December 2008 blog archives
Posted on
Dec. 22, 2008 by Karen Pojmann
Category: 2008-09 Basketball
Story by Ryan Gavin
They’re back! The Mizzou men’s basketball team returned to the rankings this week, coming in at No. 25 in this week’s Associated Press poll.
The Tigers, now 9-1, haven’t been ranked since Jan. 3, 2004. This season Mizzou has won seven consecutive games, and the team heads into Tuesday night’s Braggin’ Rights game against Illinois (10-1) on a wave of momentum.
En route to the current record, Mizzou beat traditional powers Cal and then-No. 19 USC. The only loss came at the hands of No. 14 Xavier.
The Tigers return home Dec. 27 to face SIU Edwardsville at 4 p.m. Parking is free for all games during the winter break.
Posted on
Dec. 17, 2008 by Ryan Gavin
Jeremy Maclin, front, and Chase Coffman, were Mizzou’s top two receiving threats this season, bringing in 95 and 83 receptions, respectively. Photos by Shane Epping.
The awards just keep on coming for the Mizzou football team. Senior tight end Chase Coffman and sophomore receiver/return specialist Jeremy Maclin were named Associated Press first-team All-Americans. Junior linebacker Sean Weatherspoon also was honored, making the third team.
Tight end Chase Coffman soars up to make an acrobatic one-handed catch in Mizzou’s 58-0 shutout of Colorado.
Coffman recently won the Mackey Award, given to the nation’s best tight end, and also was named to the coaches’ All-America team. He was second on the team in receptions with 83 for 920 yards and 10 touchdowns. Earlier this season, Coffman became the top receiving tight end in NCAA history. With 240 receptions in his four years, he surpassed Louisville’s Ibn Green, who previously held the record with 217 at the end of his career in 1999.
Jeremy Maclin miraculously brings in the pass and gets a foot down for the touchdown despite being blanketed by the Nevada defender.
Maclin made the team in the all-purpose slot, given to a player who excels in several different capacities for his team. The speedster was third on the team in rushing with 35 attempts for 250 yards and two touchdowns. He was two yards shy of quarterback Chase Daniel’s total, but his gaudy 7.1-yards-per-carry average was much higher. As a receiver, Maclin hauled 95 of Daniel’s passes, gaining 1,221 yards and scoring 12 touchdowns. All numbers led the Tigers. In the return game, Maclin averaged 9.9 yards per return on punts and 24.1 yards on kick returns, including a 99-yard return for a touchdown.
Linebacker Sean Weatherspoon crushes a Buffalo player who dared to enter in to his territory.
Weatherspoon, who was named to the All-Big 12 first team for the second consecutive year, led the Tigers in nearly every defensive category. He had 138 tackles, which included 16 for a loss, 4.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. In pass coverage, the Texan picked off three passes, returning two for touchdowns, and broke up six passes.
The Tigers resume daily practices on Friday afternoon and will work until leaving for San Antonio, Texas, for the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 23. The game is scheduled for 7:06 p.m. on Dec. 29.
Posted on
Dec. 12, 2008 by Ryan Gavin
Mizzou tight end Chase Coffman hurdles defenders in the Oklahoma State game, one of the many skills he perfected while with the Tigers. Photo by Shane Epping
On the field, Mizzou tight end Chase Coffman hauled in everything that came near him this season. Now, as the Tigers are preparing for the Alamo Bowl, he hasn’t stopped. The Peculiar native has been named a first-team All-American by the American Football Coaches Association and has won the Mackey Award, given to the nation’s top tight end.
“I’m really honored by this, to win the award that says you’re the best in the nation at your position,” Coffman said. “It means a lot.”
“I’m really happy for my family and especially my dad, who taught me so much about football,” he said. Paul Coffman played the position in the NFL for the Packers and Chiefs.
In winning the Mackey, Coffman beat out fellow Big 12 Conference tight ends Jermaine Gresham of Oklahoma and Brandon Pettigrew of Oklahoma State. It’s the first individual position award ever won by a Tiger and only the second national award won by a Mizzou player; Brock Olivo won the Mosi Tutupu Special Teams Player of the Year Award in 1997.
Coffman’s blocking skills, along with his eye-popping receiving statistics, earned him the All-American honors and Mackey award. He caught 83 passes for 920 yards and 10 touchdowns to lead all tight ends, and he did so despite playing with a turf toe (sprain) the final month of the season.
“I have to give a lot of credit to my coaches over the years, and definitely Coach (Bruce) Walker (MU tight end coach) and Coach Pinkel for giving me the opportunities they have at Mizzou,” Coffman said. “It’s an individual award, but it’s also something that our team earns because it doesn’t happen without a great quarterback like Chase (Daniel) and our great playmakers like Jeremy (Maclin) and D-Wash (running back Derrick Washington) who draw attention away from me, and our offensive line which gives Chase time to make the throws. I hope everyone takes some satisfaction in knowing they helped make this happen,” he said.
Earlier this season, Coffman became the top receiving tight end in NCAA history. With 240 receptions in his four years, he surpassed Louisville’s Ibn Green, who previously set the record with 217 at the end of his career in 1999.
In addition to being a standout on the field, Coffman has excelled in the classroom. He’s taking credit 18 hours this semester and is on schedule to get his bachelor’s degree later this month, earning it after just three and a half years of school.
Coffman will be formally presented with the Mackey Trophy at the Nassau County Sports Commission Annual Awards Dinner on April 27, 2009. For additional information, visit johnmackeyaward.org or nassausports.org. For additional information on the AFCA All-American team, visit afca.com.
Posted on
Dec. 7, 2008 by Karen Pojmann
Story by Ryan Gavin
It’s official: Mizzou will go to San Antonio to play in the Alamo Bowl.
Announced Sunday afternoon, the Dec. 29 game will feature the No. 25 Tigers (9-4) against the No. 22 Northwestern Wildcats (9-3) of the Big 10 Conference.
Although the Tigers played at the Alamodome for the 2007 Big 12 Championship, Mizzou has never played in the Alamo Bowl (hosted at the same site) before in the game’s 15-year history. The 2009 game will mark the Tigers’ fourth consecutive bowl trip and fifth in the past six years. Northwestern played in the 2000 Alamo Bowl against Nebraska but lost 66-17.
Tickets for the game are available for purchase Monday at 9 a.m. Fans can purchase tickets online, by phone at 1-800-CAT-PAWS (884-PAWS in Columbia) or by visiting the Mizzou Arena Ticket Office.
The athletic department expects a rush for tickets early Monday morning, so fans are encouraged to get their tickets via MUTigers.com. A seating section will be created exclusively for MU students. Students should visit MUTigers.com on Tuesday for information and ordering instructions.
Fans interested in travel packages to the bowl game location through the Mizzou Alumni Association are encouraged to visit MizzouSportsTravel.com or call 888-MIZZOU-1.
For more information on San Antonio and events going on around the Alamo Bowl, visit the Web site.
Posted on
Dec. 6, 2008 by Karen Pojmann
Story by Ryan Gavin
Friday afternoon at the Westin Crown Center in Kansas City, both MU football coach Gary Pinkel and Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops fielded questions from the media for the final time before Saturday’s Big 12 Conference Championship. The game, which starts at 7 p.m. at Arrowhead Stadium, will be televised nationally on ABC and is a rematch of last year’s game in San Antonio, Texas. The Tigers head in to the game as the underdog, but Pinkel hinted that Mizzou might enjoy that role.
“It’s a little bit easier because of all that was involved last year,” Pinkel said, reflecting on how Missouri was ranked No. 1 after beating Kansas last year and was likely a win away from playing for the National Championship. “That will probably never happen again. That was more difficult than this is.”
This year, Oklahoma is No. 2 in the Bowl Championship Series standings and a win away from playing in the National Championship. Could the Tigers pull off the upset and exact a little revenge?
“I think you draw from that,” Pinkel said. “You want to prove people wrong. You show them that. It’s a little added incentive, without a question.”
While several Big 12 favorites have gone on to play in prominent bowls and even the National Championship, its not like upsets have never happened. In 2003, Kansas State faced a heavily favored Oklahoma team in Kansas City. The Wildcats went in to the season with championship hopes, but in losing a string of games during the season, fell out of contention. However, that talented Wildcats squad came together for a 35-7 rout of the Sooners — a situation very similar to the one this year’s Tiger team faces.
Still, the Tigers know the numbers. Under Pinkel, they’re 0-6 against the Sooners and widely expected to go to 0-7.
“We had to overcome a lot of hurdles at Missouri,” Pinkel, who has already checked off items such as winning against Nebraska; winning in Manhattan, Kansas; and winning Big 12 North titles. “This is one of them still left. I don’t think there’s any question: Our guys are dying to win this game.”
Posted on
Dec. 3, 2008 by Jamie Scheppers
This week Tiger Garden, MU’s full-service florist, began selling poinsettias in a rainbow of colors — both traditional and decidedly not. Whether you’re seeking a natural-looking red poinsettia for a formal decorating scheme or a yellow plant with black tiger paws stamped on the petals for a Mizzou-theme arrangement, they’ve got you covered, but you have to move fast.
Photo by Shane Epping.
Supplies of the artificially colored plants — like those with the tiger paw motif, glitter or an unusual hue — are disappearing fast. The entire supply of plants (more than 500) are expected to be sold before the second week of December ticks by, but Tiger Garden expects to have plenty of other seasonal items available beyond then.
All poinsettias are grown by MU students in the Tiger Garden greenhouse and await their new home in your office, residence hall room, apartment or house.
And for your entertainment, some random poinsettia facts:
- Despite common belief, poinsettias are, in fact, not poisonous.
- The plants do, however, have a milky white sap that can irritate the skin and upset the stomach if large quantities are consumed.
- Poinsettias are native to Mexico, but were introduced to the United States in 1825 by Joel Poinsett — hence their name.
- The plants are produced commercially in all 50 states, but California is the top producer.
- Often the plants are priced according to the number of blooms.
- 80 percent of them are purchased by women.
Posted on
Dec. 3, 2008 by Karen Pojmann
Three Mizzou students are on a mission to create educational opportunities for children abroad.
Bree Dunn, Kyle Kilroy and Libby Wolfe have founded Mizzou for Malawi, part of the Change A Life Foundation fund-raising program affiliated with the orphan-advocacy Christian organization C3 Missions International. The students’ goal is to raise $25,000 to build a school near Salima, Malawi, in southeastern Africa. The school would operate as part of a larger C3-planned village containing medical facilities, economic-development resources and housing for more than 600 orphaned children.
By the end of November, Mizzou for Malawi had raised more than $12,000 by holding fund-raising parties, collecting change and selling T-shirts.
To learn more about the group, check out this story in Vox, a local weekly magazine of the Columbia Missourian.
Posted on
Dec. 1, 2008 by Ryan Gavin
The Bowl Championship Series standings have spoken, which means Mizzou’s opponent in the Big 12 Championship has been decided. Oklahoma has emerged from a three-way tie with Texas and Texas Tech, setting up a rematch of last year’s championship game.
Oklahoma beat No. 11 Oklahoma State 61-41 on Saturday to narrowly move ahead of the Longhorns in the standings. Mizzou lost 40-37 to Kansas in a game that came down to the wire. Fortunately for the Tigers, Missouri already had clinched the North crown.
For the game against Kansas, Mizzou donned old gold jersey tops for the first time since 1984. In that game against Notre Dame, the Tigers also lost by a field goal, 26-23. Chad Moller, manager of sports information, says black, gold and white pants were all designed to go with the new tops, but the black by far looked best.
Mizzou’s recent success on the field means members of the coaching staff outside of coach Gary Pinkel are the subject of several coaching rumors. Pinkel, who received a contract extension last week, turned down an interview with Washington, where he worked as an assistant for several years. Offensive coordinator Dave Christensen was promoted to head coach at Wyoming. And defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus interviewed for the head coaching position at Toledo, where he served as coordinator under Pinkel before coming to Mizzou. The coaching staff will likely remain intact for the remainder of the season, Athletic Director Mike Alden says, as the team prepares for the championship game and a bowl trip.
“We’re in the championship game,” quarterback Chase Daniel says. “Not Kansas, not Kansas State, not Baylor. We’re in the championship.
“Would we have liked to keep the momentum up [with a win against Kansas]? Sure. But it’s a big week — championship week.”
The Tigers know their preseason goal — winning the Big 12 Title and playing in a BCS bowl — is still out there if they knock off Oklahoma on Saturday at 7 p.m. on ABC. It’s just time, as is emphasized everywhere around the stadium and practice facilities, to finish.
