Football Hosts Central Michigan to Open 2021

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Mizzou Football opens the 2021 season inside Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 4, at 3 p.m. against Central Michigan. The Tigers’ season-opener will be broadcast on SEC Network.

MOBILE TICKETS

All Mizzou Athletics events will feature mobile tickets in the 2021-22 season. Tiger fans can easily download their tickets using the Mizzou Mobile app on their smartphone. Fans are encouraged to download all tickets before arriving at Memorial Stadium to ensure a smooth entry.

To learn more about mobile ticketing and how to download tickets, visit MUTigers.com/MobileTix.

GAMEDAY AT MIZZOU

• 8 AM – Parking Lots Open
• NOON – Tiger Town Opens | West Lawn of Hearnes Center
  • Enjoy food trucks, drinks, tailgate games, a DJ and other football games from around the country
• NOON – MU Health Care Kid’s Zone Opens | SE Corner of Stadium Blvd. & Mick Deaver Dr.
  • Young Tigers can get ready for gameday with face painting, inflatables and more
• 12:40 PM – Tiger Walk | Intersection of Champions Dr. & Mick Deaver Dr.
• 1:30 PM – Memorial Stadium Gates Open
• 3 PM – Kickoff

• Mizzou and Central Michigan are meeting for the first time on Saturday.

• Week 1 marks Mizzou’s first match-up with Central Michigan, a member of the Mid-American Conference. The CMU game also marks head coach Eliah Drinkwitz‘s first non-conference contest at the helm of the Tiger program.
• In its previous 130 season-openers, Mizzou has won more than two-thirds of them, going 83-42-5 all-time (65.7%). Mizzou has won 20 of its last 24 season-openers.
• In home-openers, Mizzou’s all-time record is 94-32-4 (73.8%), including a win streak of 14 (snapped in 2020), and wins in 21 of its last 24 such games.

• After an exhaustive August and September for the state of college football and the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 finally opened for the Tigers in late September. Mizzou dropped the 2020 opener to Alabama, 38-19, at Memorial Stadium / Faurot Field.
• In his lone season at Appalachian State in 2019, Drinkwitz’s Mountaineers rolled East Tennessee State, 42-7, in its season-opener. Dating back to his time at Auburn as a quality control analyst in 2010, Drinkwitz is 7-4 in season-openers. Below is a breakdown:

2010 (Auburn Analyst): W, 52-26, vs. Arkansas State

2011 (Auburn Analyst): W, 42-38, vs. Utah State

2012 (Running Backs, Arkansas State): L, 34-57 at Oregon

2013 (OC, Arkansas State): W, 62-11 vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff

2014 (Tight Ends, Boise State): L, 35-213 vs. Ole Miss

2015 (OC, QBs, Boise State): W, 16-13 vs. Washington

2016 (OC, QBs, NC State): W, 48-14 vs. William and Mary

2017 (OC, QBs, NC State): L, 28-35 vs. South Carolina

2018 (OC, QBs, NC State): W, 24-13 vs. James Madison

2019 (HC, App State): W, 42-7 vs. East Tennessee State

2020 (HC, Missouri): L, 38-19 vs. No. 2 Alabama

Chase 2 Dreams is a mantra for the Mizzou coaching staff and student-athletes. It’s simple, life after football. The 2021 rosters boasts 14 student-athletes who’ve earned their bachelor’s degrees and eight who will finish their undergraduates degree this fall.

Blaze Alldredge: Rice University, spring ’21, political science | Mizzou, fall ’22, positive coaching and athletic leadership

Tyler Badie: Mizzou, summer ’21, sports management | summer ’22, positive coaching and athletic leadership

Barrett Banister: Mizzou, spring ’21, sports management | fall ’22, positive coaching and athletic leadership

Kibet Chepyator: Mizzou, spring ’21, business administration | fall ’22, business administration

Keke Chism: Angelo State, spring ’19, finance | Mizzou, post-accalaureate

Dawson Downing: Mizzou, spring ’21, dual major in biological sciences, health sciences | spring 22, Graduate Public Health Certificate

Akayleb Evans: Tulsa, spring ’21, organizational studies | Mizzou, post-baccalaureate

Sean Koetting: Mizzou, spring ’21, biological sciences | Mizzou, fall ’22, health administration

Michael Maietti: Rutgers, spring ’20, criminal justice | Mizzou, fall 21, positive coaching and athletic leadership

Grant McKinniss: Kentucky, spring ’20, psychology | Mizzou, fall 21, positive coaching and athletic leadership

Mason Pack: Mizzou, fall ’20, general studies | Mizzou, post-baccalaureate

Shawn Robinson: Mizzou, fall ’20, general studies | fall ’22, business administration

Micah Wilson: Mizzou, summer ’20, business administration | fall ’21, business administration

Connor Wood: Montana State, spring ’21, finance | fall ’22, finance management

Fall 2021 graduates include: Akial Byers (general studies), Case Cook (agricultural education emphasis in communication and leadership), Chance May (business administration), D’ionte ‘Boo’ Smith (general studies), Chris Turner (architectural studies), Hyrin White (general studies), Kobie Whiteside (general studies) and Cannon York (nutrition and exercise physiology).

• Week 1  Senior running back Tyler Badie is ready to take over the spotlight in the Mizzou backfield after giving the Tigers an electric 1-2 punch in past seasons. Badie rushed for a career-best 5.0 yards per carry in 2020 while also going for a career-best 11.9 yards per catch last season.
• The senior has a shot at Mizzou history in 2021, needing just 181 receiving yards to become the first Tiger to ever go for 1,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards receiving in his career.
• Badie is already one of five Tigers to accumulate 500 yards on the ground and receiving alongside:

Mike Jones                  1987-1990       1390 rush/686 receiving

Ronnell Kayhill             1989-1992       959 rush/713 receiving

Jeremy Maclin             2007-2008       668 rush/2315 receiving

Jon Staggers               1967-1969       833 rush/573 receiving

• One of the most versatile backs in the SEC, Badie has nine career rushing touchdowns and has taken seven passes to the house. The senior has averaged better than 10.5 ypc in each of his first three seasons at Mizzou.
• Badie enters 2021 needing just 25 yards to eclipse 2,500 all-purpose yards in his career. He is also poised to surpass 2,000 all-purpose rushing yards this season, needing 45 yards to hit the mark (1,136 rushing, 819 receiving).
• Badie has caught five of Mizzou’s las 12 touchdown passes and six of the last 14.
• He produced two 25+ yard touchdown runs in the fourth quarter against Arkansas last season, becoming just the third Tiger to rush for a pair of touchdowns from 25 yards or more in the same quarter. He joined Brad Smith (2003 vs. Texas Tech) and Russel Hanbrough (2014 vs. Texas A&M) as Tigers to accomplish the feat.