down pass from Daniel to cap a 6-play, 72- yard opening drive.

The Tigers extended the lead to 14-0 on a 1-yard touchdown run by Temple -- Missouri's first rushing score of the season. Linebacker Brock Christopher's interception set up the 46-yard scoring drive, which also featured a 39-yard scramble by Daniel before he was knocked out of bounds at the 1.

Maclin caught seven passes for 96 yards, rushed six times for 52 yards, returned five kickoffs for 96 yards and returned two punts for 31 yards. His 275 all-purpose yards ranked as the 5th-most in MU single-game history.

GAME 4

Missouri 38, Illinois State 17

Sept. 22, 2007 • Columbia, Mo.

The Tigers used their no-huddle spread offense to take care of business by beating Illinois State 38-17.

Chase Daniel threw three touchdown passes for Missouri, which had 581 total yards and 38 first downs.

The Tigers scored on drives lasting 17 seconds, 3: 11, 2: 40, 3: 33 and 2:04, and on Maclin's punt return.

Tony Temple scored on a first-quarter pass and a third-quarter 1-yard run, and Jeremy Maclin caught a touchdown pass and scored on a 64-yard fourth-quarter punt return.

Daniel was 21-for- 34 for 294 yards and threw two interceptions. He completed passes to 11 different receivers. In just his fourth game of the season, Daniel already had thrown 13 touchdown passes after setting a school record with 28 in 2006, his first year as a starter.

Temple rushed 18 times for 101 yards, his sixth career 100-yard game.

Missouri drove 97 yards after Illinois State failed to convert on fourth-and-goal from the 3 early in the second quarter. The 8-yard touchdown to end the drive came as Daniel appeared to run, then flipped forward to Maclin, who ran it in.

Maclin, a redshirt freshman, became the first Missouri player in 32 years to return two punts for touchdowns in a season. He also had a 66-yard score in the opener against Illinois.

GAME 5

Missouri 41, Nebraska 6

Oct. 6, 2007 • Columbia, Mo.

Chase Daniel passed for a career-best 401 yards and ran for two scores and the Tigers got a big game from their suspect defense in a 41-6 victory over No 25 Nebraska.

Nebraska, which entered the game averaging 36 points, was held without a touchdown for the first time since a 31-3 loss to Oklahoma on Nov. 13, 2004. Missouri's four nonconference opponents averaged 25 points, leading to anticipation of a high-scoring affair that never materialized.

The Cornhuskers were outgained 606- 297.

Daniel was 33-for- 47 and also was Missouri's rushing leader with 72 yards on 11 carries. Chase Coffman and Danario Alexander each caught a touchdown pass to help the Tigers beat Nebraska decisively at home for the third straight time and go to 5-0 for a second straight season.

A game viewed as a key early Big 12 North matchup attracted a crowd of 70,049, Missouri's first sellout since the Nebraska game in 2003 with most fans clad in yellow for a so-called "Gold Rush" game. The Tigers had a ball and even scored a touchdown off a fake field goal early in the fourth quarter.

Missouri put away Nebraska without leading rusher Tony Temple, who sprained his right ankle in the first half. Temple had one catch for 20 yards and three carries for minus- 2 yards.

GAME 6

Oklahoma 41, Missouri 31

Oct. 13, 2007 • Norman, Okla.

Mizzou went toe-to-toe on the road with the 6th-ranked team in the nation, holding a 24-23 lead early in the 4th quarter, before the homestanding Sooners took advantage of key Tiger mistakes to hold on for a hard-fought 41-31 win over the 11th- ranked visitors.

The Tigers showed great resiliency all night long in the hostile environment of 85,041 in attendance, and clawed back from a 23-10 deficit in the 3rd quarter, to take a 24-23 lead into the last period.

The lead was regained with help from both sides of the ball, as the offense first scored on a 10-yard end-around by WR Jeremy Maclin (his 2nd rushing TD of the night) with 4: 41 left in the 3rd, followed by TB Jimmy Jackson's 4-yard plunge with 1: 30 remaining. The latter possession was set up when the Sooners' Juaquin Iglesias fumbled a kickoff return, giving the ball back to the Tigers.

Leading 24-23 in the 4th, Mizzou had a golden opportunity slip out of its hands, literally, when SS Pig Brown couldn't hold onto a potential interception in MU's endzone on an errant ball thrown by OU quarterback Sam Bradford. The drop proved costly, as Bradford regrouped and led the Sooners the remaining 33 yards needed to regain the lead, at 29-24 with 12: 26 left.

Mizzou signal caller Chase Daniel, who would end the night 37-of- 47 passing for 361 yards with 1 TD and 2 INTs, was ready to lead another drive downfield, but on the ensuing possession, a fumbled exchange with Maclin spelled doom, as OU's Curtis Lofton alertly scooped the ball up at the Tiger 12-yardline and rambled into the endzone for a quick score that pushed the Sooner lead to 35-24 with 11: 40 left.

With the Tigers in a hole and forced to abandon their running game, Oklahoma sat back in pass defense, and forced the

 

Chase Coffman ( 45)

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