Kansas eliminates Missouri from bowl contention
By R.B. FALLSTROM\AP Sports Writer
Nov 20, 2004 - 22:25:00 CST
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) - Kansas finished on a positive note and made sure it will be a long winter for Missouri.
Fourth-string quarterback Brad Luke threw for 239 yards and two touchdowns, helping the Jayhawks end a 13-game Big 12 road losing streak with a 31-14 victory on Saturday. Before Missouri rallied in the fourth quarter, Kansas dominated.
"It wasn't our intention to spoil anybody's season," coach Mark Mangino said. "Our intention was to come here and play well."
Clark Green had 118 yards on 32 carries and a touchdown as Kansas (4-7, 2-6 Big 12) snapped a four-game losing streak and ended its season by winning for only the second time in the last nine games. The Jayhawks saved their best for last, beating Missouri for the second straight year and tying the nation's second-oldest series at 52-52-9.
"We wanted to prove to everybody that we're a good team and can beat a quality opponent," linebacker Nick Reid said. "We were fired up."
Missouri (4-6, 2-5) had entered the game with an outside shot at advancing to the Big 12 championship game and staying alive for a bowl but got its offense untracked too late with a pair of fourth-quarter touchdown catches by Sean Coffey. James Kinney set a career school tackles record for the Tigers, who have lost five in a row with one game remaining next week at Iowa State.
Six times during his postgame news conference, coach Gary Pinkel said he was responsible for the collapse.
"I'm not doing a very good job of coaching," Pinkel said. "This is probably the lowest point in my coaching career."
Missouri has blown three double-digit leads this season, squandering a 21-0 lead two weeks ago in a 35-24 loss to Kansas State. This time the Tigers couldn't recover from a 21-0 second-quarter deficit.
"You shouldn't need any pep talks, you shouldn't need any pampering," safety Nino Williams said. "You should have that same fire, week in and week out, and as you can see we didn't have it starting off."
Last year, Kansas' 35-14 victory over Missouri in Lawrence, Kan., ended the Tigers' 4-0 season-opening run. This year, the Jayhawks beat both Kansas State and Missouri for the first time since 1989.
Luke, a junior, got his first career start after injuries to the three quarterbacks ahead of him on the depth chart. He was at his best in the first half, going 14-for-17 for 128 yards.
Last week, Luke was 14-for-25 for 225 yards and a touchdown in a four-point loss to Texas after third-string quarterback John Nielsen was hurt.
"Just like last week, I wanted to come into this game real levelheaded and not let emotions get to me," Luke said. "It's nice to come in and have the offense do their part and really help me succeed."
Kansas bottled up Missouri quarterback Brad Smith, a preseason Heisman Trophy hopeful, for the second straight year until the fourth quarter, sacking him six times. Smith was 15-for-40 for 262 yards, most of it after the game was out of reach, and had minus-41 yards rushing on 13 carries, a year after the Jayhawks held him to 95 total yards.
"They had a good pass rush," Smith said. "Whatever they did, they did a good job of it."
Coffey's receptions of 34 and 11 yards gave him a school-record 10 touchdown catches this season, but Missouri was held to minus-6 yards rushing on 27 attempts.
Green scored on a 12-yard run in the first quarter, Brandon Rideau caught an 8-yard scoring pass early in the second quarter, and his 24-yard reception set up a 1-yard run by Austine Nwabuisi for a 21-0 lead with 3:42 left in the half. Rideau had eight catches for 100 yards.
Missouri didn't make it into Kansas territory until 1:18 remaining in the first half, but Adam Crossett missed on a 46-yard field goal after a 16-yard sack by David McMillan.
Kinney, a senior linebacker, had 10 tackles and has 416 for his career, breaking the previous mark of 415 set by DeMontie Cross from 1994-96.
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Fourth-string quarterback Brad Luke threw for 239 yards and two touchdowns, helping the Jayhawks end a 13-game Big 12 road losing streak with a 31-14 victory on Saturday. Before Missouri rallied in the fourth quarter, Kansas dominated.
"It wasn't our intention to spoil anybody's season," coach Mark Mangino said. "Our intention was to come here and play well."
Clark Green had 118 yards on 32 carries and a touchdown as Kansas (4-7, 2-6 Big 12) snapped a four-game losing streak and ended its season by winning for only the second time in the last nine games. The Jayhawks saved their best for last, beating Missouri for the second straight year and tying the nation's second-oldest series at 52-52-9.
"We wanted to prove to everybody that we're a good team and can beat a quality opponent," linebacker Nick Reid said. "We were fired up."
Missouri (4-6, 2-5) had entered the game with an outside shot at advancing to the Big 12 championship game and staying alive for a bowl but got its offense untracked too late with a pair of fourth-quarter touchdown catches by Sean Coffey. James Kinney set a career school tackles record for the Tigers, who have lost five in a row with one game remaining next week at Iowa State.
Six times during his postgame news conference, coach Gary Pinkel said he was responsible for the collapse.
"I'm not doing a very good job of coaching," Pinkel said. "This is probably the lowest point in my coaching career."
Missouri has blown three double-digit leads this season, squandering a 21-0 lead two weeks ago in a 35-24 loss to Kansas State. This time the Tigers couldn't recover from a 21-0 second-quarter deficit.
"You shouldn't need any pep talks, you shouldn't need any pampering," safety Nino Williams said. "You should have that same fire, week in and week out, and as you can see we didn't have it starting off."
Last year, Kansas' 35-14 victory over Missouri in Lawrence, Kan., ended the Tigers' 4-0 season-opening run. This year, the Jayhawks beat both Kansas State and Missouri for the first time since 1989.
Luke, a junior, got his first career start after injuries to the three quarterbacks ahead of him on the depth chart. He was at his best in the first half, going 14-for-17 for 128 yards.
Last week, Luke was 14-for-25 for 225 yards and a touchdown in a four-point loss to Texas after third-string quarterback John Nielsen was hurt.
"Just like last week, I wanted to come into this game real levelheaded and not let emotions get to me," Luke said. "It's nice to come in and have the offense do their part and really help me succeed."
Kansas bottled up Missouri quarterback Brad Smith, a preseason Heisman Trophy hopeful, for the second straight year until the fourth quarter, sacking him six times. Smith was 15-for-40 for 262 yards, most of it after the game was out of reach, and had minus-41 yards rushing on 13 carries, a year after the Jayhawks held him to 95 total yards.
"They had a good pass rush," Smith said. "Whatever they did, they did a good job of it."
Coffey's receptions of 34 and 11 yards gave him a school-record 10 touchdown catches this season, but Missouri was held to minus-6 yards rushing on 27 attempts.
Green scored on a 12-yard run in the first quarter, Brandon Rideau caught an 8-yard scoring pass early in the second quarter, and his 24-yard reception set up a 1-yard run by Austine Nwabuisi for a 21-0 lead with 3:42 left in the half. Rideau had eight catches for 100 yards.
Missouri didn't make it into Kansas territory until 1:18 remaining in the first half, but Adam Crossett missed on a 46-yard field goal after a 16-yard sack by David McMillan.
Kinney, a senior linebacker, had 10 tackles and has 416 for his career, breaking the previous mark of 415 set by DeMontie Cross from 1994-96.