When the Defense Roars: Missouri Tigers Dynasty

[Kcordloh]

Texas Tech almost ruins Missouri Tigers Dream Season

When Texas Tech walked into Faurot Field the Tiger fans were not really concerned about the Red Raiders. More attention was focused on the Oregon vs USC score and Penn State at Ohio State, to see if Missouri could get a break to make the BCS national title game.

Luckily the coaching staff and players were ready, as the Red Raiders made their intentions known early with an opening drive TD on A. Zouzalik's 72 yard catch from Seth Doege.

A. Zouzalik silences Missouri fans with an opening drive 72 yard TD

Missouri fired back with J. Jackson and James Franklin, driving 93 yards to score a TD on Jackson's 41 yard catch. The first quarter ended with the two sides trading punts, and it was a 7-7 tie in Columbia.

Missouri pulled ahead in the second quarter thanks to G. Ressel nailing a pair of 36 yard field goals, and Bolden sacking S. Doege on 3nd and long for a safety, giving Missouri a 12-0 lead. Missouri scored on the ensuing possession with G. Ressel nailing a 20 yarder, going to halftime with a 18-7 advantage.

Texas Tech refused to surrender, and A. Zouzalik instantly lit things up with a blazing 83 yard TD to make it 18-14. James Franklin ran in a TD for MU, but D. Carona hit a 32 yard chip shot to make it 25-17 as the third quarter ended, still anyone's ball game.

The fourth quarter put Bedlam from 2010 to shame, as Texas Tech and Missouri exploded for a combined 37 points.

The game looked out of reach with Missouri ahead 35-17 with 3:55 left, but T. Swindall catch an 80 yard pass that went for a TD, and after holding Missouri to a field goal, Texas Tech struck again with A. Torres going 49 yards for a TD and making it 38-31 with 1:32 left in the game.

A. Torres turns a catch into a 49 yard TD to make it 38-31 with 1:32 left

Missouri tried to run out the clock after recovering the onside, but ended up kicking a field goal with 56 seconds left after a rush by Moore got them in range. Texas Tech struck back with A. Torres again, this time marching down quickly and hitting Torres on first and goal from the 7 with a 7 yard strike to make it 41-38. Missouri grabbed the onside kick and knelt down to end the game, 41-38.

Nov 19, 2011 - TT at MU
TEAM	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Texas Tech (4-6)	7	0	10	21	38
#5 Missouri (10-0)	7	11	7	16	41

Team Stats Comparison
TT		MU
479	Total Offense	492
-29	Rushing Yards	123
508	Passing Yards	369
9	First Downs	22

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		TT	MU
5:14	(TT) A. Zouzalik 72 yard catch TD from S. Doege (PAT)	7	0
2:57	(MU) J. Jackson 41 yard catch TD from J Franklin (PAT)	7	7
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		TT	MU
5:40	(MU) G. Ressel 36 yard field goal	7	10
3:40	(MU) G. Ressel 36 yard field goal	7	13
1:18	(MU) Safety: S. Doege sacked by Bolden	7	15
0:05	(MU) G. Ressel 20 yard FG	7	18
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		TT	MU
5:40	(TT) A. Zouzalik 83 yard catch TD from S. Doege (PAT)	14	18
3:28	(MU) J. Franklin 2 yard rush TD (PAT)	14	25
1:42	(TT) D. Carona 32 yard FG	17	25
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		TT	MU
5:39	(MU) W. Kemp 6 yard catch TD from J. Franklin (PAT)	17	32
3:55	(MU) G. Ressel 42 yard FG	17	35
3:38	(TT) T. Swindall 80 yard catch TD from S. Doege (PAT)	24	35
1:59	(MU) G. Ressel 22 yard FG	24	38
1:32	(TT) A. Torres 49 yard catch TD from S. Doege (PAT)	31	38
0:45	(MU) G. Ressel 39 yard FG	31	41
0:18	(TT) A. Torres 7 yard catch TD from S. Doege (PAT)	38	41

Missouri POTG James Franklin 23-37, 369 yards, 2 TD, 14 rushes for 33 yards and 1 TD

Texas Tech POTG Seth Doege 19/29 for 508 yards and 5 TD with 1 INT
A. Zouzalik had 5 catches for 178 yards and 2 TD

[Kcordloh]

Around the league in week 12

Results of games to watch in Week 12
#3 Penn State slaughtered #19 Ohio State 41-10
#10 Illinois held off #8 Wisconsin 46-39 in OT
#17 LSU defeated #16 Ole Miss 16-14
UNC upset #4 Virginia Tech 31-14 to ruin the Hokies shot at the national title



Coaches and Media Polls

NCAA Football Rankings - Coaches Poll - Updated: Nov 20, 2011
RK	LW	TEAM (VOTES)	W	L	Media Rank
1	1	Oregon (40)	11	0	1
2	3	Penn State (21)	11	0	3
3	2	Michigan State	11	0	2
4	5	Missouri	11	0	4
5	6	Stanford	10	1	7
6	7	Alabama	10	1	5
7	10	Illinois	9	1	6
8	9	Oklahoma State	10	1	8
9	11	Auburn	9	2	14
10	12	TCU	10	1	12
17	21	Southern Miss	11	0	17

BCS Rankings

NCAA Football Rankings - Coaches Poll - Updated: Nov 20, 2011
RK	LW	TEAM (VOTES)	W	L	POINTS
1	1	Oregon	11	0	1.000
2	3	Penn State	11	0	.992
3	2	Michigan State	11	0	.992
4	4	Missouri	11	0	.983
5	6	Alabama	10	1	.975
6	7	Stanford	10	1	.972
7	10	Illinois	9	1	.969
8	9	Oklahoma State	10	1	.961
9	11	Oklahoma	8	2	.944
10	12	Boise State	8	2	.942
18	20	Southern Miss	11	0	.873

Michigan State fans upset at #3 ranking, other BCS news, 2 Rose Bowls?

While Michigan State fans are upset at Penn State taking the #2 spot in the BCS from them, whoever wins the Big 10 title will get into the BCS title game. Unless of course they lose a game between now and then.
Penn State faces #13 Wisconsin this week, and Michigan State faces Northwestern. Penn State is a slight favorite against Wisconsin due to beating Illinois who beat Wisconsin but there is no transitivity in football and Wisconsin will be looking to end the season on a good note and possibly get a bid to the Capital One bowl.

The ranking to be ashamed of is Southern Miss going 11-0 and only being #17 in the BCS. While they haven't beaten anyone of high regard, at this point they have not been challenged and it would be a shame for Boise State to go to the BCS over USM since Boise State has 2 losses, both to non AQ competitors.

Missouri needs two of the top three players to slip up, the best chances of that are #1 Oregon vs Oregon State and #2 Penn State vs #13 Wisconsin to get into the BCS National Championship, or else they have no reason to defeat Kansas besides trying to finish perfect, as the Tigers are locked into the Fiesta Bowl at worst now.

Due to a possible Big 10 vs Pac 12 national championship game, there exists two at large bid possibilities for the Rose Bowl. Due to the BCS's new strict chose the best team available policy for bowls, the Rose will select the two best available at the time, and right now that would be Illinois/loser of the Big 10 title game, and Stanford. Which would give us fans two Rose Bowl matchups (Big 10 vs Pac 12) this year.

[Kcordloh]

Week 13 preview

Matchup Preview *|* November 26, 2011
	@
Kansas Jayhawks (7-4, Away)		#4 Missouri Tigers (11-0, Home)
Game Notes The Border War is always a competitive and great game, but the stakes for this game are as high as ever. #4 Missouri has guaranteed themselves a trip to the Fiesta Bowl regardless, but a victory and things falling just right will give them their first trip to the BCS National Championship. It's been a dream season already, with a cinched BCS Bowl Game and 11 wins. Kansas (7-4) has been waiting to ruin Missouri's day ever since Missouri ruined the 2007 Kansas Jayhawks perfect season with a 36-28 triumph. Kansas is averaging over 300 yards a game passing, and KU Head Coach Turner Gill has personally vowed that if KU scores less then 35 points or less then 330 yards passing he will eat his shirt. Apparently he is allowed one condiment if he wishes..

Games to watch in week 13
Oregon State (5-6) at #1 Oregon (11-0) in the Civil War
#2 Penn State (11-0) at #13 Wisconsin (9-2)
#3 Michigan State (11-0) at Northwestern (6-5)
#7 Illinois (9-1) at Minnesota (5-6)
Notre Dame (7-4) at #5 Stanford (10-1) for the Legends Trophy
#6 Alabama (10-1) at #9 Auburn (9-2) in the Iron Bowl

[Kcordloh]

Kansas Jayhawks make 2011 Border War one to remember

The #4 Missouri Tigers (11-0) ventured into Jayhawk Stadium with a 2 game winning streak on the line, but the Jayhawks had nothing to lose. At 7-4 the Jayhawks really wouldn't improve bowl position or conference position that drastically with a win, but defeating the undefeated Missouri Tigers, the first undefeated squad the Tigers had since 1960, that was to good to not try everything to win.

Kansas started it off with a 45 yard TD rush by J. Sims on 3rd and 6 but offensive holding ruined the play and KU had to punt. Missouri went 3 and out, and T. Beibre and J. Webb hooked up for a 62 yard TD catch to put KU up 7-0.

MU tied the game late in the 1st, and then went on a 20-7 run in the second quarter to walk into the half up 27-14. The Border War was a good game, but nothing like people expected. Kansas either struck deep or went 3 and out every single possession it seemed.

The 3rd quarter was more of the same, as Kansas struck 3 times, all of them 78 yard or longer strikes while MU worked the short game. The difference maker was the defense as Will Ebner scooped up a and rumbled 49 yards for a TD for Missouri, making it 40-28 with 1:51 left in the 3rd.

MLB Will Ebner scoops up the loose ball and rumbles 49 yards for the defensive TD

Missouri stopped KU on 4th down and then scored on a 21 yard pass to J. Jackson to take a 47-28 lead. Kansas fired back with an 85 yard single play drive, a deep pass to M. Jackson to make it 47-35 at the end of the third.

M. Jackson scores with 18 seconds left in the 3rd on a deep 85 yard pass by J. Webb

The 4th quarter started with KU striking first, K. Pick grabbed a short crossing route passing and scrambled 36 yards for the TD. MU fumbled the kickoff returned, and KU scored with J. Sims walking across the goal line. KU missed the 2 point conversion, but still held their first lead of the game since it was 7-0, as the Jayhawks went up 48-47.

M. Egnew grabbed a 0 yard catch on MU's next drive, and MU hit the 2 point conversion to take a 55-48 lead. On the very next drivefor Kansas MU's own Resonno drove through the line and forced a fumble, setting up a short field. TJ Moe scored a 16 yard TD, and MU took a 62-45 lead with 2:19 left, and MU's fans went nuts, the game was over.

KU didn't appreciate the lack of respect, and K. Pick grabbed a 70 yard TD for make it 62-55. Kansas held Missouri to 3 and out and used all but one timeout, and then K. Pick hauled in another pass, this time for 63 yards to tie the game at 62-62 with 1:28 left.

MU responded with a long drive and TJ Moe stepped up and hauled in a beautiful 22 yard pass to make it 69-62. KU fired back with Pick again for fourth TD for the quarter on a 61 yard bomb with no time left as KU sent it to overtime, 69-69 thanks to an amazing 34 points fourth quarter.


In overtime K. Edwards picked off J. Webb on 3rd and 2, but was ran down 9 yards from returning it for a TD. J. Franklin was knocked out of the game on 2nd and 15, but luckily G. Ressel stepped up and made the only FG asked of him all day, a 37 yard chip shot to win the game 72-69.

Nov 26, 2011 - MU at KU
TEAM	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	OT	SCORE
#4 MU (11-0)	7	20	20	22	3	72
Kansas (7-4)	7	7	21	34	0	69

Team Stats Comparison
MU		KU
550	Total Offense	784
99	Rushing Yards	162
451	Passing Yards	622
22	First Downs	15

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		MU	KU
3:51	(KU) T. Biebre 62 yard TD catch from J. Webb (PAT)	0	7
1:53	(MU) D. Moore 1 yard rush TD (PAT)	7	7
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		MU	KU
5:39	(MU) D. Moore 0 yard rush TD (PAT)	14	7
4:59	(KU) D. Patterson 77 yard TD catch from J. Webb (PAT)	14	14
2:42	(MU) D. Moore 4 yard rush TD (PAT)	21	14
0:28	(MU) W. Kemp 21 yard TD catch from J. Franklin (missed PAT)	27	14
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		MU	KU
5:43	(KU) J. Sims 80 yard rush TD (PAT)	27	21
3:15	(MU) J. Franklin 0 yard rush TD (PAT)	34	21
2:46	(KU) J. Sims 78 yard rush TD (PAT)	34	28
1:51	(MU) W. Ebner 49 yard fumble return (missed PAT)	40	28
0:41	(MU) J. Jackson 21 yard TD catch from J. Franklin (PAT)	47	28
0:18	(KU) M. Jackson 85 yard TD catch from J. Webb (PAT)	47	35
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		MU	KU
5:13	(KU) K. Pick 36 yard TD catch from J. Webb (PAT)	47	42
5:05	(KU) J. Sims 4 yard rush TD (failed 2 pt)	47	48
2:53	(MU) M. Egnew 0 yard TD catch from J. Franklin (2pt good)	55	48
2:19	(MU) TJ Moe 16 yard TD catch from J. Franklin (PAT)	62	48
1:59	(KU) K. Pick 70 yard TD catch from J. Webb (PAT)	62	55
1:28	(KU) K. Pick 63 yard TD catch from J. Webb (PAT)	62	62
0:33	(MU) TJ. Moe 22 yard TD catch from J. Franklin (PAT)	69	62
0:00	(KU) K. Pick 61 yard TD catch from J. Webb (PAT)	69	69
OVERTIME SCORING
----	() G. Ressel 37 yard FG	72	69

Missouri POTG: James Franklin went 29/45 for 451 yards, 5 TD, 1 int, 6 rushes for 20 yards and 1 TD
J. Jackson had 10 catches for 186 yards and 1 TD
T. Resonno had 11 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and 1 FF

Kansas POTG: J. Webb went 23/31 for 622 yards, 7 TD, 2 INT, and -53 yards rushing on 16 attempts.
J. Sims had 11 carries for 216 yards and 3 TD
K. Pick had 9 catches for 299 yards and 4 TD



Kansas head coach Turner Gill after the game: "This was a basketball score. We did what we thought we would, we shredded them offensively. They couldn't stop us. Unfortunately, we couldn't stop them. Webb and Franklin did amazing today, I respect that MU team, I'd say they are top 3 offensively in the nation."

[Kcordloh]

I was honestly speechless after that game. Talk about two teams that just went toe to toe. I honestly either sacked/hurried Webb or he burned me every play it seemed like..

[Kcordloh]

Around the league after week 13
With so much at stake during week 13 some writer's have dubbed it "Contender or Pretender" week.
Results of important games during week 13
#6 Alabama defeated #9 Auburn 41-24 for revenge from last year's Iron Bowl
#1 Oregon overcame a 20-3 deficit at halftime to beat Oregon State 31-23
#4 Missouri defeated Kansas 72-69 in OT
#2 Penn State defeated #13 Wisconsin 21-17 with a TD with 0:07 left
#3 Michigan State buried Northwestern 47-23 after taking a 47-3 lead
#7 Illinois finished their dream season with a win over Minnesota 24-14
#6 Stanford defeated Notre Dame 28-14 to win the Legends Trophy


This leaves us with a guaranteed Big 10 presence in the BCS National Championship, and either the Pac 12 or the Big XII will make up the other half of that equation.

Coaches and Media Polls

NCAA Football Rankings - Coaches Poll - Updated: Nov 27, 2011
RK	LW	TEAM (VOTES)	W	L	Media Rank
1	2	Penn State (35)	12	0	3
2	1	Oregon (23)	12	0	1
3	3	Michigan State (2)	12	0	2
4	4	Missouri	12	0	4
5	6	Alabama	11	1	5
6	5	Stanford	11	1	7
7	7	Illinois	10	1	6
8	8	Oklahoma State	10	1	8
9	10	TCU	10	1	12
10	11	Virginia Tech	11	1	10
11	12	Oklahoma	9	2	11
12	14	Boise State	9	2	9
14	17	Southern Miss	12	0	14

BCS Rankings

NCAA Football Rankings - BCS Rankings - Updated: Nov 27, 2011
RK	LW	TEAM (VOTES)	W	L	POINTS
1	1	Oregon	12	0	.994
2	2	Michigan State	12	0	.992
3	3	Penn State	12	0	.992
4	4	Missouri	12	0	.983
5	5	Alabama	11	1	.978
6	6	Stanford	11	1	.969
7	7	Illinois	10	1	.969
8	8	Oklahoma State	10	1	.961
9	10	Boise State	9	2	.943
10	9	Oklahoma	9	2	.942
16	18	Southern Miss	12	0	.919

[Kcordloh]

All eyes on Bedlam this week, BCS news

With the NCAA required break in scheduling if your conference has a conference championship, the week is quite quiet. #11 Oklahoma (9-2) is traveling to Stillwater, OK to take on #8 Oklahoma State (10-1) in what is most likely a battle for an at large BCS birth.



In the WAC, a 3 way tie is going to break out for the 2nd year in a row if Nevada (9-2, 5-1) handles Idaho. Nevada break Fresno State (6-5) who beat Hawaii (7-3) who beat Nevada. It's shades of 2010 all over again, only this time nobody is ranked. It's quite ironic Nevada and Hawaii will have shared the title twice, with Boise State swapped out with Fresno State. Next year all 3 of these teams will toil in the MWC with Boise State. In 8 days it will be announced if the MWC receives a BCS exemption to become an AQ conference for the next 2 years.

Boise State is holding onto hope for #23 Houston (10-2) to defeat #14 Southern Miss (12-0) next week in the C-USA conference championship. Due to the Big East not having a single ranked team right now, as long as a non AQ conference champion is ranked in the top 16 of the BCS they are guaranteed a spot. Boise State is currently #9, and since they are the MWC champions, as long as they handle New Mexico and Southern Miss loses they are guaranteed a spot despite their 2 loss record. If Southern Miss wins they will most likely jump the Broncos in the BCS standings, since nobody wants a 2 loss non AQ to potentially embarrass an AQ team.

[Kcordloh]

Bedlam lives up to the Hype, Conference Championship Preview

#11 Oklahoma defeated #8 Oklahoma State 37-35 in a wild Bedlam game.

BCS Standings heading into the Conference Championships

NCAA Football Rankings - BCS Rankings - Updated: Dec 4, 2011
RK	LW	TEAM (VOTES)	W	L	POINTS
1	1	Oregon	12	0	.997
2	2	Penn State	12	0	.994
3	3	Michigan State	12	0	.992
4	4	Missouri	12	0	.983
5	5	Alabama	11	1	.978
6	7	Illinois	10	1	.969
7	6	Stanford	11	1	.969
8	10	Oklahoma	10	2	.961
9	11	Virginia Tech	11	1	.942
10	9	Boise State	10	2	.937
14	16	Southern Miss	12	0

Conference championship game previews
ACC: Florida State (8-4) at #10 Virginia Tech
Big 10: #3 Michigan State (12-0) at #1 Penn State (12-0)
C-USA: #23 Houston (10-2) at #14 Southern Miss (12-0)
MAC: Northern Illinois (9-3) at Miami (Ohio) (8-4)
PAC 12: #21 Arizona (9-3) at #2 Oregon (12-0)
SEC: #15 South Carolina (10-2) at #5 Alabama (11-1)


Conference champions, Conference Championship Game Previews
ACC: This is Virginia Tech's game to lose. Had they not stumbled to UNC earlier this year they would be one of the top contenders to slip into the title game if Oregon stumbles in the inaugural Pac 12 championship game.

Big East: USF (8-4) is the Big East Champion

Big XII: #4 Missouri (12-0) is the Big XII champion

Big 10: The winner goes to the national championship. This is incredible, the first year of the new Big 10 and they have 3 teams in the top 6 of the BCS standings, and two are undefeated meeting for the Big 10 title!

C-USA: The second largest Houston fanbase right now has to be in Boise Idaho. If Southern Miss loses then Boise State is guaranteed to be the highest ranking non AQ champion, and as long as they don't fall of the top 16 in the BCS this week they are guaranteed to go to the BCS due to the Big East's USF (8-4) being unranked.

MAC: Miami Ohio is the favorite in this matchup, but not by much.

MWC: #10 Boise State (10-2) is the MWC champion

Pac 12: #1 Oregon has to defeat #21 Arizona again and they are BCS National Championship bound for the second year in a row. Arizona only lost to Oregon, Stanford, and Oklahoma State all season, a trifecta of teams that has a combined 3 losses all year, all to teams with a combined 3 losses. Arizona took Oregon to the wire earlier this year, look for it to a be a great game.

SEC: #15 South Carolina (10-2) is ready for this game, but #5 Alabama (11-1) is the favorites because they want revenge for the loss that knocked them out of BCS National contention last year and Bama's only loss this year is to current #1 Penn State.

Sun Belt: Troy is the 2011 Sun Belt champion

WAC: Nevada (10-2), Hawaii (8-4), and Fresno State (6-6) are co-champions in the WAC