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No. 5 Mizzou Tigers vs. No. 3 Auburn Tigers
Dec. 7, 2013 – SEC Championship – Georgia Dome – Atlanta, Ga.
KICKOFF: 3 p.m. CT
SERIES HISTORY: Mizzou leads the all-time series vs.
#5 MIZZOU #3 AUBURN Auburn, 1-0, winning 34-17 in the 1973 Sun Bowl.
MIZZOU TO FACE AUBURN FOR 2013 SEC TITLE
► In just its second year in the Southeastern Conference, the No. 5 Missouri Tigers (11-1
overall,
7-1 in SEC action) have reached the SEC Championship Game, and this
Saturday, Head Coach Gary Pinkel and his crew will face the No. 3
Auburn Tigers (11-1, 7-1) for all of the marbles in Atlanta, Ga., at
the Georgia Dome. Kickoff for the nationally-televised CBS game is set
for 3 p.m. (central time)…
► Mizzou has now won three straight
games since suffering its only defeat of 2013 – a 27-24 double overtime
loss to current BCS No. 8 South Carolina.
In that game, Mizzou was
without the services of its starting QB James Franklin (shoulder) and
starting CB E.J. Gaines (quad). Gaines, by the way, is coming off a
game against Texas A&M in which he locked down All-America WR
candidate Mike Evans, holding Evans to just 4 receptions for a
career-low 8 yards. The 7-point victory last Saturday over Texas
A&M was the smallest margin of victory for Mizzou in 2013. Each of
its previous 10 wins had all come by a minimum of 14 points… THE OTHER TIGERS
►
Auburn is coming off one of the more memorable wins in college football
history, as they knocked off previous No. 1 and unbeaten Alabama by a
34- 28 score last Saturday. The Tigers rallied from a 21-7 defi cit to
tie the game at 28- all in the final minute, and returned an Alabama
missed field goal 100 yards for the winning touchdown at the final gun.
Auburn has won its last eight games entering Saturday’s game, following
their
sole defeat in 2013, a 35-21 setback at LSU on Sept. 21…
► Mizzou and Auburn have played five common opponents in 2013, and they are both a perfect 5-0 against the group. COMPARING OPPONENTS
► Both Tiger teams are 5-0 vs. common opp. Mizzou Auburn
W, 41-19 (H) Arkansas State W, 38-9 (H)
W, 41-26 (A) Georgia W, 43-38 (H)
W, 24-10 (A) Ole Miss W, 30-22 (H)
W, 31-3 (H) Tennessee W, 55-23 (A)
W, 28-21 (H) Texas A&M W, 45-41 (A)
GARY PINKEL NO STRANGER TO SUCCESS
► While the 2013 Mizzou Tigers are one of the top turnaround teams in the nation,
those who follow the program know that Gary Pinkel’s outfi t is used to winning at
a high level. This marks the fourth time in the last seven seasons that Mizzou has
won a conference division title (2007, 2008 and 2010 Big 12 North; 2013 SEC East).
Additionally, in all four of those seasons, Mizzou has reached double-digit win totals
Mizzou has caused a turnover in 42-straightgames, the longest active streak in the BCS.
The last time Mizzou didn’t record a takeaway was Oct. 30, 2010 at Nebraska (a 31-17 loss).
Mizzou
is one of just four teams to rank in the Top 15 nationally in both
offensive scoring and defensive scoring. The Tigers’ 38.8 points/ game
average ranks tied for 14th, while its allowed average of 19.4 ranks
14th.
Head coach Gary Pinkel’s squad has 18 interceptions in the
12 games so far this season, a total that ranks fi rst in the SEC and
tied for ninth in the nation. Mizzou is averaging a 1.50/INT per game
clip (tied for ninth nationally). The
Tigers’ spread offense, known for its passing proficiency, is averaging
236.9 rushing yards per game, good enough for the No. 2 mark in the SEC
behind only Auburn. Mizzou’s average ranks 18th in the nation.
►
The 2013 Tigers have already made history, as they are just the third
MU squad to win 11 games or more in a season. In its previous 122
seasons of football, Mizzou had won 11 games or more only twice – 1960
(11-0 including a loss that was forfeited back to Mizzou by Kansas for
using ineligible players) and 2007 (12-2). The current 11
regular-season wins ties with the 2007 team for most regular-season
wins in MU history…
►
Mizzou’s win last Saturday over Texas A&M gave Pinkel his 101st
career win at MU, which tied him with Don Faurot for most wins in
school history… BCS RADAR ENGAGED
►
Mizzou was placed at No. 5 in the latest Bowl Championship Series
standings (Dec. 1) to set a new program best for consecutive weeks in
the system’s Top 10 at seven-straight weeks... ► The previous best for Mizzou was a six-week stay in the BCS Top 10 to close the
2007 season, running Oct. 28-Dec. 2 (9, 6, 5, 4, 1, 6)... ► The Tigers have appeared in every BCS poll thus far and stand a fair chance to
be mentioned all season long, joining 2007, 2008 and 2010 seasons as campaigns in
which Mizzou was ranked in every release of the BCS standings... HOW THEY GOT HERE
► Mizzou shocked the pre-season critics and reached the 2013 SEC Championship
Game after being picked to fi nish 6th in the SEC East Division race. The Tigers were
so far off the radar that they did not receive a single vote in the pre-season Top 25
polls, and the team stayed there after it opened with a pair of solid home wins over
Murray State (W, 58-14) and Toledo (W, 38-23). The Tigers were expected to get a
big test next when they played at Indiana, but instead they cruised to a comfortable
45-28 road win, and followed by closing the non-conference schedule with a 41-19
workmanlike win over Arkansas State…
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