Temple Sparks Missouri Victory
Record-Setting Effort Lifts Tigers by Arkansas in Cotton Bowl, 38-7
Arkansas’ Darren McFadden was supposed to be the running back who would create headlines with his performance in the 2008 Cotton Bowl.
Instead, it was Missouri’s Tony Temple, who upstaged McFadden and the Razorbacks, as Temple scored four touchdowns in the Tigers’ 38-7 victory.
McFadden finished second in the 2007 Heisman Trophy voting, but it was Temple who enjoyed a record-setting performance. His 281 rushing yards and four scores both set Cotton Bowl records. He did it, too, on 24 carries, including just one fourth-quarter carry..
When Missouri coaches realized Temple was within shot of the record, they reinserted him into the game after he had pulled a hamstring muscle.
Temple responded with a tackle-breaking, 40-yard touchdown run. Along the way, we tweaked his hamstring on the 5-yard line.
Temple didn’t play again after that, but by the Tigers had the game well in hand, and Temple had his records. His rushing total broke the former mark of 265 set by Dicky Meagle in 1954. Meagle scored what was then a record-tying three touchdowns in that game, matching the totals of Bobby Layne in 1946 and Jim Brown in 1957.
As for McFadden he carried 21 times for 105 yards and sat out the fourth quarter. He set two school records, as well, although neither helped Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl. McFadden finished second in Southeastern Conference history to Herschel Walker with a single-season rushing total of 1,830 yards and a career mark of 4,590.
Missouri had no trouble with the Razorbacks, though, as it returned an interception for a touchdown and recovered four fumbles.
The Tigers blew through an Arkansas defense that had been redesigned to contain Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel, another Heisman Trophy finalist. Daniel completed 12 of 29 passes for a season-low 136 yards with an interception.
Even so, Arkansas’ smaller, quicker defenders were no match for Temple, who rushed for 159 yards and two touchdowns in the first half.
Missouri finished its season at 12-2 after having had an opportunity to compete in the Bowl Championship Series national title game. The Tigers were ranked first when they lost to Oklahoma in the Big 12 Championship Game, 38-17, and were relegated to the Cotton Bowl.
They more then compensated for that setback in dropping Arkansas to 8-5. Arkansas wore red jerseys and red pants in honor outgoing Frank Broyles, who has ended a 50-year association with the school as its former coach and athletic director.
The Razorbacks played for interim head coach Reggie Herring, who replaced Houston Nutt, now at Ole Miss. Bobby Petrino has since taken over Arkansas‘ program after his earlier decision abruptly to leave the Atlanta Falcons of the NFL.
