SEC Names Mizzou Cornerback E.J. Gaines Defensive Player of the Week

Gaines POW

Tiger cornerback delivered a lockdown performance in Mizzou’s 28-21 vs. Texas A&M

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Mizzou Football senior cornerback E.J. Gaines (Independence, Mo.) has been named the Southeastern Conference’s Co-Defensive Player of the Week, the league office announced on Monday.

Gaines turned in an amazing lockdown coverage performance against Texas A&M standout wide receiver Mike Evans, as he held Evans to season-low totals of four receptions for just eight yards, which was a key part of Mizzou’s stellar defensive effort. Evans came into the game averaging 119.5 yards per outing, with 12 receiving touchdowns, and his long catch last Saturday in Mizzou’s win was just a 10-yarder.

Gaines finished Mizzou’s Senior Night with six total tackles, as the Tiger defense held the Aggies to 21 points and 379 yards of total offense, well below Texas A&M’s pre-game averages of 45.6 points and 552.6 yards. The senior Tiger ranks fourth in the SEC (31st in the NCAA) with his team-leading four interceptions to date, and he ranks third-best on the Tigers team with his 59 tackles on the season, despite missing two-and-a-half games due to injury.

The recognition is the 12th SEC honor for a Mizzou player in 2013, continuing to reset Mizzou’s best for conference honors in a season. Head coach Gary Pinkel’s 2007 squad brought home a total of eight individual honors. Gaines joins sophomore LB Kentrell Brothers (Guthrie, Okla.) and senior DE Michael Sam (Hitchcock, Texas) as Mizzou’s three players to earn Defensive Player of the Week recognition.

The honor is the second weekly award of Gaines’ career, with the first also coming from an extraordinary outing against the Aggies. Gaines recorded 10 tackles and a career-best four pass breakups in Mizzou’s 38-31 overtime win at Texas A&M on Oct. 29, 2011.

No. 5 Mizzou (11-1, 7-1) has reached the SEC Championship Game, with head coach Gary Pinkel leading the Tigers against No. 3 Auburn (11-1, 7-1) in Atlanta, Ga..  Kickoff for the nationally-televised CBS game is set for 3 p.m. CT., on Saturday, Dec. 7, at the Georgia Dome.

Mizzou’s SEC Weekly Honors
DE Markus Golden (Jr.) – Defensive Line (Sept. 7)
DE Kony Ealy (Jr.) – Defensive Line (Sept. 14)
DE Michael Sam (Sr.) – Defensive Line (Sept. 28)
DE Michael Sam (Sr.) – Defensive Line (Oct. 5)
LB Kentrell Brothers (So.) – Defensive (Oct. 12)
DE Michael Sam (Sr.) – Defensive (Oct. 19)
QB Maty Mauk (RSFr.) – Freshman (Oct. 19)
OL Justin Britt (Sr.) – Offensive Line (Nov. 2)
QB Maty Mauk (RSFr.) – Freshman (Nov. 2)
QB Maty Mauk (RSFr.) – Freshman (Nov. 9)
DL Harold Brantley (RSFr.) – Special Teams (Nov. 23)
CB E.J. Gaines (Sr.) – Defensive (Nov. 30)

2013 Mizzou Football Banquet Awards

,

2013 Tiger Performance Athlete of the Year: Max Copeland

2013 Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award: Matt Hoch

2013 Reinhardt Construction Hammer Award: Andrew Wilson

2013 Cornerback of the Year: E.J. Gaines

2013 Safety of Year: Braylon Webb

2013 Linebacker of the Year: Andrew Wilson

2013 Defensive Lineman of the Year: Michael Sam

2013 Offensive Lineman of the Year: Justin Britt

2013 Wide Receiver of the Year: L’Damian Washington

2013 Tight End of the Year: Eric Waters

2013 Running Back of the Year: Henry Josey

2013 Quarterback of the Year: James Franklin

2013 Special Forces Player of the Year: Braylon Webb

2013 Missouri MO Award: Andrew Wilson

2013 Freshmen of the Year: Maty Mauk and Harold Brantley

2013 J. Ed “Brick” Travis Interior Linemen of the Year: Kony Ealy and Mitch Morse

2013 Walk On Player of the Year: Jake Hurrell

2013 Aaron O’Neal St. Louis Metro Player of the Year: Markus Golden

2013 Bob Jeffries Kansas City Player of the Year: Marcus Lucas

2013 Un-Sung Heroes of the Year: Marvin Foster and Randy Ponder

2013 Rigman Outstanding Underclassman Leadership Award: Shane Ray and Dorial Green-Beckham

2013 Curtis Jones Champion of the Year: Matt White

2013 Don Faurot Most Inspirational Player Award: Max Copeland

2013 Mizzou MVP: Michael Sam

Mizzou Wins SEC East: Mizzou Network Post Game Interviews

, ,

After Mizzou’s thrilling 28-21 victory over Texas A&M, Mizzou Network’s Ben Arnet caught up with Head Coach Gary Pinkel to talk about the game that clinched Mizzou’s first SEC East title.

“I’m really proud of our team,” Pinkel said. “It wasn’t easy. It was a battle, but what a great second half we played in real adverse conditions. The defense holds those guys to 21 points—are you kidding me? On offense we scored 21 points in the second half, and we certainly worked really well together in the fourth quarter.”

And there was no better player to put the exclamation point on the second half than Henry Josey. Less than two years after tearing his ACL, MCL and patellar tendon in his left knee, Josey broke off a 57-yard touchdown run on third and one with 3:30 left in the game. His touchdown proved to be the game winner.

“That really ignited our team,” Pinkel said. “The stadium was awesome all day, but it went up to a championship level after that play.”

But of course, Josey and Mizzou would have never been in a position to win the game if it weren’t for the defense, which held reigning Heisman winner Johnny Manziel to his lowest yardage output in his career as starter.

“We were relentless,” Pinkel said. “Obviously we were playing some good coverage. We worked together in trying to get him out and throw the ball away.”

And then there’s the senior class, a group of guys that Pinkel said he will talk about “forever and ever.” The seniors, including James Franklin, L’Damian Washington, Marcus Lucas, Michael Sam and Max Copeland to name a few, knew they were better than their 5-7 record a year ago, and now they get to carry pieces of the rock M all the way to Atlanta as proof.

Winning the SEC East title is big, but it’s just the beginning. Pinkel and Mizzou are hungry for more.

Said Pinkel: “We get to enjoy this for about 12 hours, and then get ready, because it gets bigger.”

2013 Mizzou Football Seniors

,

The 2013 Mizzou Football Senior Class looks back on memories, friendships, and lessons learned along the way.