Football Returns Home Against Abilene Christian Saturday

COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri football will host the second of its third first-time opponents this season in Abilene Christian University on Saturday, Sept. 17, at Faurot Field. The game will kick off at 11 a.m. CT and air on SEC Network + and the Tiger Radio Network.

Mizzou (1-1) and ACU (2-0) meet on Family Weekend in Columbia with a full slate of events listed online.

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MISSOURI TIGERS
Head Coach: Eliah Drinkwitz (3rd)
Career/Mizzou Record: 24-14 (3rd) • 12-13

ABILENE CHRISTIAN WILDCATS
Head Coach: Keith Patterson (1st)
Career/School Record: 2-0 (1st) • 2-0

GAME INFORMATION
Facility: Memorial Stadium / Faurot Field (50,000)
TV: SEC Nework + (Courtney Lyle-pxp, Dave Steckel-ana,)
Online: WatchESPN.com / ESPN App (HOW TO WATCH)
Live Stats: StatBroadcast.com
Radio: Tiger Radio Network: 1580 AM / 105.1 FM / XM 192
• Mike Kelly-pxp, Howard Richards-ana, Chris Gervino-sl

LAST TIME OUT: MIZZOU
Deuce Vaughn rushed 24 times for 145 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Kansas State Wildcats to a 40-12 victory over the Missouri Tigers at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. Missouri appeared to be gaining momentum in the third quarter, forcing Kansas State into three consecutive three-and-out possessions. But trying to mount a comeback, Missouri quarterbacks Brady Cook and Jack Abraham each threw two interceptions that ended four straight Tiger drives and resulted in 13 KSU points and turned a 20-6 game into a 33-6 Wildcat lead. The Wildcats scored 20 straight points in the first half after Mizzou took an early 3-0 lead on a 49-yard field goal by Harrison Mevis on the game’s first drive. KSU got rushing touchdowns and a 76-yard punt return score from Phillip Brooks to lead 20-3 at halftime. Kansas State outgained Mizzou, 336-222, with 235 of those yards coming on the ground, and 223 yards of its total offense coming in the first and fourth quarters. Cook completed 15 of 27 passes with two interceptions for 128 yards and he was the Tigers’ leading rusher with 13 carries for 56 yards.

LAST TIME OUT: ABILENE CHRISTIAN
ACU’s defense held Prairie View A&M scoreless in the second half and the offense responded with two touchdowns as the Wildcats rallied for a 21-13 win over the Panthers. ACU trailed 13-7 at halftime, but the Wildcats’ defense turned the game in the second half, forcing four punts, taking the ball over once on downs, and putting an end to the game with a stop near midfield on the final play of the game. All four of Prairie View’s second-half punts came at the end of three-and-out drives by the offense. While the ACU defense was putting the clamps on the Panthers, the ACU offense was able to dig itself out of a hole brought on by up-and-down first-half play. Quarterback Maverick McIvor threw three interceptions in the opening half but rallied to lead two fourth-quarter scoring drives and lead ACU to the comeback win. After completing 11 of 19 passes for 151 yards, one touchdown, and those three interceptions in the first half, McIvor finished the game 20 of 34 for 225 yards, two touchdowns through the air the game-clinching two-yard touchdown run.

FIRST-DOWN BANISTER
• Sixth-year receiver Barrett Banister has played in 46 career games and has hauled in 27+ receptions in three-straight seasons. He’s made catches in five straight games, dating back to Florida in 2021, and three in each of the first two games of 2022.
• Banister’s three receptions in Game 1 made him the third Tiger in history with a reception in five seasons, joining Lamont Downer (1974-78) and George Shorthose (1980-84).
• He is one reception away from 100 career catches, which would make him the 25th Tiger in history to accomplish that feat. He totals 873 career receiving yards. He’d be the 43rd player in MU history to hit 1,000 yards.
• A Spring 2021 cum laude graduate, Banister is a 2022 AFCA Good Works Team nominee and was a 2021 Burlsworth Trophy nominee. He is Mizzou’s nominee for the NFF Campbell Trophy, the Wuerffel Trophy and the AFCA Good Works Team. He is a four-time member of the SEC Honor Roll and was a 2021 CoSIDA Academic All-District selection.

THE THICCER KICKER
• Harrison Mevis, a first-team preseason All-SEC selection by the coaches, enters his third season as arguably the nation’s top kicker. He’s 3-for-3 on the season including makes of 49 and 44 yards at Kansas State.
• He is one of just two Tigers in program history to make six or more kicks of 50+ yards, joining Tom Whelihan (6, 1984-87).
• His 19 field goals from at least 30 yards last year are the most by a returning kicker, as are the 14 of those that came from at least 40 yards out.
• In 2021, Mevis went 23-for-25, good for a 92-percent field goal percentage. He totaled 109 points a year ago, taking sole possession of ninth on the Mizzou all-time single-season scoring list.
• A two-time Lou Groza Award finalist, he was named to the 2022 preseason All-America teams by the Associated Press, The Athletic, Phil Steele, Action Network and Pro Football Network.

COOK GETS THE CALL
• On August 9, head coach Eliah Drinkwitz named Brady Cook the starting quarterback for the Tigers’ season opener.
• Against LA Tech, Cook finished 18-of-27 for 195 yards and an interception. He also picked up 61 yards on seven carries, including a 20-yard touchdown rush.
• The St. Louis native threw 89 pass attempts before throwing his first career interception, ranking third in Mizzou history, and only six behind Brad Smith (95).
• He earned his first career start in the 2021 Armed Forces Bowl vs. Army West Point, completing 27-of-34 passes for 238 yards and a score. He also rushed for a career-high 53 yards and a touchdown against the Black Knights.
• Also in 2021, he was a perfect 5-of-5 for 29 yards with one passing touchdown against Southeast Missouri State. Cook finished the season 47-of-59 for 350 yards and two scores while rushing for 92 yards and a score. • As a true freshman in 2020, he played in three games, completing 6-of-7 passes for 72 yards. His first career touchdown came on a 25-yard pass in Mizzou’s 41-0 win over Vanderbilt in 2020.

CODY’S AT HOME
• Cody Schrader is living the Tiger tale. A transfer from Division II Truman State and native of St. Louis, he joined the Missouri program in January, 2022.
• Schrader earned his first DI start on Sept. 1, making the most of his opportunity with a five-yard touchdown to open up the second quarter.
• His second touchdown at Mizzou came on a one-yard rush in the final minute of the K-State game.
• In 2021, Schrader lead all of Division II with 2,074 rushing yards on 300 carries and 24 touchdowns. He played in 29 career games.

THE ROCK
• Nine Tigers recorded carries against the Bulldogs, marking the first time they accomplished the feat since a win over Iowa State on October 15, 2011.
• Of the nine, five rushed in for scores (Nathaniel Peat, Cody Schrader, Brady Cook, Luther Burden III, BJ Harris). Peat led the squad in total yards with 72 as Schrader was the leader in carries with 17. Peat, Schrader and Cook all totaled 60+ yards on the ground.
• Peat and Schrader had their first touchdowns as Tigers while Burden III and Harris each had their first collegiate scores.
• MU racked up its most total rushing yards in a game (323) since a victory over Tennessee on November 11, 2017 (433 yards).

TAKE YOUR PICK
• The Tiger defense snagged three picks in the first half vs. Louisiana Tech, the first time this feat has been accomplished since the 1982 season opener against Colorado State. The most recent game with three total picks for the Tigers is West Virginia in 2019.
• Junior defensive back Jaylon Carlies snagged his fifth career interception on the opening drive of the game.
• In his debut game in Columbia, Joseph Charleston – a transfer from Clemson – returned a 29-yard interception to the house, the first pick of his career. He’s the only SEC defender to return an interception for a score in the first two weeks of play.
• Florida transfer Ty’Ron Hopper also snagged the first interception of his career in his first game in Black and Gold.
• From six different players, Mizzou’s secondary snagged an interception in nine of the 13 contests played in 2021. Carlies led the way with four INTs while Kris Abrams- Draine had three.

AIR IT OUT
• Against Louisiana Tech, nine Tigers caught 20 receptions, including one touchdown from Luther Burden III. Six of the nine had multiple catches.
• 16 receivers hauled in 302 receptions while 10 Tigers hauled in 19 receptions for touchdowns a year ago. Five Tigers had multiple TD receptions.
• Mookie Cooper was the 10th Tiger to haul in a touchdown reception in 2021 with his 60-yard bomb against South Carolina. The 10 players with a TD grab are the most by the Tigers since 2016.

LBIII
• The first true freshman starter on offense in the season opener since Evan Boehm (2012), wide receiver Luther Burden III earned his first collegiate score on a five-yard reception after making a pair of defenders miss and splitting another pair.
• He punched in a second score early in the third quarter, this time a one-yard rush off a direct snap. He’s the only SEC freshman with two scores in the first two weeks of play.
• He’s one of just five Tigers all-time to score twice in their collegiate debut (Jeremy Maclin, 2007; Devin West, 1995; Tracey Mack, 1980; Johnny Roland, 1962).
• On the ground, he had three carries for 26 yards and a score with a long of 17. He hauled in three receptions for 17 yards – including 21 yards after catch – with one touchdown and a long 16.

DOUBLE DUTY
• Graduate kicker Sean Koetting is now handling fulltime punt duties for the Tigers, in addition to kickoffs.
• He totaled four punts for 184 yards and an average of 46.0 ypp with a long of 57 and one inside the 20 in Game 1.
• He also had nine kickoffs for 555 yards, averaging 61.7 ypk with eight touchbacks.

2022 FOOTBALL TICKETS
Season, single-game and group tickets are available for the 2022 football season at Faurot Field by calling 1-800-CAT-PAWS or by visiting the football tickets page online.

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