COLUMBIA, Mo. – It is awards season in college football, and on the heels of an 8-4 regular season, several members of the 23rd-ranked Mizzou Football team are earning recognition for their outstanding play. The Associated Press has named three Tigers to its 2018 All-Southeastern Conference first and second teams, as released today.

Junior OL Tre’Vour Wallace-Simms (East St. Louis, Ill.) won first-team All-SEC honors by the organization for his outstanding play this season as he helped lead the way for one of the top-producing offenses in the league. Wallace-Simms has been a key part of the line that ranks ninth in the nation (second in the SEC) in fewest tackles for loss allowed (4.08 per game) and 11th nationally (second in the SEC) in fewest sacks allowed (1.08 per game). Mizzou will enter the 2018 AutoZone Liberty Bowl (Dec. 31st versus Oklahoma State) with the nation’s 17th-ranked offense (fourth-best in the SEC), averaging 468.8 yards per game.

Wallace-Simms becomes the second Tiger offensive lineman to win first-team All-SEC honors by the A.P., joining former standout Justin Britt (2013) in that category.

Senior QB Drew Lock (Lee’s Summit, Mo.) was named second-team All-SEC by the writers, after turning in an outstanding year that saw him throw for 3,125 yards and 25 touchdowns for the 8-4 Tigers. Lock, who is a national finalist for the Manning Award, the Unitas Golden Arm Award and the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award, ranks among the top performers in the league in numerous categories, just a few of which include: passing yards (3rd in SEC/18th in NCAA), passing touchdowns (2nd/19th), and points responsible for (2nd/16th). Lock, who has also ran for a career-best six touchdowns in 2018, is the engineer of a Tiger offense that ranks 20th nationally (3rd in the SEC) averaging 36.9 points per game.

Senior DT Terry Beckner, Jr. (East St. Louis, Ill.) also earned second-team All-SEC honors for his stellar play in 2018. Beckner led Mizzou in the regular season with 9.5 tackles for loss and added a pair of quarterback sacks to go with five quarterback pressures and 31 total tackles for a Tiger defense which improved throughout the year. He’s been a key reason why Mizzou’s defense has been very stout against the run, as the Tigers enter the bowl game ranked 22nd nationally (4th in the SEC), allowing 122.9 yards per game on the ground.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Missouri senior point guard Jordan Geist has never been afraid of big moments. Last year, he took the blame when late-game passes and shots went awry. On Sunday, Geist played the hero as he led the Tigers to a 64-62 overtime victory over UCF.

Geist scored a team-high 18 points, including a contested 3-pointer at the buzzer to send the game into overtime.

“It feels good to finally get one to fall,” said Geist, who missed last-second shots against Arkansas and Mississippi and had a late pass intercepted against Florida as a junior. “Last year, I took a couple of them that rattled out. To get one to fall, especially a shot like that, I love it.”

Javon Pickett added 13 points and Jeremiah Tilmon had 10 for Missouri (4-3). Tilmon’s up-and-under layup around UCF’s 7-foot-6, 310-pound Tacko Fall with 1:32 left in OT provided the winning margin.

The Knights (6-2) had a chance to win it at the buzzer, but Collin Smith’s desperation shot from just inside the halfcourt line hit the backboard and rimmed out.

Aubrey Dawkins made 5 of 8 shots from 3-point range and led UCF with 22 points.

“He was good,” UCF coach Johnny Dawkins said of his son. “He gave us a chance to win, made some good plays for us.”

B.J. Taylor scored 12 and Smith added 11 for the Knights.

The Tigers had the ball with a chance to take the lead with 15 seconds left in regulation, but Pickett couldn’t inbound the ball within five seconds. That gave the ball back to UCF. When Dawkins hit two free throws, Missouri trailed 57-54. The Tigers had one more chance, and Geist made it count.

“I would rather have the ball in his hands, because he embraces those challenges,” Missouri coach Cuonzo Martin said. “He can deal with whatever goes with it — if it goes in or it doesn’t go in.”

The tying play didn’t go as planned. Martin didn’t divulge how the play was supposed to work.

“Hopefully you’ll see it again and you’ll see it clearly,” Martin said. “I think guys kind of got boggled up.”

TO FOUL OR NOT?

At the end of regulation, Johnny Dawkins faced the eternal coaching question of whether to foul in the final seconds with a three-point lead. UCF didn’t, and Geist made the Knights pay.

“We talked about fouling if the opportunity presented itself, and the young man on the ball didn’t think the opportunity was really there,” Dawkins said. “So he just stayed locked in on him. And you give (Geist) credit, he made a tough, tough 3 — leaning, fading.”

TAKING ON TACKO

Fall wasn’t much of an offensive factor, scoring six points, but he was a game-changer defensively, blocking six shots. He got into Missouri players’ heads, especially in the first half, when the Tigers scored just 21 points on 23 percent shooting.

“He’s a giant,” Missouri sophomore forward Mitchell Smith said. “I’m 6-10, and when I walked by him, I was looking up.”

BIG PICTURE

UCF: The Knights saw their five-game winning streak end, but they continue to play suffocating defense. UCF has held its last six opponents to an average of 58.7 points. The Knights apply heavy pressure on the perimeter and have Fall inside to protect the rim.

Missouri: The Tigers got an unexpected boost from Mitchell Smith, who entered the game averaging just 3.2 points. Smith scored nine points and grabbed seven rebounds. He played 23 minutes before fouling out with 2:16 left in regulation. Smith started the second half in place of senior Kevin Puryear, who went scoreless, and stretched the UCF defense by making both of shots from 3-point range.

“Mitchell is one of our better flashers in the lane, and he can shoot the 3-point shot,” Martin said. “It’s a different element, and he presented some different matchups for us in a positive way on defense.”

UP NEXT

UCF: The Knights return to Orlando for five straight home games, beginning with Saturday’s game against Grambling.

Missouri: The Tigers will play UT Arlington on Tuesday at Mizzou Arena.

— Associated Press —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – The University of Missouri has accepted an invitation for its football team to play in the 2018 AutoZone Liberty Bowl, as announced today. The 60th playing of the Liberty Bowl will pit the 8-4 and 23rd-ranked (College Football Playoff) Tigers against the Oklahoma State Cowboys (6-6) in a December 31, matchup in Memphis, Tenn. Kickoff is set for 2:45 p.m. (central time) with the game broadcast on ESPN.

Mizzou, under the direction of third-year Head Coach Barry Odom, comes into bowl season as one of the hottest teams in the country, as it won four straight games, and five of its last six, to close the 2018 regular season. The Tigers have one of the top road wins in the country this season, when they claimed a 38-17 victory at CFP #10 Florida on Nov. 3rd. Mizzou has played one of the toughest schedules in the nation, according to numerous computer ranking models, and has two losses on the last play of the game – including to CFP #14 Kentucky and at 7-5 South Carolina (ranked 28th in the FPI rankings). This will mark the second-straight bowl game appearance under Odom, as his 2017 Tigers closed last season in the Texas Bowl.

Mizzou has a history with the Liberty Bowl, which began in 1959 and is the seventh-oldest college bowl game. The Tigers played twice in the Liberty Bowl during a three-year period, defeating LSU (20-15) in the 1978 classic, and falling to Purdue (28-25) in 1980. The 1978 Mizzou team celebrated its 40th anniversary earlier this season in Columbia.

The Tigers boast numerous ties to the Memphis community, as well, starting with Head Coach Barry Odom, who served as defensive coordinator at the University of Memphis for three seasons (2012-14). Mizzou defensive coordinator Ryan Walters also spent the 2014 season with Odom at Memphis as the team’s cornerbacks coach, and director of athletic performance Rohrk Cutchlow is a Memphis graduate who led athletic performance operations there for four years (2012-15) before being recruited to Mizzou by Odom prior to the 2016 season.

Additionally, Mizzou has a strong roster presence from Memphis and the state of Tennessee. Junior WR Johnathon Johnson, who leads the Tigers with 50 receptions in 2018 (552 yards, four touchdowns) and true freshman RB Tyler Badie, who amassed 735 all-purpose yards this season (including 407 rushing yards and two touchdowns) both hail from Memphis, as does sophomore reserve LB Aubrey Miller, Jr. Johnson attended Melrose High School, while Badie attended Briarcrest Christian and Miller went to Whitehaven. In all, seven current Tigers are Tennessee natives.

The Tigers and Cowboys last met in the 2014 AT&T Cotton Bowl, when Mizzou claimed a 41-31 win to wrap up a 12-2 season. Mizzou leads the alltime series between the two former conference mates, 29-23 overall.

— Mizzou Athletics —

MORGANTOWN, W. Va. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball dominated the No. 21-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers on the road, 68-51, on Sunday afternoon in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. Mizzou was led by a career performance from junior guard Amber Smith (Shreveport, La.), who set career highs in points (28) and rebounds (13) while recording her fourth double-double of the season.

After entering Sunday’s contest averaging 85.8 points, the Mountaineers were held to a season-low 51 points. The Tigers were able to hold West Virginia to season-low shooting numbers from the field and three-point range, as the Mountaineers shot 27.9 percent from the field (17-for-61) and 27.8 percent from three (5-for-18). West Virginia’s previous season-lows were 78 points, 42.9 percent from the field and 34.6 percent from three.

Mizzou’s has held its opponents to 52.8 points in its six victories this season.

TURNING POINT

Mizzou’s defense was stellar throughout the entirety of the game, and especially the second quarter, as the Tigers held the Mountaineers to six points in the second frame. West Virginia shot a mere 12.5 percent from the field in the quarter, as the Tigers were able to take a 34-23 lead heading into the locker room. Smith led the way for Mizzou on the defensive end in the first half, as four of her six rebounds in the half came on the defensive glass, while all three of her game-high three blocks came in the first frame. Redshirt junior forward Hannah Schuchts (Tallahassee, Fla.) was also effective on the defensive glass, as she pulled down five defensive rebounds and six boards total in the first half while also recording one block.

TOP TIGERS

• Smith reached 20 points for the fifth time in her career with a career-high 28 points, and recorded her fourth double-double of the season with a career-high 13 rebounds. Smith also set a career-high in field goals made as she shot 10-for-15 from the field while recording a game-high three blocks.
• Redshirt freshman guard Haley Troup (Gadsden, Ala.) played the best game of her young career, as she set career highs in points (14), rebounds (six), field goals made (five) and three-pointers made (three). Troup shot 5-for-9 from the field and 3-for-5 from three in 18 minutes off the bench.
• Making her third consecutive start, junior guard Jordan Chavis (Lexington, N.C.) scored 11 points while grabbing a season-high five rebounds.

NOTES

• Mizzou’s defense held West Virginia to 34.8 points below its season average as the Mountaineers scored 51 points on Sunday. The Tigers were also able to hold West Virginia to season lows in field goal percentage (27.9 percent), three-point percentage (27.8 percent), field goals (17) and three-pointers (five).
• In Mizzou’s six victories this season, the Tigers have held their opponents to 52.8 points. Mizzou has held its opponent to 65 points or less in seven of eight games this season.
• Smith recorded her fourth double-double of the season and the sixth of her career with 28 points and 13 rebounds. The double-double performance moved her into a tie for second for the most double-doubles in the SEC this season, trailing only Mississippi State’s Tearia McCowan and LSU’s Ayana Mitchell with five.

UP NEXT

Mizzou returns home to Mizzou Arena to face UMKC on Thursday, Dec. 6. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

— Mizzou Athletics —