Solid Cowboy team trips up Tigers
by Thomas Mershon, posted Oct. 15, 2008
With disappointment so thick it was difficult to think, Missouri fans tried to cope with the first loss of the season on Saturday for the Tiger football team. The 28-23 loss to the then ranked No. 17 Oklahoma State Cowboys was a crushing blow to the previously No. 3-ranked Tigers.
“Well, we didn’t execute as well as we wanted to, and they had one long drive with other big plays,” said MU coach Gary Pinkel in his description of the game.
Mizzou never seemed to find a rhythm offensively and committed three turnovers that ended up costing them the game.
“We had three interceptions, and that directly related to me, and I shoulder that responsibility,” said Chase Daniel, quarterback.
The Tiger’s ability to run the ball was also limited by a Cowboy defense that allowed only 12 yards rushing from the running back corps. of Missouri.
“They did a great job with their zone play, and it pulled us away from the run a little and pushed us in a different direction offensively,” Daniel said. “We want to be more balanced; 85 percent pass and 15 percent run isn’t what we really want to do, and we work on being more balanced.”
Even with the mistakes, Mizzou played well in many areas that will hopefully correlate to next week’s game.
“We had some great turnovers, and in the end, did put ourselves in a position to win, and I was very proud of that,” Pinkel said.
However, the football team still suffered a loss and now will look to refocus and prepare for another huge test against No. 1 Texas.
“The benefits from a loss are few and far between, and we just have to flush this game and get ready for Texas,” Daniel said.
