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McFadden, Daniel face off in Cotton Bowl

Jan 1, 2008 - 2:25 PM No. 7 Missouri (11-2) vs. No. 25 Arkansas (8-4) 11:30 am EST Cotton Bowl January 1

DALLAS (Ticker) -- After losing out on a Heisman Trophy and gaining a new coach, Arkansas will have to turn its focus toward a team formerly ranked first in the country.

Heisman runner-up Darren McFadden and the 25th-ranked Razorbacks look to make a solid first impression on new coach Bobby Petrino when they take on No. 7 Missouri in the Cotton Bowl on New Year's Day.

Petrino, who will not be present on the sideline for the contest, made the most-publicized coaching switch of the offseason on December 11, when he resigned from his post with the NFL's Atlanta Falcons to replace Houston Nutt at Arkansas.

Petrino's stunning decision came just three days after McFadden lost the Heisman Trophy to Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, finishing second in the voting for the second consecutive year.

McFadden finished his up-and-down junior season in style on November 23, rushing for 206 yards, three touchdowns and passing for a score in Arkansas' 50-48 triple-overtime upset of then-No. 1 Louisiana State.

Nutt resigned three days later, ending his 10-year run as the Razorbacks' coach.

McFadden rushed for a school single-season record of 1,725 yards and 15 TDs this season, leading an Arkansas squad which finished 4-4 in Southeastern Conference play.

The Cotton Bowl likely will mark the end of McFadden's college career, as the sensational running back likely will be a top pick in next April's NFL draft.

Opposing McFadden and the Razorbacks will be fellow Heisman finalist Chase Daniel, who quarterbacked Missouri to the Big 12 Conference's North Division title and an appearance in the conference championship game.

Ranked first overall at the time, the Tigers needed a victory in the Big 12 title game to lock up a BCS bid.

But Missouri's national title hopes ended in disappointing fashion, as the Tigers suffered a 38-17 rout at the hands of Oklahoma.

Also a junior, Daniel finished fourth in the Heisman voting after leading Missouri to its first 11-win season in school history.

The 6-foot Daniel passed for 4,170 yards, 33 TDs and 10 interceptions this season for Missouri, which will make its sixth bowl appearance in the last 11 years. The Tigers are 2-3 in bowl games since 1997.

Arkansas has lost 11 of its last 13 bowl games, including a 17-14 setback to Wisconsin in last year's Capital One Bowl.