Only Minnesota and Wisconsin have gone at it as long as Missouri and Kansas have on the football field. The Tigers and Jayhawks will meet for the 112th time when the two teams get together on Saturday in Lawrence, Kansas (this season’s meeting will mark the 113th for the Golden Gophers and Badgers). Mizzou leads the series 52-50-9, but that’s not universally agreed upon. The aforementioned mark is the count the University of Missouri lists, but the University of Kansas says the rivalry is dead even at 51-51-9. KU counts the Jayhawks’ 1960 victory over the Tigers, even though it was stripped away from them after it was learned that they used an ineligible player that season. Both teams were unbeaten coming into the regular-season finale. Such is the legend of rivalries. One stat that is undeniable is that only one Mizzou head coach has ever won his first three games against KU and that was Warren Powers who did it in 1978, 1979 and 1980. Gary Pinkel can match Powers with a win on Saturday, but it won’t be easy. The Tigers defense, which showed some holes in a 41-40 win over Middle Tennessee State, will face a much-improved Jayhawk offense. Kansas is averaging 500 yards and 37 points per game and has a 3-1 record. Bill Whittemore, who was injured Mizzou’s 36-12 win in Columbia last season, leads Kansas’ offense. He’s averaging 274 yards passing per game and has ten touchdowns and two interceptions. With a win the Tigers will improve to 5-0 for the first time since 1981.
