MU couldn’t finish what it started
Tigers show glimpses of potential in year with fine start, gut-wrenching end.

Behind Gary Pinkel’s office desk, just above his computer and next to his collection of baby granddaughter photos, hangs a sign written in big, bold, black letters: FINISH 2006!

The way his Missouri Tigers finished 2006, 2007 couldn’t get here soon enough. An avalanche of last-minute miscues at the Sun Bowl - plus a rampant case of the stomach flu - ruined a perfectly good week in El Paso, Texas, and sent the Tigers home with an 8-5 record and a desire to get started on the next season.

"We just got to grow from this," tailback Tony Temple said after the 39-38 loss to Oregon State, "and keep going."

Missouri fans might not be ready to reflect beyond the Tigers’ loss in El Paso, but the healing process begins here with a look back at 2006.

Plays of the year

Here are 10 plays that defined Missouri’s 2006 season. Some were controversial, some historic, but all were memorable.

10. Husker-Doh!: The Big 12 North Division was on the line in Lincoln, Neb., and so was Adam Carriker. Nebraska’s standout defensive end had a hand in two Chase Daniel interceptions, both of which Nebraska turned into touchdowns. On the first, Carriker dived and grabbed a pass that bounced off the hands of Will Franklin. On the second, Carriker deflected a pass to Bo Ruud, who picked it off and returned it inside the red zone. Nebraska’s ensuing touchdowns were the difference in their 34-20 victory.

9. Chasing history: Making his first collegiate start, Daniel set the tone for a prolific season when he broke MU’s single-game touchdown pass record against Murray State with a 35-yard toss to Jared Perry, Daniel’s fifth scoring pass of the game. Daniel went on to break MU’s single-season TD pass record in the eighth game and finished with 28 overall.

8. Strip show: The Tigers blew a golden opportunity on the third play from scrimmage at Texas A&M when Jordan Peterson stripped Franklin at the goal line after a 64-yard catch, resulting in a touchback for the Aggies - not a touchdown for the Tigers. Missouri lost 25-19.

7. Jumpin’ Jayhawks: Missouri opened up the playbook in the regular-season finale against Kansas - and again in the Sun Bowl - but the Tigers stole KU’s momentum midway through the third quarter, getting the Jayhawks to jump offsides on a punt in MU territory. The Tigers marched 68 yards to a touchdown, building a lead that grew to a 42-17 victory, MU’s first over Kansas since 2002.

6. Rough stuff: With a chance to gain rare momentum against Oklahoma, William Moore was flagged for roughing Oklahoma punter Michael Cohen near OU’s goal line, salvaging an Oklahoma drive just as the Tigers were chipping away. The Sooners continued the series and finished it with a Paul Thompson TD pass for a 23-10 lead. It was one of eight penalties called on Missouri.

5. The tragic hip: A goal-line stand and ensuing 99-yard drive headlined Missouri’s first win over Kansas State since 1992, but a third-quarter play had a greater effect on the season. David Overstreet’s fumble return for a touchdown proved to be a bittersweet play for the Tigers as standout defensive end Brian Smith suffered a broken hip on the play - an injury that knocked the Big 12 sack leader out for the season. MU’s defense was never the same.

4. Fakes and pains: If Missouri could take back any decision this season, it might be this one. A chip-shot field goal would have put MU down three at A&M early in the fourth quarter, but the Tigers tried a fake field goal, a straight-ahead run by holder Brad Ekwerekwu. A delay-of-game penalty added 5 yards to the conversion, but MU stuck with the decision, even as A&M defenders called out that a fake was coming. Ekwerekwu gained only 3 yards.

3. Pick-six times two: Missouri climbed to 6-0 after a 38-21 victory at Texas Tech. The Tigers returned two Graham Harrell interceptions to the end zone - on back-to-back plays, no less, by Xzavie Jackson and Moore. The Red Raiders recovered from Missouri’s early surge, but the Tigers survived with two long scoring drives.

2. Holding, No. 71: No one expected Missouri to need a last-minute 80-yard drive to beat woeful Iowa State. Trailing by five, Daniel guided the Tigers to the 1-yard line then lunged over the goal line for an apparent TD. It was apparent to everyone but referee Cooper Castleberry, who called right guard Monte Wyrick for holding. On the ensuing fourth-and-goal, Daniel was sacked. A week of controversy followed as the Big 12 apologized for the penalty.

1. Zing, I-right, Ice Blast: While the replay official reviewed an Oregon State touchdown pass with 22 seconds left in the Sun Bowl, Beavers players urged Coach Mike Riley to go for the victory with a 2-point conversion. The chosen play was a Yvenson Bernard run up the gut called "Zing, I-right, Ice Blast." The OSU line cracked open a hole for Bernard, who pushed ahead 3 yards for the winning score.

Say what?

Overstreet could probably have this category all to himself: the best Missouri quotes of the 2006 season. The best quotes are colorful, insightful, candid and sometimes just plain silly.

10. Overstreet on Missouri’s second-half surge against Ohio: "That’s how we play. We’ve got to keep the pillow down and make sure we suffocate them and keep them out."

9. Daniel on winless Colorado: "I think they’re the best 0-4 team ever in the history of college football. For them, 0-4 means nothing because what they want is the Big 12 championship." (Colorado finished 2-10 overall and 2-6 in the Big 12)

8. Missouri Athletic Director Mike Alden on the timing of Pinkel’s contract extension, announced 24 hours before a loss at Iowa State: "It’s not a nightmare. Certainly we’re disappointed we lost a football game, but Gary’s our guy."

7. Pinkel after the Big 12 apologized for the fateful holding penalty at Iowa State: "We know that the Missouri Tigers had one of the great come-from-behind victories, I would suggest, in school history. Good teams find ways to win games. And I’m really proud of my team for that."

6. Pinkel, a month later, on those very comments: "I didn’t do it as a ploy. I did what I thought was the right thing to do. I had to protect my players. And I was very disappointed in how some Missouri fans reacted to that."

5. Pig Brown on Ole Miss quarterback Brent Schaeffer: "When he gets hit hard, he stays down - just like he did in junior college. And when he gets hit real hard, he takes a couple plays off and then comes back in the game. I noticed that hasn’t changed about him."

4. Smith after posting four sacks at New Mexico: "When you get guys arguing with their teammates, that’s a cue to go ahead in and go for the kill. Any time they’re over there cussing at each other, you know you’re doing something right."

3. Pinkel on pregame speeches: "We haven’t all of a sudden said, ‘This year, we’re going to get a frog and bite the head off and throw it against the wall, get cranked up and go win the game.’ "

2. Overstreet on Colorado’s five futile fourth-down conversions: "This ain’t a video game. You can’t just keep going for it on fourth down. You got to punt."

1. Lorenzo Williams on MU’s loss at Nebraska: "We just have to flush it. But with the bye week, it might take a little longer. … It’s gonna be courtesy flushes all week."

Individual honors

● Offensive MVP: All Daniel did in his first season as MU’s starting quarterback was set school records for passing yards (3,527), passing touchdowns (28) and total offense (3,906) while posting an impressive completion percentage (63.5) and efficiency rating (145.1). His leadership and toughness were exemplary, but it’s his accuracy Pinkel loves most.

"He’s as accurate as any quarterback I’ve ever coached," Pinkel said.

Runner-up: A quarterback is only as good as the playmakers around him, and in Chase Coffman, Daniel has one of the nation’s elite tight ends. He caught 58 passes - sixth-most in the Big 12 - for 638 yards and nine touchdowns.

● Defensive MVP: When defensive end Smith was lost for the season with a broken hip, opposing quarterbacks breathed a sigh of relief. Without Smith in the last five games, Missouri recorded just seven sacks. The absence of Smith’s electric pass-rush skills doesn’t excuse Missouri’s struggles against the run, but the front four didn’t play with the same swagger as when Smith was in there terrorizing offensive linemen.

Runner-up (tie): Smith’s injury meant more snaps and more responsibility for fellow end Xzavie Jackson, who wound up as the team leader in tackles for losses (13) and sacks (eight). Outside linebacker Marcus Bacon was a first-team All-Big 12 pick, but most of his big plays came in the first half of the season.

● Special teams MVP: Absolute no-brainer here. Scholarship-diver-turned-walk-on-kicker Jeff Wolfert made 45 of 45 PAT attempts and 18 of 20 field-goal tries. Someone get this guy a scholarship. Now.

Runner-up: You rarely - if ever - read deep-snapper Steven Blair’s name this season. That’s a good thing.

● Freshman of year: His teammates call him "Pick" - as in toothpick - but wide receiver Jared Perry made up for his lithe frame with a stout rookie year, catching 37 passes for 429 yards and three touchdowns.

Runner-up: Fellow wideout Danario Alexander (15 catches, 251 yards, one touchdown) came on strong late.

● All-Interview team: When the cameras and recorders came out, these seven were the Tigers’ all-star quotes: Daniel, Rucker, Ekwerekwu, Smith, Williams, cornerback Domonique Johnson and Overstreet.

A look ahead

Missouri returns 14 of the 22 players that started in the Sun Bowl. Here’s a look at what to expect from each position in 2007.

● Quarterback: The offense is in good hands with Daniel at the helm through 2008. He should contend for all-conference honors with Texas’ Colt McCoy and Texas A&M’s Stephen McGee the next two years. The backup job will be up for grabs between Chase Patton and redshirt freshman Dominic Grooms.

● Tailback: No one finished the year stronger than Temple, whose Sun Bowl splurge boosted his season rushing total to 1,063 yards. He’ll begin next season as the Big 12’s leading returning rusher. MU has some depth behind him in Jimmy Jackson, Earl Goldsmith and Marcus Woods. And don’t be surprised to see the staff finally let redshirt freshman Connell Davis see the field. The coaches still like his potential.

● Wide receiver/tight end: This group, which only loses senior Ekwerekwu and perhaps junior Rucker, will be among the best in the league. Freshmen Perry and Alexander added an explosive element to the passing game, while Tommy Saunders made clutch grabs down the stretch. Coffman will earn consideration for preseason All-American honors, and Franklin should be among the best wideouts in the Big 12. And don’t forget freshman receiver Jeremy Maclin, who is coming back from knee surgery.

● Offensive line: The Tigers must replace all-conference right tackle Joel Clinger and co-captain Mike Cook, who rotated with Wyrick at right guard all year. The coaches have developed enough depth up front that there shouldn’t be much drop-off. Ryan Madison, who started 10 games before falling to the flu in El Paso, will man one guard spot opposite Wyrick, while Kurtis Gregory replaces Clinger opposite left tackle Tyler Luellen. Center Adam Spieker returns for his fourth season in the middle - though he better solve those shotgun snap issues that have plagued him. Expect redshirt freshman Tim Barnes to push for playing time at guard or center.

● Defensive line: Here’s where MU needs some playmakers to surface, possibly some newcomers. The Tigers return just one defensive end with starting experience, Stryker Sulak, plus reserves Tommy Chavis and Tarrell Corby. There are more coming back in the middle with tackles Williams and Ziggy Hood, though Hood never seemed fully recovered from the broken foot he suffered at New Mexico. In his last seven games, he made only one tackle behind the line of scrimmage. Backups Jaron Baston and Charles Gaines should push for time, too. With a shortage of depth, junior college transfers Andy Maples and Jaysen Corbett might be needed immediately.

● Linebackers: Ditto the playmaker comment from above. Only Brock Christopher returns from this past season’s starting trio. If he can avoid injury, Van Alexander will be a prime candidate to become a starter, while Sean Weatherspoon is the ideal choice in the middle, where he backed up Dedrick Harrington all season.

● Secondary: The Tigers are all set at cornerback with Darnell Terrell and Johnson, plus an ample supply of reserves in Hardy Ricks, Del Howard, Paul Simpson and Castine Bridges. Moore and Brown should get first shots at the safety positions, unless junior college transfer Justin Garrett makes an immediate impact.

● Special teams: Wolfert is back, as is punter Adam Crossett, deep-snapper Blair and every player that returned a kickoff or punt in 2006.

Crystal ball

As we bid farewell to 2006, here are five predictions for 2007.

1. Missouri’s signing class ranks somewhere among the top 35 nationally as Pinkel quiets the critics with signatures from nine Missouri players.

2. Fully recovered from his knee surgery, Maclin wows everyone during spring camp and leads the team in feature stories.

3. A mediocre class of tight ends sends Rucker to the NFL draft a year early. Meanwhile, Coffman earns All-American honors after breaking MU’s single-season and career records for touchdown catches. (He only needs six more for the career mark.)

4. The Tigers rewrite the team record book and rival Texas Tech for the Big 12’s most explosive offense. Crossett goes unchallenged during the preseason but punts only 15 times all year. Offensive coordinator Dave Christensen gets the credit and fields more job offers.

5. MU gets by Illinois and Ole Miss early, knocks off Nebraska in the Big 12 opener but stumbles at Oklahoma the following week. After a three-game winning streak, the Tigers fall at home to Big 12 South favorite Texas A&M. The season ends with back-to-back road trips to Kansas State and Kansas with the division title and an Alamo Bowl berth hanging in the balance.

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Reach Dave Matter at (573) 815-1781 or dmatter@tribmail.com.

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