Buffs battle Tigers in key Big 12 bout
Sports Network | October 22, 2008
Columbia, MO (Sports Network) - Having suffered back-to-back losses, the 16th- ranked Missouri Tigers are now desperate for a victory, and they will host Big 12 foe Colorado this weekend.
Colorado has been painfully inconsistent this season, winning three straight games to open the campaign before dropping three in a row. Last weekend, the Buffs managed to halt their slide with a 14-13 triumph over Kansas State, allowing them to move to 1-2 in conference. They have five games remaining, all against Big 12 competition, and need two more victories to become bowl eligible.
As for Missouri, it won its first five games this season and appeared to be a legitimate contender for the national title. That dream will not be realized, however, as the team has suffered back-to-back losses to fall to 1-2 in conference. After a narrow home setback to Oklahoma State, the Tigers were manhandled by top-ranked Texas last weekend, 56-31. It will be interesting to see if Gary Pinkel can rally his troops, as their confidence may very well be shaken.
Missouri owns a 38-31-3 series advantage over Colorado, including double-digit victories in the last two meetings with the Buffaloes.
Colorado head coach Dan Hawkins decided to remove the redshirt from freshman quarterback Tyler Hansen and put him in the game against Kansas State. Asked why he decided to make that move, Hawkins offered an explanation. "Maybe it was because of his legs, you know he can really run," said Hawkins. "It was a huge sacrifice for him, but I think it also speaks to the kind of camaraderie we have on our team." Hansen did not start the game, but he did take over for Cody Hawkins and threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Scott McKnight in the second quarter. Hansen completed 7-of-14 passes for 71 yards with the one score and one interception, while Hawkins connected on 6-of-11 attempts for only 35 yards. Coach Hawkins did have the line of the night during his postgame press conference. When asked if he was concerned about the passing game, he replied, "Are you concerned about the stock market?" Fortunately, Rodney Stewart did an outstanding job of running the football, posting 141 yards and a touchdown on 29 attempts.
Stewart has now rushed for 594 yards this season and finally has a touchdown to show for his effort. Hawkins had thrown 11 touchdowns against six interceptions heading into last weekend's game, but his coach clearly felt that Hansen could add a different dimension to the offense. It will be interesting to see how the quarterbacks are used this weekend.
The defense of Colorado deserves a great deal of credit for last week's win, as the team limited Kansas State to 13 points. The lone touchdown scored by the Wildcats came on a drive of 46 yards in the fourth quarter. While the Buffaloes did yield 349 total yards, they forced a pair of turnovers that played a major role in the victory. K-State only held possession of the ball for 23:39 and was 3-of-15 on third down conversion attempts. Shaun Mohler led the Buffs with nine tackles in the triumph.
In the three losses this season, Colorado has surrendered 39, 38 and 30 points. With that in mind, the effort against Kansas State is even more impressive. Missouri obviously possesses a stellar offense, so the Buffaloes will have a major challenge on their hands in this one.
It is hard to believe that the explosive Missouri offense did not score a single point against Texas for the first 29 minutes of last weekend's contest. The Tigers finished with only 30 rushing yards, and while they did post 31 points by the final gun, many of those points were scored long after the outcome had been decided. Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel completed 31-of-41 passes for 318 yards with two touchdowns and one interception, and he also ran for a score. Still, his Heisman campaign took a major hit. The same can be said for all-purpose threat Jeremy Maclin, who picked up only 66 yards on his eight receptions and had no impact as a runner.
Overall this season, the Tigers are racking up 45.9 ppg and 520.9 total ypg. They have scored 37 offensive touchdowns, and Daniel has 18 passing scores to his credit. He has completed 75.9 percent of his throws for 2,373 yards, while Maclin has 47 catches for 666 yards and four touchdowns. Chase Coffman has hauled in 56 balls for 694 yards and four scores.
There's no sugracoating it -- Missouri played poorly on defense against Texas last weekend, as the Tigers were victimized for 591 yards. They proved helpless against both means of attack, yielding five rushing scores and three passing touchdowns. The Longhorns were able to completed 30-of-33 passes, staggering to say the least. Missouri did not register a single takeaway and were completely embarrassed.
Opponents are scoring 26.3 total ypg against the Tigers this season, and the team is yielding 410.9 total ypg. The run defense has actually been fairly solid, surrendering just 3.3 yards per rushing attempt. Unfortunately, opposing quarterbacks have already thrown 15 touchdowns against Missouri, which is giving up 287.7 ypg through the air. Sean Weatherspoon is an outstanding performer for the defense, as he has already registered 72 tackles, including 10 TFLs, and three interceptions.
