National title dreams end in Texas
Published Dec. 2, 2007
SAN ANTONIO - When No. 1 Missouri began the season, merely a trip to Big 12 Championship Game seemed like the benchmark for a successful season. But with the top ranking in the country came more attention and higher expectations.
Expectations like a Big 12 title and a trip to the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game on Jan. 7 in New Orleans. But the Tigers gave up too many big plays and made too few of their own to reach the pinnacle of what had been a dream year to this point.
"This is the position we wanted to be in, and to not capitalize is heartbreaking," junior wide receiver Tommy Saunders said. "We just didn't capitalize the way they did, and that's why we lost."
The Tigers (11-2, 7-2 Big 12) were tied at 14-14 with the No. 9 Oklahoma Sooners at halftime, but a 90-second stretch late in the third quarter was what did them in.
First, Oklahoma senior running back Allen Patrick broke off a 42-yard run to Missouri's 4-yard line, then followed that up with a touchdown. Three plays later, MU junior quarterback Chase Daniel lobbed what was a seemingly innocent pass over the middle to tight end Martin Rucker.
But the ball was behind Rucker, and the normally sure-handed senior bobbled the ball into the air. It was intercepted by junior linebacker Curtis Lofton, who scurried to the Tigers' 7-yard line, much to the delight of the Sooner fans who made up the majority of the 62,585 in attendance at the Alamodome.
Lofton also forced the backbreaking turnover in MU's last loss to Oklahoma seven weeks ago in Norman, Okla., when he picked up a Daniel fumble and ran it back for a touchdown.
Rucker said he wasn't expecting the pass, but said that wasn't an excuse. "It seemed like I was the only person that didn't know the ball was coming when it did," he said. "So that's my fault."
With that stretch the momentum, which was completely in MU's favor at halftime, seemed to turn permanently back in favor of the Sooners (11-2, 7-2). But coach Gary Pinkel said Missouri had other problems.
"There's a lot of things you can do after (the interception)," he said. "You go out there and stop them, hold them to a field goal. You have to go out and respond defensively."
But the Tigers didn't. The Missouri defense let up 172 rushing yards; 92 from Patrick and 71 from sophomore running back Chris Brown.
"When you can run on a team like they did, usually you win," sophomore linebacker Sean Weatherspoon said. "And they just ran and ran and ran."
Daniel was 23-of-39 for 219 yards and could never convert a deep pass down the field. His longest pass was 22 yards, while Oklahoma freshman Sam Bradford's was 47 yards.
"We could never get a big play to get back into the game," Daniel said. "Oklahoma kept us off balance."
The Tigers were also without junior tight end Chase Coffman, who had been listed as questionable all week. Pinkel said Coffman will have surgery on his ankle, but likely not until January.
"There's some bone spurs in there," he said. "We'll probably do it (have a surgery) after the bowl. But we think he'll get back to 100 percent."
Sophomore wide receiver Danario Alexander also left the game in the first half with what Pinkel called a "knee problem." Pinkel also said Alexander's status would be determined back in Columbia later in the week.
Had MU won on Saturday, it would have been the first Big 12 championship ever for the school in any men's sport.
"This is really a letdown," Weatherspoon said. "Everyone who grows up playing football wants to play for a national championship, and we didn't seize the opportunity."