1948 Missouri Tigers football team

The 1948 Missouri Tigers football team was an American football team that represented the University of Missouri in the Big Seven Conference (Big 7) during the 1948 college football season. The team compiled an 8–3 record (5–1 against Big 7 opponents), finished in second place in the Big 7, lost to Clemson in the 1949 Gator Bowl, and outscored all opponents by a combined total of 331 to 161. Don Faurot was the head coach for the 11th of 19 seasons.^[1][2]

1948 Missouri Tigers football
Gator Bowl, L 23–24 vs. Clemson
Conference	Big Seven Conference
Record	8–3 (5–1 Big 7)
Head coach	Don Faurot (11th season)
Home stadium	Memorial Stadium
Seasons ← 1947 1949 →

1948 Big Seven Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 5 Oklahoma $	5	–	0	–	0			10	–	1	–	0
Missouri	5	–	1	–	0			8	–	3	–	0
Kansas	4	–	2	–	0			7	–	3	–	0
Colorado	2	–	3	–	0			3	–	6	–	0
Iowa State	2	–	4	–	0			4	–	6	–	0
Nebraska	2	–	4	–	0			2	–	8	–	0
Kansas State	0	–	6	–	0			1	–	9	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The team's statistical leaders included Dick Braznell with 484 rushing yards, Bus Entsminger with 633 passing yards, 1,084 yards of total offense, and 54 points scored, and Mel Sheehan with 346 receiving yards.^[3]

Though unranked in the final AP Poll, Missouri was ranked at No. 17 in the final Litkenhous Difference by Score System ratings for 1948.^[4]

The team played its home games at Memorial Stadium in Columbia, Missouri.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 25		at Ohio State*		Ohio Stadium Columbus, OH	L 7–21	57,042	^[5]
October 1	8:15 p.m.	at Saint Louis*		Walsh Stadium St. Louis, MO	W 60–7	14,832	^[6]^[7]
October 9		No. 4 SMU		Memorial Stadium Columbia, MO	W 20–14	30,892
October 16		at Navy	No. 12	Municipal Stadium Baltimore, MD	W 35–14
October 23		Iowa State	No. 9	Memorial Stadium Columbia, MO (rivalry)	W 49–7	22,032
October 30		at Kansas State	No. 8	Memorial Stadium Manhattan, KS	W 49–7	15,000
November 6		at No. 15 Oklahoma	No. 9	Memorial Stadium Norman, OK (rivalry)	L 7–41
November 13		Colorado	No. 20	Memorial Stadium Columbia, MO	W 27–13	22,500
November 20		at Nebraska		Memorial Stadium Lincoln, NE (rivalry)	W 33–6	21,000
November 25		Kansas		Memorial Stadium Columbia, MO (rivalry)	W 21–7	32,000
January 1, 1949		vs. No. 11 Clemson*		Gator Bowl Stadium Jacksonville, FL (Gator Bowl)	L 23–24	36,000	^[8]
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

Rankings

See also: 1948 NCAA football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
— = Not ranked. ( ) = First place votes.

	Week
Poll	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	Final
AP	—	12 (1)	9 (2)	8 (1)	9 (4)	20	—	—	—

References

1. "1948 Missouri Tigers Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
2. "2016 Mizzou Football Media Guide" (PDF). University of Missouri. p. 158. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
3. (PDF). University of Missouri. pp. 26–27. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 28, 2018. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
4. "Michigan, Irish Finish 1-2 in Litkenhous Ratings". Wilmington Morning News. December 15, 1948. p. 32 – via Newspapers.com.
5. Dailey, Jim (September 26, 1948). "Missouri Falls Before Buckeyes". Terre Haute Tribune. United Press. p. 46. Retrieved October 17, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
6. Nelson, Ray (October 1, 1948). "Mizzou Hope To 'Get Even' In St. Louis U. game Tonight". St. Louis Star-Times. St. Louis, Missouri. p. 31. Retrieved July 9, 2023 – via Newspapers.com  .
7. Rice, Jack (October 2, 1948). "Mizzou Rolls Up Record 60-7 Score Against Bills". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. St. Louis, Missouri. p. 3C. Retrieved July 9, 2023 – via Newspapers.com  .
8. "Clemson Overcomes Missouri by 24-23". Daily News (New York City). January 2, 1949. p. 87 – via Newspapers.com.