The Missouri Tigers just didn’t have the right stuff.
They didn’t have a good game plan. They didn’t have the discipline. They didn’t have the offense in the first half. And, in all fairness, they just didn’t have the talent that the team on the other side has.
Dec 6, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Missouri Tigers wide receiver Bud Sasser (21) is tackled by Alabama Crimson Tide defensive back Landon Collins (26) in the third quarter of the 2014 SEC Championship at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
And all of that amounted to what was a loud statement from the opposition, a 42-13 win for the No. 1 team in the nation, the Alabama Crimson Tide.
The phrase we’ve heard over and over from the College Football Playoff committee to describe how teams can be in their good graces is “game control.” Alabama had plenty of game control in this one.
While hard-fought, and competitive at times, the affair was more of the equivalent of being beaten in the face with a blunt object than a “game.” Mizzou just flat out got out played. And it lost to a clearly better team.
One could have seen the one-sided score coming from a mile away after the opening drive. Alabama gutted the Tiger defense in a 69-yard drive that took less time than a 5-yard drive. The Tide jumped out to a 7-0 lead. And they never looked back.
Mizzou had multiple opportunities to stay in the game. After a couple of three and outs on offense, and allowing the lead to go to 14-0, the Tigers looked like they were going to find their groove.
Dec 6, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Missouri Tigers head coach Gary Pinkel on the sideline against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the first quarter of the 2014 SEC Championship Game at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
But each time they converted a big play, they reverted back to the mistake-laden, undisciplined team that we watched lose at home to a dreadful Indiana team or the one that lost 34-0 to Georgia. A smorgasbord of bad penalties, bad wide open throws and big plays being called back by the yellow penalty flag kept Mizzou from making progress.
A dropped pass– one of many– led to the Tigers’ first points coming from the foot of Andrew Baggot instead of a possible touchdown. Mizzou trailed 14-3.
The defense chimed in with mistakes of its own as well. None were bigger than the roughing-the-passer call on Shane Ray that was tacked with a targeting infraction. Ray- by far MU’s best and most important player– was ejected. For the ultimate salt in the wounds, that happened on a 37-yard touchdown throw from Bama quarterback Blake Sims to Heisman trophy candidate Amari Cooper.
Mizzou would continue the trend of bad mistakes all night. They were called for three “illegal man down field” penalties and two “personal foul late hit out of bounds” penalties.
With that, you just can’t beat the No. 1 team in the nation when you spend the whole game beating yourself. Regardless of the talent and the bright spots for Mizzou that we’ve seen this year, the team just didn’t show up prepared.
Dec 6, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Missouri Tigers quarterback Maty Mauk (7) rolls out against the Alabama Crimson Tide in the second quarter of the 2014 SEC Championship Game at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Missouri must be given credit for its heart. The Tigers never gave in. After Alabama took a 21-3 lead into the half, it was a valiant effort by the SEC East champs.
Missouri came out of the locker room and looked legitimate for three straight drives, thanks in part to some brilliant wizardry by quarterback Maty Mauk, who hit his hot target Jimi Hunt for two huge deep pass plays on separate drives that allowed the Tigers to pull within eight points. But 21-13 would be as close as Mizzou could come.
Bama poured it on after that. The Crimson Tide made Mizzou pay for their costly mistakes. The final one was Hunt’s fumble on what was previously highly successful drive. Nail in the coffin.
For the second straight year, Mizzou sent its fans home from Atlanta in heartbreak. No dice. There would be no giant upset, no David over Goliath. Bama showed why it’s the nation’s top-ranked team. They came with a game plan that couldn’t be beat. They used Cooper and running back T. J. Yeldon to pound it away, keep the Tiger defense on the field and scored touchdowns, not field goals.
South Bound & Down
On the other side, MU made some good plays. But for the entirety of the game, it was one step forward and two steps back. And much in the same way they fell to Auburn last season in the same building, the Tigers couldn’t stop the force of better coaching and better talent.
Next up for Bama, a college football playoff and a shot at the National Championship. For Missouri, another quality bowl game to cap a very successful season. But this one hurts for Tiger fans. Mizzou played its hearts out and there is a lot to be proud of– and a lot to look froward to. This one just wasn’t their day.
In the end, Missouri couldn’t get out of its own way.