Missouri Tigers Flip The Switch; Clinch SEC East With Win Over Arkansas
By Derek Franks
What a way to kick off a rivalry.
The Missouri Tigers found away on Black Friday to overcome a slow start, score 15 unanswered in the second half and clinch their second consecutive SEC East Division title with a 21-14 win over the red hot Arkansas Razorbacks in Columbia. In a game that was dubbed as the Battle Line Rivalry in the first ever conference meeting between the two, the Tigers rose to the occasion when they needed it most in the win.
It was a back and forth game in which Missouri looked the part in the second half after a series of bad play calling, poor execution and offensive failures culminated in a first-half scare for the home team’s crowd. So, before we can commend, we must criticize.
The Tigers figured out that using Russell Hansbrough and the running game will help them win. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
As Missouri went to the locker room for halftime trailing 14-6, Tiger fans must have been asking, “what is wrong with this offense?”
Let’s take a second to examine the reasons for such a poor start…
Mizzou did everything it could to shoot itself in the foot up to that point, including two turnovers, multiple boneheaded turnovers and going 2/7 on third down all while racking up just 120 yards of total offense through two quarters. But went wrong the most was terrible play calling.
We’ve been arguing all season long for the Tigers to stick to the run, to be patient.
Still, the Tigers have continued to be entirely faithful to a pass-heavy offense, even when their two running backs are ultra-talented and their offense has failed to be productive through the air (and it has only been when Missouri finally returned to running the football late that they were able to start moving the football, score and win games).
Maty Mauk is the type of quarterback that would benefit from a balanced attack, allowing his team’s running game to set up the pass which would give the young play caller time in the pocket to make good decisions. Instead the opposite approach has been the norm.
Case in point:
The Tigers threw the ball on the first seven plays of the game, including on a second and short that resulted in a penalty and a third and four in which Mauk was caught for no gain while trying to run the ball.
Third and 1 at the 50 yard line, Missouri drops back to pass, Maty Mauk throws his first interception of the game.
Inside a minute of the first half, second and 1, Missouri dropped back to pass and took a 10-yard sack that dropped them out of field goal range.
Missouri came out guns a blazing in the second half. After stopping Arkansas on a three and out, Missouri started connecting on its plays. Mauk found his touch and MU even ran the ball a couple of times.
But then…
Missouri got to the red zone and went for the pass on three downs, for three incompletions.
CBS Announcer Aaron Taylor made a perfectly fitting point. We’ll echo his statements here.
Teams that win games in overtime are the ones that run the football because the red zone is the time where you need to run the football more than any other place on the field— and college overtimes take place almost entirely in the red zone.
Nov 28, 2014; Columbia, MO, USA; Missouri Tigers quarterback Maty Mauk (7) warms up before the game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Faurot Field. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Missouri doesn’t run the ball in the red zone.
They pass.
Missouri doesn’t score in the red zone.
In this particular case, Missouri doesn’t score at all. The Tigers settled for a field goal that was blocked, instead.
What happened after that?
Missouri’s defense was able to overcome a fake punt and hold them to a missed fourth down after that. What did the Tiger offense do on first down of the ensuing possession? They passed a deep ball that went to no one. Two plays later, another pass on third down. That resulted in a fumble—the third turnover of the day for the team.
Have I made my point yet?
Still Missouri found a way to stay in the game. After stopping Arkansas following the fumble, MU had its best possession of the day, which included a 44-yard pass to Jimmi Hunt that set the Tigers up inside the 25. A pass play to Bud Sasser took them inside the 5. And Missouri capped off the drive with a fade rout pass to Hunt, putting Mizzou within two points.
The Tigers converted a two-point conversion on a little reverse pass by Sasser who flipped it to Hunt in the end zone, tying the game at 14 with just over 12 minutes to play.
It was Arkansas that flopped on offense on the next possession, with QB Brendon Allen missing a wide-open receiver on third down—three and out, Mizzou got the ball back with 10:42 to play.
Nov 28, 2014; Columbia, MO, USA; Missouri Tigers head coach Gary Pinkel watches play on the sidelines during the second half against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Faurot Field. Missouri won 21-14. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
The Tigers did the most shocking and satisfying offensive move of the day on this drive: they ran the ball on first down. And it went for 32 yards thanks to the incredible vision of running back Russell Hansbrough.
One play later? What do you know? A run by Marcus Murphy gave Mizzou another first down. After this play, the Tigers went for an unsuccessful pass play. Then Missouri went for it on fourth and inches. They ran the football with Hansbrough. Picked up eight yards.
Somehow, they were proving my point right before our very eyes.
Run the football.
When in doubt, run the football.
What happened after all of that?
Missouri had the ball first and goal, but a couple of penalties set the team back outside the 14 yard line.
Live Feed
South Bound & Down
What did Mizzou do on 2nd and goal from the 12? They ran the ball. Marcus Murphy ran the ball. He ran it into the end zone for the go ahead score.
What a concept.
With four and a half minutes remaining, Missouri, which had been dominated for almost three quarters, found itself up 21-14.
When Arkansas put together its next drive, it did so impressively, driving right down the field to the 35-yardline. Then, the ultimate moment. The Razorbacks fumbled the ball on a play that was reviewed for over 8 minutes before a collective sigh of relief from Mizzou Nation.
The Tigers held on. And for the second straight year, Missouri will play in the SEC championship game as the East division representative.
All in all, it was a fitting innaugral game to this new born rivalry with Arkansas, and another moment that will be remembered for a long time by Tiger fans everywhere.