Mizzou Made in the NFL: Week 2

Mizzou Made Philadelphia Eagles receiver Jeremy Maclin kept up his hot start to the 2014 NFL season on Monday night, catching four passes for 45 yards and a touchdown in Philly’s 30-27 comeback win over the Indianapolis Colts. Maclin’s six-yard touchdown helped the Eagles pull even at 27-27 with 3:25 remaining in the game. Two weeks into the season, Maclin appears to be a strong contender for the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year award. The 26-year-old receiver missed the entire 2013 NFL season due to a torn ACL, but is back and better than ever in 2014.

For full updates on Mizzou Made players in the NFL, visit MUTigers.com.

The Truth About Hard Work

“Without labor nothing prospers.” –Sophocles 

There are no shortcuts to any achievement. That’s why you never see laziness or inefficiency rewarded or respected. No one simply wakes up in the morning, decides to be successful and then achieves it through the power of thought alone. Truly successful individuals have put in hard work, and the results followed.

In the words of Sophocles, “Without labor nothing prospers.” There’s a reason Sophocles is such a renowned ancient philosopher—he’s right. Hard work speaks volumes on your abilities and, more importantly, your character.

Take the beginning of a semester of school. From the starting line, a majority of students say they’re going to get all A’s and boost their GPA. While goals are useful starting points, no student is going to achieve A’s if he or she doesn’t put in the work. If someone wants an A badly enough, they must to go to class, keep up with the readings, pay attention, take notes, ask questions and study in advance for exams. Only then will their dreams become realities in the grade book.

Mizzou Football knows what hard work feels like on the body and the mind, and they also know the results of putting forth full effort.

Here are nine truths about hard work, both on and off the field:

  1. Talent alone is no assurance of success. The only way to reach the top in athletics is through long hours of hard work.
  2. If you work hard enough, you can accomplish more because your competition won’t be as stiff. There are few athletes who are willing to put forth an all-out effort to achieve success.
  3. Man’s greatest hour is the moment in which he has worked his heart out and lies exhausted, but has been victorious on the field of battle.
  4. Every day you fail to practice, you miss an opportunity for improvement.
  5. Practice the things you cannot do three times longer than the things you can easily do. Convert your weaknesses into strong points.
  6. There may be areas that in which your opponent has an advantage over you, but he should never be in better condition than you.
  7. The only way to get in good condition is to never get out of it.
  8. Anything you do that will harm your body is going to reduce your physical condition and cut down your chances for success.

There will be days when just the thought of hard work is exhausting. In those moments, remember these words of encouragement:

Belief sets up the conditions that make success, health, and happiness possible.

To turn potential into reality, you must do something about it.

When you do things you have to do when you have to do them, the day will come when you can do the things you want to do when you want to do them.

Work is the foundation of all success, the source of all prosperity and the parent of genius. It is the salt that gives life its savor, but it must be loved before it can bestow its greatest blessing and achieve its greatest ends. When loved, work makes life sweet, purposeful, and fruitful.

#MizzouMade: Duron Singleton

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a Tiger, always a Tiger,” says safety Duron Singleton.

The senior from New Orleans, La., says he has great pride in being a Mizzou Tiger and is always striving to be the best. Singleton showcased that this past Saturday when he scooped up the ball from a Rickey Hatley strip and ran it 60 yards to the house in the final minutes of the game. It was the final nail in the coffin as Mizzou defeated the University of Central Florida 38-10 in The ZOU.

Singleton began the year at No. 2 in the depth chart of the strong safety position. Mizzou looks for Singleton to be a big impact player on defense this year and to help Mizzou Football continue the nation’s longest active streak of turnovers with 47 consecutive games and counting. He did just that on Saturday.

Singleton also said he is proud to be #MizzouMade because of the family atmosphere of the Mizzou football program.

“When I first met the guys (players and coaches) I fell in love with it,” he said.

This family atmosphere is what Head Coach Gary Pinkel strives for every year. He does this by having “family dinners” where players eat dinner together at Pinkel’s house or another location. Each freshman player is also given a “big brother” to mentor him and teach him about the program.

As for the Mizzou Football Family, they will take on Indiana this Saturday, September 20 at The ZOU. Kickoff is at 3 p.m. CT and can be seen on the SEC Network.

Mizzou Football Tiger Talk with Gary Pinkel, Maty Mauk, and Michael Scherer

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Tiger Talk is Coach Gary Pinkel’s weekly radio show for players, coaches, and fans to talk about the latest game, ask questions, and learn more about Mizzou Football. It is hosted by Mike Kelly, the Voice of the Tigers, every Monday at 7 p.m. at Buffalo Wild Wings in Columbia. Fans can listen in on 100.5 FM or watch the live stream every week.

Following Mizzou’s 38-10 victory over UCF on September 20, Maty Mauk and Michael Scherer joined Coach Pinkel for Tiger Talk.

Pinkel started off by talking about how well Mizzou finished on Saturday, saying the team did a very good job of running a balanced offense and orchestrating long drives to keep the ball out of UCF’s hands. When the Knights did get the ball, the Mizzou defense clamped down and made sure they didn’t do anything with it.

Kelly then mentioned defensive end Shane Ray, who was named SEC Defensive Player of the Week following his spectacular two-sack, four-tackle-for-loss performance on Saturday. Kelly was able to catch up with Ray earlier in the day, and the electrifying junior attributed all his success to his teammates.

“I bring that home for my teammates,” Ray said, talking about the award. “They’re a huge reason behind my success with how they played this weekend. It just feels good to bring it home for Mizzou.”

Missouri Football vs UCF - September 13, 2014 (Photo by Ben Walton)Pinkel cited Ray’s passion as the thing that separates him from other players across the country. And it’s that passion, Pinkel said, that fuels and inspires his teammates, and it is a big reason for Mizzou’s success so far this season.

As Pinkel puts it, when you invest in your team – when you become a great team player – that is when you become a great ballplayer. Ray is completely invested in the Mizzou Football Family, and he is thriving as a result.

Ray’s presence was a significant factor in Mizzou’s ability to force four turnovers against UCF, which was the next topic of discussion. Mizzou is currently leading the nation with a streak of 47 straight games with a takeaway.

Pinkel continued by talking about the minor injuries to running backs Russell Hansbrough and Marcus Murphy, who are both expected to play this week, the play of Maty Mauk and his receivers, the consistency of Evan Boehm, and more.

Mauk and Scherer took the microphones next. Kelly started the players off by asking the quarterback about his hometown of Kenton, Ohio. Although he and his family are proud Ohioans, Mauk’s parents, sister, and brother—who was a star QB at the University of Cincinnati—recently moved to Missouri to watch him play, which he says is very beneficial.

“The main reason I love it is because you can go to all these coaches over the summer for thousands of dollars, and I have a brother who’s done everything, and anything I need to know, he can teach me,” Mauk said. “Now he’s only two hours away, so he can work me out whenever he wants at his quarterback academy, and that’s going to really help me grow as a quarterback.”

Kelly then moved to Scherer, a sophomore inside linebacker who saw action in all 14 games last year. He said that all the in-game reps he got as a freshman really built his confidence going into 2014 and are the main reason why he has been able to step in and excel as a starter this season.

0074Kelly posed ever-present “Why Mizzou?” question, to which Scherer cited the proximity to his home in St. Louis and how he grew up watching the Tigers. Mauk talked about the family atmosphere the football team embodies and prides itself on.

The sense of family is always mentioned when Kelly asks his guests why they chose Mizzou, but the players insist it isn’t just something they say.

“It’s just a big family,” Scherer said. “I have three brothers at home, and when I come here, I have 100 brothers. At home we run around, beating each other up and throwing things at each other, and here, you go in the locker room and it’s the same thing. And the coaches are like our parents; they look after us, make sure we do the right thing, and they all take care of us.”

To see the show live, make sure you attend Tiger Talk at Buffalo Wild Wings every Monday night at 7 p.m., or tune in to 100.5 FM to hear your Tigers talk about the season and a wide range of other topics.

SEC Defensive Player of the Week: Shane Ray

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defensive end Shane Ray is the SEC Defensive Player of the Week, just one week after sophomore quarterback Maty Mauk won offensive player of the week honors.

Ray wreaked havoc on the Mizzou defensive line against Central Florida, recording two quarterback sacks, seven tackles, and four tackles for loss. He also forced a fumble, leading to one of four turnovers forced by Mizzou defense. The UCF game brings his sack total to five already on the young season, as he had two last week at Toledo and one here in Columbia during the season opener against South Dakota State.

“It’s a great honor, I’m really excited about receiving this award,” Ray said.  “It’s nice to be recognized, I think it means that I’m doing good things and that my team is doing good things.  I feel like there’s a lot of guys on this team that deserve recognition, but in the end, we play for each other and we just have to keep working hard to accomplish our goals.”

Mizzou Football will take on the 1-1 Indiana Hoosiers on September 20 in The ZOU. The SEC Network will air the 3 p.m. kickoff.

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Mizzou-South Carolina Game Chosen for ESPN Broadcast

Mizzou Football’s matchup against the South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday, September 27 has been chosen for ESPN broadcast. The contest marks Mizzou’s first SEC game of the season.

This is not the first time Mizzou has made an appearance in Williams-Brice Stadium. Their inaugural SEC season included a trip to Columbia, South Carolina. Now, two years later, the Tigers will return to Gamecock territory for their first conference kick-off this season.

The game will be broadcast on ESPN at 7 p.m. EST and 6 p.m. CDT.

Mizzou takes on the Indiana Hoosiers on Saturday, September 20 at 3 p.m. in The ZOU.

 

 

 

Mizzou Defeats UCF 38-10 at The ZOU

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Football (3-0) scored 31 unanswered points on Saturday to erase an early deficit and defeat the Knights of Central Florida 38-10 at The ZOU.

Maty Mauk was impressive once again, tossing four touchdowns. The defense tallied six sacks and four takeaways. Mauk’s touchdown passes against UCF bring him up to nine in the last two games, which ties a school record for most touchdown throws in that span. The only other Mizzou quarterback to achieve this feat is Chase Daniel, who threw for nine scores versus Ole Miss and Colorado in 2007.

The sophomore quarterback now leads the nation with 13 total touchdowns.

Jimmie Hunt was the recipient of a pair of Mauk’s touchdown passes, while Bud Sasser corralled the other two. This season, the two are ranked in the top five in the country with four touchdown grabs apiece.

Defensive tackle Josh Augusta chats with an ESPN reporter about his first-half interception.

Defensive tackle Josh Augusta chats with an ESPN reporter about his first-half interception.

On defense, Mizzou’s four forced turnovers extend their FBS-leading takeaway streak to 47 games. Defensive tackle Josh Augusta came through at the 3:41 mark, making an athletic leap to snag the ball and keep the streak alive.

The rest of the defensive line wreaked havoc in the UCF backfield all game, totaling 7.0 tackles for loss on the day. Shane Ray led the bunch with 4.0 tackles for loss, including 2.0 sacks. Lucas Vincent brought down the quarterback twice, Markus Golden had 1.5 quarterback takedowns, and Rickey Hatley had a sack of his own.

Ray has the most tackles for loss in the country with 7.5 this season, while Golden is fifth in the nation with 6.5. Mizzou now has 12.0 sacks on the season, the third highest total in the nation. Ray and Golden are also in the top five individually, as Ray’s 5.0 sacks are tied for third in the country, while Golden’s 4.0 are good enough for fifth place.

First Half

On Mizzou’s first possession of the game, Mauk scrambled to his left and made a brilliant throw across his body to find Hunt amongst a slew of UCF defenders in the endzone to put the Tigers up 7-0.

After UCF put up 10 points, Mauk got the offense rolling again with an 18-yard completion over the middle to tight end Sean Culkin on third-and-six. Mizzou then marched into the red zone with 43 straight yards on the ground. Mauk capped off the drive with a perfect 10-yard touch pass to Jimmie Hunt to put the Tigers up 14-10.

Second Half

While both teams were fairly even offensively in the first two quarters, the second half was another story. The Mizzou defense allowed just 134 yards on 40 UCF plays in the second half and limited the quarterback to 12-of-23 passing for 112 yards and two interceptions.

The three times the Knights made it into or near Mizzou territory in the second half, Mizzou forced a turnover.

Senior safety Duron Singleton races up the field after a takeaway.

Senior safety Duron Singleton races up the field after a takeaway.

The first was Augusta’s top-ten worthy interception, which was followed by Mauk’s third touchdown less than two minutes later, a 21-yard slant over the middle to Sasser. Mauk connected with Sasser from 22 yards out with 11:32 left in the contest for his fourth and final touchdown.

Mizzou put the icing on the cake in the final seconds of the game when Rickey Hatley stripped Holman and Duron Singleton scooped the ball up and raced 60 yards for the final margin.

With this victory, Mizzou…

  • Starts 3-0 for the seventh time in the last nine seasons
  • Improves to 2-0 all-time vs. UCF
  • Wins its second game of the season in The ZOU for the 13th time in 14 seasons
  • Has won four straight games by double digits going back to last year’s Cotton Bowl
  • Improves to 105-63 under Head Coach Gary Pinkel

Mizzou Football concludes their two-game home stand next Saturday versus Indiana in a 3 p.m. kick on the SEC Network.

The Economic Impact of Mizzou Athletics

Mizzou Athletics is an integral aspect of life in Columbia, Mo. On football game days, the town shuts down, and its residents come together as one to cheer the Tigers to victory. Student-athletes and coaches show their appreciation for Mizzou Nation by reading to school children, visiting local hospitals, and appearing and speaking at special events.

The impact that Mizzou has on the spirit of Columbia is readily apparent, but what might get unnoticed is the impact that the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics has on the local economy.

A group of Mizzou MBA students conducted a study to determine exactly how much money Mizzou Athletics generates for the city of Columbia and found that the total economic impact came to a robust $247,160,770 in the 2013 fiscal year. Their findings were presented Friday in a press conference held at the Columbia Chamber of Commerce.

mizzou-fans-mu-vs-south-carolina-5These numbers represent additional local expenditures that would not have otherwise existed.  This includes salaries, purchases from local businesses, and student tuition.  The MBA students stated in their presentation that their study shows sporting events not only generate local expenditures, but also create new jobs and economic opportunities throughout the city of Columbia.

The total direct economic impact from the 2013 fiscal year for Mizzou Athletics came to $142,117,870.  Direct revenue was calculated by combining fan revenue and corporate revenue.  Fan revenue was calculated by adding venue revenue and non-venue revenue, then applying the appropriate revenue allocation for in-town or out-of-town interactions.

The MBA group, which included students Ben Becker, Ryan Leer, Lauren Himmelberg, Parker Leppien, Nathan McCormick, Aaron Senne and Heather Webster, found that out-of-town fans contributed over $31 million to the Columbia and mid-Missouri economy in fiscal year 2013, while in-town fans contributed almost $13 million on their own.

The study, which acquired data from the Mizzou Athletic Department, J.E. Dunn Construction and numerous subcontractors, local businesses, and the Columbia Regional Airport, was commissioned by the Chamber and the Columbia Convention and Visitor’s Bureau.

Watch #MizzouMade Tigers in the NFL: Week 2

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#48 Beau Brinkley – Tennessee Titans Long Snapper – Sunday, 12:00, FOX

#50 Zaviar Gooden – Tennessee Titans Linebacker – Sunday, 12:00, FOX

#94 Kony Ealy – Carolina Panthers Defensive End – Sunday, 12:00, FOX

#99 C.J. Mosley – Detroit Lions Defensive Tackle – Sunday, 12:00, FOX

#92 Ziggy Hood – Jacksonville Jaguars Defensive End – Sunday, 12:00, CBS

#25 William Moore – Atlanta Falcons Safety – Sunday, 12:00, CBS

#61 Tim Barnes – St. Louis Rams Center – Sunday, 3:05, FOX

San Francisco 49ers v Kansas City Chiefs#33 E.J. Gaines – St. Louis Rams Cornerback – Sunday, 3:05, FOX

#68 Justin Britt – Seattle Seahawks Offensive Lineman – Sunday, 3:05, FOX

#59 Andrew Gachkar – San Diego Chargers Linebacker – Sunday, 3:05, FOX

#91 Sheldon Richardson – New York Jets Defensive Tackle – Sunday, 3:25, CBS

#10 Chase Daniel – Kansas City Chiefs Quarterback – Sunday, 4:25, CBS

#2 Blaine Gabbert – San Francisco 49ers Quarterback  – Sunday, 7:30, NBC

#94 Justin Smith – San Francisco 49ers Defensive End  – Sunday, 7:30, NBC

#18 Jeremy Maclin – Philadelphia Eagles Wide Receiver – Monday, 7:30, ESPN

#16 Brad Smith – Philadelphia Eagles Wide Receiver – Monday, 7:30, ESPN

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mizzou Football Nike Uniform Combination: September 13

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Football will wear the Nike uniform combination of black jerseys and gold pants when they face off with Central Florida on Saturday in The ZOU.

The high-performance jerseys are snug-fitting and engineered for speed and performance. The helmet is glossy black with the traditional oval tiger head logo and tiger-stripe accents. The jersey also features tiger-stripe accents with gold numbers and lettering. The gold Nike pants are ultra-lightweight, featuring breathable fabric and black accents on the sides.

Mizzou will take on the Knights of Central Florida on September 13. The game kicks off at 11 a.m. on the SEC Network and Tiger Network radio affiliates.