ChiefsPlanet - Mizzou doesn’t need to apologize for win

Mizzou doesn’t need to apologize for win

BLAIR KERKHOFF

COLUMBIA | If a two-touchdown triumph by 13th-ranked Missouri over last-place Iowa State doesn’t meet an expectation, then you haven’t paid attention to this season, or recent Tigers history.

Chase Daniel has.

“A win is a win,” said Daniel, the Missouri quarterback. “You see all the upsets, all the people losing. Any win is a good win.”

Kentucky, blown out at home Saturday, would love to have been Mizzou. Virginia Tech would have traded identities with the Tigers in a heartbeat after falling Thursday.

Heck, last year’s Missouri would have swapped places with this team when it came to the Cyclones. Mizzou blew that one, an outcome that served as the annual head-shaker and left the faithful wondering whether the program would ever advance to a championship level.

It moved closer Saturday in the 42-28 decision. In a game wedged between a run of three ranked opponents and a difficult chore at Colorado, Missouri took care of business by assuming control early, responding to counterpunches, never letting the Cyclones believe they could win the game. That’s how winning programs do it.

“We’d like to win all these games 40-6 and eat hot dogs in the fourth quarter, but that’s not football,” Tigers coach Gary Pinkel said.

Oh, for the days of Barry Switzer dripping mustard on his Oklahoma shirt while his starters had their shoulder pads off in the second half of those old Big Eight blowouts.

Today, everybody has players, even the 1-8 Cyclones. Freshman running back Alexander Robinson, who entered the game with 74 yards on his career ledger, went Walter Payton on the Tigers with 149 yards. Quarterback Bret Meyer started his 45th straight game. Wide receiver Todd Blythe became the school’s career leading receiver. Those guys and others have played in bowl games and have been closer to a division championship than the Tigers.

But Iowa State was so uninspiring, 10,010 MU fans who attended last weekend’s celebrated romp of Texas Tech stayed away from Faurot on a glorious afternoon. Sensing indifference, Pinkel added motivation to last week’s practice plan.

“All week long it was ‘Don’t let down, don’t look down the road,’ ” Daniel said.

So big-play guys did what they do. Daniel completed most of his passes, although a bad throw resulted in a pick-six that gave Iowa State early life.

Wide receiver Jeremy Maclin flashed his sprinter’s speed on a reverse for a touchdown. End Stryker Sulak caused a fumble that tackle Lorenzo Williams fell on for a touchdown. Running back Tony Temple, back from an ankle sprain, looked smooth on his carries.

Tight end Martin Rucker was best of all. The numbers — seven catches for 66 yards and a determined touchdown — don’t begin to measure his impact. He’s a matchup nightmare who constantly commands a defense’s attention. Daniel suggested Rucker was the team’s top Heisman candidate, and he may be right.

Now, some adversity. Safety Pig Brown is lost for the season with an Achilles’ tear. He had emerged as the Tigers’ stopper in his senior year, his first as a starter. Twice Brown had been chosen Big 12 player of the week and he was headed to an all-conference selection.

As much as his play, Brown had become the Tigers’ defensive spirit, the rally-around guy. Remember, defense was Missouri’s question mark entering this promising season, and Brown started providing answers from the start with his field-length fumble return and game-saving interception against Illinois.

Now, the Tigers must absorb the shock for the stretch run of a season with all of the goals intact.

Like putting away a pesky underdog, this also is what championship level programs do.