Game 1: Murphy Leads Mizzou

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Gary Pinkel wanted to get Marcus Murphy more touches, and Murph made his coach look good Saturday.

The senior from DeSoto, Texas, returned a third-quarter kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown to help the 24th-ranked Tigers to a 38-18 win over South Dakota State on Faurot Field on Saturday. The run-back was Murphy's second kickoff return TD of his career, to go with three punt-return scores. Murphy finished with 204 all-purpose yards on 17 touches.

The win is Pinkel's 103rd at Mizzou, and his 14th against FCS competition.

Both teams got off to quick starts; on the game's third play from scrimmage - which already had featured a 19-yard gash on the ground from Russell Hansbrough - junior QB Maty Mauk found senior WR Darius White down the middle on a post route to give the Tigers (1-0) a 7-0 lead just 50 seconds into the game. White would add a second score down the right sideline late in the first quarter.

The Jackrabbits (0-1) evened the game up on its first play from scrimmage, however. SDSU's Zach Zenner - a 2,000-yard rusher the last two seasons - found the ball in his hands after an errant snap. Seventy-five yards later, Zenner had hit pay dirt.

It would be the last good news of the half for the Jackrabbits, as the Tiger defense held SDSU to 70 yards on 27 plays the rest of the opening 30 minutes.

Game 2: A Good Homecoming

TOLEDO, Ohio – It was a homecoming for several Tigers at the Glass Bowl on Saturday, and when everything was said and done, they all made sure it was a happy one.

Sophomore QB Maty Mauk threw a school-record-tying five touchdown passes, and the Mizzou defense turned in a solid, bend-don't-break performance, as the No. 24/22 Tigers posted a 49-24 win over Toledo. Mauk, who grew up less than an hour south of Toledo in Kenton, Ohio, matched the mark he equaled at Kentucky last season, and first set by Chase Daniel four different times over his career.

It was also a special win for Mizzou Head Coach Gary Pinkel, who came into the game as both schools' career coaching wins leader. He spent 10 years leading the Rockets, along with assistants Dave Steckel, Cornell Ford, Brian Jones and Craig Kuligowski, before coming to Columbia.

After both teams punted to start the game, Russell Hansbrough got the Tigers on the board first with a 16-yard touchdown run. He finished with 84 yards on 14 carries.

Toledo (1-1) answered six minutes later, but touchdown passes to Darius White (5 catches, 69 yards) and Jimmie Hunt (6 catches, 71 yards) – sandwiched around Mauk's naked bootleg from a yard out – gave the Tigers a comfortable 28-7 lead at the break.

The Tigers extended their FBS-leading streak of 46 games with a takeaway in a rather odd way in the first quarter. After Mauk threw an interception, Senior WR Bud Sasser chased down the Toledo defender and forced a fumble that was recovered by fellow Hunt. It was the offense's first takeaway since Chase Daniel forced a fumble at the end of the 2007 season in the Cotton Bowl. On the next series, the defense got a takeaway of their own when Aarion Penton picked off Phillip Ely pass.

Game 3: Mauk's Four TD's Lead Tigers Over UCF

COLUMBIA, Mo. – A slow start set up for a quick finish for No. 20 Missouri on Saturday.

Maty Mauk threw four more touchdowns to tie another Mizzou record, and the defense tallied six sacks and four takeaways to help the Tigers cruise to a 38-10 win over UCF at Faurot Field.

While Mauk led Missouri (3-0) to a touchdown on its first drive of the game on a nifty scrambling throw to Jimmie Hunt, a second-drive interception meant the Tigers' defense was on the field for fewer than four of the game's first 17 minutes of play. Yet the Tigers pulled ahead for good midway through the second quarter on Hunt's second TD grab of the game.

One of the anxious storylines at halftime involved the defense's lack of a takeaway, but the Tigers took care of that with plenty to spare in the final 20 minutes. Defensive tackle Josh Augusta made the play of the game with 3:41 left in the 3rd quarter, when he stuck his right hand up to deflect Justin Holman's pass at the line. The ball shot straight up, and Augusta made an athletic leap to snag the ball and give Mizzou its nation-leading 47th straight game with a takeaway.

Mauk found Sasser less than two minutes later to open the floodgates; his final TD to Sasser with 11:32 left in the game gave the redshirt freshman nine passing TD's in consecutive games, matching Chase Daniel's school record established in 2007.

The only two times the Knights (0-2) made it into Missouri territory in the second half, the Tigers stripped the ball loose. The second time around came in the final seconds of the game and with UCF driving; Ricky Hatley stripped Holman, and Duron Singleton scooped the ball up and raced 60 yards for the final margin.

The defense allowed just 134 yards on 40 UCF plays in the second half, and limited Holman to 12-of-23 passing for 112 yards and two interceptions.

Game 4: Late TD Sends Tigers to First Loss

COLUMBIA, Mo. – D'Angelo Roberts scored on a 3-yard run with 22 seconds left to lift Indiana to a 31-27 win over No. 18 Missouri on Faurot Field on Saturday afternoon.

The final drive negated a near-comeback from the Tigers (3-1), who drove 70 yards in 11 plays to break a 24-all tie with 2:20 left on a 40-yard Andrew Baggett field goal. That followed a 1-yard touchdown reception by TE Sean Culkin early in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 24.

In addition to the pass to Culkin, QB Maty Mauk also connected with Jimmie Hunt on a nice 45-yard grab late in the first quarter; Mauk's two TD's gives him 14 on the season, which breaks Chase Daniel's school record for most passing scores through the first four games of a season.

Russell Hansbrough had the highlight run of the day for the Tigers, scampering for a 68-yard score midway through the second quarter:

Game 5: Hansbrough Saves the Day

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Russell Hansbrough scored three touchdowns on the ground, the final with 96 seconds left, to lead Mizzou to a 21-20 upset over No. 13 South Carolina at Williams-Brice Stadium on Saturday night.

With the win, the Tigers (4-1, 1-0 SEC) are the lone team in the SEC East without a conference loss, while the Gamecocks (3-2, 2-2 SEC) were handed their second home loss of the season.

Since both defenses dominated the game, it appeared the game was over when Pharoh Cooper scored on a 23-yard pass from Dylan Thompson with 7:25 left in the game to take a 20-7 lead. At that point in the game, South Carolina had 338 yards to Mizzou's 166, and had allowed just 49 yards in the second half.

Yet sophomore QB Maty Mauk went to work, and did so quickly. He heaved a ball to senior WR Bud Sasser down the left sideline on the first play back for 41 yards, then found junior WR Wesley Leftwich on a crossing pattern that the Columbia, Mo., native marched down to the Gamecock 1-yard-line. Hansbrough then had another highlight-reel reversal in getting the final yard for his second score of the game with 6:49 to go.

The defense continued its stellar play on the night, as it would not allow South Carolina to gain another yard the rest of the game, and with 4:40 left, Mauk brought the offense back out. A Hansbrough run came up a yard short of the sticks, so the Tigers went for it on 4th-and-1 from the USC 42. Mauk ran a play-action to sophomore TE Sean Culkin to move the chains, and following a pass-interference penalty, senior RB Marcus Murphy rumbled 22 yards down to the Gamecock 2.

Three runs, and three combined timeouts from the two sidelines later, 4th-and-goal from the USC 1-yard line – and the ballgame – hung in the balance. Hansbrough bulled through the line for his third score, and the Tigers had tied the game. After junior PK Andrew Baggett nailed the extra point, the Tigers had their first lead of the second half.

Game 6: A Temporary Setback

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Hunter Mason completed 22 of 28 passes for 156 yards and a touchdown and ran for another as No. 13 Georgia shut out No. 23 Missouri 34-0 in the Bulldogs' first game without suspended star Todd Gurley.

Freshman Nick Chubb rushed 38 times for 143 yards and one touchdown as Georgia (5-1, 3-1) wore down the Tigers (4-2, 1-1) early. The team possessed the ball for more than 42 minutes, gaining 379 total yards on 87 plays.

The win bumped the Bulldogs into a first-place tie with Kentucky and Missouri in a muddled SEC East.

Maty Mauk completed nine of 21 passes for 97 yards and accounted for five turnovers, throwing four interceptions and losing a fumble.

Game 7: Demolition Derby

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Marcus Murphy set a school record with his sixth and seventh career returns for touchdowns, and the Mizzou defense carried the Tigers to a 42-13 win over Florida at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Saturday night.

In a game that looked nothing like the final box score, the Tigers (5-2, 2-1 SEC) scored with return touchdowns on a punt, a fumble, an interception, and on the game's opening kickoff, as Murphy started on his 4-yard line and raced through the Gators for his sixth career return score, breaking the school record he shared with Jeremy Maclin. Murphy added his seventh return TD with an 82-yard punt return early in the second half.

"It was one of the great wins I've ever been a part of. I'm real proud of our football team, and how we battled," said Head Coach Gary Pinkel. "I've never coached in a game like that before. It's just a real great team victory for us. It says so much about our team."

When Murphy wasn't returning kicks, the defense was stifling. The defense gave the offense a short field for its first score from scrimmage, as Kentrell Brothers came on a blitz to pop the ball loose from Gator QB Treon Harris. Michael Scherer fell on the ball at the Gator 19, and four plays later, Murphy ran up the middle from five yards for what would eventually be the winning score.

The first of two Braylon Webb interceptions midway through the second quarter set up a 34-yard Andrew Baggett field-goal, and the Tigers took a 20-0 lead into the halftime lockerroom. Although the Tigers were held to 99 yards of offense in the first half, the defense was even more stifling, holding Florida (3-3, 2-3) to just 66 yards on 31 first-half plays.

Things really turned up in the third quarter, but in unique fashion. While the Mizzou offense mustered just one first down and 18 yards in the period, the Tigers scored 22 points thanks to Murphy's punt return, a 21-yard scoop-and-score for Markus Golden following a Shane Ray sack and strip, and Darvin Ruise's 46-yard pick-six of Jeff Driskel, who started the game and finished 7-of-19 for 50 yards and two interceptions.

Game 8: Homecoming + #TigerStripe = Win

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Maty Mauk threw two touchdowns to Bud Sasser – the last with just over two minutes left to play – and the Tigers ground out a season-high 244 yards on the ground in a 24-14 win Homecoming win over Vanderbilt on Saturday at Faurot Field.

With the win, the Tigers (6-2, 3-1 SEC) break a two-game home losing streak, and become bowl-eligible for the 10th time in Head Coach Gary Pinkel's 14 seasons in Columbia.

Marcus Murphy ran for 93 yards on 16 carries, and Russell Hansbrough nabbed 87 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries; per Mizzou historian Tom Orf, it's the first time in 15 years that the Tigers have had two running backs each with at least 85 rushing yards against an FBS opponent.

Mizzou drew first blood on the game's first drive when Andrew Baggett hit a 37-yard field goal, then made it 10-0 in the second quarter on a 10-yard run by Hansbrough. Together, those two drives chewed up 9:17 off the clock.

Twice Vanderbilt pulled within three points, and twice Sasser and Mauk answered with touchdown passes. The first came with 2:27 left in the third quarter, when Mauk found Sasser wide open in the middle of a zone. He spun, took a couple steps and dove for the goal line to make it 17-7. Then after C.J. Duncan scored on a 29-yard pass from Johnny McCrary with 6:53 left in the game, Mauk and the Tigers hit the ground. Following a four-yard sideline screen to freshman Nate Brown, the Tigers ran the ball on seven of the next eight plays – the exception a deflected pass that Mauk caught for a one-yard gain – before Mauk heaved a fade toward the back of the left corner of the end zone. Sasser settled under it, and got a foot down for the score.

Game 9: Ray Breaks the Sacks Record

COLUMBIA, Mo. – For the second straight game, Maty Mauk threw a pair of touchdown passes to Bud Sasser, and the Mizzou defense kept a potent Wildcat offense in check for most of the game, as Mizzou cruised to a 20-10 win over Kentucky on Saturday at Faurot Field.

Sgt. Adam Coates surprises his family at Memorial Stadium before Missouri takes on Kentucky. http://t.co/jWVYt4esuu

— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) November 1, 2014

The victory, coupled Florida's 38-20 win vs. Georgia, gives the defending SEC East champion Tigers (7-2, 4-1 SEC) a one-game lead in the division standings.

Kentucky (5-4, 2-4) kept things interesting at the end, however, as the Wildcats scored with 3:26 left to pull within 10, and then recovered the ensuing onsides kick. Yet the Tiger defense held firm, and on UK's last play of the game, Shane Ray sacked Patrick Towles to break Mizzou's single-season sack record. His 12 sacks break the mark set by Aldon Smith and matched by Michael Sam.

"I'm happy for him. He is such a team player," said Head Coach Gary Pinkel. "He talks to the team just like a senior captain. Players have great respect for him because he works incredibly hard and he performs at this high level all the time."

The game started moments after a tribute video was shown to the crowd of 62,004, and a moment of silence was held in honor of former player, coach, administrator and broadcast John Kadlec, who passed away Wednesday at the age of 86. His nickname, "Mr. Mizzou", was painted on the grass berms surrounding Faurot Field.

"I was at the visitation last night, and I told his family that we were going to dedicate this game to Coach. For me, that's so awesome that we won this football game. He's just a great person that touched thousands of people. Anyone who knows the guy knows how much he loved the University of Missouri. I thank God that I was able to have a 14-year relationship with him."

After a scoreless first quarter, the Tigers jumped out to a 7-0 lead when Mauk found Sasser on a 3-yard slant route with 12:56 left in the half. After a UK field goal, the duo hooked up again on a beautiful 26-yard lob to the right corner of the end zone.

Game 10: Hansbrough Heads Home

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Russell Hansbrough ran for a career-high 199 yards and two touchdowns to help Missouri to a 34-27 win over Texas A&M on Saturday night.

Missouri (8-2, 5-1 SEC) scored 28 points in the third quarter to erase a seven-point halftime deficit and take a 34-20 lead.

The Aggies got within a touchdown early in the fourth quarter and had a chance to tie it with less than three minutes remaining, but lost a yard on fourth down from the Missouri 1. The Tigers then ran out the clock to secure their fourth straight win and remain in first place in the SEC East.

Playing in his home state of Texas, Hansbrough ran for touchdowns of 49 and 45 yards in his fifth career 100-yard game in front of a crowd of more than 100,000 which included former President George H.W. Bush and his wife, Barbara.

Kyle Allen threw for 237 yards with three touchdowns and an interception for Texas A&M (7-4, 3-4). He tossed a 4-yard pass over the head of safety Duron Singleton to Malcome Kennedy for a touchdown to cut Missouri's lead to 34-27 early in the fourth quarter.

Andrew Baggett's 49-yard field-goal attempt bounced off the right upright, giving the Aggies the ball back with 5 1/2 minutes remaining, but they came away empty after the fourth-down stop.

Missouri's Shane Ray had a sack to give him 13 this season, extending his school record. Maty Mauk threw for 252 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

The Tigers tied it at 13-13 when Mauk found Darius White in the end zone for a 16-yard touchdown reception early in the third quarter. A&M responded quickly with Allen finding Josh Reynolds for a 56-yard touchdown catch three plays later to put the Aggies back up 20-13. The score gave Reynolds 12 touchdown receptions this season to tie a school record. He finished with five receptions for 125 yards.

Hansbrough knotted the score once again when he burst up the middle 49 yards for a touchdown less than two minutes later.

Missouri forced a punt and Hansbrough did it again on the next drive, this time evading three tacklers on his way to a 45-yard touchdown run to make it 27-20. A 16-yard touchdown run by freshman Ish Witter pushed the lead to 34-20 with about a minute left in the quarter.

Game 11: Road Remains Friendly

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – Marcus Murphy ran for two touchdowns to help his team get the lead, and Maty Mauk threw a pair of second-half touchdown passes to seal the win as No. 19/20 Missouri won its fifth straight game, a 29-21 victory over Tennessee at Neyland Stadium.

The win was the school-record 10th consective on the road for the Tigers (9-2, 6-1 SEC), which broke the mark first establish from 1978-80.

The defense was solid all game long, and didn't allow a sustained drive until the Volunteers (5-6, 2-5) scored on a pass from holder Patrick Ashford to tight end Alex Ellis on a fake field goal with 11:14 left in the first half. That score put the Vols up 10-7, and would be UT's last lead of the night.

Murphy's 1-yard plunge up the middle on the game's opening drive put the Tigers up, and his second midway through the second half put the Tigers up 13-10. Aaron Medley's second field goal of the game sent the teams to the locker room tied at 13.

The second half was all Mizzou until the very end; Andrew Baggett's 43-yard field goal broke the halftime deadlock midway through the 3rd, then Mauk took over. With 10:42 left to play, Mauk found Jimmie Hunt over the top for a 73-yard catch-and-run to give the Tigers a 10-point lead, and then Mauk found Bud Sasser on a fade from 13 yards out to make it 29-13 with 6:22 to go.

Tenneessee made it an eight-point game with 1:52 left, but the Tigers were able to run the clock out to put the Tigers a win away from their second-straight SEC East Division title.

Game 12: Battle Line Drawn

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Marcus Murphy scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 12-yard run with 4:38 remaining, and Markus Golden recovered a fumble to seal No. 17 Missouri's 21-14 victory Friday against Arkansas and send the Tigers to the SEC championship game for the second straight season.

Missouri (10-2, 7-1) tied it at 14 early in the fourth quarter with a 98-yard drive capped by Jimmie Hunt's 4-yard TD reception and a reverse pass by receiver Bud Sasser to Darius White for the 2-point conversion.

Arkansas (6-6, 2-6) was driving for the tie when Kentrell Brothers stripped Alex Collins and Golden recovered with 2:13 to go at the Missouri 35 to thwart Arkansas' bid to tie it.

The Razorbacks had won two straight, both shutouts against ranked teams.

A sellout crowd of 71,168 stuck around for the fourth quarter surge by the Tigers. Fans mobbed the field after Maty Mauk's kneel down ended it while stadium personnel took down the goal posts to prevent fans from toting them off to a nearby tavern. Ray Charles' "Georgia on My Mind" - a nod to the site of next Saturday's SEC Championship - played while the stadium slowly emptied.

It's the fifth division title in eight seasons for Missouri (two in the SEC and three in the Big 12), which also reached 10 victories for the fifth time in 14 seasons under coach Gary Pinkel.

Brandon Allen passed for two touchdowns and Arkansas led 14-3 in the second quarter. Jonathan Williams had a 23-yard scoring catch, Dan Skipper blocked a field goal and punter Sam Irwin-Hill ran for a first down and pinned Missouri at the 2 early the fourth.

Missouri had one interception and could have easily had two more turnovers in the second quarter. Trey Flowers stripped Mauk on a sack and Taiwan Johnson recovered at the Tigers 19 with 1:16 to go, but officials ruled after video review that Mauk's arm had been going forward with the ball and the Tigers had enough time for Andrew Baggett's 51-yard field goal to end the half.

The schools exchanged turnovers on consecutive plays near midfield in the second, Golden's forced fumble on Williams followed by D.J. Dean's interception on a tipped pass for Arkansas. Missouri avoided another turnover when Murphy muffed a fair catch but recovered the fumbled punt.

Arkansas held opponents scoreless for nine straight quarters and a total of 148 minutes, 58 seconds before Baggett's career-long 52-yard field early in the second to cut the gap to 7-3. Flowers' 12-yard sack on third down pushed the Tigers back before Baggett beat his previous best by 8 yards.

Williams had an easy trip to the end zone on a 23-yard touchdown reception that capped the Razorbacks' opening drive.

Game 13: Tigers Back in Atlanta

ATLANTA – Jimmie Hunt's career-high 169 receiving yards weren't enough to overcome a diverse offensive attack, as No. 1 Alabama secured the 2014 SEC Championship with a 42-13 win over No. 16 Missouri at the Georgia Dome on Saturday.

Derrick Henry helped Alabama (12-1) salt the game away with two fourth-quarter rushing touchdowns, on his way to a 141-yard afternoon on the ground.

"First of all, Alabama played very well. They're a great football team. Congratulations to them," said head coach Gary Pinkel. "I thought that we made a run at it in the third quarter, when we got a touchdown and a field goal. Then they answered with a 65-yard drive, and we went out and punted, and then they got a 90-yard drive. So they responded really like you want a football team to do."

The Tide took a 21-3 halftime lead, but the Tigers (10-3), competing in the SEC Championship for the second straight year, owned the third quarter, averaging nearly eight yards per play. Maty Mauk, who found success heaving several passes downfield to Hunt after being flushed from the pocket, finished the quarter 6-of-10 for 134 yards and a touchdown to Bud Sasser. Mizzou also got a 33-yard field goal from Andrew Baggett to pull within 21-13 after shutting out the Tide in the frame.

Game 14: The Season Comes Full-Citrus

ATLANTA – Markus Golden earned MVP honors, and the tandem of Marcus Murphy and Russell Hansbrough helped the Tigers to an impressive 337 on the ground, as No. 16 Missouri won its second-straight January bowl with a 33-17 win over No. 25 Minnesota in the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl.

Murphy ran for 159 yards, Hansbrough added 114 and a touchdown and Mizzou (11-3) secured its third 11-win season in the last eight years, and fourth time ever.

Minnesota (8-5) pulled within two with fewer than two minutes left in the third quarter, but the Tigers pulled away on Hansbrough's 78-yard touchdown run and Maty Mauk's 7-yard scoring pass to Bud Sasser. That grab gave the senior 1,003 yards on the season, to give Mizzou its first 1,000-yard receiver since T.J. Moe in 2010. In addition, Hansbrough finished the year with 1,084 on the ground.

The Tigers had fun with their playcalling, as defensive tackle Harold Brantley converted a first down for the second time this year on a fake punt. In addition, Ian Simon recovered a perfectly placed onside kick from Andrew Baggett to open the second half. Baggett's 33-yard field goal gave Mizzou a 13-7 lead.

The Golden Gophers responded on the ensuing series with a 54-yard touchdown pass from Leidner to tight end Maxx Williams. In a move that harkened back to the Chase Coffman era for Mizzou fans, Williams leaped over cornerback Aarion Penton and stepped over another defender before diving into the end zone.

But Missouri quickly answered, needing just three plays after a muffed Minnesota punt for Mauk to give the Tigers a 19-14 lead on an 18-yard touchdown run.

It tightened to 19-17 by the start of in the fourth quarter before Hansbrough got free and rumbled for his score that put the Tigers' up by nine with 9:28 to play.

Epilogue: Season Honors