Missouri overcomes mistakes in win over Buffalo
Published Sept. 20, 2008
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Sophomore wide receiver Jeremy Maclin stumbles through the Buffalo defense on Saturday at Faurot Field. Maclin led the Tigers to a 42-21 victory with 14 receptions for 168 yards
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MU struggled to retain possession against Buffalo, fumbling three times on Saturday, including this one by junior wide receiver Jared Perry in the red zone. The Tigers also forced two turnovers.
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Sophomore running back Derrick Washington stiff-arms Buffalo junior defensive back Mike Newton during the Tigers' 42-21 win Saturday. Washington finished the game with 18 carries for 89 yards and two touchdowns along with three receptions for 27 yards.
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Senior defensive lineman Ziggy Hood smothers Buffalo quarterback Drew Willy for a seven-yard loss Saturday at Faurot Field. The Tigers held Willy to his lowest completion rate of the year, intercepted a pass and forced a fumble.
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Sophomore running back Derrick Washington follows his blockers during MU's 42-21 win against Buffalo Saturday at Faurot Field. Washington ran for 89 yards on 18 carries and two touchdowns, bringing his season touchdown total to nine.
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Junior wide receiver Jared Perry breaks loose after a 15-yard reception in the second quarter. Perry had two receptions in the Tigers' 42-21 win over Buffalo Saturday at Faurot Field.
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Junior linebacker Sean Weatherspoon drags down Buffalo wide receiver Ernest Jackson on Saturday at Faurot Field. Weatherspoon led the Tigers on defense with 5 tackles and 15 assisted tackles.
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Sophomore wide receiver Jeremy Maclin soars over the goal line on a 16-yard touchdown run in the second quarter against Buffalo Saturday at Faurot Field. Maclin had 236 all-purpose yards against the Bulls.
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Senior quarterback Chase Daniel drops back to pass against Buffalo Saturday at Faurot Field. Daniel continued to pad his Heisman Trophy stats, completing 36 of 43 passing attempts for 439 yards and two touchdowns. Daniel completed a Big 12 record of 20-straight completions and become only the fifth Big 12 player to amass 10,000 career yards.
With a bye week ahead of them, the Tigers will have plenty of time to get back to the basics. Missouri looked sloppy against Buffalo today, but managed to overcome three fumbles in a 42-21 victory.
"We had a lot of mistakes that I'm disappointed in," coach Gary Pinkel said. "You look at the statistics and you think it was a dominating game, but it wasn't a dominating game."
That's because the Tigers continually allowed Buffalo to stay close. All three of Missouri's fumbles took place in scoring range, which took a potential 21 additional points off the scoreboard.
"When they fumble the ball I kind of get excited," said junior linebacker Sean Weatherspoon, who made 20 tackles in the game. "That means we get to go out there and we got sudden change. Defenses gotta love that."
Pinkel didn't feel the same way.
"It's just a comedy of errors," he said. "Obviously it wasn't good enough. You do that too many times and you don't survive it."
The mistakes were more of a mental problem that stems back to coaching, Pinkel said.
"These aren't rocket science mistakes," he said. "It's all about focus. We've got to focus on ball security, we've got to focus on not hitting the punter, and we've got to focus on not jumping offsides."
But senior quarterback Chase Daniel kept the Tiger offense composed and didn’t let the adversity affect his performance.
"It's incredible," sophomore tailback Derrick Washington said. "Whether I'm out on a route or blocking, Chase is so calm and he always finds the open receiver. With all the receivers and the blocking, with Chase back in the pocket, he's bound to find someone."
During one stretch, Daniel found someone on 20 consecutive passes, setting school and conference records. He was 36 of 43 for a career high 439 yards and two touchdowns.
Sophomore receiver Jeremy Maclin also had a big day with 14 catches for 168 yards and one rushing touchdown.
The Tigers now have two weeks to prepare for their first conference game in Lincoln, Neb., where they haven't won for 30 years.
"It's going to be a lot faster than the three previous foes we've faced," Daniel said. "They're a good team. We got our bye week to get everyone healthy, get our mistakes fixed and go up to Nebraska and hopefully get a win."
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