On homecoming weekend at Mizzou, here are the Tigers’ best starts in past 25 years

Hot starts are not the norm for Missouri.

For just the sixth time in the past 25 years, the Tigers find themselves with a 5-1 record heading into the second half of the season

They’ll have an opportunity to build on that sizzling start, and clinch bowl eligibility, with a victory against Auburn at 11 a.m. Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Columbia.

Under fifth-year coach Eli Drinkwitz, No. 19 Mizzou has already secured four straight bowl berths, making it easy to find complacency with the success the program has enjoyed.

But that recent trend of prosperity doesn’t tell the full story: early-season success remains a bit of a rarity for the Tigers, who could clinch bowl eligibility in their homecoming game for just the fourth time in the past 25 years.

So, ahead of this week’s 113th annual homecoming contest, here’s a look back at the other times Missouri won five of its first six games in the past 25 seasons ... and how the Tigers fared down the stretch in each of those campaigns:

2023: Finished 11-2

One of the most successful campaigns in recent memory for the Tigers began with a blistering-hot start and ended with one of the most impressive victories of the century for Mizzou.

The Tigers jumped out to a 5-0 start last season before dropping their first game of the season to eventual Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels and then-No. 23 LSU.

Missouri bounced back in its seventh game of the season, earning bowl eligibility behind the arm of punter Luke Bauer in a 38-21 comeback victory on the road against Kentucky, and it didn’t stop there.

After improving to 6-1, the Tigers rattled off victories in five of their final six regular-season games to earn a bid to the program’s first ever New Year’s Six bowl game - the Cotton Bowl in Arlington, Texas.

Led by All-American running back Cody Schrader and a defense that featured five 2024 NFL Draft selections, Missouri pulled away late for a 14-3 win.

The victory sealed the Tigers’ first 11-win season since 2014, and they finished with an 11-2 record.

2019: Finished 6-6

An optimistic start in Barry Odom’s final season as the Tigers’ coach brought newfound early-season success, but Missouri came tumbling back to reality in due time.

Former Missouri quarterback Kelly Bryant, a highly touted transfer portal pickup from Clemson, piloted the Tigers to five consecutive victories after a deflating season-opening loss on the road at Wyoming.

Bryant led the Tigers to wins over West Virginia, South Carolina and Ole Miss, but a knee injury Bryant suffered against Troy limited his effectiveness down the stretch.

The Tigers’ downfall started with a loss to Vanderbilt in their sixth game of the season, which marked the beginning of a five-game losing streak. Missouri totaled just 47 points across those five games, including three performances of less than 10 points, while allowing 124 points defensively in that stretch.

A rivalry win over Arkansas was not enough to save Odom from his fate, as the former coach was relieved of his duties following the season.

The up-and-coming Appalachian State coach, Drinkwitz, who had just completed his first season with the Mountaineers, replaced Odom and set the wheels in motion for where the Tigers find themselves today.

2008: Finished 10-4

As Mark Twain said, “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes.”

Although Twain wasn’t talking about the Missouri football program when he said that, of course, the quote seems to have merit today. Through just six games, the similarities between the Tigers’ 2008 season and 2024 are eerie.

Chase Daniel, Missouri’s all-time passing leader, quarterbacked the Tigers in 2008, teaming up with future first-round draft pick and St. Louis-area native Jeremy Maclin to engineer an explosive offense. Bolstered by wins over then-No. 20 Illinois, Nebraska and Buffalo, Missouri started the season with five straight victories. A loss to then-No. 17 Oklahoma State dropped the Tigers to 5-1 ahead of a showdown against then-No. 1 Texas.

Missouri suffered a 25-point loss to the Longhorns but rebounded with four straight wins, the first of which came on Homecoming against Colorado, clinching bowl eligibility for the Tigers. Losses to Kansas in the regular-season finale and then-No. 4 Oklahoma in the Big 12 championship game soured Missouri’s season, which ended with a 30-23 overtime victory in the Alamo Bowl against then-No. 22 Northwestern.

This season, the quarterback who is three spots behind Daniel on Missouri’s all-time passing list — Brady Cook — is in the midst of his own final season in black and gold. Cook shot up the program’s passing leaderboards with the help of his own St. Louis native and projected first-round draft pick, Luther Burden III, a junior wideout. Similar to the 2008 team, the Tigers also earned a win over Buffalo en route to a 5-1 start.

Now, on the verge of bowl eligibility, MU will look to avoid a similar fate that awaited the 2008 squad.

2007: Finished 12-2

The winning recipe that worked well for Mizzou in 2008 found its initial success in the 2007 season, which is regarded as one of the most dominant in program history.

Stellar campaigns from Daniel, Maclin and running back Tony Temple propelled Missouri to a hot start, as it won each of its first five games. The Tigers suffered their lone regular-season loss in their sixth game — a 10-point defeat to then-No. 6 Oklahoma — but rattled off six straight wins to close the regular season. To cap off its six-game winning streak and regular season, then-No. 3 Mizzou toppled then-No. 2 Kansas 36-28 in one of the most iconic wins in program history.

The victory vaulted Missouri to the No. 1 spot in the Week 13 AP Top 25, and it also secured the Tigers a rematch with then-No. 9 Oklahoma in the Big 12 title game. The Sooners once again bested Mizzou in a 38-17 win, dashing the Tigers’ aspirations of a national championship appearance. MU had to settle for a Cotton Bowl matchup against then-No. 25 Arkansas, which it won 38-7. The Tigers finished the season ranked No. 4 in the final AP poll.

2003: Finished 8-5

While a strong passing attack served as the catalyst for the Tigers in the late 2000s, Missouri’s dominant rushing attack fueled its offense earlier in the decade.

Former Missouri star quarterback Brad Smith, then in his sophomore season, accounted for 3,436 total yards and 30 touchdowns by himself in the 2003 season. The Tigers’ all-time leading rusher totaled 1,406 yards and 18 touchdowns on the ground.

The Smith-led Tigers started their campaign with four consecutive wins before dropping their first regular-season game on the road against Kansas in a 35-14 defeat. Mizzou bounced back with a win over then-No. 10 Nebraska to move to 5-1, and two weeks later it clinched bowl eligibility with a 62-31 win over Texas Tech on Homecoming.

Late-season losses to Colorado and Kansas State derailed the Tigers, and they fell to Arkansas 27-14 in the Independence Bowl. Despite the hot start and an early-season upset, Missouri won just three of its final seven games.

As the current Tigers program prepares for Auburn, the 2003 and 2019 programs serve as cautionary tales for what can change, even amidst a hot start. But the 2007 and 2008 seasons demonstrate how early success can vault Mizzou into national prominence.

It’ll be up to the current team to determine which path it will take, starting with this weekend’s Homecoming showdown against an SEC foe.

Copyright 2024 Columbia Missourian

This story was originally published October 18, 2024 at 12:32 PM with the headline "On homecoming weekend at Mizzou, here are the Tigers’ best starts in past 25 years."