24 BIG 12
ISSOURITIGERS
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Missouri quarterback Blaine Gabbert is sacked by Baylor's Tracy Robertson, left, during the fourth quarter of their game last Saturday in Columbia, Mo. Baylor won the game 40-32.
Missouri stalls after big half
By Sean Leahy The Maneater
COLUMBIA, Mo. — What started as a game to remember for Missouri's offense quickly turned into one to forget for the entire team.
After scoring 27 points by halftime, Misouri managed five points the rest of the game as Baylor took charge in the second half for a 40-32 come-from-behind win in front of 65,298 people at Faurot Field.
"We're all pretty ticked off," sophomore quarterback Blaine Gabbert said. "That's a game we should have won. We just kind of threw it out the door."
With the loss, the Tigers fall to 1-4 in the Big 12 and 5-4 overall. It is their third straight loss at Faurot Field and first-ever defeat at the hands of Baylor since the formation of the Big 12.
As for the Bears, the win was their first in Big 12 play this season and snapped a fourgame losing streak.
With the Missouri offense stuck in neutral, the Bears clawed from a 27-16 halftime deficit to end the third quarter behind 29-26. Two fourth quarter touchdowns gave the Bears the lead for good.
The Tigers' offensive output in the first half made the second half doldrums look even more dramatic.
"Your guts are torn out," coach Gary Pinkel said. "The beauty of this business, you generally get what you deserve. And we didn't deserve to win the football game."
"Obviously what we're doing isn't working," Pinkel said. "I've taken a lot of great pride in fixing problems. And if you don't fix them, you're sitting right where we're at."
Gabbert and senior wide receiver Danario Alexander lit up the stat sheet with their
first-half performances. Gabbert threw for 322 yards, and Alexander had 11 catches for 171 yards. That number of catches was already a career best for Alexander, but the Missouri single-game record of 16 catches didn't seem far out of reach.
Along with the performance of the offense as a whole, the two saw their production curtail in the second half. Alexander still finished with a career high in receiving yards (214) and catches (13), but thought his performance took a backseat to the game's outcome.
"It was a career day, but we've got to get the win" Alexander said.
Gabbert finished with 468 yards passing and 30 completions — both career highs.
"We came out in the first half and everything was going pretty good," Alexander said. "We came out in the second half and we just didn't get it together."
Pinkel's shortfalls too much to handle
By Matt Gerstner The Maneater
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Look, Gary Pinkel.
Things just aren't working out. I'm ending this relationship. It's over.
It's not you, it's me. Wait, no. That's a lie. It is you.
You just don't have your crap together. You're not giving me any effort anymore. You're not trying. Your offense is a disaster. Your defense is inconsistent. Your quarterback is the newly discovered reciprocal of Iowa junior quarterback Ricky Stanzi (good in the first half,atrocious in the second). You just threw away a perfect opportunity to win the Big 12 North.
The rest of the North basically handed it to you. All I asked you to do was win four lousy games. It wasn't like I asked you to give me the moon. It was Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas State and Kansas. Was that too much to ask for?
Where's your excuse? There isn't one. Your secondary is some of the worst I've seen, and I sat through Kansas City Chiefs' games when they had Greg Robinson as their defensive coordinator. You've got to figure something out.
But no. You can't even beat Baylor. You let that nobody freshman quarterback Nick Florence walk all over you.
Sophomore quarterback Blaine Gabbert can't seem to finish a game. You don't know when to use the run. You don't need to be Miss Cleo to know when you're going to run. It's so obvious.
You're not even trying. Your preparation is terrible. I thought we moved on from Bowling Green. It seems not.
Look Gare-Bear, you're a good guy. You get me a lot of things (players). You're a great recruiter — one of the best I've ever seen.
But your coaching is what's driving us apart. I'm past beginning to think it's just the players you have that get you where you are. But when you're faced with opposition, you just fold up. I can't have that kind of man in my life.
Maybe I'll see you in Kansas City against Kansas on Nov. 28, but I can't make any promises. Goodbye, Gary.
THE WAVE NOVEMBER 13,2009
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN