Sept 20, 2003

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By JIM SUHR
Associated Press Writer

COLUMBIA, Mo. - All week, Missouri coach Gary Pinkel warned his No. 23 Tigers not to get too puffed up about their first national ranking in nearly five years.

On Saturday, Middle Tennessee - three-touchdown underdogs - caught Missouri flat and pushed the Tigers to the brink, losing 41-40 in overtime and leaving Pinkel questioning whether he did enough to rid his team of overconfidence.

"You're never as good as you think you are," he said sternly after Missouri improved to 4-0 for the first time since 1981, when the Tigers won their first five games and finished 8-4. "I'm disappointed in myself. I thought I had this team ready to play.

"Obviously, I didn't do a very good job. Obviously, we didn't play as well as I wanted to."

Missouri won on Brad Smith's 4-yard touchdown scramble in overtime and Mike Matheny's extra point from 36 yards after a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for excessive celebration after Smith's TD.

"I just threw my hands up, and I couldn't breathe for a minute. My team was on top of me," Matheny said.

The loss deflated Middle Tennessee's Andrico Hines, who on the overtime period's first possession scrambled for a 4-yard TD run, only to see Brian Kelly's extra-point attempt hit the left post. Moments later, Smith dropped the Blue Raiders (0-4) to 0-7 against ranked teams since the school joined Division I-A in 1999.

"Words really don't explain how I feel," said Hines, who also threw two touchdowns and 248 yards on 19-of-31 passing as Middle Tennessee closed out a three-game road swing that included losses at Georgia and Clemson.

"We were in position to win the game. Just a bad break here and there; that's kind of been the story for us this year."

Regardless, Middle Tennessee coach Andy McCollum said, "I couldn't be more proud of my players."

"It's good to see two teams of great characters going after each other," he said, at least partly crediting the 55,075 who packed Memorial Stadium for rallying their team. "They need to stay behind them because they've got something special going on here."

Smith also threw three touchdowns, the last one a 12-yarder to Darius Outlaw with 1:17 left in regulation. Smith, who finished with 192 yards passing and 136 more on the ground, then ran in a 2-point conversion that tied it at 34.

Along the way, Smith laid out a Middle Tennessee defender, clearing the open field for Zack Abron's career-long 64-yard run that set up a score. Smith also had a 64-yard ramble, leading to another touchdown.

"When they need him, he's the man," McCollum said.

Abron finished with 138 yards on 18 carries, including an 8-yard TD run that put the Tigers ahead 23-14 with 4:28 left in the first half.

Kerry Wright had seven catches for 144 yards and a touchdown, a 21-yard scoring pass from Hines that closed the Blue Raiders to 23-21 with seven seconds left in the first half.

Middle Tennessee then made the most of its first two third-quarter possessions, getting a 19-yard field goal by Kelly and a 6-yard TD run by Kevin Davis for a 31-23 lead.

Davis' touchdown was Middle Tennessee's second scoring run against a Missouri defense that had not allowed a rushing touchdown in three games this season.

Missouri closed to 31-26 on Matheny's 25-yard field goal with 10:53 left to play before Kelly countered with a 21-yarder about five minutes later, setting the stage for Missouri's game-tying drive.

The Tigers' defense entered ranked fourth nationally in scoring defense - allowing an average of just 7.3 points over their first three games - but got tested from the start.

On its opening possession, Middle Tennessee marched 82 yards in 16 plays, the last one being a 4-yard TD pass from Hines to Wardell Alsup.