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Missouri wants more
The Tigers try to build on last year's 12-2 season.

Missouri coach Gary Pinkel wants his team to capitalize on last season’s success. The Tigers at one point were No. 1 in the BCS standings. L.G. PATTERSON/Associated Press file
 
By JOHN E. HOOVER World Sports Writer
Published: 7/28/2008  2:07 AM
Last Modified: 7/28/2008  3:11 AM

The Tigers try to build on last year's 12-2 season.



Before last season, it seemed that Missouri, under coach Gary Pinkel, could always conjure up an unforeseen defeat.

Bowling Green in 2001 and 2002, Troy in 2004, New Mexico in 2005, all contributed to a stigma of underachievement in Columbia. Never more than eight wins, never less than five losses.

"When I came in, we were preaching, 'Mizzou on the Move,' " senior safety William Moore said. "But we were like, 'We ain't moving nowhere.' "

Now with the Tigers picked to repeat as Big 12 North champions, mind-sets have changed — inside the program and out.

"We used to be the hunter; now we're the hunted," quarterback Chase Daniel said. "We're excited."

The Tigers went 12-2 last season, with both losses to Oklahoma (one in the Big 12 championship game), and a Cotton Bowl victory over Arkansas.

Before losing to OU in December, Missouri was ranked No. 1 in the BCS standings. But the team is not settling for that.

"You can't settle for what you did last year," wideout Jeremy Maclin said. "You have to get better."

Said Pinkel, "We had great chemistry a year ago, which goes hand in hand with winning 12 games.

But just to think that automatically it's going to carry over and everything's going to be nice, that doesn't work that way."

One thing is certain: last year's success, and anything that follows this year and beyond, stands atop unpleasant layers of the past, ugly lessons learned by this year's seniors.

"They're trying to tell us they don't want to go back that way. They've been there," Maclin said. "They've been there when we went 5-6. They've been there when we went 8-5. The program's come a long way. Those guys have been there since day one; they've seen the good, the bad and the ugly."



John E. Hoover 581-8384
john.hoover@tulsaworld.com
By JOHN E. HOOVER World Sports Writer

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maw089, Tulsa (7/28/2008 1:30:34 PM)
Im a Big Twelve (Big Eight) guy. I can really appreciate the Tigers and Jayhawks turn around in football. For that matter the rest of the conference both North and South. We can no longer take for granted a Texas, Nebraska, or Oklahoma to be conference champs. Maybe (and I know it's wishful thinking) the media outside the Big Twelve will also take note of the vast improvement and stop referring our conf. as the
big Three.
 

 
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