No, 20 Football Takes On South Carolina Saturday

COLUMBIA, Mo. – The No. 20 University of Missouri football team returns home Saturday to continue Southeastern Conference play with a trophy game – the Mayor’s Cup – against east division rival South Carolina. Kickoff at Memorial Stadium/Faurot Field is set for 2:30 p.m. CT and the game will air on SEC Network and Tiger Radio Network.

MU celebrates its 112th homecoming game on Saturday with the Tigers holding a 66-40-5 record all time. The homecoming parade will start the day off at 9 a.m. CT through the streets of Downtown Columbia. The Tigers (6-1, 2-1 SEC) are coming off a 38-21 win at Kentucky – their first win in Lexington since 2013. MU is bowl eligible for the 37th time in school history and fourth-straight year under Head Coach Eliah Drinkwitz. Drinkwitz is one of two MU coaches in 133 years of football to lead their team to bowl games in each of their first four season (Warren Powers, 1978-81).

THE SERIES
The teams who both call Columbia home meet for the 14th time Saturday in the Battle for the Mayor’s Cup. MU leads the all-time series 7-6, including a 3-2 mark in CoMo. The Tigers have won four-straight games in the series.

MISSOURI TIGERS
Head Coach Eliah Drinkwitz
Record at Mizzou 23-20 (Fourth Year)
Overall Record 35-21 (Fifth Year)

SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS
Head Coach Shane Beamer
Record at School 17-15 (3rd)
Overall Record Same

GAME INFORMATION
Facility Memorial Stadium/Faurot Field
Capacity 62,621
TV SEC Network / ESPN+
Radio 1580 AM / 105.1 FM / SiriusXM 133 or 190
Online The Varsity Network: “Search Mizzou”
Series Record Missouri leads 7-6
In Columbia, Mo. Missouri leads 3-2
Last Meeting Oct. 29, 2022 (A), MU W, 23-10

TV: SEC Network
• Play-by-Play: Taylor Zarzour
• Analyst: Matt Stinchcomb
• Reporter: Alyssa Lang
• Online: WatchESPN.com
• Mobile App: ESPN

RADIO: TIGER RADIO NETWORK
• Play-by-Play: Mike Kelly
• Analyst: Howard Richards
• Sideline Reporter: Chris Gervino
• Host: Matt Michaels
• Engineer: Matt Winegardner
• Local: 1580 AM / 105.1 FM
• Satellite: SiriusXM 133 or 190 and on the SXM App
• App: Mizzou Tigers / The Varsity Network: “Search Mizzou”

THE COACHES
ELIAH DRINKWITZ is in his fourth season as Mizzou’s head coach. He had led the Tigers to bowl appearances in each of his first three seasons, joining former head coach Warren Powers as the only two MU head coaches to achieve that feat. Additionally, only Powers won more games in his first two seasons at MU (1978-79, 15) than Drinkwitz (11). Prior to taking the Mizzou job, Drinkwitz was 12-1 as the head coach at Appalachian State in 2019. He had previous stops as the OC at NC State, Boise State and Arkansas State.

Shane Beamer is in his third season at South Carolina with a 17-15 mark as a collegiate head coach. 

STREAKS, STORYLINES, SIDEBARS … 
• Mizzou is playing its 133rd season of college football.
• Head Coach Eliah Drinkwitz has led Mizzou to a bowl in each of his first three seasons, only the second coach in school history to do so along with the late Warren Powers (1978-84). 
• The 2023 roster features 32 players who have started at least four games in the collegiate career at the FBS level. 
• Thirty-eight student-athletes on the team are from Missouri, including eight from the 573 area code, 19 from the St. Louis metropolitan region, nine from the Kansas City area and two from southwest Missouri.
• Mizzou finished nonconference play undefeated for the 10th time since 2000, and first since 2018.
• MU leads the SEC and is No. 4 nationally in red-zone offense, converting at a 97-percent (30-of-31) clip.
• MU has averaged 483.3 ypg in the last four games and sit fourth (SEC) and 22nd (FBS) in yards per game (446.6).
• QB Brady Cook has logged 300+ yards passing in four of the last five games, including a career-best 411 yards against LSU. His 2,054 passing yards rank him sixth in the NCAA FBS and third in the SEC. 
• CB Kris Abrams-Draine leads the nation in passes defended (13) and is tied for third in interceptions (4).
• WR Luther Burden III ranks second nationally with 808 receiving yards and fourth overall with 56 catches. 
• True freshman speedster Marquis Johnson would lead the NCAA FBS in yards per catch (29.8), but sits just under the 2.0 receptions per game threshold.
• DE Darius Robinson was named SEC Defensive Player of the Week and Reese’s Senior Bowl Co-Defensive Player of the week after a 6 tackle, 2 sack performance at Kentucky.
• MU’s defense held UK to seven points and 149 yards total offense after trailing 14-0 at the end of the first quarter.
• K Harrison Mevis has scored 347 career kicking points and needs 15 points to tie Jeff Wolfert’s MU record (362).
• Limited tickets remain for the Tigers’ home games against Florida and Tennessee.

LAST TIME OUT – Mizzou 38, Kentucky 21
• A 39-yard scoring pass on a fake punt executed by Luke Bauer and Marquis Johnson changed the game’s momentum and got Mizzou started on its way to a 38-21 victory over No. 23 Kentucky in Lexington. 
• After Kentucky jumped out to a 14-0 lead, Missouri set up for a punt in Wildcats territory early in the second quarter. Bauer took the snap and moved forward with his kicking steps then pulled up and launched a pass down the left sideline. Johnson made a leaping, contested catch at the 12-yard line and carried it into the end zone to get Mizzou on the board.
• From that point on, the Tigers outscored UK 31-7. 
• After Kentucky rolled up 150 total yards in the first quarter, MU’s defense held the Wildcats to just 17 in the second frame while gaining 163 of their own.
• In the second half, Missouri forced three UK turnovers and sacked quarterback Devin Leary three times. 
• The SEC’s leading rusher, Ray Davis, had 71 yards after the first quarter and 96 at halftime, but was held to just 32 second-half rushing yards.
• Brady Cook completed 19-of-29 passes for 167 yards and one TD. He also ran 10 times for 40 yards and a score. His 40 yards on the ground surpassed his season total of 30 yards entering the game.
• UK gained 149 total yards in the final three quarters. 
• Darius Robinson led Mizzou’s defensive charge with six tackles, including 2.0 sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss. He was named SEC and Reese’s Senior Bowl Defensive Player of the Week on Monday. 

KNOCKING ON THE DOOR … AGAIN
• In its 133rd season, Missouri notched its 699th all-time victory as a program with the win at Kentucky (post-NCAA action). 
• MU would be the 33rd school amongst current FBS members to reach the 700-win milestone.

A TRADITION LIKE NO OTHER
• Mizzou, the birthplace of Homecoming, is 66-40-5 all-time in Homecoming games entering Saturday’s 112th renewal of the tradition.
• The Tigers have won their last six Homecoming games, as well as 16 of 21 overall, including a landmark 36-27 win over BCS No. 1 Oklahoma in 2010. The Tigers also earned their first-ever SEC win in the 2012 Homecoming tilt against Kentucky (33-10).
• Legend says that Homecoming got its start at the MU in 1911, thanks to the vision and efforts of Chester L. Brewer, Mizzou’s Director of Athletics at the time.
• Wanting to  spice up the annual season-ending game vs. Kansas in Columbia, so he issued a plea to Mizzou alumni, especially former Tiger football players, to “Come Home” for the game. They did just that, with a record crowd of 9,000 overflowing old Rollins Field.
• With four minutes to play, and Mizzou trailing by three, Tiger captain Glen Shuck booted a tying field goal from a difficult angle. Then, little Billy Blees caught a rampaging KU fullback in the open field in the final seconds to preserve the tie, and was carried off the field a hero. Hence, “Homecoming” was born.

TIGERS IN THE POLLS
• Missouri checked in at a 2023 peak position of No. 20 in this week’s Associated Press and US LBM Coaches Polls, marking the Tigers’ fourth consecutive week in at least one top 25 poll this season.
• The current streak (4) is the longest since the Tigers closed the 2014 season with five consecutive weeks in the AP poll.
• Mizzou’s No. 20 position also marks its highest rank since its No. 14 ranking in the final 2015 AP poll.
• Mizzou is 18-9 (.667) as a ranked team during the SEC era (2012-present).

LIMITED TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE
Reserved seats for upcoming football games against South Carolina and Tennessee are sold out, but for available group and single-game tickets for remaining home games call 1-800-CAT-PAWS or buy online. Hill Tickets for Tennessee (buy now) and Florida (buy now) are on sale for purchase today!

FOLLOW THE TIGERS
For all the latest information on Mizzou Athletics, please visit MUTigers.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow Missouri football (@MizzouFootball) and Coach Drinkwitz (@CoachDrinkwitz) on X. You can also find the Tigers on Instagram and Facebook.