Freshman Zach Johnson, sophomore Andrew Holman, freshman Nick Roettgen and senior Travis Franks watch the Missouri-Tennessee game together. “I love this team so much. I hate the Vols. I want Mizzou to win all the way,” Roettgen said. “I want them to go to College GameDay — I want College GameDay here.”
Missouri Fever
Through body paint, pom-poms and homemade signs, many students go all-out when it comes to cheering on the Tigers.
Led by the ZOU, many students can be found crammed into the bleachers of the student section every home game day. Some students arrive hours before kickoff in hopes of earning a prime seat at the front.
This project is ongoing.
Cheerleader Peyton Oltman wears a Missouri Tigers sticker on Sept. 7, 2024 at Faurot Field in Columbia, Mo. Oltman performed on the sidelines and during halftime for a crowd of over 62,000 fans.
Senior Quincy Reynolds, vice president of the ZOU, paints the chest of sophomore Micheal Murphy while waiting for the game to begin. “I’ve been told by a South Carolina photographer that we’re the most naked student section in the SEC, and I just love that,” Reynolds said. “We paint approximately fifty people in two sections, and we just make up sayings regardless of what the game is.”
Peyton Oltman flips in the air as the Mizzou cheer team kicks-off the Missouri vs Buffalo game on Sept. 7, 2024 at Faurot Field in Columbia, Mo. This year the cheer team will be working towards winning their third-straight win at the National Cheerleaders Association National Championship.
A forgotten plume rests on the field as Marching Mizzou performs at the start of the game against Buffalo.
Sophomore Brenden Poteet dons a storm trooper helmet at the front of the sold-out crowd. Poteet has plans to paint the helmet to mirror a Missouri football helmet, which he will wear to every football and basketball game this school year.
Brett Pascoe runs back and forth down Faurot Field with the cheer team. Cheerleaders run with flags spelling "MIZZOU" as the game kicks off, during halftime and each time their team makes a touchdown.
Junior Dominic Radecki, a game day chair for the ZOU, claps for the Tigers while leading the student section. The ZOU student leaders often arrive at games early to paint their chests and prepare for the game.
