Missouri shuts out Iowa State on the road, 14-0
The Tiger senior class earned its school-record 39th win.
Published Nov. 20, 2010
The Missouri football team held Iowa State scoreless on the Cyclones’ home turf Saturday night, earning a hard-fought 14-0 win. The team improved to 9-2 overall and 5-2 in conference play.
The match was the Tigers’ second shutout of 2010, the first coming in a 26-0 win over Colorado on Oct. 9.
"First of all, I am proud of our team for battling,” coach Gary Pinkel said. “Iowa State played very well. That is probably the best defense we've played since we've been here."
Iowa State had many chances to get on the scoreboard in this one, racking up 332 total yards to Missouri’s 306. The team just couldn’t turn the yards into points.
Sophomore quarterback Jerome Tiller filled in for injured senior quarterback Austen Arnaud. The backup led the Iowa State offense into the red zone just once all night, where the Tigers showed them why they’re second in the nation in red zone defense.
The Cyclones also missed field goals from 38 and 27 yards out.
Another potential scoring drive for the Cyclones was foiled when a Tiller fumble forced by sophomore defensive end Brad Madison. The fumble was the only turnover of the game.
The Tiger offense was not much better, as it punted a season-high eight times in the game.
Junior quarterback Blaine Gabbert had just 172 passing yards. Iowa State also stalled the Missouri running game, exemplified by the fact that Gabbert led all Tiger rushers with 37 yards.
Junior tight end Michael Egnew was still proud of his teammates considering the near-freezing temperatures.
"Blaine (Gabbert) is a technician behind the football,” Egnew said. “When the weather's bad, it's the worst to try and get an offense to go. But Blaine and the running backs did a great job today."
Missouri was able to turn its yards into scores, as Gabbert connected with Egnew in the first quarter for his fourth touchdown reception of the year. Egnew was the only constant for the Missouri offense tonight, leading all Tiger receivers with 77 yards on seven catches.
Junior tailback De’Vion Moore punched in the other score on a one-yard run in the fourth quarter.
The struggles on offense for both sides led to two fake punt plays in the contest. Pinkel called one late in the third quarter when senior punter Matt Grabner took the snap and ran up the middle for the first down. The Tigers would score later in the drive.
Senior cornerback Carl Gettis knows what a big play the fake punt was for the momentum of the game.
"We had a number of big plays that changed the momentum of the game,” Gettis said. “It was a great call by Coach, he said in practice that he saw the look and it would work when he called it."
Iowa State was not to be outdone, calling its own fake punt in the fourth quarter. The coaching staff made the gutsy call inside their own 20-yard line but converted the fake punt-pass for the first down.
The Tigers will keep the Field Phone Trophy that defines the Missouri-Iowa State rivalry. Missouri has won in the teams’ last four meetings.
It is also a school record 39th win for the Missouri senior class, as they pass up the mark set by last year's senior class.
Next up for the 9-2 Tigers is a rivalry matchup with Kansas at Arrowhead Stadium. Kickoff in Kansas City is set for 11:30 a.m. Saturday.