Saturday, Oct. 31, 2009
Mizzou throws everything it has into victory
By MIKE DeARMOND
The Kansas City Star
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BOULDER, Colo. | Missouri hit Colorado with a running game. A passing game. Eight sacks that resulted in three fumble recoveries and a safety. A fake field goal for a touchdown.
And then — in ultimately the best defensive stand of the season — the Tigers stopped Colorado three times from second and 2 at the 14 with the Buffaloes threatening what seemed to be an insurmountable lead.
Yes, Missouri put a lot into a 36-17 victory over Colorado here on Saturday. All it had in ending a three-game Big 12 losing skid, and at 5-3, keeping alive hopes of closing out the league season in another rush to a North Division title.
“We threw everything at ’em,” said Mizzou quarterback Blaine Gabbert, his sore right ankle suddenly not as sore as it was in consecutive losses to Nebraska, Oklahoma State and Texas.
Gabbert completed 17 of 29 passes for 192 yards and touchdowns of 73 and 2 yards in the first quarter to Danario Alexander, who finished with eight catches for 123 yards.
But it was the running game so long ignored by the Tigers — Mizzou had five rushes of 10 yards or more in the first half after just six runs that long in the three previous games combined — that set up Missouri’s blitz to a 33-3 halftime lead.
“It really did,” said Washington, who had 103 yards rushing in his first 21 carries but wound up 1 yard short of 100 because he stumbled and fell on his final carry in the fourth quarter.
“I don’t know what to say about that.”
But, of course, that wasn’t the important thing.
“We were clicking on all cylinders in the first half,” Washington said.
Missouri rolled to 400 yards total offense, but only 94 of those came in the second half. That’s when the Missouri defense really took over.
Colorado cut Missouri’s lead to 33-10 on Rodney Stewart’s 3-yard TD run with 11:37 left in the third quarter. With 7:02 left, Benjamin Burney picked off a Gabbert pass to the sideline and ran it back 78 yards for a touchdown.
Suddenly, the Buffaloes were making a game of it.
And, as the fourth quarter opened, Colorado faced that second and 2 at the MU 14.
Sean Weatherspoon stopped Stewart for a yard, then the MU forward wall held Stewart to no gain. On fourth down, Weatherspoon broke through and threw Stewart for a 2-yard loss.
“It feels great when you finish it off,” Weatherspoon said. “Second down we made a pretty good play. Third down we did pretty well.
“On fourth down, Coach Steck (Dave Steckel) called a play. I ended up shooting the gap to make a play in the backfield to get us off the field.”
Colorado QB Tyler Hansen, whose sack total nearly doubled from 10 to 18 after the Tigers knocked him around, agreed.
“That was huge,” Hansen said. “That killed us.”
The defense had more in store for Colorado.
With 11:09 to play and Colorado at the Missouri 38, Hansen threw short of his intended receiver over the middle. MU’s Kevin Rutland, stumbling as the football approached, intercepted the pass.
Missouri’s line ended two more Colorado possessions late. Defensive end Aldon Smith, who finished with three sacks, rose up and batted down a third-down pass. MU nose tackle Jaron Baston — who really wanted an interception — got his chest in front of a fourth-down pass inside the final 4 1/2 minutes.
The Tigers managed their only score of the second half off that opportunity, Grant Ressel’s 33-yard field goal.
In the first half, Jarrell Harrison tackled Hansen in the end zone for a safety.
There was also some razzle dazzle in that first half. With Missouri lined up for a 42-yard field-goal attempt, holder Forrest Shock made a shovel pass to defensive end Jacquies Smith — in allegedly to block — and he rambled 24 yards down the left side for a touchdown.
Not until just more than one minute remained in the half did Colorado score, on a 48-yard field goal.
“The turnovers popped today, and the sacks popped,” MU coach Gary Pinkel said.
Never mind that Colorado is now 2-6 overall and now 1-3 in the Big 12, its lone league victory coming over Kansas.
“It’s kind of fun when things are going our way, the momentum,” Pinkel said. “I just want to keep it.”