Tigers
top Jayhawks in Border War game, move to No. 1 in the BCS
by
Emily Schmidt, posted Nov. 28, 2007
The 116th meeting between the Missouri Tigers and the Kansas Jayhawks sparked interest in yet another border war. Other than the game being played at Arrowhead Stadium in front of 80,000 fans with the Big 12 North title and national championship possibilities on the line, Saturday night’s contest was like any other game between the bitter rivals.
No. 4 Missouri treated the game like any other and the underdog Tigers ultimately upset No. 2 Kansas. MU led the highly anticipated game from the beginning, showing focus under intense pressure. The team never looked back as it extended its record to 11-1 by beating the previously undefeated Kansas Jayhawks 36-28.
“The best thing about tonight is the win,” said Chase Daniel, MU’s quarterback. “The bottom line is we got the win. I don’t care what happens; I hope we are No. 1, but all of that stuff doesn’t matter. It is good for show, good for Columbia and the state of Missouri, but we have a tough game in San Antonio against a great Oklahoma team.”
The victory gave the Tigers the Big 12 North crown and moved the team to first in the BCS poll just ahead of West Virginia. But the Tigers know better than to look past Oklahoma, which earlier this season handed MU its only loss.
The game began with an early lead for the Tigers. Tight end Martin Rucker scored the first MU touchdown courtesy of a 1-yard pass from Daniel with 29 seconds left in the first quarter, and kicker Jeff Wolfert’s kick brought the score to 7-0.
In the second quarter, MU wide receiver Danario Alexander caught an 11-yard touchdown pass to extend the lead to 14-0. Alexander was Daniel’s biggest weapon against the stingy Jayhawk defense. He tallied 117 yards on eight catches to lead all receivers.
“Danario played unbelievable,” Daniel said. “He was open all night long and he made some big plays down the field. He made an unbelievable play in that first touchdown. He scrambled out and got it. He was wide open and ran it in.”
Also worth noting was Missouri’s defense, which shut out Kansas in the first half. The Jayhawks came in scoring 46 points per game, which was second best in the nation. The Tigers continued to pour it on in the third quarter with running back Jimmy Jackson’s 1-yard touchdown run. The running attack was very successful. Led by running back Tony Temple, MU tallied more than 150 rushing yards, helping keep the Kansas defense off-balance.
The Jayhawks finally got into the end zone after fullback Brandon McAnderson’s short touchdown run, but Heisman candidate Daniel responded by throwing for his third score of the game, this time a 3-yard pass to running back Derrick Washington to make the score 28-7.
Kansas rallied in the fourth quarter, however. KU quarterback Todd Reesing ran for a touchdown and threw for another within a five-minute span to pull his team within 10 points. KU’s wide receiver Marcus Williams scored a final KU touchdown with two minutes left, leaving the game at its closest point yet, 34-28. Kansas had one last shot, but MU defensive lineman Lorenzo Williams’ safety sealed the game to a Missouri Tigers win with a final score of 36-28.
“I think it’s great,” said Gary Pinkel, MU’s head coach. “That’s what happens when you play in the Big 12 and you’re 11-1 and possibly have a shot for a national championship. I’m excited about that. We had to win five-straight games to get a chance to play in this one, in the division championship. I’m so proud of everybody.”
The newly ranked No. 1 Tigers are off to San Antonio for the Big 12 Championship game against Oklahoma. The game will be played Dec. 1. Kickoff is 7 p.m. and ABC will broadcast the game.
