Tiger passing game axes Aggies

Blaine Gabbert threw for 361 yards and three touchdowns in the victory.

By John Montesantos

Published Oct. 19, 2010

The Tigers were the underdogs Saturday as they traveled to College Station, Texas, to take on Texas A&M. But junior quarterback Blaine Gabbert and company proved too much for the Aggies as the Tigers rolled to a 30-9 victory.

Gabbert posted season-high numbers in the big win, throwing for 361 yards and three touchdowns. Adding to the performance is the fact that he did it all after battling a hip pointer injury all week.

Coach Gary Pinkel saw his second-year starting quarterback was hurting at times in practice. But no matter what pain his hip put him in, Gabbert played on.

“I got a lot of respect for him,” Pinkel said. “He is a really tough guy. I thought he was very poised and played a really good game. That says a lot about him and his fight.”

Not only did Gabbert battle injury, but had do so while leading his troops into the hostile environment at Texas A&M’s Kyle Field. The junior slinger seemed to zone out the over 83,000 in attendance as he connected with five receivers for an efficient 31-of-47 mark.

Junior wide receiver Wes Kemp reaped the benefits of Gabbert’s stellar day, racking up 89 yards and two touchdowns on ten catches. As impressive as his two-score day was, Kemp nearly had a third as one of his catches was called a touchdown on the field but ruled a foot short after review.

After a slow start to the season, Kemp is starting to get more involved in the Missouri offense.

“It’s a long season and there are ups and downs at any level of football,” Kemp said. “But I always think solution-based. If something isn’t going my way, I think what can I do to make this better.”

Four other receivers got in on the action Saturday, with Kemp and three others posting 55 or more receiving yards.

Junior tight end Michael Egnew had 10 catches for 87 yards while the always-prolific sophomore wide receiver T.J. Moe racked up 110 yards and a touchdown on six receptions.

Moe, who played quarterback himself all through high school, noticed something different in Gabbert on game day.

“He was dialed in,” Moe said. “He didn’t say a word on the bus ride, he didn’t say a word when he was getting his pads on. We walk out on the field and he’s still not talking. You could see it in his eyes that he was ready to go.”

Although Pinkel and his teammates saw an extra edge in his approach, it was just another day at the office for Gabbert. But even he had to admit the added clout of their first road game.

“I think I’m focused every week,” Gabbert said. “I just had to do a little extra to motivate the guys to stay focused. I had to send my message to those guys that it was a big game and we had to stay focused through four quarters.”

The No. 18 Tigers are now 6-0 for only the fifth time in school history. They will look to extend that number at 7 p.m. Saturday as they host No. 3 Oklahoma for Homecoming.