Final, MU wins 34-28
Mizzou took the ball at its own 26 to start its next drive, and after a two-yard run by Chase Daniel, the junior QB struck Jeremy Maclin for the eighth time on the night to move the ball to the MU 46 and create a first down.
On a third-and-14, Daniel struck Danorio Alexander fro the eighth time with a 16-yard gain to pick up a crucial first down. After that, he hit Maclin twice to give him 39 completions on the night for 356 yards, including 10 passes to Maclin.
The drive ended with Jeff Wolfert hitting another 43-yard field goal to put MU up 34-21 with just 3:31 to go in the game. Daniel also completed his 40th pass of the game, which has helped mask 13 penalties committed by the Tigers.
Todd Reesing hit Dexton Fields for a 23-yard gain on second down after KU got the ball back to put the ball in MU territory with just over three minutes to go.
But a couple of incompletions later and a short pass to Brandon McAnderson left KU with a fourth-and-three from the MU 33. Reesing ended up tucking it away and running for a seven-yard gain to the 26 to keep the drive alive.
On second-and-ten from the 26 after an incompletion into the end zone, Reesing hit Kerry Meierfor another first down, but followed it by overshooting Marcus Henry on the sideline with 2:24 to play.
KU earned itself another first down thanks to a check-down pass to Brandon McAnderson. A play later, Reesing hit Henry in the back of the end zone for his second TD pass of the game.
Scott Webb’s onside kick was smothered by Tommy Saunders, though, putting KU up against a wall defensively.
The Jayhawks made a stop, but Mizzou didn’t have to punt the ball back to KU until there were 27 seconds left on the clock. Aqib Talib went back to field it, but was taken down at the 10-yard line with :17 to play.
Reesing was sacked a play later by Lorenzo Williams, though, and the safety in the end zone ended it, with Mizzou winning 36-28.
The story of the night was Missouri’s Chase Daniel covering up 13 MU penalties by completing 40 pass attempts en route to a 361-yard, three-touchdown night, earning the Tigers a berth in the Big 12 title game next Saturday in San Antonio against Oklahoma.
Todd Reesing rallied KU back with two fourth-quarter touchdown passes, finishing 28-of-29 for 349 yards and two TDs to go with two picks. He also had a five-yard touchdown run in the second half. KU couldn’t get much of a running game going at all, finishing with just 42 yards – a season-low.
KU will now have to wait until Dec. 2 to find out what bowl game it will be playing in.
8:28, fourth quarter, MU leads 31-21
KU’s next drive started with a short run, and then Todd Reesing’s sixth hookup with Dezmon Briscoe. But a short pass to McAnderson and an incompletion to Kerry Meier over the middle set up a third-and-long.
It was no problem, as Meier made up for slipping on the previous play, making his second great grab of the game in gaining 20 yards down the left sideline. It was followed by an eight-yard completion to Dezmon Briscoe down to the 10.
On second down, Reesing found Dexton Fields for the seventh time in the front corner of the end zone on a jump ball. Scott Webb’s extra point pulled KU within 10 points with 8:28 to go.
9:55, fourth quarter, MU leads 31-14
Missouri went to the short-yardage plays, but thanks go good downfield blocking was able to crank out some yardage with them. Jeremy Maclin picked up decent yardage on a pair of grabs, but the Tigers shot themselves in the feet with two penalties – one for an illegal substitution, one for a hold.
Mizzou wound up with a first-and-20, but again, it meant nothing to them, as two quick passes, with the second being a 16-yarder to Martin Rucker, moved the chains again.
The drive resulted in a 43-yard field goal by Jeff Wolfert to put MU up three scores with 9:55 to play.
13:02, fourth quarter, MU leads 28-14
KU struggled to move the ball, but still found ways to move it. It came down to a fourth-and-three from near midfield as the third quarter clock expired.
The fourth down play was a pass down the sideline to Marcus Henry which wound up giving KU another set of downs. Reesing found Henry again, working the ball inside the five-yard line, but an illegal hands to the face call against Anthony Collins pushed it back into a first-and-25 from the MU 29-yard line.
But Mizzou handed back the favor with a personal foul call against William Moore on the next snap.
A second down pass resulted in eight yards to Dezmon Briscoe, setting up a third-and-two from the five. Reesing’s throw for Marcus Henry was too high and fell to the turf, and put KU in a do-or-die fourth down situation.
Reesing ran a naked bootleg for five yards and was jacked as he reached the pylon, but still scored to make it a two-touchdown game with 13:02 to play.
1:15, third quarter, MU leads 28-7
Chase Daniel hit Martin Rucker for the fourth time after Jeremy Maclin returned the kick to the MU 30-yard line. Tony Temple folowoed it with a seve-yard gain on the ground. His 15th carry of the game, coming right after that, gave him 102 yards on the night.
Mizzou continued to work the ground game and milk some clock, with Jeremy Maclin and Jimmy Jackson combining to pick up another first down for MU.
Maclin then ripped off a highlight reel run that looked like it would produce his first touchdown of the game, but it was called back due to a hold on William Franklin.
Thanks to where the spot of the call was, it only brought up a second-and-ten. Daniel hit Danorio Alexander to pick up another fresh set of downs.
After Chase Daniel called a timeout before Mizzou was to run a third-and-three play from the KU 16, he hit Alexander for the sixth time for a first time. Alexander’s seventh catch went for 14 yards, put him over the 100-yard mark for the game and set up a second-and-one from the two.
After a loss of one on second-and-goal, Daniel connected for his third touchdown pass of the game, flipping a pass in the flat to Derrick Washington, who skipped in to give the Tigers a 21-point advantage as the third quarter clock is about expired.
7:21, third quarter, MU leads 21-7
Dezmon Briscoe’s third catch of the game went for 34 yards and was by far the most impressive grab yet in the contest. He laid out horizontally and snatched it clean to set KU up with a first-and-goal from the five.
Two short runs later, and KU was set up with third-and-goal from the one. Brandon McAnderson, who has struggled to run the ball consistently all night, snuck in up the left side to give KU some hope with the third quarter clock half-expired.
10:34, third quarter, MU leads 21-0
KU’s opening drive in the second half was helped along by another Mizzou mistake.
On a third down pass to Derek Fine up the right sideline for 14 yards, 15 yards were tacked on thanks to a facemask away from the play by Mizzou’s Castine Bridges. It gave KU a first-and-ten at the Mizzou 17.
On first down, Reesing was forced to throw the ball away, and he was left with third-and-long at the 17. Reesing got some time, but threw the ball behind Marcus Henry and after Henry tipped it, Bridges picked it and took it back to the KU 40-yard line, giving Reesing his second pick of the game.
Derrick Washington picked up a first down for MU, and it was followed by a pass to Tommy Saunders – his fourth catch of the game – to make it second-and-short. Tony Temple then picked up eight yards to put the ball at the KU 12 with a fresh set of downs.
A pass to William Franklin put the ball at the one-yard line, and Jimmy Jackson’s one-yard touchdown run put Mizzou up three scores a snap later.
Halftime, MU leads 14-0
Chase Daniel went to work trying to drive MU down the field with less than two minutes to play in the half. First, he threw for nine yards to Jeremy Maclin. Then it was a five yard scramble to pick up a first down at the MU 38.
The drive stalled out, though, thanks to a sack by Jake Laptad and Sadiq Muhammed on second down. The punt to KU was not fielded, and downed at the Jayhawks’ 14-yard line.
Reesing took a knee as MU headed to the locker room with a 14-0 lead.
Chase Daniel was the obvious star of the first half, completing 21-of-26 pass attempts for 167 yards and two scores.
Tony Temple complemented him on the ground with 78 yards on 11 carries. Danario Alexander had five catches for 70 yards and a score.
For KU, Todd Reesing was just 9-of-17 for 126 yards and his first interception since Oct. 6 at K-State. Brandon McAnderson had just as tough a time getting things going on the ground, with just 24 yards on seven carries.
1:29, second quarter, MU leads 14-0
KU went right down the seam to start the drive, with a deep pass to Dexton Fields putting the ball at the MU 31. It was moved up 15 more yards thanks to a late hit call flagged on Stryker Sulak, who drilled Todd Reesing after the throw.
Reesing had his first down pass from the 16 tipped by Sulak up the left side of the line. His second down throw over the middle was off the outstretched hand of Dezmon Briscoe and nearly picked on the top, setting up third-and-ten.
Sulak continued to atone for his penalty, putting pressure on Reesing as he was sacked and lost the ball, which was recovered by Adrian Mayes. KU was forced into a 45-yard field goal attempt, but Scott Webb missed his second field goal attempt of the game and kept KU scoreless with under two minutes to go in the half.
2:52, second quarter, MU leads 14-0
Missouri’s next possession was hindered early by a holding call against Adam Spieker. But in three plays, including passes to both Chase Coffman and Martin Rucker, the Tigers made up the yardage and then some to set up first down at the MU 34.
Tommy Saunders then took a pass down the right sideline behind Aqib Talib to move the ball into KU territory, and a couple of runs by Tony Temple set up third-and-four for MU at the KU 40-yard line.
A pass on third down to William Franklin was spotted a half-yard shy of the first down, and Mizzou went for it on fourth, but an inside pass to Martin Rucker didn’t do the job, as he was stuffed, giving the ball back to KU at its own 38 with 2:52 to go in the half.
6:26, second quarter, MU leads 14-0
KU took off a big chunk of yardage pretty quickly to start its next drive thanks to an 18-yard pass to Dezmon Briscoe, in which he held onto the ball despite a big hit in midair by Del Howard.
A short run by McAnderson and a short pass to Dexton Fields put the ball at the Mizzou 30 and set up a third-and-four. On that snap, KU got a similar break to the one MU received on the previous drive, as a long pass for Marcus Henry was flagged as a defensive hold against Carl Gettis, setting up first-and-ten from the 20.
McAnderson picked up four yards on first down, and Reesing’s second down pass was tipped by Sean Weatherspoon. A third down pass for Briscoe was broken up by the secondary, setting up a 33-yard field goal attempt for Scott Webb. The kick was pushed to the right, keeping KU with a goose egg with 6:26 left in the first half.
9:29, second quarter, MU leads 14-0
To open up the second quarter, Todd Reesing aired it out for Kerry Meier out of the slot and the result was a fantastic over-the-shoulder grab that went for 40 yards down to the Missouri 26.
The next throw was the complete opposite, as he was going deep down the middle for Dexton Fields, but the underthrown pass was picked by William Moore, doing the deed for the seventh time this season and tying a school record. It was Reesing’s first INT thrown in 213 pass attempts – 41 shy of the Big 12 record held by Chase Daniel.
Moore picked the ball at the two, and that’s where it was spotted after his momentum carried him into the end zone. Tony Temple from there took the ball 17 yards to create some breathing room. Jimmy Jackson then spelled him and went through the heart of KU’s defense for 14 more yards to the MU 33.
Mizzou was flagged for a false start after the Jackson first down, but picked up the 15 yards for another fresh set on two plays – first a Temple four-yard run, then an 11-yard pass to Alexander.
Maclin then took a handoff for eight rushing yards of his own, and Chase Coffman then got into the act with his first catch of the game, going for seven yards to place the ball at the KU 38.
Jimmy Jackson was then stuffed for a big loss, and a short pass to William Franklin set up third-and-12 for Mizzou at the KU 38.
Daniel went for Franklin over the middle, but the pass was broken up with an audible ‘ooh’ from the crowd as he was lit up by Darrell Stuckey. The play and celebration was moot, however, as James Holt was called for defensive holding, awarding an automatic first down to Mizzou at the KU 30.
Daniel quickly worked Mizzou further into KU territory with a 20-yard pass to Danario Alexander to the 10.
Daniel capped the drive on third-and-goal from the 11, as he scrambled around the pocket for nearly 10 full seconds waiting for something to open up. At the last second before he crossed the line of scrimmage, he fired one for Alexander at the two. He slipped into the front corner of the end zone and put Mizzou up 14-0 with 9:21 to go before the half.
:29, first quarter, MU leads 7-0
Missouri picked up three straight first downs once getting the ball back, with the first and third coming thanks to tough, spinning runs by Tony Temple. In between, Chase Daniel hit Danorio Alexander on the heels of a James Holt sack. Temple’s second big run – 23 yards – moved the ball to the KU 29.
Another short Daniel pass put the ball at the KU 21, and Missouri picked up the first down after Alexander broke a Joe Mortensen tackle on a reverse play, slipping forward to the 18.
Daniel then threw an inside slant to Tommy Saunders, who found a hole straight ahead after hauling it in, setting up first and goal at the four.
Earl Goldsmith was taken for a loss of three on first down up the middle, and it was followed by Daniel throwing a ball off the finger tips of Jeremy Maclin in the middle of the end zone on second down.
On third-and-goal, Daniel bought plenty of time in the pocket against a defense rushing just three men, and he ultimately flipped it to Temple, who scurried to the one, setting up fourth-and-goal.
Missouri opted to go for it out of the shotgun, sending four men out wide. Daniel flipped a quick pass to Martin Rucker who dove into the end zone for the game’s first score.
4:28, first quarter, game tied 0-0
Rockhurst product Tony Temple took a give out of the shotgun to start Mizzou’s next drive, pushing forward for six yards on first down.
Five of those yards were given back to the KU defense on second down as James Holt sniffed out a pass into the flat to Maclin, dragging him down at the Mizzou 39. On third down Chase Daniel took off up the middle after dancing around in the pocket, only to pick up three yards and give Mizzou its second straight three-and-out.
KU’s drive started at its own 23 following an Anthony Webb fair catch, and went back a yard immediately after Brandon McAnderson was dumped for a one-yard loss. On second down, Todd Reesing struck Derek Fine over the middle for nine yards, setting up third-and-three.
Reesing was put under pressure on third down and his pass for Marcus Henry on a short out to the right went well off to the side, making it four straight three-and-outs to start the game for the two teams combined.
Jeremy Maclin this time gave MU first blood, returning Kyle Tucker’s booming kick for 43 yards down the right sideline before he was tripped up by Tucker as the last line of defense. It still set Mizzou up at the KU 32.
Daniel hit Tommy Saunders for a first down on the first play of the drive, followed by a pair of plays to Maclin to set up third-and-five, but instead it was made third-and-20 after a personal foul call on William Franklin.
Danario Alexander got some of it back on third down to set up a 40-yard field goal, but Mizzou faked, running a pass to Franklin in the flat. Chris Harris made the stop on the sideline six yards shy of the first down to give KU the ball at its own 15.
Reesing went to Dexton Fields in the flat again on first down, picking up nine yards to give KU some breathing room. Jake Sharp got the ball on second down, but was stopped about a half-yard short of first down yardage. On third-and-one, though, Brandon McAnderson chugged for 12 yards up the left side to move the sticks yet again.
McAnderson took it two more times for short gains, setting up third-and-four at the KU 42. Reesing tried to throw a fade for Dexton Fields which fluttered incomplete as Fields turned twice with the ball in midair.
Missouri fair-caught Kyle Tucker’s third punt at its own 22.
12:26, first quarter, game tied 0-0
Jeremy Maclin took the game’s opening kickoff back through a seam in the middle. He tripped over his own blocker and gave Mizzou the ball at its own 37.
Chase Daniel went for Maclin right off the bat, but a hit by James Holt on the sideline jarred the ball loose. Chris Harris and Justin Thornton are starting in the secondary for the second week in a row in place of Patrick Resby and Kendrick Harper.
On second down, Daniel went to Maclin again, this time picking up two yards to set up a third-and-eight. KU brought pressure on third down, and Daniel threw for an open Tommy Saunders over the middle but overshot him, forcing MU to punt after a three-and-out.
Anthony Webb fielded the punt cleanly, but ran backwards and lost 10 on the return to set KU up at its own 18.
On first down, Todd Reesing flipped a quick pitch to Brandon McAnderson, who was stuffed for a gain of barely a yard up the right side. Reesing went to Dexton Fields in the flat on second down, but the ball was dropped, setting up third-and-nine.
On third down, Reesing found Fields over the middle for a decent gain, but it was marked two yards shy of the sticks, forcing KU into a three-and-out of its own.
Maclin fair cuaght the ball right where Mizzou’s last drive started – at its own 38.
Pregame
An hour before kickoff, the Kansas Jayhawks and Missouri Tigers – or at least some of them – emerged from the locker room to start warmups in front of sparsely-filled Arrowhead Stadium stands.
That’s not because those folks with the tickets didn’t show up. They’re still participating in the party before the party in the jam-packed parking lots outside.
Once this place fills, though, the spectators on-hand will be watching what has now become the biggest college football game yet to be played this season. With LSU’s loss yesterday at home to Arkansas, the No. 2 Jayhawks and No. 3 Tigers are not only playing for the No. 1 ranking in the nation, but for the inside track to the BCS title game in New Orleans, La.
The key storyline in this game will be the first ever meeting between a pair of undersized, Texas-bred quarterbacks in KU’s Todd Reesing and Missouri’s Chase Daniel.
Reesing, a 5-10 sophomore from the Austin area, has one of the nation’s most impressive Touchdown-to-Interception ratios this season, having thrown 30 scores compared to just four picks. He’s undefeated as a starter and working in Ed Warinner’s spread offense has become a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate.
As for Daniel, a junior from a powerhouse program in Southlake, had a little more build-up coming into the season and is a little less of a surprise in terms of being a Heisman hopeful. He has one of the most dangerous sets of weapons around him, though, keyed by monstrous and productive tight ends Martin Rucker and Chase Coffman. Freshman wideout Jeremy Maclin has set a Division-I record for all-purpose yardage by a frosh, and can hurt the opposition in many ways.
In fewer words, two of the nation’s most prolific offenses are set to do battle. Stay tuned here for the updates as this one unfolds.
