2014 Big XII Championship Game
The Big XII took off 2011-2013 for a championship game, and the return of it was highly anticipated. After November 29th, 2014, Missouri and Kansas were destined to meet again to see who would win round II. If it weren't for a fumble with a minute left, or a knocked down pass on fourth down in the endzone, who knows who would have won the 2014 version of the Border War.
In the first time ever that Kansas and Missouri have played twice in a year, the #1 Kansas Jayhawks (12-0) hosted the #5 Missouri Tigers (10-1) to decide the Big XII Championship, and most likely one half of the BCS National Championship game.
The last time the Big XII Championship determined who went to the National Championship was 2009, when then #3 Texas won 13-12 to earn the right to face Alabama for the 2009 BCS National Championship. In fact only the 2002, 2006, and 2010 versions of the Big XII championship had no chance at affecting the BCS National Championship.
The 2014 Game started with Kansas kicking off to Missouri. Missouri quickly marched down the field in 7 plays, capped off by G. White breaking two tackles and running 36 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 after O'Connor hit the PAT.
Steele who?
G. White broke this 36 yard to give Missouri a 7-0 lead early
Missouri bent but did not break, allowing Kansas to get to the fifty yard line before forcing a punt. Missouri took over at their own 20 yard line. Missouri ran a no-huddle hurry up offensive style, picking up several short 4-7 yard passing gains before K. Terry stepped in front of a Nick Bailey pass and intercepted the ball. Terry returned in to the 25 yard line, giving Kansas excellent field position
K. Terry intercepted Bailey early on in the game
Missouri's defense, backed into a corner, allowed Cummings to hit a 9 yard slant to J. Smith before then sacked Cummings for an 8 yard loss, and then K. Hall picked him off and returned it 4 yards. The interception gave Missouri the ball back at the 15 yard line, and also let Bailey off the hook for the previous interception, the score still 7-0.
K. Hall picks off Cummins, bailing Missouri out of trouble
Bailey hit J. Thomas for 16 yards to make it 13-0, soon to be 14-0 after the PAT kick by O'Connor. Bailey had marched the Tigers down the field 85 yards with 9 plays to make it 14-0 with 3 passes to J. Thomas, a screen pass to G. White, and several solid mid-length runs by G. White.
Kansas's next drive died a quick death when L. Harris came free and sank Cummings with a sack for a loss of 8 yards, making it 3rd and 14. Cummings next pass was knocked down by M. Wilson, giving the Tigers defense a 3-and-out and putting that slowly tiring Kansas defense back on the field.
Missouri wasted no time, their first play was 44 yard over the top pass to an unguarded TE S. Smith. The next play was a draw play to G. White which went 30 yards for the touchdown. In two plays and about 20 seconds Missouri had went 74 yards and had a 20-0 edge. After the PAT it was 21-0, and Kansas looked like they were about to be routed.
Bailey breaks a tackle and throws a wobbly pass to S. Smith to head towards a 21-0 lead
Kansas finally got angry, and marched down the field quickly. They got to the 11 yard line before Missouri's S. Ray made a huge tackle on A. Pierson for a 6 yard loss on an option play, and then the line and secondary held, forcing a 4th and 8. Kansas went for the points, A. Mueller hit the 26 yard field goal to give Kansas their first score of the day.
The first quarter ended with D. McDonald intercepting N. Bailey at the 48 yard line and returning it to Missouri's 39.
After First Quarter
#5 Missouri (10-1) 21
#1 Kansas (12-0) 3
Kansas failed to make the most of the possession, once again getting into the red-zone but having to settle for just a field goal as A. Mueller once again hit an academic 26 yarder.
Missouri retaliated quickly, with N. Bailey hitting M. Smith for a 67 yard catch and go over the top for a touchdown. The drive only lasted 2 plays, but Missouri took the touchdown and PAT, giving them a 28-6 lead with 6:49 left in the first half. The catch and go put Bailey at 260 yards passing on the day, in the first half alone!
Kansas's offense stalled as the Tigers once again collected a three and out. Missouri got a 41 yard field goal from O'Connor to take a 31-6 lead. Missouri and Kansas then traded punts before the Jayhawks started working their way down the field with a series of short runs and mid-length passes.
Kansas scored a touchdown when R. Wheeler got the handoff and pushed his way 5 yard on the outside for a touchdown. Kansas went for two, but Cummings pass was knocked down, making it a 31-12 ballgame with 1:10 left in the first half.
Missouri took a few shots down the field before J. Ross hauled in a 41 yard pass from N. Bailey and then O'Connor nailed the PAT and Missouri took a commanding 38-12 lead with 0:07 left in the game.
Score at halftime
#5 Missouri (10-1) 38
#1 Kansas (12-0) 12
Kansas and Missouri started the third quarter embroiled in a defensive battle. Missouri couldn't get a first down, and Kansas couldn't get past the red zone. Kansas made it to the 19, and then missed a chip-shot field goal.
Missouri faltered going 3 and out, and then Kansas, with perfect field position, fumbled the ball on the 11 yard line. C. Graham scooped up the fumble, giving the ball to Missouri on the 11 yard line with 4:10 left in the game.
Kansas's defense was upset, and C. Robinson, a junior corner, made a great play on the ball and intercepted Bailey, giving Kansas their 3rd pick of the day. Kansas got the ball on Missouri's 33, and look to finally score in the second half. In typical Jayhawk fashion they got to the 22 yard line, and then stalled out, having to settle for a 39 yard field goal from A. Mueller, making it 38-15 with 1:28 left in the third quarter.
G. White was a big reason for Missouri being in front 38-15
Missouri returned the favor, getting on the board for the first time in the game off a 2 yard Bailey scramble, making it 44-15. O'Connor missed the PAT, and it stayed 44-15 as the fourth quarter began.
After Three Quarters
#5 Missouri (10-1) 44
#1 Kansas (12-0) 15
Kansas opened the fourth quarter down 29 points. They used their standard hurry up no huddle offense, and marched 87 yards on 13 plays capped off by a 22 yard pass to J. Shepherd for a touchdown. After the PAT it was 44-22, with Missouri holding the lead.
N. Bailey took the field to lead his Tigers. Bailey was 23/33 through the first quarter with 386 yards passing, 3 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions. He promptly got a first down, and then the offense stalled.
Kansas took over and pushed down the field, getting into the red-zone yet again. This time M. Cummings went for a touchdown in a 2 Jayhawk to 1 Tiger situation and lost, as C. Jones timed the pass perfectly and intercepted the ball in the endzone. Missouri took over on their own 20 yard line with 4:50 left in the game.
G. White fumbled the ball, and Kansas scooped it up to put Missouri's defense back on the field in roughly the same spot they were 10 seconds earlier.
C. Jones prevented Kansas from getting a touchdown with this interception
Only this time Cummings threaded the needle with a 27 yard pass to M. Howard for a touchdown and to make it 44-28. Missouri prevented the 2-point conversion with a M. Brennan interception that was returned 37 yards before Cummings himself prevented the return for 2 points.
M. Brennan intercepted M. Cummings to prevent the 2pt conversion
For some reason Missouri kept pushing instead of going ball control, and drove down the field 70 yards in 8 plays to make it 51-28 when Bailey hooked up with J. Thomas for 19 yards and another touchdown.
Kansas replied with a 5 play 79 yard drive capped off by another Cummings to Shepherd connection for 14 yards and a touchdown. Pierson ran in the 2pt conversion to make it 51-36 with 1:52 left in the game. Kansas got the onside kick, but it did not travel far enough, so Missouri took over on Kansas's 36 yard line, up 51-36.
To finish the game G. White broke a tackle and went 10 yards to make it 58-36 with Missouri in complete control with 52 seconds left. The game ended when M. Cummings hit J. Shepherd for a 17 yard pass and it ended as time expired.
Final score
#5 Missouri (11-1) 58
#1 Kansas (12-1) 36
Missouri POTG
N. Bailey 29 of 41 for 434 yards, 4 TD, 3 INT, and was sacked 1 time
G. White had 212 yards and 3 TD on 36 carries
S. Smith (TE) had 6 catches for 116 yards but no touchdowns
M. Wilson had 13 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 FF
K. Hall had 9 tackles and 1 INT
Kansas POTG
M. Cummings was 34 of 51 for 556 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT, and was sacked 4 times. He was also knocked down an additional 10 times, and hurried 12.
J. Shepherd had 9 catches for 198 yards for 2 touchdowns
R. Wheeler had 8 catches for 149 yards but no touchdowns
| Missouri Tigers at Kansas Jayhawks |
| Dec 13, 2014 | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | SCORE |
| #5 Missouri Tigers (10-1) | 21 | 17 | 6 | 14 | 58 |
| #1 Kansas Jayhawks (12-0) | 3 | 9 | 3 | 21 | 38 |
| Team Stats Comparison |
| MIZZ | KU |
| Total Offense | 669 | 620 |
| Rushing Yards | 235 | 64 |
| Passing Yards | 434 | 556 |
| First Downs | 20 | 23 |
| Punt Return Yards | 28 | 9 |
| Kick Return Yards | 124 | 113 |
| Total Yards | 821 | 742 |
| Turnovers | 4 | 4 |
| 3rd Down Converstion | 5-13 | 7-18 |
| 4th Down Conversion | 0-0 | 0-0 |
| 2-Point Conversion | 0-0 | 1-3 |
| Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals | 7-4-0 | 8-2-2 |
| Penalties | 2 for 20 yards | 2 for 15 yards |
| Posession Time | 14:58 | 17:02 |
| Scoring Summary |
| FIRST QUARTER SCORING | MIZZ | KU |
| 7:01 | (MIZZ) G. White 36 yard run (PAT) | 7 | 0 |
| 3:10 | (MIZZ) J. Thomas 16 yard pass from N. Bailey (PAT) | 14 | 0 |
| 1:43 | (MIZZ) G. White 30 yard run (PAT) | 21 | 0 |
| 0:30 | (KU) A. Mueller 26 yard FG | 21 | 3 |
| SECOND QUARTER SCORING | MIZZ | KU |
| 7:10 | (KU) A. Mueller 26 yard FG | 21 | 6 |
| 6:49 | (MIZZ) M. Smith 67 yard pass from N. Bailey (PAT) | 28 | 6 |
| 4:10 | (MIZZ) C. O'Connor 41 yard field goal | 31 | 6 |
| 1:10 | (KU) R. Wheeler 5 yard run (2pt conversion failed) | 31 | 12 |
| 0:06 | (MIZZ) J. Ross 41 yard pass from N. Bailey (PAT) | 38 | 12 |
| THIRD QUARTER SCORING | MIZZ | KU |
| 1:28 | (KU) A. Mueller 39 yard FG | 38 | 15 |
| 0:02 | (MIZZ) N. Bailey 2 yard run (missed PAT) | 44 | 15 |
| FOURTH QUARTER SCORING | MIZZ | KU |
| 6:29 | (KU) J. Shepherd 22 yard pass from M. Cummins (PAT) | 44 | 22 |
| 4:39 | (KU) M. Howard 27 yard pass from M. Cummings (2pt conversion failed) | 44 | 28 |
| 2:45 | (MIZZ) J. Thomas 19 yard pass from N. Bailey (PAT) | 51 | 28 |
| 1:52 | (KU) J. Shepherd 13 yard pass from M. Cummings (2 pt conversion good) | 51 | 36 |
| 0:54 | (MIZZ) G. White 10 yard run (PAT) | 58 | 36 |