Missouri star to apply for NFL draft

COLUMBIA, Mo., Jan. 31 (UPI) -- Missouri tailback Tony Temple will skip an appeal for a fifth year of eligibility and apply for entry into the 2008 NFL draft.

The 5-foot, 9-inch, 200-pound senior from Kansas City, Mo., could have applied to the NCAA for an extra season of eligibility because of an ankle injury in 2004, his freshman season. He sustained the injury in the fourth quarter of the eighth game in that season, a 24-3 loss at Nebraska.

"It's time to move on and focus on doing what I need to do to make a positive impression for the next level," he said on the school's Web site. "I feel good about looking into the extra year. It was worth a shot, but I feel I'm ready to take the next step."

In his final game, Temple rushed for four touchdowns when Missouri clobbered Arkansas 38-7 Jan. 1 at the Cotton Bowl.

In his Missouri career, Temple finished sixth on the school's all-time list with 2,552 rushing yards.