Border War Chronicles: The Battle for No. 1, 2007

To celebrate perhaps the final game of the Border War, Zoulogy will present memories of the most important chapters in the history of the rivalry every day leading up to the game. Today’s installment: The game on Nov. 24, 2007, the battle for No. 1.

For the first and only time in the history of the series, Kansas and Missouri entered the Border War ranked in the top five (Kansas No. 2, Missouri No. 3). But more importantly, following No. 1 LSU’s loss, the winner of the game was a lock to move into the top spot in the AP and BCS rankings.

The hype surrounding the game made it the biggest game in the War ever, with more on the line than ever before or since. The winner would face OU for the Big 12 Championship and a shot for the national championship.

The Tigers jumped all over the Jayhawks from the start of the game. Behind Chase Daniel’s strong play, the Tigers ended the third quarter up 28-7 and prepared to coast to the Big 12 title game.

But the game was far from over. Kansas quarterback Todd Reesing led a furious comeback, capped off by his five-yard touchdown strike to Marcus Henry, making the score 34-28 with just over two minutes remaining.

After failing to recover an onside kick and forcing a three-and-out punt from Mizzou, Kansas took over at their own 11-yard line with one shot and 17 seconds on the clock.

But the rally would go no further, as Mizzou’s Lorenzo Williams bull rushed through the Jayhawk front, sacking Reesing in the endzone for a game ending safety.

The Tigers earned a No. 1 ranking, which was short lived as they fell to OU in the Big 12 championship a week later. They were then awarded a birth in the Cotton Bowl, where they blew out Arkansas 38-7.

No game has come close to the importance of this match up for either team in the series. The Tigers came away victorious in what was perhaps the biggest game on the biggest stage for either program in their long histories.