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- A sign near the entry of Memorial Stadium indicates that the last home game is sold out.
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- Coach Gary Pinkel shakes hands with ESPN broadcaster Kirk Herbstreit before the game.
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- Santa Claus shows off his black-and-gold face paint. “It was warmer than I expected,” Santa said.
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- Fireworks explode on the north end of the field at the conclusion of the National Anthem.
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- The boots of a Golden Girl align perfectly with the hash marks on the field.
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- Coach Pinkel shares a hug with the seniors before they play their last game at home.
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- Senior defensive end Michael Sam yells to the crowd after he is introduced during Senior Night.
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- Senior safety Matt White’s emotions show before walking on the field as a player for the last time at Faurot Field.
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- Members of Tigers Lair scream for their team immediately before kickoff.
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- A roughing the kicker penalty on fourth down is called on Mizzou early in the game, allowing Texas A&M a first down.
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- Where’s Waldo?
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- Mizzou’s defensive line overshadows Texas A&M at the line of scrimmage.
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- Former Tigers and current NFL players Jeremy Maclin, left, and Ziggy Hood wave to the crowd. Maclin is a receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles and Hood plays on the Pittsburgh Steelers' defensive line.
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- Redshirt freshman quarterback Maty Mauk looks for a receiver.
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- Last year's Heisman Trophy winner, quarterback Johnny Manziel, is knocked off his feet by Mizzou’s defense.
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- Sophomore receiver Dorial Green-Beckham scores Mizzou's first touchdown on a 38 yard pass from James Franklin to tie the score 7-7.
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- Marching Mizzou and a baton twirler take the field at halftime.
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- Dorial Green-Beckham takes a knee and says a prayer before the second half begins.
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- Junior tailback Marcus Murphy scores a 2-yard touchdown to tie the score 14-14.
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- Senior receiver L’Damian Washington scores a touchdown on a 5-yard pass from James Franklin to give Mizzou the lead for the first time in the game, 21-14.
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- Quarterback James Franklin extends his arm for a gain.
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- A sold out crowd of 67,124 fans fill Memorial Stadium for senior night and the blackout game.
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- Heisman hopeful Johnny Manziel from Texas A&M listens to advice from a coach on the sidelines.
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- Junior tailback Henry Josey breaks a tackle and scores a touchdown on a 57-yard run to give the Tigers their final touchdown and 28-21 victory.
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- Redshirt junior defensive lineman Markus Golden throws up his arms and celebrates a tackle near the end of the fourth quarter.
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- A member of the cheerleading squad holds up a megaphone.
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- Fireworks and fans erupt on the field after a 28-21 win against Texas A&M.
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- Fans surround coach Gary Pinkel, who wears a smile during an interview with ESPN after the game.
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- Fans rush the field after Mizzou defeats Texas A&M and wins the SEC East championship title.
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- Players celebrate with each other after the game.
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- Players celebrate with family members and friends in front of Tigers Lair on the east side of the field.
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- Fans line up to take photos with senior quarterback James Franklin on his way to the Rock M after the game.
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- Senior wide receiver Marcus Lucas leaves Faurot Field on the shoulders of his teammates with a rock from the M on the north end of the field.
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- A fan kisses the south end zone after the crowd has cleared Memorial Stadium. The scoreboard above him shows the final score.
No more wondering whether one mistake might ruin an all-time great season. No more talk of curses or jinxes. No more waiting for respect from other members of the Southeastern Conference.
With a 28-21 win over Texas A&M on senior night, Mizzou closed out an 11-1 regular season in front of a sold-out Memorial Stadium and gave the Tigers an undisputed SEC East title. Picked to finish fifth in the SEC East division before the season started, it’s safe to say that the Tigers have arrived.
Mizzou, ranked fifth in the Bowl Championship Series standings as of Sunday morning, will play BCS No. 4 Auburn at 3 p.m. Saturday in Atlanta. The winner will lock up a BCS bowl berth — the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans — and also will have the chance to play for the national title based on the final BCS standings. It’s just what coach Gary Pinkel and his seniors had in mind after last year’s nightmarish season ended.
“This season was a mission,” Pinkel says. “Our guys got back here in January, and what they did is they said, ‘Well, this is what we have to do.’ January, February, March, methodically going through their schedule, the preparation.”
The win was significant not only to the program but also to Pinkel. It was his 101st victory as coach of the Tigers, tying the legendary Don Faurot for most all time wins at Mizzou. When asked about what the milestone meant to him in his postgame press conference, Pinkel was deferential, joking that he probably would be ready to talk about it when people didn’t care anymore.
“I’m surely honored by it, but that’s not what this night’s about,” said Pinkel, now in his 13th season with Mizzou. “This is about winning a championship. It’s about all the guys here.”
The Tigers earned the victory over the Aggies by relying on a pounding running game, an opportunistic passing attack and a smothering defense.
Mizzou’s ground game gashed A&M for 225 yards on 44 carries. But none of them were bigger than Henry Josey’s 57-yard game-winning run with 3:34 left in the fourth quarter.
After that run, the defense clamped down on A&M’s Johnny Manziel one last time, stymieing any shot the Aggies had at coming back. The Heisman hopeful was held to a career-low 216 all-purpose yards, and star receiver Mike Evans was held to just eight yards on four catches, also both career lows.
Quarterback James Franklin, who struggled early against the Aggie defense, threw for 233 yards and two touchdowns. Wideouts L’Damian Washington and Dorial Green-Beckham each scored his 10th touchdown of the season. The early struggles faded as the Tigers established the game’s tempo in the second half.
“That’s something we wanted to improve on from last year,” Franklin says. “We would get frustrated with each other when we didn’t make a play or missed a tackle. It wasn’t intentional, but this year, we’ve done a great job of getting past mistakes and picking each other up instead.”
And on Saturday night, as the blackout crowd stormed the field to join the players in celebration, Franklin’s words took on a literal meaning. Seniors, such as fan-favorite Max Copeland, were carried off Faurot Field.
“Man, I’m so blessed. I’m so blessed I can’t believe it,” Copeland says. “I’m just so proud of my team. They’re my brothers.”
