The 4 th ranked Missouri Tigers snapped a 30-year, 15 game losing streak at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, beating the Cornhuskers 52-17. The win moves Missouri to 5-0, 1-0 while Nebraska falls to 3-2, 0-1.
Missouri’s offense proved to be too much as Bo Pelini’s Huskers looked confused at times on defense. There were a couple occasions when Pelini could be seen yelling at his defense players, for what I’m assuming may have been blown assignments.
The first game on the Tigers’ third play from scrimmage when Chase Daniel hit Jeremy Maclin on a slant pattern to not only convert a third down, but then Maclin burned the NU secondary for a 58 yard touchdown run and Mizzou led just :59 into the game.
Pelini talked about controlling the clock by trying to establish the run, hoping it would open up the play action game for Joe Ganz. It was working early on as Ganz completed his first six passes and on the Huskers first offensive series, Ganz found Nate Swift in the endzone for a 20 yard touchdown pass to tie the game.
After that, the Huskers would be shut down. I’m not sure why the Huskers continued to try to run against the Tigers who have a really solid run defense, especially after Mizzou went up 17-7 on a three yard touchdown run by Derrick Washington and then a 48 yard wind-aided field goal by Jeff Wolfert…although Wolfert doesn’t need much help from that range.
After Mizzou held NU again, the Tiger offense went back to work and scored again to go up 24-7 on a touchdown run Jimmy Jackson. Then, sensing the need to start throwing, Ganz forced the issue deep in his own end getting picked off by Mizzou linebacker Brock Christopher who went in untouched from 17 yards and just like that Missouri was up 31-7.
Alex Henery added a late first half field goal to make it 31-10, but by then it was clear to see Missouri was in control. Their defense held Nebraska to just four rushing yards in the first half, they came up with the interception and after Mizzou had gone up 14-7, got two sacks of Ganz which knocked the Huskers out of field goal range.
Missouri tailback Derrick Washington would get three scores and pick up 139 yards on 14 carries. He added his second touchdown of the game in the third on a seven yard touchdown pass when Daniel picked up an NU blitz and dumped it off to Washington.
Then Washington would add a 43 yard touchdown run late in the third quarter. Then to add insult to injury after a Roy Helu fumble that Missouri recovered at the NU 26, Daniel hit Danario Alexander with a beautiful touch pass right on the shoulder over two defenders in the endzone for a 26 yard strike.
Daniel, who did not play the entire fourth quarter finished with three TDs on 18 of 23 passing for 253 yards.
Joe Ganz 26 of 38 for 290 with two touchdowns and an INT. As a team, Nebraska’s run game was shut down, only 79 yards on 35 carries for a 2.3 yards per carry average.
