COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Safety Anthony Sherrils’ first career interception came at the right time for No. 22 Missouri.

With just under a minute left, Sherrils picked off a pass by Huskies backup quarterback Tim Boyle on a fourth-down, fake field goal attempt that sealed the Tigers’ 9-6 win over UConn on Saturday.

“Anthony made a great play,” coach Gary Pinkel said. “He has been doing really well. He is an extraordinary athlete that has great speed and acceleration.”

Sherrils said the defense expected a fake.

“We were anticipating it,” Sherrils said. “We backed up off the line to get a good look at it. The tight end released, and I knew it was a fake.”

Sherrils returned the interception 50 yards and also forced and recovered a fumble with 4:26 left in the first half for Missouri (3-0).

“Every week is a week that I look to make a play,” Sherrils said. “This week was my week, I guess. It feels good.”

UConn, which fell to 2-1, struggled on third down, converting just two of 13 attempts.

“Credit to Missouri and their staff and their players for fighting hard for four quarters,” UConn coach Bob Diaco said. “A game like that, it is one play. One play and it’s in overtime. One play and it’s a win.”

UConn quarterback Bryant Shirreffs was 17 of 26 for 156 yards, and ran 14 times for 29 yards. The Huskies were 1 of 3 on fourth-down plays, converting on a 13-yard run by Justin Wain off a fake punt.

Missouri took a 2-0 lead in first-quarter on a safety after Clarence Greene blocked a punt that went out of the end zone.

“It just felt good to put points on the board,” Green said. “We haven’t had a block on a punt in a while, so me and Brandon Lee said `we’re going to have to get one today.”

After UConn scored a touchdown to take the lead later in the period, linebacker Kentrell Brothers blocked the extra point.

Charles Harris added three tackles for Missouri, including two for loss and a sack.

Maty Mauk completed 14 of 22 passes for 145 yards and an interception. His 2-yard touchdown run near the end of the third quarter gave the Tigers the lead for good.

Ish Witter made his first career start for Missouri in place of the injured Russell Hansbrough, and carried the 17 times for 54 yards.

Brothers came into the game as the nation’s leading tackler and added 10 more to his total. Charles Harris added three tackles for Missouri, including two for loss and a sack.

Missouri was a heavy favorite entering the game, but struggled to move the ball into scoring position.

Mauk said it is a matter of finishing drives.

“We can’t come out sluggish,” Mauk said. “You can drive all you want and put up yards, but if you’re not scoring points, that’s what it comes down to.”

Missouri opens its Southeastern Conference schedule against Kentucky on Sept. 26 in Lexington.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Football senior LB Kentrell Brothers (Guthrie, Okla.) has been named Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Week, as announced by the league office on Monday. An All-SEC performer last season, Brothers lived up to that billing on Saturday at Arkansas State. He tallied 16 tackles for the second consecutive week while pulling in a pair of fourth-quarter interceptions, helping preserve a 27-20 road win for Mizzou.

Brothers is the first Tiger to earn SEC Defensive Player of the Week since Markus Golden took home the distinction on Nov. 24 last season following his effort at Tennessee. It is the second time Brothers has earned this in his career with the first coming on Oct. 14, 2013, following Mizzou’s 41-26 win at No. 7 Georgia.

Brothers was a key cog in a Tiger defense that allowed just 37 yards of offense in the second half at Arkansas State, helping Mizzou rally from a 17-10 halftime deficit for its school-record 11th consecutive road win. Brothers added 1.5 tackles for loss in the win and his 16 tackles match his career-high, which he originally set in week one against Southeast Missouri. His final pick on Saturday sealed the win for Mizzou at Arkansas State and his 16 tackles are the fourth-highest at Mizzou during the Pinkel era.

Through two games, Brothers leads the nation in tackling and has 62 tackles over his last five games (12.4 per contest). His two picks last Saturday marked his first game with a pick since Oct. 12, 2013 at Georgia, and he now has five interceptions in his career. His two-interception performance was the first for Mizzou since S Braylon Webb achieved the same at Florida on Oct. 18, 2014. It is the 11th time a Mizzou defender has recorded two or more picks in a game since 1996. Brothers is just the third linebacker to add his name that list, joining Sean Weatherspoon (2 vs. Illinois on Aug. 30, 2008) and Brandon Barnes (2 vs. Texas Tech on Oct. 25, 2003).

— MU Athletics —

JONESBORO, Ark. (AP) — Maty Mauk threw three touchdown passes and No. 21 Missouri extended its road winning streak to 11 games by rallying in the second half for a 27-20 win over Arkansas State on Saturday night.

The Tigers (2-0) haven’t lost on the road since a 59-29 defeat at Texas A&M on Nov. 24, 2012.

Mauk accounted for 223 total yards for Missouri, which trailed 17-10 at halftime before holding the Red Wolves to 37 yards of offense in the second half. Nate Robinson, Sean Culkin and Wesley Leftwich each caught touchdown passes for the Tigers.

Fredi Knighten threw for a pair of touchdown passes for Arkansas State (0-2) before leaving with a leg injury in the third quarter.

A week after making a career-high 16 tackles in a season-opening win, Missouri linebacker Kentrell Brothers added 16 more tackles and a pair of interceptions. His spectacular fourth-quarter takeaway out of the hands of Arkansas State’s Dijon Paschal led to a 41-yard field goal by Andrew Baggett to give the Tigers a 27-20 lead.

Mauk helped set up the field goal with a 19-yard scramble on third-and-13, and he finished with 75 yards rushing on 10 carries. He was 16-of-36 passing for 148 yards and the three touchdowns, along with a pair of interceptions.

Arkansas State lost 41-13 in Columbia in 2013, and Missouri had hoped to move the return game to a neutral site such as St. Louis’ Busch Stadium. However, the Red Wolves declined that option last year — preferring to use Saturday as a showcase for the recently renovated Centennial Bank Stadium.

With a crowd of 29,143 in attendance, Arkansas State did its best to put a season-opening 55-6 loss at USC behind it. Knighten, a week after throwing a pair of interceptions against the Trojans, made a pair of touchdown passes on highlight-worthy catches by Tres Houston. The first, a high-reaching one-handed grab, put the Red Wolves up 7-3 early in the second quarter.

Houston’s second touchdown came with only 8 seconds remaining in the first half, a diving 5-yard catch which was initially ruled incomplete. However, following a review, officials saw the senior was able to drag his feet through the back of the end zone on his way out of bounds — giving Arkansas State a 17-10 halftime lead.

The Red Wolves had 180 yards of total offense in the first half, but they were held to only 37 in the second. Knighten left the game late in the third quarter and was seen limping on the sideline, giving way to backup quarterback James Tabary.

— Associated Press —

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Kentrell Brothers was all over the field, racking up 10 tackles on No. 24 Missouri’s first 26 defensive plays. In the third quarter, the linebacker made the play that really put the Tigers in the clear.

Brothers finished with a career-best 16 tackles and blocked a punt that was returned for a touchdown in the Tigers’ season-opening 34-3 victory over Southeast Missouri State on Saturday.

“There were times where I hit the guy, and they’d called Kentrell’s name,” fellow linebacker Michael Scherer said. “I’d look down, and he was at the bottom of the pile. I looked at him at one point and said, `They’re calling your name every play.”

Brothers credited the defensive line for clearing the way and added, “I studied a lot of film. We knew what to expect.”

“I think he has the potential to be really, really good,” coach Gary Pinkel said.

Southeast Missouri coach Tom Matukewicz said simply: “We couldn’t handle him.”

Aarion Penton caught the blocked punt by quarterback Tay Bender in the air for a 41-yard return late in the third quarter that made it 27-3. Missouri had been prepared for Southeast Missouri going for it on fourth down.

“Our No. 1 defense was in and we just sent the house,” Penton said. “They kept faking when they brought their offense out (on fourth down).”

Maty Mauk threw two touchdown passes in the first quarter and freshman backup Drew Lock threw a 78-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Hunt in the fourth for Missouri.

The Tigers are two-time defending champions in the SEC East but are breaking in a number of freshmen, which led to some mistakes. They had a lot easier time putting away Southeast Missouri State in the last meeting, winning 52-3 in 2008.

Mauk was 12 of 22 for 181 yards with an interception and Lock was 6 of 8 for 138 yards.

“I think we played really well early and then got a little sluggish there in the middle of the game, but we came out and we finished,” Mauk said.

Lock said it was a thrill to be playing instead of sitting in the stands.

“It was probably one of the better experiences of my life without a doubt and I’m excited for next week,” Lock said. “I could have scored a touchdown on my first drive but I’ll take the one touchdown for my first game.”

Missouri is breaking in a new crop of wide receivers. J’Mon Moore had three catches for 74 yards and a touchdown and Nate Brown had three catches for 69 yards and a score.

“They all made some tough catches and took some hits, but the biggest thing is they got up and moved to the next play,” Mauk said. “They all just kept going.”

Bender was more effective running than passing for Southeast Missouri State. He gained 69 yards on 14 carries and was 12 of 22 for 56 yards.

Missouri lost running back Russell Hansbrough and center Evan Boehm in the first half with sprained ankles. Hansbrough had his right leg in a cast after the break.

Hansbrough had 23 yards on two carries before getting hurt.

“Russell, that’s a huge loss for us,” Pinkel said. “We’ll be excited about getting him back but we’ve got to get players ready to play.”

Southeast Missouri State was limited to 209 yards and had one good drive, going 76 yards on 16 plays to set up a 35-yard field goal by Ryan McCrum in the second quarter.

Southeast Missouri linebacker Kendall Donnerson was ejected in the first quarter for a head-to-head hit on Mauk.

“It was embarrassing,” Matukewicz said. “It was targeting, and it cost us.”

— Associated Press —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Football held its final scrimmage of #MIZCamp on Thursday at Memorial Stadium with big plays from both the offense and defense highlighting the action. Repetitions were limited for each unit on Thursday as the goal for Gary Pinkel’s team was to break training camp healthy and head into the weekend with a focus on Southeast Missouri, which Mizzou hosts in the season opener on Sept. 5.

Mizzou’s quarterbacks completed 23-of-38 passes for 300 yards and two TDs on the afternoon. Starting QB Maty Mauk went 6-for-12 for 51 yards while being limited to 20 reps in the final tune-up before the regular season. Mauk and the No. 1 offense relied heavily on the ground game, highlighted by senior RB Russell Hansbrough, who rushed for 18 yards on two carries, showing a tough, physical running style. RB Ish Witter carried the ball eight times for 26 yards.

Freshman QB Drew Lock went 9-for-12 passing for 177 yards, including a 56-yard hookup to WR Ray Wingo. Lock showed poise as he stepped up in the pocket to deliver a strike to Wingo, who was streaking over the middle of the field. Wingo led all receivers with 74 receiving yards during the scrimmage. WR Richaud Floyd hauled in a 30-yard TD reception from QB Eddie Printz, as Floyd caught the ball in the middle of the secondary and reversed field to find the end zone. RB Chase Abbington added a 4-yard TD catch from QB Marvin Zanders.

The defense was disruptive on Thursday with three interceptions. S Anthony Sherrils returned an early pick 22 yards while CB Tavon Ross gained 26 yards on his return. LB Terez Hall recorded the final turnover when he pulled down a tipped pass.

The defensive end duo of Charles Harris and Marcel Frazier each tallied a sack. Harris finished with two tackles for loss (-12 yards). Mizzou also got a pair of sacks from the secondary as CBs Kenya Dennis and Aarion Penton reached the QB on designed blitzes. Senior LB Kentrell Brothers, CB John Gibson and S Thomas Wilson each finished with a team-leading five tackles.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Missouri football has announced its finalized 2016 non-conference schedule.  In addition to the already scheduled West Virginia and Eastern Michigan games on Sept. 3 and Sept. 10 of 2016, Mizzou has added home games against Delaware State (Sept. 24, 2016) and Middle Tennessee (Oct. 22, 2016).

“We’re very pleased to have the 2016 nonconference schedule finalized and certainly thank everyone we’ve worked with to make this happen,” said Executive Associate Athletic Director Bryan Maggard, who oversees football scheduling for Mizzou. “We also want to make sure and thank our fans for being patient as we work through future scheduling challenges related to conference transition.  We feel that this is a very exciting schedule for our fans and program.”

The game between Mizzou and MTSU will be the first of a three-game series agreed upon by the schools, with future games set for Sept. 17, 2022 in Murfreesboro and for Sept. 9, 2023 in Columbia.

All kickoff times and television information will not be established until a later date, and dates of games are subject to change, per potential television arrangements through the conference. The SEC schedule will be announced in the coming weeks to round out the 2016 schedule. Below is a look at the nonconference slate.

2016 MIZZOU NONCONFERENCE FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

Sept. 3  at West Virginia
Sept. 10 vs. Eastern Michigan
Sept. 24 vs. Delaware State
Oct. 22 vs. Middle Tennessee State

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Football had four standouts named All-SEC by the league’s 14 coaches, as announced by the Southeastern Conference office on Tuesday. Earning a spot on the All-SEC Second Team was LB Kentrell Brothers (Guthrie, Texas) and QB Maty Mauk (Kenton, Ohio) while C Evan Boehm (Lee’s Summit, Mo.) and RB Russell Hansbrough (Arlington, Texas) were named All-SEC Third Team.

The All-SEC honorees were voted on by the league’s 14 coaches with coaches not being able to vote for their own players. For Boehm and Brothers, this marks the second time that they have been named All-SEC this summer after each earned third team honors from the media back in July.

Brothers, the SEC’s top returning tackler from a season ago, accounted for 122 total tackles in 2015 (62 solo) while totaling 5.0 tackles for loss, four pass breakups and a team-leading three forced fumbles. He started all 14 games a season ago and was an All-SEC Second Team pick by the Associated Press.  He has been named to the Bednarik, Nagurski and Butkus Award Watch Lists this summer.

A veteran QB, Mauk is 14-4 in 18 career games as a starter and helped guide Mizzou to a second consecutive SEC East Division Championship in 2014. Mauk threw for 25 touchdowns last season and rushed for two more, accounting for 2,648 total passing yards and 3,021 yards of total offense. Mauk’s 2,648 passing yards a season ago are the third-most of any returning SEC quarterback. He was named to the Maxwell and Manning Award Watch Lists earlier this summer as well.

Boehm started all 14 games a season ago, anchoring an offensive line that was a key cog in an 11-3 season and a second consecutive SEC East Championship. He has started 40 consecutive games across the Mizzou offensive line, dating back to the 2012 season before shifting to the center spot full time in 2013. Boehm was a First Team Freshman All-American by College Football News at left guard in 2012. Boehm has been named to the Rimington and Outland Award Watch Lists this summer.

A veteran tailback who has rushed for nearly 2,000 yards in his Mizzou career, Hansbrough is on the Maxwell Award Watch List for the first time in his career. He led Mizzou with his first 1,000-yard season in 2014, totaling 1,084 yards, a mark that ranked sixth in the SEC despite starting just three games – he was also seventh in the SEC in rush yards per game. He was SEC Offensive Player of the Week and National Tailback of the Week following a 199-yard outburst at Texas A&M, the 10th-best single-game rush total in program history. Hansbrough has landed on three major award watch lists this summer as well: the Doak Walker Award, the Maxwell Award and the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – A turnover-free, eight-touchdown day at Faurot Field was enough to propel the Missouri Tiger offense to an 11-9 win Thursday morning in the second formal controlled scrimmage of the Missouri Football squad’s 2015 fall camp.  The Tiger offense got going early, and ended the day with a flourish, scoring four times in two-minute drills to conclude the scrimmage.  In all, the offense tallied five passing touchdowns to go with three rushing scores as they evened things up after falling by a 17-9 score in scrimmage number one, held last Saturday.

All five QBs had effective outings, as everyone completed 50 percent of their passes or better, with four signal callers throwing for TDs.  Junior Maty Mauk was 15-of-22 in the air Thursday for 134 yards and a touchdown that covered 10 yards to sophomore WR Nate Brown for the first touchdown of the scrimmage.  Mauk had a 38-yard strike downfield to freshman WR DeSean Blair in two-minute work which set up a 2-yard rushing score by sophomore TB Ish Witter.  Witter had a scrimmage-best two rushing scores (the other was from one yard out) and finished with 22 yards on four carries.

The rest of the Tiger QBs had good days as well.  Sophomore Eddie Printz finished his work 7-of-13 for 101 yards and a touchdown on a 13-yard strike to freshman WR Thomas Richard in the two minute drill.  That came as part of the number two offense, going against the number one defense, and the scoring opportunity started when Printz found freshman WR Emanuel Hall behind the secondary down the seam for a huge 52-yard gain on the first play.

Freshman QB Drew Lock continued to shine as he was an impressive 15-of-20 passing for 168 yards and two touchdowns.  Lock got a couple of series with the number two offense, and led an impressive 60-yard scoring drive against the top string defense, which he capped with a 10-yard touchdown over the middle to freshman WR Ray Wingo.  Lock’s other score was a 14-yard strike to WR Oke Akushe in the back of the end zone, as Akushe leaped high for the ball in the back of the endzone, and held on for the score, despite taking a hard shot from safety Ronnell Perkins.

Freshman QB Marvin Zanders showed his dual threat skills on Thursday once again, as he threw for 64 yards (on 4-of-8 passing) and ran for a scrimmage-high 62 yards, including a nice scramble for a first down on a third-down snap for the number two offense against the number one defense.  Senior QB Corbin Berkstresser also found the end zone, as he connected with WR Jake Brents on a 55-yard catch-and-run touchdown.  Berkstresser ended the scrimmage 2-of-4 passing for 60 yards and the one score.

Despite the offense’s win Thursday, the defense had plenty of noteworthy play as well, as they accumulated nine quarterback sacks and 17 tackles for loss overall.  Sophomore DE Charles Harris led the way with 2.0 sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss to go with his four tackles and a quarterback hurry.  Junior DL Justin Grava chimed in with a two-sack, two-TFL day, and senior LB Kentrell Brothers had a pair of stops behind the line as part of his 5-tackle performance.

Junior LB Donavin Newsom was active Thursday morning, as he tied for a scrimmage-best seven tackles in all, including a half-tackle for loss and a QB hurry.  He was joined at seven tackles by freshman safety Cam Hilton.  Senior CB Kenya Dennis applied his customary tough coverage in the pass game and also supplied good run support as he finished with six tackles on the day.

Senior TB Russell Hansbrough got limited action by design, and ended with 20 yards on six attempts, while freshman TB Marquise Doherty had a two-yard touchdown run to cap a two-minute drive by the reserve offense.  Doherty finished with 14 rushing yards on six attempts.

Eighteen different Tigers caught passes on Thursday, with the top producers being Blair (5 catches, 66 yards), Brents (4-80, 1 TD), Hall (4-75) and sophomore WR Oke Akushe (3-51, 1 TD).  Freshman WR Justin Smith had a pair of receptions as well, totaling 59 yards (including a 49-yarder).

A handful of Tigers were sidelined today with injuries, including PKs Andrew Baggett (back) and Nick Coffman (groin), WR J’Mon Moore (shoulder) and WR Johnathan Johnson (ankle). After a pair of practices on Friday and Saturday, Mizzou will enjoy a couple days off before the last week of #MIZCamp. The third and final scrimmage is set for 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 27.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball announced its full 2015-16 schedule in conjunction with the Southeastern Conference releasing the 2016 league schedule live on SEC Network Thursday evening. The competitive 31-game slate features 18 contests at Mizzou Arena, including 16 regular season games and two exhibition matchups.

“We have put together another exciting schedule and can’t wait to get started with our team that is returning to campus this weekend,” head coach Robin Pingeton said. “We are especially looking forward to playing in front of our home crowd 18 times at Mizzou Arena. It is our hope to boost our average home court attendance to over 5,000 this season. We have put together a strong nonconference slate and then will face off with some of the top teams nationally as we compete in the SEC, which is the most challenging and competitive conference in the country. Our players have once again worked very hard this offseason, and we are all anxious to carry the momentum from last year’s strong finish into this upcoming season.”

Mizzou opens the season with two home exhibition contests against Southwest Baptist and Quincy on Nov. 4 and Nov. 9, respectively. The regular season begins with a Nov. 13 road game at in-state rival Missouri State in Springfield.

The Tigers will return home for a Nov. 16 matchup against Arkansas-Pine Bluff before traveling to play at Wichita State on Nov. 18. Mizzou will then return home to face Wake Forest on Nov. 22 and SIU Edwardsville on Nov. 24.

Over Thanksgiving, Mizzou will compete in a tournament hosted by Saint Mary’s College in California. The Tigers will play in consecutive days against Northeastern and Saint Mary’s on Nov. 27 and 28 in Moraga, California.

Mizzou then returns home to face Southeast Missouri on Dec. 2 and Loyola Marymount on Dec. 7.

On Dec. 12, former Big 12 Conference rivals Mizzou and Colorado face off in Boulder. The Tigers will then round out the nonconference slate with home matchups vs. Lamar and Texas State on back-to-back nights, Dec. 20 and 21, before finishing with Charlotte on Dec. 29.

Mizzou opens Southeastern Conference play with a home contest against national power Tennessee on Jan. 4, which will air on SEC Network at 6 p.m.

The Tigers then hit the road to face Georgia on Jan. 7 and South Carolina on Jan. 10, which will be an 11 a.m. tipoff on SEC Network against a squad that advanced to the 2015 Women’s Final Four.

Mizzou hosts Mississippi State on Jan. 14 before playing consecutive road games at Arkansas on Jan. 17 at 1 p.m. on SEC Network and Texas A&M on Jan. 21. On Jan. 24, Mizzou hosts Florida for a 1 p.m. tip that will air on SEC Network. The Tigers wrap up the home stand with a Jan. 28 matchup with LSU.

Mizzou travels to Ole Miss with a 4 p.m. start on Jan. 31 that will be carried by SEC Network. Georgia makes a return visit to Mizzou Arena on Feb. 4. The Tigers return to road play at Mississippi State Feb. 7 before hosting consecutive home games against Alabama on Feb. 11 and Arkansas on Feb. 14. To finish the road schedule, the Tigers travel to Auburn on Feb. 21 and Kentucky on Feb. 25 before wrapping up the regular season on Senior Day vs. Vanderbilt at 1 p.m. on SEC Network.

Season Ticket sales are ongoing and can be purchased by visiting www.MUTigers.com/myaccount or by calling the Mizzou Ticket Office at 1-800-CAT-PAWS or 573-884-7297 locally.

The 2016 SEC Tournament will be held March 2-6 at Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Football has announced that sophomore cornerback Anthony Hines (South San Francisco, Calif.) has joined the program for the upcoming 2015 season. Hines, a standout corner at College of San Mateo in 2014, will be eligible to play at Mizzou immediately. He is coming off of a freshman season in which he totaled 22.5 tackles, three interceptions and two fumble recoveries. He will have four years to complete three years of remaining eligibility.

A 6-1, 190-pound speedster with great range, Hines helped San Mateo to a 9-2 record in 2014 and was part of a defense that allowed just 15.9 points per game a season ago. The San Mateo defense held its opponents to fewer than 10 points four times last season. His three interceptions tied for the team-lead and he returned one of the interceptions for a touchdown.

Hines was a ballhawk at San Mateo last season, totaling eight pass breakups and 11 passes defensed to go along with his three picks. The eight pass breakups and 11 passes defensed were team-highs by a wide margin. He also showed great versatility, picking up 3.0 tackles for loss and a pair of blocked kicks.

Hines is currently rehabbing an injured left foot which he hurt while training in May but is expected to begin workouts with Mizzou in approximately 2-3 weeks. He will wear No. 1 at Mizzou.

Hines was a 3-star prospect according to 247Sports.com and Rivals coming out of El Camino High School in South San Francisco. He also competed in basketball and track & field while at El Camino.

— Mizzou Athletics —