Tigers feel ‘just terrible’

By Chuck Woodling     Nov 21, 2004

? Five straight losses. No winning season. No bowl game. How low can Missouri University’s football team go?

How about a shocking 31-14 loss to archrival Kansas University, a team down to its fourth quarterback and without its leading rusher?

“You just feel horrible,” MU defensive back Shirdonya Mitchell said. “You lose to your rival on your own field. Just terrible.”

Missouri came out flat, fell behind 28-0, then staged a fourth-quarter comeback that fizzled when a holding penalty brought back a Brad Smith-to-Damien Nash touchdown pass that would have cut the deficit to 28-21.

“That was devastating,” MU coach Gary Pinkel said. “But it doesn’t matter now anyway. And then to take a sack the next play. That was huge.”

KU senior defensive end David McMillan spilled Smith for a 12-yard loss, one of his three sacks that sent Smith into negative rushing yardage for the first time in his career.

“Anytime you get down,” Smith said, “you have to throw the ball down the field, so that’s what we tried to do.”

Smith completed just 15 of his 40 passes — one was intercepted by cornerback Charles Gordon — and he was sacked six times.

Off to a 4-1 start this season, the Tigers have fallen off the face of the earth during the last six weeks.

“I’m disappointed,” Smith said. “What it was supposed to be doesn’t matter. It’s what it is and dealing with what it is right now.”

Missouri even had an extra week off to prepare when its Nov. 13 scheduled game at Iowa State was moved to Saturday for television.

“We had a great week of preparation,” Pinkel said. “But Kansas played well. They made the plays. I don’t want to take anything away from that. They did an excellent job, and we didn’t play very well.”

Just before halftime, when a McMillan sack ended a Missouri touchdown opportunity, many fans began leaving the stadium. Those who stayed voiced their displeasure at trailing 21-0.

“If they are a fan and they are going to boo us,” Mitchell said, “they want to be with us when we win all our games and not be with us when we are losing. That’s not a true fan, if you ask me.”

Still, the Tigers gave their fans little to cheer until the fourth quarter.

“I don’t think there was lack of effort,” Pinkel said. “Our kids wanted to win. We just weren’t playing very well. I’m the one responsible for that.”

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