in 2013.

He spent the previous three seasons (2010-12) at Mississippi State handling the defensive line.  He also was the Bulldogs’ co-defensive coordinator in 2010 before becoming defensive coordinator the final two years.  In 2010, MSU was 15th nationally in rushing defense and 17th in tackles for a loss.  The Bulldogs improved in seven defensive statistical categories in 2011, including ranking 16th nationally in scoring defense (19.7), tied for eighth in fumble recoveries and tied for 14th in interceptions.  Defensive lineman Fletcher Cox was a 2011 All-American and an NFL first round draft pick.  MSU played in the 2011 and 2013 Gator Bowls and 2011 Music City Bowl.

Wilson came to Mississippi State after five seasons (2005-09) coaching the defensive ends at Oklahoma, his alma mater.  He also was the special teams coordinator the final three years there.  The Sooners led the Big 12 in sacks in 2007 and then in 2009 they were eighth nationally in rushing defense and total defense and seventh in scoring defense.  Oklahoma played in the 2005 Holiday Bowl, 2007 and 2008 Fiesta Bowls, 2009 BCS Championship Game and 2009 Sun Bowl.

Before that, he was Colorado’s defensive line coach for five years (2000-04).  The Buffaloes won three Big 12 North titles during that time and were 15th nationally in sacks in 2004.  Colorado played in the 2002 Fiesta Bowl, 2002 Alamo Bowl and 2004 Houston Bowl.

He was the defensive line coach at Illinois State for two seasons (1998-99), with the Redbirds winning the Gateway Conference title and advancing to the NCAA Division I-AA semifinals in 1999.  He then handled the same duty in the spring of 2000 at Army before going to Colorado.

Wilson began his coaching career in 1993 as a graduate assistant at Indiana State, then became the Sycamores’ linebackers coach in 1994.  He handled the outside linebackers at Northern Illinois in 1995, then was the defensive line coach at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M Junior College in 1996 before returning to Indiana State in 1997 as the outside linebackers coach and recruiting coordinator.

He had NFL minority internships with the Dallas Cowboys (1995), Arizona Cardinals (1997) and Miami Dolphins (1998).

A Richardson, Texas native, Wilson was a four-year (1988-91) letterman linebacker at Oklahoma, recording 303 career tackles.  He twice was named team captain, and was a member of Sooner squads that played in the 1989 Citrus Bowl and 1991 Gator Bowl.  He was a 12th round NFL Draft pick by the Chicago Bears in 1992.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball earned the No. 25 spot in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll released on Monday afternoon. The Tigers received 79 votes from various media members throughout the country covering NCAA Women’s Basketball. The national ranking is the first for the Mizzou program since the Tigers were ranked No. 24 for the week of Jan. 9, 2006. Prior to that week, Mizzou hadn’t entered the AP Top 25 Poll since Jan. 6, 1985.

Mizzou is off to the first 11-0 start in program history. The Tigers rank second nationally in free throw shooting percentage (78.2), 11th in scoring margin (+24.6) and rebounding margin (+13.0), 23rd in field goal percentage (46.1), 24th in 3-pointers per game (8.3), 26th in scoring offense (79.1 points per game), 29th in scoring defense (54.5 points per game) and 35th in field goal percentage defense (34.8).

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball (11-0) drained 16 shots from beyond the 3-point arc and dished out 27 assists as the Tigers defeated Lamar (3-7) 91-57 on Sunday afternoon at Mizzou Arena. Sophie Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.) led the Tigers with 27 points, six rebounds and three assists in 20 minutes of action.

“The thing that made me proudest of our effort today was our unselfish play,” head coach Robin Pingeton said. “I thought we had some tremendous ball movement. I feel like our starters have done a great, consistent job of not forcing the action and trusting each other. We had 27 assists today and there’s a lot to be proud of there.”

Cunningham scored 14 points in the first quarter, marking the third time this season she has scored 14 in a single period. She had 19 points at halftime and finished 9-for-11 shooting from the floor, 4-for-6 from 3-point range and 5-for-5 at the free throw line.

Jordan Frericks (Quincy, Ill.) added 11 points and a game-high nine rebounds to go along with three assists and two steals. Sierra Michaelis (Mercer, Mo.) scored nine points on three triples with a season-high five assists. Lindsey Cunningham (Columbia, Mo.) also scored nine points on three treys and dished out six assists.

Bri Porter (Columbia, Mo.) grabbed six rebounds and blocked a career-high three shots while Lianna Doty (St. Louis, Mo.) grabbed four steals in reserve action.

The Tigers shot 45 percent (32-for-71) from the field, 40 percent (16-for-40) from 3-point range and 92 percent (11-for-12) for the game. In the second half alone, Mizzou shot 52 percent (15-for-29) from the floor.

Mizzou held a 53-31 rebounding advantage and outscored the Cardinals 22-8 off of turnovers and 23-5 in second-chance points.

Mizzou returns to play Monday with a 7 p.m. CT tipoff vs. Texas State at Mizzou Arena.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — North Carolina State’s leading scorer, Cat Barber, is no stranger to buzzer-beaters, including a 3-pointer as time expired in the Wolfpack’s 76-73 win over High Point Wednesday.

Though it wasn’t a game-winner, Barber hit a 3-pointer to close the first half of what became a 73-59 victory over Missouri Saturday night.

Barber scored 33 points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out four assists as North Carolina State handed Missouri its first home loss.

North Carolina State coach Mark Gottfried secured his 100th victory, becoming the second fastest coach in school history to reach that milestone behind Everett Case. Gottfried gave Barber a lot of the credit.

“I think he has kind of put this team on his back,” Gottfried said. “He’s done it every night for us. He’s made big shots. He leads by example. He’s the hardest working guy in practice every single day. I’m really proud of him.”

Cullen VanLeer led Missouri with 12 points, shooting 4 of 7 from 3-point range. Tramaine Isabell added 10 points while Terrence Phillips and Wes Clark each scored seven.

VanLeer said Barber’s mid-range shot makes him particularly difficult to guard.

“He’s just a good athlete, and then he has a mid-range game, which most people don’t have anymore,” VanLeer said. “When a guy can stop and pull up on a dime, most people don’t know how to guard that and he’s got that pretty much down.”

Abdul-Malik Abu had 13 points to go with 11 rebounds for his third double-double of the season. Abu shot 4 of 8 from the field and was a perfect 5-for-5 from the free throw line in only 17 minutes.

Missouri (5-5) jumped out to a 19-9 lead after holding the Wolfpack (8-3) scoreless for the first four minutes. North Carolina State started slow, shooting 4 of 12 in the first ten minutes. Barber was 4 of 6 from the field during that stretch while the rest of North Carolina State was 0 of 6 from the field with one point, a free-throw by Lennard Freeman.

K.J. Walton assisted Russell Woods on a dunk in transition, igniting the crowd near the end of the first half. Barber then silenced the crowd on the ensuing possession by hitting a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to give the Wolfpack a one-point lead.

“It was a good shot,” Barber said. “Time running down, coach told me to go, so that’s what I did. It was good that we knew we were up one, but that didn’t matter. We still had to come out in the second half and be ready to guard and play.”

North Carolina State was able to carry the momentum of that shot into the second half, opening on a 21-10 run. The Wolfpack maintained the lead for the final 18:39, leading by as many as 20 in that time.

The Wolfpack dominated the glass in the second half, outrebounding Missouri 25-13 after matching the Tigers’ rebounding total of 16 in the first half. North Carolina State won the offensive rebounding margin 15-7 and scored 20 second-chance points to Missouri’s three.

“We knew the key to the game was going to be rebounding,” Missouri coach Kim Anderson said. “Obviously in the second half, they took total control of the inside.”

“We just didn’t come out with the same intensity to start the second half as we did the first half,” VanLeer said. “We just got down and couldn’t come back.”

Free-throws proved to be the difference in the game, as Missouri struggled defensively after halftime. After attempting only seven free-throws in the first half, North Carolina State attacked the basket aggressively, making 20 of 23 free-throws in the second half.

The Tigers shot 8 of 19 from the foul line, five fewer attempts than their season average.

TIP-INS

Missouri: Namon Wright has emerged as the Tigers’ top rebounder, averaging five per game after only 2.3 per game last season … Missouri is averaging 24.6 free-throws per game compared to the 17.5 it averaged last season … Phillips went to Oak Hill Academy with North Carolina State’s Cody and Caleb Martin, who are identical twins.

North Carolina State: BeeJay Anya is the ACC’s active career leader in blocked shots with 169, including 31 this season … Freshman guard Maverick Rowan reclassified to the class of 2015 after earning his high school diploma over the summer … With this victory the Wolfpack now lead the all-time series against Missouri 3-2….

UP NEXT

Missouri plays Illinois Wednesday in the 35th annual Braggin’ Rights at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis.

North Carolina State hosts North Carolina-Greensboro Tuesday.

— Associated Press —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Head Football Coach Barry Odom has recruited Josh Heupel to join his new coaching staff, as announced Thursday.  Heupel will serve as Mizzou’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

Heupel brings with him an impressive track record of success, including four national championship game appearances, seven BCS bowl games and coaching oversight of two Heisman Trophy winning quarterbacks.   He has 13 years of coaching and recruiting experience at the highest level, including the last five seasons as offensive coordinator and play caller at Oklahoma and Utah State.  Heupel is currently finishing his first season as assistant head coach/offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach with Utah State, and will join the Mizzou staff shortly after the conclusion of the Aggies’ bowl game on Dec. 22nd against Akron in the Idaho Potato Bowl.  Details of Heupel’s contract will be released once fully executed, along with the completion of human resources procedures.

The upcoming bowl game will mean that Heupel has been part of 13 bowl games and six conference championship teams since beginning his coaching career in 2003, including 11 seasons on staff at his alma mater Oklahoma (2003-04, 2006-14).  During his coaching tenure at OU, the Sooners played in three national championship games (2003, 2004 and 2008 seasons), and Heupel helped mentor two Heisman Trophy winning quarterbacks in Jason White (2003) and Sam Bradford (2008), while a third, Landry Jones, won the Sammy Baugh Award in 2010 as the nation’s top passer.  Heupel’s name also carries a lot of clout in recruiting circles due to his prowess as a quarterback during his playing days, when he led Oklahoma to the BCS National Championship in 2000, while finishing as the Heisman runner-up that season.

“I’m really pleased to have someone the caliber of Josh Heupel join our staff,” said Odom.  “I’ve known him for a long time and have always respected him highly, as a player, a coach, a recruiter and a coordinator.  I’ve been impressed by the offenses that he runs, they’re very difficult to defend, and his achievements speak for themselves.  He’s a high-character person who has the type of leadership abilities that will be outstanding for our program, and he’s exactly what we’re looking for.  We’re excited to have him on board,” said Odom.

“I am very grateful to Coach Odom for this opportunity,” said Heupel.  “First and foremost I believe in the person Barry Odom is and what he stands for.  I believe in the vision that he has for this program.  I have a lot of respect for Mizzou and the football program, as someone who’s seen it from an outsider’s perspective for a long time.  I believe this is a special place that has just scratched the surface of what it can be, and it’s a program that is capable of winning championships on a consistent basis.  I want to be part of that.  I think it’s a great time to be at Mizzou, and I’m excited to get there and to go to work,” he said.

Utah State has reached a bowl game in 2015, despite losing all-star quarterback Chuckie Keeton to a season-ending knee injury after just three games.  Despite that loss, Heupel’s Aggie offense improved to 60th nationally in scoring (29.7 ppg), up from 81st in 2014, prior to his arrival there.

In his final season at Oklahoma, the Sooner offense led the nation in fewest sacks allowed (0.69 pg), and led the Big 12 and ranked 10th nationally by averaging 261.2 rushing yards per game, which was the best output by OU since 1991.  OU also ranked third in the Big 12 and 20th in the nation in scoring (36.4 ppg), and fifth in the Big 12 and 23rd nationally in total offense (464.7 ypg).

With Heupel calling the signals of a balanced Oklahoma offensive attack in 2013, the Sooners led the Big 12 by averaging 223.9 rushing yards and 423.0 yards of total offense.  Despite three different quarterbacks seeing action over the course of the season, the Sooners registered an 11-2 campaign, culminating with a 45-31 win against Alabama in the Sugar Bowl.

In 2012, Oklahoma ranked fifth in the nation in passing (336.5 ypg) and 12th in total offense (497.9 ypg) as Jones became the Big 12’s all-time leader in passing yards and total offense.  Jones also finished his career third all-time in passing yards (16,646) and fifth all-time in touchdowns (123) in FBS history.

In 2011, Heupel’s unit finished fourth nationally in both total offense (512.3 ypg) and passing offense (349.4 ypg).  Jones ranked third in the nation in total offense that year after finishing second in the nation in passing yards in 2010 when he won the Sammy Baugh Award as the nation’s top passer.  Jones led all FBS freshmen with 26 touchdowns after Bradford was lost to injury in the 2009 season opener.

In 2008, Heupel tutored Bradford, who won the Heisman Trophy, Davey O’Brien and Sammy Baugh Awards, after throwing for 4,720 yards and 50 touchdowns with just eight interceptions and leading the nation in passing efficiency.

Prior to being a full-time assistant at Oklahoma, Heupel spent the 2005 season as the tight ends coach at Arizona.  He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Oklahoma as he helped the Sooners to the 2004 (Sugar Bowl) and 2005 (Orange Bowl) national championship games.  A native of Aberdeen, S.D., Heupel began his collegiate playing career at Weber State where he played in four games as a redshirt freshman in 1997.  He then spent his sophomore season at Snow College in Ephraim, Utah, where he earned All-American honors as he passed for 2,308 yards and 28 touchdowns.

Heupel then transferred to Oklahoma for his final two seasons, and he was the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy as a senior in 2000 while leading the Sooners to an undefeated regular season and a national championship victory against Florida State in the 2001 Orange Bowl.  As a senior, Heupel was named the Associated Press Player of the Year, the Walter Camp Award winner, the Archie Griffin Award winner and a consensus All-American. Overall, Heupel was OU’s first consensus All-America quarterback and first Oklahoma quarterback since 1971 to earn All-America honors.

During his two years at Oklahoma, Heupel posted a 20-5 record as the starting quarterback as he passed for 7,456 yards with 53 touchdowns. Overall, Heupel still ranks among the top three quarterbacks all-time in school history in passing yards (7,456), completions (654) and touchdowns passes (53) despite playing just two seasons.

Following his collegiate career, Heupel was drafted in the sixth round of the 2001 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Football head coach Barry Odom announced Wednesday  that Tyler Howell (Olathe, Kan.) has signed his letter of intent to join Mizzou’s program for the 2016 season. Howell, a 6-8, 300-pound offensive lineman, joins Mizzou after a successful career at Butler Community College where he most recently played in 2014. He will be eligible for the 2016 season.

Howell is a big-bodied offensive tackle with tremendous size and length combined with good quickness and footwork. He was a First Team Junior College All-American and rated as the 37th-best junior college prospect by ESPN and the fifth-best junior college offensive lineman in the 2015 class. Rivals and 247 Sports rated him as a three-star prospect and Rivals ranked him as the No. 43 junior college prospect in the nation and the eighth-best offensive lineman in the 2015 junior college class.

Howell helped guide Butler to an 8-3 record in 2014, while working across an offensive line that was paramount in helping gain more than 5,000 yards of total offense. He chose Mizzou over offers from Arizona State, Arkansas, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky and Penn State among others.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – A trio of Mizzou Football standouts were named Freshman All-Americans by Sporting News on Wednesday (Dec. 16). DT Terry Beckner, Jr. (East St. Louis, Ill.), DE Walter Brady (Florence, Ala.) and P Corey Fatony (Franklin, Tenn.) were the three Mizzou players selected to the Freshman All-America Team. Mizzou’s three Freshman All-Americans are tied for the most among any team in the nation with Alabama.

Beckner was one of the nation’s most dominant freshmen as a DT before being sidelined by injury on the first play vs. BYU on Nov. 14. In what turned out to be just nine games worth of work, Beckner tallied 27 total tackles (13 solo) while tallying eight tackles-for-loss and three sacks. His eight TFLs were the most among Mizzou interior linemen and he was playing his best football before getting hurt vs. BYU. In the previous four games prior to BYU, Beckner tallied five of his eight TFLs, 18 (10 solo) of his 27 tackles and all three of his sacks. He was one of eight true freshmen to see the field for Mizzou in 2015.

As good as Beckner was along the defensive line, Brady may have been the most productive freshman defensive lineman in the nation in 2015. He tied for the team lead in sacks (seven) and was second on the team with 12.5 tackles for loss with an interception, two pass break-ups, seven quarterback hurries and a fumble recovery. His seven sacks led all freshmen nationally and he ranked eighth in the SEC in that category. His 12.5 TFLs ranked 14th in the SEC and no freshman in the SEC had more sacks or TFLs than Brady. He was a Hendricks Award Watch List honoree midway through 2015.

Fatony, who earned the team’s Special Forces Player of the Year, was tremendous as the team’s starting punter. Fatony set the Mizzou single season record with 81 punts, passing a record that had stood at Mizzou since 1995. He was named to the Ray Guy Award Watch List and was the Ray Guy National Player of the Week following Mizzou’s game against Florida (Oct. 10) in which he punted nine time while averaging 47.8 yards per punt with a career-long of 61 yards, pinning the Gators inside the 20 four times with three kicks over 50 yards. He finished the season ranked first among freshmen nationally in net punting, averaging 42.9 yards per punt.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – A pair of standouts from Mizzou Football’s excellent defense have been recognized among the best in the SEC as senior LB Kentrell Brothers (Guthrie, Okla.) and sophomore DE Charles Harris (Kansas City, Mo.) have been named to the Associated Press All-SEC Teams. Brothers was a first team honoree while Harris landed on the second team. That is the same distinction that each landed last week when the SEC announced the coaches’ All-SEC Team.

Brothers put together one of the most prolific seasons in MU history in 2015, and was named a first-team All-SEC performer for his efforts. The tackling machine ended the season with 152 total tackles, which leads the nation (next-most is 140), while his 12.7 tackles per game mark is also tops in the country.  He also leads the nation in 2015 with three blocked kicks on the year.  The 152 tackles ranks as the 4th-most in Mizzou season history, and gave him 358 for his career, which puts him 8th all-time on the MU career chart. He became the first Tiger in the Gary Pinkel era with seven consecutive games of 10+ tackles to close the season. He broke the 15 tackle mark four times in 2015 and added 12.0 tackles for loss, two interceptions and was second in the nation with three blocked kicks.

Brothers becomes the first Mizzou linebacker to win all-SEC acclaim by league coaches since joining the conference in 2012.  He was a second-team All-SEC pick by the Associated Press in 2014 when he led Mizzou with 122 total tackles.  He is the first Tiger linebacker to receive first-team all-conference honors since Andrew Gachkar in 2010 (Associated Press).  The last time a Tiger linebacker was first-team all-conference by league coaches was in 2009 by Sean Weatherspoon.

Harris continued the proud lineage of outstanding play by #DLineZou, as he won second-team All-SEC honors by the AP for a season that included 18.5 tackles for loss (ranking him 8th nationally and first in the SEC) and 7.0 sacks.  Harris, a first-year starter, led the Tigers with 10 quarterback pressures and two forced fumbles, while finishing with 56 total tackles and a pass breakup.

Mizzou’s defense was among the nation’s best in 2015, as it finished the season ranked in the top-10 in scoring defense (sixth – 16.2 ppg) and ninth in total defense (302.0 ypg).

— Mizzou Athletics —