The 2007 Missouri Tigers football team represented the University of Missouri in college football's 2007 season. The team was coached by Gary Pinkel and played their home games at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium.
The team was led by junior quarterback Chase Daniel, a Heisman Trophy candidate who finished fourth in voting behind Tim Tebow, Darren McFadden, and Colt Brennan. In the preseason, the Tigers were picked by some to win the Big 12 North.
On November 24, Missouri won their 11th game of the season by beating their arch-rival Kansas Jayhawks 36–28, in the Border Showdown at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. The game sealed Mizzou's first Big 12 North division title and earned them an inaugural trip to the Big 12 Championship Game against the Oklahoma Sooners on December 1.
Until the Big 12 Championship game, the Tigers were the only team in college football to have scored at least 30 points in every game.
The Tigers won over 9 games in a season for the first time since 1969, and were ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll for the first time since 1960. This ranking lead to the Tigers' first ever appearance on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine. The Tigers also achieved their highest BCS ranking in history, at No. 1 after the Border Showdown.
After losing the Big 12 Championship game 38–17 to the Sooners, Missouri was chosen to play Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl Classic at Dallas, in which the Tigers prevailed 38-7 to complete their 12-2 season.
Five Tiger starters were named to the Associated Press All-American teams. Senior Tight End Martin Rucker and Freshman Wide Receiver Jeremy Maclin (as an All-Purpose player) were named as first team selections, while Junior Quarterback Chase Daniel and Junior Safety William Moore were named to the second team. Senior Center Adam Spieker was a third team selection.
Read more about 2007 Missouri Tigers Football Team: Schedule, Roster, Coaching Staff, Rankings, Statistics
Famous quotes containing the words football team, missouri, tigers, football and/or team:
“...I’m not money hungry.... People who are rich want to be richer, but what’s the difference? You can’t take it with you. The toys get different, that’s all. The rich guys buy a football team, the poor guys buy a football. It’s all relative.”
—Martina Navratilova (b. 1956)
“I was losing interest in politics, when the repeal of the Missouri Compromise aroused me again. What I have done since then is pretty well known.”
—Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865)
“Even tigers sometimes take naps.”
—Chinese proverb.
“... in the minds of search committees there is the lingering question: Can she manage the football coach?”
—Donna E. Shalala (b. 1941)
“I doubt if men ever made a trade of heroism. In the days of Achilles, even, they delighted in big barns, and perchance in pressed hay, and he who possessed the most valuable team was the best fellow.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)