Faurot Field - Columbia, MO
The goal posts came tumbling down again. And for good reason. Missouri's convincing 42-24 victory over the Baylor Bears, on Faurot Field, enabled the Tigers to put 13 years of frustration behind them. The victory gave them a 7-4 record for their first winning season since 1983, and put them in the position to sit back and wait for a bowl bid.
Corby Jones passed for one touchdown and ran for another and rushed for 126 yards to put a capper on a likely all-Big 12 season. Ernest Blackwell scored two TDs and for the second straight year became the fourth Tiger rusher to gain more than 500 yards.
The win, Mizzou's fourth in five weeks, came on the heels of the previous week's devastating overtime loss to No. 1 Nebraska. The Tigers' performance left no doubt that the team had not spent the week moping.
"Just pure belief," Larry Smith said of the Tiger turnaround. "Hard playing and putting your nose to the grindstone and not looking back."
Jones threw a six-yard TD pass to Eddie Brooks in the second quarter and ran for a seven-yard score in the third. The touchdown run was the 27th of his career, breaking the school record set by Bob Steuber from 1940-42.
The Tigers would have been bowl-eligible even with a loss, but left nothing to chance. After Baylor cut the gap to 14-10 in the third period, Missouri pulled away to break a 28-year-old school record with 368 points in a season.
Harold Piersey returned an interception 35 yards to the Baylor four to set up a one-yard run by Brock Olivo, who later tied Jones' career rushing touchdown record. Justin Wyatt, a 261-pound defensive guard, wrapped it up with a 92-yard interception return that made it 35-10 with 9:17 to play.
"I don't remember a whole lot," Wyatt said after the game. "But just at the end, I thought I was going to die. I went to the sidelines and was glued to the oxygen, but it was a fun time." Wyatt's return was just three yards off the MU record for longest interception return.
Blackwell scored his second TD with 1:12 to go on a 45-yard run. It was the eighth TD run of his career than spanned more than 20 yards and his fourth of 1997. Freshman Darrell Bush had 162 yards on 20 carries for Baylor, which lost its seventh game in eight tries.
A fumble by Jerod Douglas at the MU 31 led to the Tigers' first score. Kent Layman ran 27 yards on an end-around to set up a one-yard run by Blackwell with 9:41 left in the first quarter.
Missouri made it 14-0 on a six-yard pass from Jones to Brooks with 4:59 to go in the half. Jones had the big play of the 80-yard drive with a 31-yard keeper to the Baylor 22. Baylor drove 71 yards near the end of the half before settling for a 21-yard field goal by Matt Bryant with 40 seconds remaining.
The Bears added a couple of meaningless TDs in the game's final 4:24 against the Mizzou reserves.
"We're not the most talented team in the nation and we know that," Olivo said. "That's why we have to dig a lot deeper than some teams. We play with a lot of heart, character and emotion. That's what makes us so special."
Tiger fans have embraced that view of one of the most lovable teams in school history. Now they can pack their bags for a late December bowl trip.
| BAYLOR | 0 | 3 | 7 | 14 | - | 24 |
| MISSOURI | 7 | 7 | 14 | 14 | - | 42 |
| M - Blackwell 1 run (Knickman kick) |
| M - Brooks 6 pass from Jones (Knickman kick) |
| B - FG Bryant 21 |
| B - Bush 7 run (Bryant kick) |
| M - Jones 7 run (Knickman kick) |
| M - Olivo 1 run (Knickman kick) |
| M - Wyatt 92 interception return (Knickman kick) |
| B - Jackson 2 run (Bryant kick) |
| M - Blackwell 45 run (Knickman kick) |
| B - Anderson 33 pass from James (Bryant kick) |
| ATT - 43,825 |
Team Statistics | ||
| B | MU | |
| First downs | 23 | 18 |
| Rushes-Yards | 46-224 | 49-341 |
| Passing | 11-22-2 | 5-10-0 |
| Passing Yards | 140 | 65 |
| Total Offense | 364 | 406 |
| Return Yards | 0 | 131 |
| Punts-Avg | 4-48.3 | 3-36.0 |
| Fumbles-Lost | 1-1 | 0-0 |
| Penalties-Yards | 3-11 | 5-37 |
| Third Down Conversions | 6-13 | 6-11 |
| Time of Possession | 30:07 | 29:53 |
Individual Leaders
RUSHING - BAY: Bush 20-162, James 7-28, Douglas 8-25, Jackson 3-8, Lagway 2-6, Watson 6-(-5). MU: Jones 15-126, Olivo 17-79, Blackwell 8-78, West 6-27, Layman 1-27, Janes 1-3, Finke 1-1.
PASSING - BAY: Watson 7-16-1-72-0, James 4-6-1-68-1. MU: Jones 5-10-0-65-1.
RECEIVING - BAY: Simpkins 3-32, Bush 2-29, Cogdill 2-21, Thompson 2-14, Anderson 1-33, Cagnolatti 1-11. MU: Brooks 2-21, Layman 1-38, West 1-6, Olivo 1-0.