Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic

Statistics:
24 attempts, 281 yards, 4 TDs

Nothing could slow down Missouri tailback Tony Temple. A tweaked hamstring couldn’t do it, and neither could Arkansas. In the 72nd Cotton Bowl Classic in 2008, Temple ran for 281 yards to erase the Classic’s 54-year-old rushing record and registered four touchdowns to help secure a 38-7 victory. The exclamation point on Temple’s amazing afternoon came on his final carry. Breaking a tackle at the line of scrimmage and then spinning away from another defender, he raced 40 yards straight up field and dove into the end zone for the game’s final score. Then came his biggest challenge of the day – getting back to the Missouri bench after his record-setting touchdown run. Exhausted and nursing that aching hamstring, Temple’s teammates happily scooped him up with tender loving care and carried him to the sideline. The Tigers’ victory celebration was well underway.