By BJ Bennett
SouthernPigskin.com

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Reflecting on the Missouri Tigers’ 2014 season.

Summary — One year after winning the SEC East in just their second season in the league, the Tigers did the exact same thing once again for an encore. A late comeback at South Carolina, revenge from 2013, was the catalyst for the division title. Of conference teams, only Alabama topped Missouri’s eleven overall victories. The Tigers won seven of eight to finish the year, with their lone loss coming to the Crimson Tide in the SEC Championship Game. Missouri won its third consecutive bowl game, topping Minnesota 33-17 in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl. Having now turned heads with back-to-back trips to the Georgia Dome, the Tigers finished the season ranked as high as 11th in the national polls.

Biggest Surprise — Like the year before, few people outside of Columbia picked Missouri to win its division. The Tigers were picked to finish tied for third, with Tennessee, at SEC Media Days last summer. Wins over South Carolina and Florida helped Missouri pull ahead in the standings. The Tigers then defeated Texas A&M in College Station, Tennessee in Knoxville and Arkansas the last three weeks of November to clinch the east. Missouri’s big picture success in-league has been staggering; the Tigers have gone 14-2 the past two regular seasons in SEC play.

Biggest Disappointment — In their last non-conference game of the year, Missouri lost at home 31-27 to Indiana. The Hoosiers won just four games in 2014 and, at one point, had a six-game league losing streak. The Tigers gave up nearly 500 yards of total offense and compiled ten total penalties in the defeat. A shutout loss to Georgia two games later, in a showdown coming off of a bye week, was also a major letdown. That said, the Indiana disappointment hindered Missouri’s early season momentum.

Stat of the Year — The Tigers led the SEC in sacks with 42, slotting them in the top ten nationally at pressuring the passer. All-American edge rusher Shane Ray set a new single-season school record with 14. Markus Ray added ten.

Offensive MVP — Marcus Murphy, RB/RS
Defensive MVP — Shane Ray, DE
Rising Star — Michael Scherer, LB