Overtime Aggie Upset

Tigers get the best of the 12th Man
by Mizzou Matt 10/30/11

COLLEGE STATION, TX- On Saturday, October 29th, the University of Missouri Tiger football team traveled to College Station, TX for the second time in as many years to take on the Texas A&M Aggies on Kyle Field. Last year, the Tigers posted a 30-9 victory over TAMU, giving the Aggies one of their three losses in the regular season. This year, things would play out a little different.

Mizzou gambled on fourth down early as the Tigers struck first when quarterback James Franklin ran like a man possessed as he shook off tackles on a 20-yard run. Franklin would connect with tight end Eric Waters later in the quarter to give Waters his first touchdown catch of his Mizzou career. Texas A&M would score 21 unanswered to go up 28-14, but punter Trey Barrow, who was filling in for the injured Grant Ressel, and added a 26-yd field goal, his first collegiate field goal, to take the Tigers into the locker room trailing by 11, 28-17.

Grant Ressel was out with a hip flexor, his return is unknown.

The third quarter was a scoreless one as both teams settled in on defense and seesawed back and forth. The offense found their groove, scoring 14 in the fourth quarter and the Tigers D really had their ears pinned back in the second half after giving up 21 in the second quarter, only allowing 3 points late as the Aggies tied the game. The key play in the quarter was Mizzou's Randy Ponder with an interception as Brad Madison got his hands on quarterback Ryan Tannehill's arm. The Tigers' first points in the second half came as running back Henry Josey took it in from 11 yards out. That score cut the deficit to four. Another Franklin touchdown run after the Ponder interception put the Tigers on top 31-28, and A&M would tie late. A big kick return by Jerrell Jackson set up the stage for a game-winning field goal attempt. Barrow had a chance to win the game on a 46-yard field goal (career long is 47 while at Moberly High School), but the ball failed to curve inside the upright. To overtime we go against the #16 Aggies.

Texas A&M won the toss and elected to go on defense first. The Tigers struck on an 11-yd pass from Franklin to Marcus Lucas. The Aggies would try to come back to tie, but a deflected pass on fourth down ended their hopes in overtime. Final in College Station- a thrilling 38-31 OT win for Mizzou.

DB Randy Ponder (7)

Missouri seemed to find a cure for the turnovers last week against Oklahoma State, but still committed a fumble in the third quarter. Texas A&M committed three turnovers in the game, with Ponder's interception the most costly.

After the offensive line gave up two sacks on the opening drive for the Tigers, Franklin and Josey both had big days on the ground. Josey, the Big 12's leading scorer, rushed 20 times for 162 yards and a touchdown and Franklin added 97 yards of his own and two rushing scores. Franklin threw for 198 and two touchdowns. Franklin, who threw two interceptions in the first five games, threw five in the two against Iowa State and against the Cowboys. He reconciled those by throwing zero against A&M.

Next week, the Tigers take on a Baylor team that fell to the Cowboys on Saturday, 24-59 before returning home to play Texas (shutout Kansas 43-0), and Texas Tech (loss to Iowa State 41-7). The final game is against Kansas in Arrowhead on November 26th.