Game 2 - Sept. 13, 1997
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Football
Memorial Stadium - Lawrence, KS
This was a game of big plays. The Kansas Jayhawks made a bunch of them. Unfortunately for Missouri, the Tigers didn't make one. A blocked punt by the special teams, three forced turnovers by the defense inside its own ten, and a 29-yard touchdown run by Eric Vann in the midst of a career day were about all the big plays KU needed to wrap up this installment of the border war.
The Tiger offense struggled all day long. Outside of one 80-yard drive, on which Brock Olivo gained 37 of his 62 yards, the Missouri running game was mostly grounded. And when the Tigers fell behind and had to go to the air, things didn't get a lot better. Corby Jones threw an interception at the Kansas six to end the first half, and spent most of the rest of the day scrambling away from a furious rush by the Kansas defensive line that simply did not give him time.
On Mizzou's last drive, in the waning minutes of the fourth, Jones looked like he might find some magic. He scrambled for eight yards on third and seven. He found Eddie Brooks for 14 on fourth-and-five. He hit Kent Layman for 17 more. The Tigers were perched on the KU 10 with 44 seconds left. They were a couple of plays and a two-point conversion from overtime. Nobody told defensive end Ron Warner. Warner rushed furiously past Mizzou lineman Chris Meredith. He drilled Jones square in the back with a hit Corby never knew was coming. The ball fluttered on the field. Kansas picked it up. The game was over.
There were plenty of heroes on this day for the Jayhawks. Larry Smith praised Warner and his fellow defensive end Patrick Brown for the pressure they put on Missouri. Vann had more yards rushing (144) than on any day in his career. Heroes were tough to come by for the Tigers. Other than Donnell Jones, who rushed up the middle to block two extra points to single-handedly keep the Tigers in the game, there were few bright spots. Jones, at times, was brilliant. Like on an eight-yard scramble on the closing drive when he picked up the first down without a single block. Or the fourth down completion to Brooks. But then there was the interception. And the two fumbles inside the Jayhawk 10. Olivo looked fabulous, for one possession. And in the end it came down to this: with its back against the wall, Missouri had to find someone to step up and make a play. Someone did. Unfortunately for the Tigers, he was wearing crimson and blue.
| MISSOURI | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | - | 7 |
| KANSAS | 9 | 0 | 6 | 0 | - | 15 |
| K - Johner 1 run (kick blocked) |
| K - FG Garcia 32 |
| M - Olivo 1 run (Knickman kick) |
| K - Vann 29 run (kick blocked) |
| ATT - 38,000 |
| Team Statistics | ||
| MU | KU | |
| First Downs | 22 | 13 |
| Rushes-Yards | 52-188 | 45-167 |
| Passing | 10-21-1 | 6-12-0 |
| Passing Yards | 107 | 135 |
| Total Offense | 295 | 302 |
| Return Yards | 25 | 9 |
| Punts-Avg. | 7-32 | 6-47.2 |
| Fumbles-Lost | 3-2 | 0-0 |
| Penalties-Yards | 7-45 | 10-112 |
| Third Down Conv. | 5-14 | 4-13 |
| Time of Possession | 33:41 | 26:19 |
Individual Leaders
RUSHING - M: Olivo 17-62, Jones 19-59, Layman 1-21, West 11-31, Blackwell 2-7, Janes 2-4. K: Vann 23-137, Winbush 8-32, Bowles 1-2, Johner 13-4.
PASSING - M: Jones 10-20-1-107, Douglass 0-1-0-0. K: Johner 6-12-0-135.
RECEIVING - M: Layman 3-44, Murchison 2-29, Brooks 2-16, Olivo 2-6, Coleman 1-12. K: Gray 2-72, Chandler 2-47, Roberson 2-16.
