#17 Michigan almost upsets the #2 Missouri Tigers
Football is a sport where emotions and rivalries have a way of transcending the sport, where regardless of the talent of the individuals involved any game played can have any outcome.
Last year this matchup was in Ann Arbor, and was "Game of the Century". It ended in a rout, with Missouri embarrassing Michigan. The Wolverines came to Missouri with one goal, no go to 0-2 on the season, and revenge for last year's loss that sent them from pre-season national champion contender to not even winning their division.
Michigan came out hot, marching down the field and taking a 7-0 when K. Fox finished off the 11 play 73 yard drive with a 6 yard rush.
Missouri responded quickly when E. Torres completed a 5 yard pass to M. Smith, tying the game at 7-7 with 2:33 left in the first quarter.
J. Smith catches a 2 yard pass to tie the game at 7 apiece
I. Simon intercepted J. Jackson's attempt at a deep pass late in the first and returned it to the Tiger's 35. They stalled out, but C O'Connor drilled a 49 yard field goal to give the Tigers a 10-7 lead as the first period ended.
Michigan tied the game at 10 all with a 46 yard field goal by M. Wile, but Missouri ended the half with a 9 play 69 yard drive capped off by E. Torres tossing an easy 2 yard TD to J. Thomas to give the Tigers a 16-10 lead with 0:16 left in the half. C O'Connor had a rare miss on the PAT attempt, and the Tigers went into the locker room ahead 17-16.
Michigan's defense held the Tigers down in the second half, and they took the lead in the game 17-16 with a 33 yard screen pass from J. Jackson to C. Williams with 2:38 left in the third quarter.
With one period left to play, Michigan barely ahead 17-16, you could sense the fourth quarter was going to be an absolute battle. Who was going to give!?
The Tigers hurried J. Jackson 11 times and sacked him 4
Missouri and Michigan traded drives and punts, with neither one gaining a significant edge in field position. Finally with 2:38 left in the game D. Steele broke free with a 65 yard rush, and Missouri kicked a 54 yard field goal to take a 19-17 lead. A fumble by Michigan on the kickoff later, and Missouri kicked an academic 40 yard field goal after being stopped by Michigan's defense one last time. The 22-17 lead held as Michigan took 4 final shots down field, and the game ended with a Missouri kneel down.
D. Steele's amazing 65 yard run from near his own endzone to set up the Tigers taking the lead for good
E. Torres 13/19 for 175 yards and 2 TD, 0 INT; 12 carries for 36 yards
D. Steele had 23 carries for 136 yards
I. Simon had 7 tackles, 2 TFL, and 1 INT
| Michigan Wolverines at Missouri Tigers |
| Sep 13, 2014 | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | SCORE |
| #17 Michigan Wolverines (0-1) | 7 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
| #2 Missouri Tigers (1-0) | 10 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 22 |
| Team Stats Comparison |
| MICH | MIZZ |
| Total Offense | 291 | 394 |
| Rushing Yards | 42 | 217 |
| Passing Yards | 249 | 177 |
| First Downs | 27 | 19 |
| Punt Return Yards | 12 | 8 |
| Kick Return Yards | 24 | 35 |
| Total Yards | 327 | 437 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 1 |
| 3rd Down Converstion | 6-15 (40%) | 5-13 (38%) |
| 4th Down Conversion | 0-1 (0%) | 0-0 (0%) |
| 2-Point Conversion | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals | 7-2-1 (42%) | 3-2-0 (66%) |
| Penalties | 0-0 | 6-40 |
| Posession Time | | |
| Scoring Summary |
| FIRST QUARTER SCORING | MICH | MIZZ |
| 3:49 | (MICH) K. Fox 6 yard rush (PAT) | 7 | 0 |
| 2:33 | (MIZZ) M. Smith 6 yard pass from E. Torres (PAT) | 7 | 7 |
| 0:11 | (MIZZ) C. O'Connor 49 yard FG | 7 | 10 |
| SECOND QUARTER SCORING | MICH | MIZZ |
| 5:01 | (MICH) M. Wile 46 yard FG | 10 | 10 |
| 0:16 | (MIZZ) J. Thomas 2 yard pass from E. Torres (missed kick) | 10 | 16 |
| THIRD QUARTER SCORING | MICH | MIZZ |
| 2:38 | (MICH) C. Williams 33 yard pass from J. Jackson (PAT) | 17 | 16 |
| FOURTH QUARTER SCORING | MICH | MIZZ |
| 1:57 | (MIZZ) C O'Connor 54 yard FG | 17 | 19 |
| 0:53 | (MIZZ) C. O'Connor 40 yard FG | 17 | 22 |