Taken by surprise

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- For Missouri linebacker James Kinney, an upcoming personal milestone is a minor concern, at best.

Kinney said Monday that he didn't realize he was 10 tackles away from breaking DeMontie Cross' school record of 415, until reporters informed him of it.

"They just told me 10," Kinney said. "I'm definitely excited about that. Hopefully I get it done at home, in front of the home crowd here."

After recording 12 stops against Kansas State on Nov. 6, Kinney moved to 406 tackles and within striking distance of the mark. He will have an opportunity to break it Saturday when the Tigers (4-5, 2-4 Big 12) host rival Kansas (3-7, 1-6).

Even coach Gary Pinkel didn't realize Kinney was so close to the record.

"Until you told me that, I had no idea that was true," Pinkel said. "I hope James gets it, because he's had a great career here. I'm his biggest fan."

The Tigers, needing wins in their final two games to become bowl-eligible, have more pressing concerns than personal marks. To make the Big 12 Championship game, the Tigers need the two wins, plus they need Colorado to beat Nebraska next week.

That means personal accolades are on the back burner for now.

"He'd certainly want (the record), but finishing his senior year probably goes on top of the list for him," Pinkel said of Kinney.

It has been an up and down season for Kinney and the Tigers. After winning four of their first five games, Missouri has lost four in a row. Even with the conference's best defense in yards allowed, the Tigers have not been consistent in the second half, allowing leads of 17 against Oklahoma State and 21 against Kansas State to slip away.

Kinney said setting the record would be bittersweet if Missouri loses one of its next two games.

"Obviously, we have struggled as a team, and that's already bitter," Kinney said. "I'm pretty upset about how things went, but there's nothing I can do about that right now. We have to take this one game at a time and try to get this win; that's more important than any tackle record or anything."

Kinney acknowledged it would be "great" to see his name in the record books and, if he achieves the mark, he hopes it will stand for a while. Still, it will not change how he plays against the Jayhawks on Saturday.

"I'm just gonna go out there and make plays that come to me," he said. "I'm not gonna try to overdo something."