The Mizzou Football team was one of the top turnaround stories in all of college football in 2013, and recognition is starting to come in for a team that far surpassed the pre-season expectations of the football world.

The Associated Press today released their 2013 All-Southeastern Conference football team, and seven different Tigers received mention, including four who landed on the first team, two on the second team and one honorable-mention selection.

Leading the way was senior DE Michael Sam, who not only won 1st-team honors, but he also won the league’s defensive player of the year award for his outstanding play.  Sam led the SEC in both sacks (10.5) and tackles for loss (18.0), ranking in the top 10 in both categories nationally.  He is the second Tiger to ever win conference defensive player of the year honors, matching former standout Jeff Gaylord, who won the A.P. award in the Big Eight in 1981.

A pair of defensive teammates joined Sam on the A.P.’s first team, in senior CB E.J. Gaines and junior DE Kony Ealy.  Gaines is now a two-time first-team all-conference performer, as he also won 1st-Team All-Big 12 honors as a sophomore in 2011.  The last Tiger to lay claim to first-team honors in different leagues was Charles Rash, who was 1st-Team All-Big Seven in 1957 at guard, and who repeated at the same position in 1958 as part of the Big Eight.  Ealy joined line mate Sam as one of the most disruptive pairs of bookends in the nation, as he added 7.5 sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss in 2013.  Ealy forced a pair of fumbles in Saturday’s SEC Championship Game, one of which was returned for a touchdown in the second quarter by Gaines.

Senior LT Justin Britt represented the Tiger offense on the SEC first-team, as he helped pave the way for an offense which was one of the most improved in the nation in 2013.  Britt is MU’s first offensive lineman to win first-team honors since Tim Barnes at center in 2010, and he’s the first Mizzou tackle to win first-team A.P. honors since Rob Droege in 2003.

Earning a spot on the A.P. second team were senior LB Andrew Wilson and sophomore WR Dorial Green-Beckham.  Wilson, who was an A.P. honorable-mention All-Big 12 selection in 2011, led the Tigers with 98 tackles – marking his third straight year with the team’s top tackle total.  Green-Beckham emerged as one of the league’s top threats as he grabbed 55 receptions for 830 yards and 12 touchdowns, the latter of which tied for most in the SEC.  He caught six passes for a career-high 144 yards in Saturday’s SEC Championship Game, including two which went for scores.

A third Tiger defensive end earned all-league recognition as well, as junior DE Markus Golden was named to the A.P.’s honorable mention squad for his stellar play in 2013.  Despite coming off the bench in all 13 games, Golden notched 6.5 sacks, 13.0 tackles for loss, and ranked 7th on the team with 51 total tackles.  His 70-yard interception return for a touchdown against Toledo was a key play in MU’s 38-23 win on Sept. 7th.

Mizzou is off from practice this week as they focus on final examinations.  The team will begin bowl preparations next week as they work to ready themselves for the 2014 AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic, set for Jan. 3rd in Arlington, Texas, against Oklahoma State.

— MU Sports Information —

Missouri junior guard Jordan Clarkson was named the SEC’s Player of the Week on Monday after averaging 23.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.0 steals in wins against West Virginia (80-71) and No. 17 UCLA (80-71).

Clarkson has scored 20 or more points in five consecutive games, the most by a Mizzou player since Thomas Gardner in 2005-06. He dished out a season-high six assists in Saturday’s win over the 17th-ranked Bruins and currently leads the SEC in scoring at 20.2 points per contest. In fact Clarkson and fellow junior guard, Jabari Brown, (19.4 ppg) are the top scoring tandem in the SEC this year.

The honor is Clarkson’s second of the season from the league office. The San Antonio, Texas, native was also named Player of the Week on Nov. 18 after helping Mizzou to wins over Southern Illinois and Hawaii. Clarkson scored a career high 31 points in that win over SIU.

The two wins last week pushed Missouri to 9-0 on the year, the second time the Tigers have been 9-0 under the direction of Head Coach Frank Haith.

Missouri returns to action on Sunday at 6 p.m. vs. defending MAC-West champions, Western Michigan. The game will be televised nationally on ESPNU.

— MU Sports Information —

Missouri junior guard Jordan Clarkson was named the National Player of the Week by College Sports Madness on Monday. Clarkson, a 6-foot-5 point guard, led Mizzou to victories over West Virginia (80-71) and No. 17 UCLA (80-71) this week, averaging 23.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.0 steals.

Clarkson pushed his streak to five consecutive games scoring at least 20 points, hitting for 25 vs. West Virginia in the Big 12/SEC Challenge before going for 21 in the win over the nationally-ranked Bruins. Clarkson grabbed a season high six rebounds in the win over the Mountaineers and dished a season high six assists in the victory over UCLA.

The wins pushed Missouri to 9-0 on the year, the second time the Tigers have been 9-0 under the direction of Head Coach Frank Haith.

Clarkson, a Tulsa transfer, is currently leading the Southeastern Conference in scoring (20.2 ppg.), just ahead of teammate, Jabari Brown, who ranks third in the league at 19.4 points per game. Clarkson is also fourth in the SEC in assists per game (3.8) and ranks No. 10 overall in field goal percentage (.515) and No. 2 at the foul line (.884).

Missouri returns to action on Sunday at 6 p.m. vs. defending MAC-West champions, Western Michigan. The game will be televised nationally on ESPNU.

— MU Sports Information —

The University of Missouri football team (11-2 overall and Southeastern Conference East Division champions) has accepted an invitation to play in the 2014 AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic, set for Jan. 3rd in Arlington, Texas at the world-renowned AT&T Stadium.  Kickoff for the game, which will pit the Tigers against former conference foe Oklahoma State (10-2, 2nd place in Big 12), is set for 7 p.m. (central time) and will be televised nationally on FOX.

The Cotton Bowl appearance will mark Mizzou’s 11th New Year’s Day (or later) bowl game in program history, and its first since playing in the 2008 Cotton Bowl against Arkansas.  The invitation is a reward for an outstanding season which saw the Tigers post one of the top turnaround years in the nation, going from 5-7 in 2012 to 11-2 – a 6-1/2 game improvement.  This is MU’s 30th alltime bowl appearance.

“We are honored and excited to accept a bid to play in the Cotton Bowl,” said Head Coach Gary Pinkel, who will be making his ninth bowl game appearance in 13 seasons at Mizzou.  “We know first-hand just how great of a trip this is, and how first-class of an operation the Cotton Bowl runs.  We have a chance to play an outstanding team in Oklahoma State, and this is an opportunity to finish up a special season in front of a great Mizzou crowd,” Pinkel said.

This will mark the 78th Cotton Bowl Classic, and the Tigers will be making their third appearance in the tradition-rich game.  Mizzou rolled to a 38-7 win over Arkansas in the 2008 game, as TB Tony Temple rushed for a Cotton Bowl-record 281 yards and four touchdowns against the 25th-ranked Razorbacks.  That win closed a stellar season for Mizzou, who finished with a 12-2 record and a school-best final ranking of 4th in the final polls.  Mizzou’s other appearance in the Cotton Bowl was back in 1946, when Texas claimed a 40-27 victory.

“Mizzou is very pleased to be part of the 78th annual Cotton Bowl Classic,” said Director of Athletics Mike Alden.  “The Cotton Bowl is one of the iconic bowl games in all of college football, and it will be a great reward to our team to have the opportunity to play in AT&T Stadium.  We have an outstanding alumni base in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and I know our fans will be excited to see the Tigers come their way once again,” he said.

The Mizzou Athletic Ticket Office will begin taking public orders for the 2014 AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic beginning Monday, Dec. 9 at 12 p.m. online at www.mutigers.com. Fans may also order over the phone by calling 1-800-CAT-PAWS (884-PAWS in Columbia), but are strongly encouraged to order on-line to ensure prompt service.  Participating team ticket allotments are 12,500, and tickets are priced at $140 apiece.

Tiger Scholarship Fund members and season ticket holders who have already ordered tickets through pre-sale opportunities will receive information tonight about their orders.  Pre-sale orders must be finalized before Noon Monday (Dec. 9th) before the public sale begins.

The Mizzou Alumni Association and PrimeSport have teamed up to offer the official Mizzou Cotton Bowl travel packages. Fans and alumni interested in the tour options are encouraged to visit the bowl travel website at www.mizzousportstravel.com. A variety of packages, options, and amenities are available including game tickets while supplies last. Fans may also call 1-800-558-5527 to book or for more information.

For more information about the 2014 AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic, please visit the official site of the Cotton Bowl, at www.attcottonbowl.com.

— MU Sports Information —

ATLANTA (AP) — Tre Mason struck a pose – a Heisman Trophy pose.

There’s something the Auburn Tigers running back wants even more than an individual award.

A shot at the national title.

Mason rushed for 304 yards and four touchdowns, leading No. 3 Auburn to a wild 59-42 victory over No. 5 Missouri in a Southeastern Conference title showdown Saturday that looked more like a video game.

Auburn (12-1) kept alive its hopes of playing for the national championship, though the Tigers would likely need either top-ranked Florida State or No. 2 Ohio State to lose in their respective conference title games, which began about the time Auburn was wrapping up the shootout at the Georgia Dome.

”We won the SEC championship,” receiver Sammie Coates said. ”What else do you want us to do?”

Added Mason: ”We feel like we beat the best teams …. We feel like we deserve to be in the game.”

The Auburn players headed off to watch the games that could decide their fate, the Atlantic Coast Conference championship in Charlotte, N.C., and the Big Ten title contest in Indianapolis. If Auburn misses out on the big game, it will head to the Sugar Bowl as the SEC champion.

Missouri (11-2) should be in the mix for a New Year’s Day bowl, with the Capital One, Cotton and Outback games among the possible destinations.

”We’re playing our best football right now,” said Auburn coach Gus Malzahn, making his pitch for a trip to Pasadena. ”I don’t know if any other team can say that.”

Auburn is certainly playing its best offensively. The Tigers set an SEC championship record with 677 yards, including 545 on the ground.

Mason had scoring runs of 7, 3 and 1 yards before bursting up the middle on a 13-yard TD that clinched the victory with 4:22 remaining. He carried the ball a staggering 46 times, an easy choice as the game’s MVP. He celebrated by breaking out the familiar Heisman pose, his longshot candidacy getting a huge boost.

”You’re looking at one of the top running backs in college football,” Malzahn said. ”He was a warrior today. Unbelievable.”

In a game where neither team played a lick of defense, Auburn finally stopped Missouri on fourth-and-1 deep in its own territory, setting up Mason’s final score. Chris Davis broke up the pass, not quite as thrilling as his 109-yard return of a missed field goal to beat Alabama, but another huge play for the nation’s biggest turnaround team.

Auburn, which was 3-9 a year ago and didn’t win a game in the SEC, claimed the title in its first year under Malzahn. The Tigers didn’t even need a dramatic finish to do it, holding Missouri scoreless in the final quarter while Mason notched two more TDs to break open a game that was close most of the way.

Missouri had its own impressive bounce-back after struggling its first year in the SEC. But coach Gary Pinkel’s team was denied a quick championship in its new league after leaving the Big 12, unable to slow – must less stop – Auburn’s dynamic offense.

”There’s a real frustration that comes over you on defense when they’re coming after you over and over and over again,” Pinkel said. ”We had trouble stopping it, obviously, and couldn’t get it fixed.”

James Franklin passed for 303 yards and three touchdowns, while Dorial Green-Beckham hauled in six passes for 144 yards and a couple of scores. Missouri piled up 534 yards – the teams combined for 1,211 yards in a conference supposedly known for defense – but it wasn’t nearly enough against Auburn’s hurry-up spread.

Coming into the game, Missouri was one of the top teams in the nation against the run and ranked second in the SEC behind Alabama. The most yards they had given up on the ground was 184 the previous week in a victory over 2012 Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel and Texas A&M.

Mason had more yards than that in the first half, putting up 195 by the time he trotted to the locker room and just 6 yards off the SEC championship game record. He broke the mark set by LSU’s Justin Vincent in 2003 on the second play of the second half – and kept right on going from there.

”I’ve never had holes that big to run through,” Mason said, crediting the guys in the trenches. ”No one expected 300 yards. I didn’t expect it.”

Quarterback Nick Marshall shook off two early fumbles, one of which Missouri returned for a touchdown. He ran for 101 yards and a touchdown and passed for 132 yards and another score.

The lead changed hands seven times. Missouri’s last gasp was Franklin’s 5-yard touchdown run, followed by a two-point conversion, that closed the gap to 45-42 heading to the final period. But Auburn dominated the final 15 minutes behind the play of Mason.

Late in the game, when Auburn had finally wrapped it up, Mason got a hug on the sideline from Auburn’s greatest back, Bo Jackson.

”He’s one of the better players ever to wear an Auburn helmet,” Malzahn said, referring to Mason, not Bo.

”Thanks, coach,” Mason said.

— Associated Press —

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Missouri guard Earnest Ross thinks it’s ”pretty cool” when he makes 3-pointers. His teammates agree, especially when they’re dropping in big games.

Ross scored 20 points and finished 5 of 11 from beyond the arc to help Missouri upset No. 18 UCLA 80-71 on Saturday.

His third 3-pointer with 14:46 remaining gave the Tigers their first lead in more than 16 minutes.

The shot bounced off the front of the rim before going in, helping Missouri (9-0) overcome an eight-point halftime deficit.

”As I continue to shoot and see shots go in, it makes the basket get a little bit bigger,” Ross said. ”When I’m in a rhythm, I just think I’m in a pretty good groove and I just continue to keep shooting.”

Sometimes that thinking gets Ross into trouble with coach Frank Haith, who prefers to see him use his 6-foot-5, 228-pound frame to drive the lane and score in the paint.

”I’m pretty liberal with our guys taking shots,” Haith said, ”but I want them to understand we were much better shooting the ball because we ran our offense in the second half.”

The win extended Missouri’s NCAA-best, home-court winning streak to 24 games and the Tigers’ run of 79 consecutive wins against non-conference opponents at Mizzou Arena. The victory was the first in that stretch against a nationally ranked team.

Jordan Adams scored 22 points and had 10 rebounds and Kyle Anderson and Zach LaVine each added 13 points for UCLA (8-1), which lost in its first game on an opponent’s court this season.

”I think a couple guys, including myself, took some tough shots, which is not fair to our teammates,” Anderson said. ”It made it much easier on our opponents. That’s not the basketball we play. We’ve played though big games and we’ve just got to get better at that.”

Jabari Brown scored 22 points and Jordan Clarkson added 21 for Missouri. Johnathan Williams III grabbed 15 rebounds to help the Tigers gain a 47-30 advantage on the boards and remain the only unbeaten team in the Southeastern Conference. The team is off to its best start since the 2006-07 season.

Missouri trailed 43-35 at halftime after committing 12 turnovers and shooting 41.7 percent from the field. Back-to-back fastbreak dunks by Ross and Brown brought the Tigers within 49-45 with 16:44 remaining. After UCLA’s Tony Parker converted a free throw, Ross hit consecutive 3-pointers to give the Tigers their first lead since 11:20 left in the first half.

Brown’s 3-pointer about 5 minutes later expanded Missouri’s lead to 67-62, and UCLA couldn’t get any closer the rest of the way.

”They just beat us there first,” Adams said. ”We tried our best to get every rebound. Some didn’t bounce our way. Hopefully with practice, we will continue to get better with that.”

UCLA entered the game averaging a Pac-12-leading 90.6 points, including 98.8 in its last four contests. The Bruins made 15 of 30 attempts in the first half, but only converted 8 of 31 attempts – including 0-for-8 from behind the arc – after the break.

”Our offense just didn’t move,” first-year UCLA coach Steve Alford said. ”The ball stopped a lot. We were in a pretty good rhythm in the first half, and for whatever reason, we stopped moving the ball offensively in the second half.”

The teams traded baskets for the first 10 minutes before a 3-pointer by Bryce Alford sparked a 14-0 run that gave the Bruins a 30-17 lead with 6:47 left before the break. Missouri scored the next 11 points, but UCLA countered with eight for a 38-28 lead. LaVine finished the run with a thunderous windmill dunk.

Both schools played in the Las Vegas Invitational last week and were selected co-champions after defeating Nevada and Northwestern in Nevada. UCLA and Missouri agreed to not play each other ahead of Saturday’s matchup.

The game ended a home-and-home series after UCLA defeated the Tigers 97-94 in overtime at Pauley Pavilion last Dec. 28.

— Associated Press —

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — For 34 minutes, Missouri shut down West Virginia’s prolific 3-point offense.

Then Missouri lost its focus, according to guard Jordan Clarkson.

The Tigers won 80-71, but only after surviving a late 17-5 run by the Mountaineers. The scare gives Missouri (8-0) something to work on as its welcomes 18th-ranked UCLA to Mizzou Arena on Saturday.

”I think we allowed them to get into the paint,” coach Frank Haith said. ”We gave up some broken plays where we weren’t back setting our defense. They had some plays where we bobbled some loose rebounds, and they stuck it in.”

The Tigers also opted to try to score after grabbing offensive rebounds, rather than working the ball to the perimeter to burn time.

West Virginia (6-3) settled for making 42 percent of its shots after entering the game averaging 85.1 points and shooting nearly 50 percent. The team only made eight of 29 shots in the first half.

”We didn’t score seemingly for about an hour and a half,” West Virginia coach Bob Huggins said. ”So I would say we probably shot ourselves in the foot. Or blew our heads off.”

Clarkson scored 25 points and guard Jabari Brown added 18 for the Tigers, who shot 53 percent.

Missouri extended its national-best home-court winning streak to 23 games and has won 78 consecutive games at Mizzou Arena against non-conference competition.

”It’s tradition,” Clarkson said. ”We want to keep that going. Just keep protecting the home court. We can’t let anybody come in here and do whatever they want to do.”

Juwan Staten scored 16 points, while Gary Browne and Terry Henderson added 14 for West Virginia, which fell to 0-3 against power conference teams.

Missouri scored the first nine points and led throughout as West Virginia never established a rhythm until the end of the night. The Mountaineers also averaged 10 3-pointers per game before Thursday, but only converted one of their first 14 attempts until Browne’s make with 7:51 remaining. They finished four for 19.

Earnest Ross added 16 points for the Tigers, who have won their first eight games for the first time since the 2006-07 season. Clarkson, Brown and Ross have combined for nearly two-thirds of the Tigers’ scoring this season.

Missouri also out-rebounded West Virginia 40-32 after the Mountaineers grabbed 62 boards against Loyola Maryland, their most since 64 in a contest against Radford in 1992. West Virginia had been averaging four more boards per game than its opponents.

”I think this team is really taking our focus on being a better defensive team to heart,” Haith said. ”We’ve just got to stay with it.”

The Mountaineers used a 9-2 run to pull within 27-20 with 4:36 remaining in the first half, but Missouri countered with an identical run to take a 36-22 halftime lead. After Devin Williams opened the second half with a layup, Missouri then scored the next five points.

West Virginia again narrowed the lead late in the second half, as Staten capped the team’s 17-5 run with a layup with 1:45 left to narrow the Mountaineers’ deficit to 73-64. After two free throws by the Tigers’ Wes Clark, Remi Dibo drained a 3-pointer from the corner with 1:10 left to make the score 75-67.

But the Mountaineers couldn’t get any closer.

Staten (16) and Eron Harris (8) combined for 24 points after only scoring four total in the first half. The duo previously averaged nearly 37 for West Virginia, which has also lost to Virginia Tech and Wisconsin. Coaches picked the team to finish seventh in the 10-team Big 12 prior to the season as the team lost its final seven games last year and finished 13-19.

”I need to realize I have teammates that are very capable, and I need to put my full trust in my teammates,” said Harris, who ranks second in the Big 12 with 20.3 points per game. ”Not that I don’t trust them, but when I’m not getting shots, maybe it’s not my day to get shots.”

Missouri’s new chancellor, R. Bowen Loftin, attended the game and was introduced to fans in the first half. He then went into the stands to shake hands and pose for pictures with students. Currently the president of Texas A&M, Loftin will begin his new job as Missouri’s leader on Feb. 1.

— Associated Press —

Mizzou Football senior defensive end Michael Sam (Hitchcock, Texas) has been named one of six finalists for the 2013 Ted Hendricks Defensive End of the Year Award, the Ted Hendricks Foundation announced Thursday (Dec. 5). The Tiger defender has put together an exemplary final campaign at Mizzou that continues into Saturday’s SEC Championship Game vs. No. 3 Auburn. Sam currently leads the conference in both sacks (10.5) and tackles-for-loss (18.0).

The Hendricks Award goes annually to the nation’s top defensive end and is named after Ted Hendricks, who became college football’s first three-time First Team All-American at Miami (FL) in the late 1960s.

Sam has been recognized three times this season by the SEC, twice as the league’s defensive line player of the week (Sept. 28, Oct. 5) and once as its defensive player of the week (Oct. 19). All three weekly awards followed impressive 3.0-sack performances from Sam (vs. Arkansas State, at Vanderbilt, vs. No. 22 Florida).

The Hendricks Award selection marks the third national award finalist status attained by Sam this season. He is also a finalist for the Bronko Nagurksi Award (most outstanding defensive player) and Rotary Lombardi Award (lineman of the year).

Sam is joined as a Hendricks finalist by Clemson’s Vic Beasley, Michigan State’s Shilique Calhoun, Montana State’s Brad Daly, Texas’ Jackson Jeffcoat and Louisville’s Marcus Smith.

The final vote for the 2013 Hendricks Award will be concluded on Tuesday, Dec. 10, and the winner will be announced Wednesday, Dec. 11. Members of the national media, head coaches, professional scouts and former Hendricks Award winners are included on the voting committee. This year’s winner will be honored in the spring of 2014 at a time and place to be determined.

Sam and No. 5 Mizzou will take on Auburn for the conference crown inside the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Ga., on Saturday, Dec. 7. Kickoff for the nationally-televised game is set for 3 p.m. CT on CBS.

— MU Sports Information —

(AP) Two former Missouri football players are suing the NCAA in federal court over head injuries they suffered decades ago, joining a cascade of recent lawsuits against college sports’ governing body related to traumatic brain injuries.

Tony Van Zant and Sharron Washington filed the suit Tuesday. Both played for Missouri from 1987 to 1991. Van Zant is now running backs coach at Division II Lincoln University in Jefferson City.

Both say they suffer headaches, depression and other ailments. The lawsuit seeks medical monitoring and testing for former college players with similar head injuries and didn’t advance to the NFL.

Similar lawsuits have been filed in recent months in Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota and Tennessee by ex-players from schools such as Georgia Tech, North Carolina State, Oregon and Vanderbilt.

Mizzou Football junior defensive lineman Matt Hoch (Harlan, Iowa) has been recognized to the 2013 Capital One Academic All-America team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). A second team honoree, Hoch has compiled an outstanding 3.96 GPA in the middle school education major, all while starting 22 games in the trenches for Mizzou over the last two seasons.

Hoch has recorded 35 tackles, including 4.0 tackles-for-loss and 3.0 sacks, in 10 starts on the Tigers’ defensive line in 2013, already setting a season-best in sacks. He was a 2012 CoSIDA First Team Academic All-District honoree last season.

Conference academic recognition also has not escaped Hoch, as he earned a spot on the SEC Academic Honor Roll in 2012. He was a 2011 Academic All-Big 12 honoree previously.

Hoch and No. 5 Mizzou next play in Saturday’s SEC Championship Game vs. No. 3 Auburn inside the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Ga. Kickoff for the nationally-televised game is set for 3 p.m. CT on CBS.

— MU Sports Information —