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Missouri faces stiff test in opener against Illinois

Aug 30, 2008 - 10:12 AM No. 19 Illinois vs. No. 7 Missouri, 8:30 pm EDT

ST. LOUIS (Ticker) -- After a banner season in which it won a school-record 12 games and a New Year's Day bowl game for the first time in 42 years, Missouri no longer will be able to sneak up on anybody.

The seventh-ranked Tigers could get an immediate test when they face No. 19 Illinois in the "Arch Rivalry" game at the Edward Jones Dome.

For the first time in the 22-game history between the border rivals, both teams enter the contest ranked in the top 25.

Last year's game turned into a memorable one, as Missouri held on for a 40-34 victory after nearly squandering a 37-13 lead late in the third quarter.

Chase Daniel tossed three touchdowns for the Tigers, but the victory was not sealed until Pig Brown intercepted a pass at the Missouri 1-yard line with 51 seconds remaining.

Missouri returns six starters from a high-powered offense that averaged 490 yards per game last season, including Daniel, a Heisman Trophy finalist, tight end Chase Coffman and all-purpose man Jeremy Maclin.

For the second straight year, Missouri was picked to win the Big 12 North title, something it accomplished for the first time last season with a 7-1 conference mark.

The Tigers (12-2) were in line to play for the national championship until they suffered a 38-17 loss to Oklahoma in the Big 12 title game. But Missouri rebounded by routing Arkansas, 38-7, in the Cotton Bowl.

Daniel will be hard-pressed to duplicate his numbers from last season, when he passed for a school-record 4,306 yards and 33 touchdowns as a junior. The Tigers moved to No. 1 in the BCS rankings after Daniel completed 40-of-49 passes for 361 yards and three TDs in a 36-28 win over Kansas.

Illinois (9-4) also hopes to contend in the Big Ten Conference after a surprising season in which it upset then-No. 1 Ohio State and earned a berth in the Rose Bowl, where it was drubbed by Southern California, 49-17. Still, its seven-win improvement from a 2-10 campaign in 2006 was the best in the nation.

Illinois has to replace Rashard Mendenhall, the Big Ten's leading rusher last season with 1,681 yards who was taken in the first round of this year's draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Still, quarterback Juice Williams, a dangerous rushing threat, returns for his third season at Illinois. He is the Fighting Illini's top returning runner, having rushed for 755 yards last season. He also spearheaded the 28-21 upset of Ohio State with four touchdown passes.

Missouri has a 14-7 edge over Illinois, winning the last three meetings.