Cotton Bowl Review
by Emily Schmidt, posted Feb. 1, 2008
Although Mizzou played a successful football season, according to the Bowl Championship Series (BCS), it wasn’t quite successful enough. With hopes for the Orange Bowl crushed, MU fans instead looked forward to a non-BCS bowl, the Cotton Bowl.
“At first I was really bitter about [the bowl game] since we had beaten KU and Illinois, yet they both got higher bowls than us,” said MU sophomore Amanda Toole. “However, I would have rather been placed in a bowl and won than placed in, like, the Orange Bowl and lost. The Cotton Bowl is the best bowl aside from the BCS Bowls.”
Another Mizzou fan had similar feelings.
“The fans were psyched for the game despite being [left] out of a BCS game,” said freshman Ashlen Snellen. “I think, in the end, our team got more respect from people realizing that we should have been in the Orange Bowl.”
Playing Mizzou’s first New Year’s Day game since the Orange Bowl in 1970, no. 7 Missouri was up against no. 25 Arkansas.
Arkansas was appearing in the Cotton Bowl for the eleventh time, while Missouri was appearing for only the second time.
MU led the football game from the start.
“I realized from the opening kickoff that we were going to win the game,” said freshman Andrew Lorenz. “I knew that Arkansas could not cover all of our offensive threats. I also knew that Arkansas was somewhat of a one-dimensional team with just the run.”
Running back Tony Temple scored the first two MU touchdowns, rushing 22 yards for the first touchdown and 4 yards for the second.
Temple’s success continued after halftime. Before the game was over, he scored a total of four touchdowns.
Late in the third quarter, Arkansas’ Darren McFadden scored his team’s first, and only, touchdown, making the score 28 to 7.
Missouri had a quick recovery, however, and with the help of a Jeff Wolfert field goal, brought the score up again, this time 31 to 7.
The final score was Missouri 38, Arkansas 7. Temple rushed a total of 281 yards, which earned him well-deserved publicity.
“I was happy [for] Tony Temple for breaking the Cotton Bowl rushing record and just for having an amazing performance. I believe that the Mizzou crowd present was fired-up for the game, and the atmosphere overall was exciting,” Lorenz said.
Temple, a senior running back, scored four of the five MU touchdowns at the AT&T Cotton Bowl. For his efforts he won the Stanford Trophy. The Stanford trophy recognizes the Cotton Bowl’s founder, Curtis Stanford.
Temple wasn’t the only Tiger to receive an award. Safety William Moore, who scored the other MU touchdown, received the McKnight Trophy awarded for defensive efforts. This award is given in memory of Felix McKnight.
With a crowd of more than 73,000, fans watched as MU pulled off a Cotton Bowl victory.
“When I realized we had won, I was so extremely proud to be wearing the black and gold and be a part of the Mizzou crowd and student body. Maybe it wasn't a BCS bowl but it was still an awesome game, and we deserved to win,” Toole said. “I was so proud of our team and coach.”
One thing is certain, players, fans and students are all looking forward to the next football season.
