The 2007 Missouri Tigers football team represented the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Universit ...

in the

2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season The 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season was the highest level of college football competition in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The regular season began on August 30, 2007 and ended on De ...

. The team was coached by

Gary Pinkel Gary Robin Pinkel (born April 27, 1952) is a former American college football coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Toledo from 1991 to 2000 and the University of Missouri from 2001 to 2015, compiling career record ...

and played their home games at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. The team was led by junior

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

Chase Daniel William Chase Daniel (born October 7, 1986) is an American football quarterback for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Missouri and was signed by the Washington Redskins as an undrafted f ...

, a

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard ...

candidate who finished fourth in voting behind Tim Tebow,

Darren McFadden Darren McFadden (born August 27, 1987) is a former American football running back. He played college football for the Arkansas Razorbacks and was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the first round with the fourth overall pick of the 2008 NFL Dra ...

, and

Colt Brennan Colton James Brennan (August 16, 1983 – May 11, 2021) was an American football quarterback. He played college football for the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors, where he was a two-time, third-team All-American before being selected by the Washington R ...

. 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 The Kansas Jayhawks, commonly referred to as simply KU or Kansas, are the athletic teams that represent the University of Kansas. KU is one of three schools in the state of Kansas that participate in NCAA Division I. The Jayhawks are also a mem ...

36–28, in the

Border Showdown Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders ca ...

at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. The victory sealed Mizzou's berth into the 2007 Big 12 Championship Game against Oklahoma. The Tigers won over 9 games in a season for the first time since 1969, and were ranked No. 1 in the

AP Poll The Associated Press poll (AP poll) provides weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling 62 sportswriters and broadca ...

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 Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

in the

Cotton Bowl Classic The Cotton Bowl Classic (also known as the Cotton Bowl) is an American college football bowl game that has been held annually in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex since January 1, 1937. The game was originally played at its namesake stadium i ...

in 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 Jeremy Maclin (born May 11, 1988) is a former American football wide receiver. He played college football at Missouri, where he was a two-time consensus All-American, and was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the first round of the 2009 NF ...

(as an all-purpose player) were named as first team selections, while junior quarterback

and junior safety William Moore were named to the second team. Senior center Adam Spieker was a third team selection.

Schedule

Game summaries

vs. Illinois Fighting Illini (
Arch Rivalry An arch is a vertical curved structure that spans an elevated space and may or may not support the weight above it, or in case of a horizontal arch like an arch dam, the hydrostatic pressure against it. Arches may be synonymous with vault ...
Game in St. Louis, Missouri)

at Ole Miss Rebels

vs. Western Michigan Broncos

vs. Illinois State Redbirds

vs. Nebraska Cornhuskers

at Oklahoma Sooners

vs. Texas Tech Red Raiders

vs. Iowa State Cyclones

at Colorado Buffaloes

vs. Texas A&M

at Kansas State Wildcats

vs. Kansas Jayhawks (Border Showdown in Kansas City, Missouri)

vs. Oklahoma Sooners (Big 12 Championship in San Antonio, Texas)

vs. Arkansas (72nd Cotton Bowl Classic in Dallas, Texas)

Roster

Coaching staff

Coaching staff from:

Rankings

Statistics

(through

, Jan. 1, 2008)

Scores by Quarter

Offense

Field Goals / PAT

Special teams

Defense

Statistics from:

References

{{Missouri Tigers football navbox

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

Missouri Tigers football seasons Cotton Bowl Classic champion seasons

Missouri Tigers football The Missouri Tigers football program represents the University of Missouri (often referred to as Mizzou) in college football and competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Missouri's ...