MU vs KU: Stateline Stalemate

It's a war! No it's not. Yes, it is! No it isn't! Yes, it is!The University of Kansas, the Big 12 and the NCAA list the series as 55 wins for Kansas, 53 wins for Missouri and 9 ties. Missouri claims a tie - 54-54-9. This debate has raged for 50 years and probably will never be resolved to the satisfaction of both sides. Stalemate is appropriate. What better word to use for a 54-54 record or for a 50 year refusal to budge? The interesting thing is why the debate exists in the first place…

…Kansas beat Missouri in 1960. This wasn’t just any victory. It was the only loss of the season for MU. They ended #5 and would have won a national championship if KU hadn’t “cheated”. Kansas was found to have played an ineligible player during the game and were forced to forfeit the game against Missouri. Kansas and Missouri cannot and probably will not ever agree – especially when the wins are so evenly divided. See Wikipedia write up on the controversy below.

2008: Kansas 40, Missouri 37

Missouri favored by 3.5

MU-KU SERIES

The nation’s second most-played rivalry resumes Saturday when Kansas and Missouri meet for the 118th time in a series which dates back to 1891. The teams have met 90 consecutive years (from 1919-present) for the nation’s 12th-longest uninterrupted series. The teams have met every year beginning with the 1891 match up with the exception of 1918, when Kansas had its season shortened due to a campus wide influenza outbreak.

* 2009 game yet to be played

KU-MU NOTABLE -- Here are a few notes about the Kansas vs. Missouri series: Kansas won the first meeting 22-8 in 1891… The Student Alumni Associations from Kansas and Missouri coordinate the postgame presentation of the Marching Band Drum, which is given to the winning team each year... The two schools have been exchanging a trophy since 1912... The KU-MU contest has signaled the end of the regular season for both teams 100 times during the series. That includes this year’s match up. This year also marks the fourth straight time these teams have ended the regular season playing each other.

KU vs MU STATS - NATIONAL CATEGORY RANKINGS

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Other categories ranked in top-25.

KU: First Downs #11, Fourth down conversion pct. #6, Sacks #18

MU: Turnovers lost #25, Fourth down defensive conversion pct. #18

INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS (Top – 25)

Kansas

Total offense: Todd Reesing #11

Receptions /g: Kerry Meier #3

Receptions /g: Dezmon Briscoe #12

Receiving y/g: Dezmon Briscoe #5

Receiving y/g: Kerry Meier #20

All purpose y/g: Dezmon Briscoe #23

Missouri

Passing efficiency: Blaine Gabbert #21

Total offense y/g: Blaine Gabbert #15

Receptions /g: Danario Alexander #3

Receiving y/g: Danario Alexander #3

Field goals /g: Grant Ressel #3

Scoring /g: Grant Ressel #18

Sacks /g: Aldon Smith #11

Tackles for loss/g: Aldon Smith #9

Tackles for loss/g: Sean Weatherspoon #19

RECEIVING

Missouri and Kansas rank #1 and #2 in the nation based on yards receiving per game by a tandem. Missouri’s two receivers (Alexander and Perry) have combined for an average of 197.9 ypg while Kansas’ two receivers (Meier and Briscoe average 194.1 ypg. KU’s receivers also rank #2 in most receptions per game at 15.4 - behind a pair of Bowling Green receivers who combine for 15.8 catches per contest.

KU RECORDS FALLING

• WR Dezmon Briscoe (2,998) needs just two receiving yards for 3,000 in his career and become just the eighth player in Big 12 history to reach that mark.

• Briscoe (1,095) needs 50 receiving yards for the second best season in school history (he holds mark with 1,407 set last year).

• Briscoe (six) needs one 100-yard receiving game to tie his school record of seven set last year.

• WR Kerry Meier (2,255) needs 12 receiving yards to pass Willie Vaughn (2,266) for second on the KU career receiving yardage list behind only Dezmon Briscoe (2,998 entering Saturday).

• Meier (92) needs six receptions to break his own school record for single-season receptions of 97 set last year.

• Meier (16) needs one touchdown reception to tie for second on the KU career list behind only Briscoe (29).

• QB Todd Reesing (10) needs one 200-yard passing game to tie his season record of 11 set in 2008.

GABBERT BEFORE AND AFTER AND THEREAFTER

Blaine Gabbert has had three distinct periods of high and low and high again this season. Shown are his totals for each of the three.

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Should he have a big day against Kansas, it will complete the symmetrical sandwich.

1960 CONTROVERSY (Wikipedia)

Although 54-54-9 is the often stated series result, there is an ongoing dispute about whether another win should have been counted for Kansas, making the series 55-53-9 in their favor. The record books of Kansas and the Big 12 state the record as 55-53-9, whereas Missouri does not. The Big 8 Conference is ambiguous in their stance on the issue.

On November 19, 1960 Kansas (6-2) won the game against Missouri (9-0, #1 nationally ranked) by a score of 23-7 and was awarded the Big 8 championship. On December 8, 1960, after the season was over, the Big 8 made them forfeit the game due to a newly voted ineligible player, Bert Coan, and the championship was awarded to Missouri. The committee originally declared Coan eligible despite speculation that a trip to an all-star game, paid for by KU donor and AFL co-founder Bud Adams, had convinced him to transfer to the school. Coan was ruled eligible to play by the NCAA and Big 8 committee prior to the game and the NCAA took no part in the subsequent Big 8 forfeit ruling. After the game, Missouri coach Dan Devine was able to change the conference voting rules to require a simple majority vote rather than the 6-2 majority that was previously needed. Many believe that this move was also spearheaded by Missouri's athletic director Don Faurot. The rule change turned out to be convenient for Missouri, as the vote for Kansas to forfeit games passed by a 5-3 mark at that very same meeting. Additionally, Coan was ruled to be ineligible for another game, against Colorado. Colorado, however, does not count this forfeit as a win in their record books. Kansas also cites a 1999 NCAA subcommittee in its reasoning, where the subcommittee stated that "forfeited contests do not count as a loss and that the game will stand as played on the field."

Ultimately the on the field loss to Kansas cost Missouri the 1960 national championship. The final AP poll was released one week after the game (before the decision was made to force Kansas to forfeit) and the 8-1 Minnesota Gophers took Missouri's spot at number one in the poll, giving them the AP National Championship. Missouri went on to finish the 1960 season 11-0 including a win over Navy in the Orange Bowl, while Minnesota finished 8-2 with a loss in the Rose Bowl.

From the Missouri Media Guide. MU ranking in parenthesis.

1960 Coach: Dan Devine

Won 11, Lost 0, Tied 0

Big Eight Conference Champions