Toledo, OH (SportsNetwork.com) – The 24th-ranked Missouri Tigers will face their first road test of the season on Saturday afternoon when they venture to The Glass Bowl for a non-conference bout with the Toledo Rockets.<\/p>\n
Missouri opened up the 2014 campaign last weekend with a contest against FCS foe South Dakota State, capturing a 38-18 victory for its 13th straight season-opening win under head coach Gary Pinkel.<\/p>\n
Pinkel, who coached Toledo from 1991-2000 to a 73-37-3 record, knows not to overlook the Rockets.<\/p>\n
“(Toledo is) a really good football team,” he said. “They have a history of big wins in that stadium, upset wins. I know, I’ve been a part of them too.”<\/p>\n
The Tigers were up to the challenge away from home last season, going 5-0 in true road tests.<\/p>\n
The Rockets set themselves up with a soft matchup in their opener as well and took advantage with a convincing 54-20 triumph over New Hampshire. It was their first season-opening win in three tries under head coach Matt Campbell.<\/p>\n
The teams met for the first time last season in Columbia, with Missouri coming away with a 38-23 win.<\/p>\n
Despite winning by a comfortable 20-point margin, Missouri was merely average on offense in its opener, racking up 393 yards, going 3-of-11 on third down and owning less than 25 minutes of possession time.<\/p>\n
Maty Mauk had a rather quiet day passing, completing 13-of-21 attempts for 178 yards, but he was still very effective by throwing three touchdowns without an interception.<\/p>\n
“I thought we did pretty well,” Mauk said. “We had a lot of inconsistency we have to clean up and that is stuff we can fix.”<\/p>\n
Two of Mauk’s scoring strikes found the grasp of Darius White, one for 44 yards and the other a 39-yarder. They were White’s only two receptions on the day.<\/p>\n
Russell Hansbrough was a workhorse in the backfield with 20 carries for 126 yards and a touchdown. Marcus Murphy made his mark in several facets of the game, finishing with 54 rushing yards, 20 receiving yards and a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.<\/p>\n
Defensively, the Tigers played well in allowing just 18 points and 365 yards while forcing three turnovers.<\/p>\n
Markus Golden was the defensive standout, collecting 10 tackles, 3.0 TFL and 1.5 sacks. Aarion Penton registered seven tackles and an interception, Duron Singleton also picked off a pass and Ian Simon forced a fumble.<\/p>\n
Toledo was on offensive juggernaut in the opener, piling up 666 yards while scoring the second-most points in the Campbell era. It was also an excellent 9-of-13 on third down and scored on all seven of its red zone drives.<\/p>\n
Phillip Ely was nothing short of spectacular in his first collegiate start under center, going 24-of-34, for 337 yards and four touchdowns while adding 23 rushing yards.<\/p>\n
“Just being out there was the best feeling,” Ely said. “Being a part of the team and knowing you’re the guy that all guys rally around. It was really special.”<\/p>\n
Alonzo Russell (six receptions) and Corey Jones (four receptions) both finished with 78 yards, with Jones scoring a 64-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Justin Olack had only three catches for 24 yards but was on the receiving end of two Ely touchdowns.<\/p>\n
The rushing attack was on point as well. Kareem Hunt acted as the featured back and turned 20 carries into 136 yards and two scores. Damion Jones-Moore saw just seven touches but made the most of them with 70 yards and a score.<\/p>\n
Although the Rockets allowed 375 yards to UNH, they had plenty of big defensive plays with 9.0 TFL, 4.0 sacks and an interception.<\/p>\n
Trent Voss and Junior Sylvestre led the squad with nine tackles apiece, with Voss also picking up a sack.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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