20 BIG 12
MISSOURI TIGERS
Senior receivers play big in Missouri's victory
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Missouri quarterback Blaime Gabbert runs across the goal line to score a touchdown against Furman in the second quarter last Saturday in Columbia, Mo. The Tigers won 52-12.
By Alan Scher Zagier Associated Press
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Jared Perry came to Missouri weighing under 150 pounds — a good-sized team manager, but hardly sturdy enough for the rigors of Big 12 football.
Fellow wide receiver Danario Alexander, at 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds, had the physical tools but spent two of his first three seasons hindered by serious injuries.
On Saturday, the seniors combined for 10 catches, four of which went for touchdowns in Missouri's 52-12 defeat of Furman. They also hooked up on the game's signature play, a 40-yard pass from Alexander to Perry that began with a crossfield lateral to Alexander from quarterback Blaine Gabbert.
"I've been waiting for this opportunity," said Perry, who had 37 catches as a freshman, but faltered a year later with the arrival of star receiver Jeremy Maclin and the emergence of tight end Chase Coffman. Both now play in the NFL.
Alexander also took a step back after some early success, missing three games with a wrist injury in 2007 before tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in that season's Big 12 title game against Oklahoma.
The severe knee injury — he had two more surgeries after the initial operation — continued to hamper his effectiveness in 2008.
"They've had their injuries and they've had their tough times," said Missouri coach Gary Pinkel. "Both of them had their ups and downs."
Gabbert, a sophomore, added a 40-yard scoring run to his three TD passes, tying a career high set two weeks earlier against Illinois.
He completed 17 of 25 passes for 256 yards with no interceptions.
Perry, now listed at 180 pounds, added a 48-yard TD catch and set career highs with seven catches for 161 yards. Alexander also caught two touchdown passes in the first half.
Missouri (3-0) led 42-0 at halftime before Furman (2-1), a member of the Football Championship Subdivision, scored on a 21-yard pass from Jordan Sorrells to Tyler Maples midway through the third quarter. Sorrells completed 24 of 39 passes for 250 yards with one touchdown and an interception for the Southern Conference team.
Missouri travels to Nevada on Friday for its final non-conference game before returning home on Oct. 8 to face No.19 Nebraska in the conference opener for both teams.
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THE WAVE SEPTEMBER 25, 2009
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN