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| Missouri wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham catches the game-winning touchdown pass with 7 seconds to go in the Tigers' 28-24 upset win over No. 9 Alabama. Photo by Danny Webster - Playstation 3. |
FINAL
Missouri (6-5, 4-4) 28
No. 9 Alabama (8-3, 5-3) 24
TOP PERFORMERS
Franklin (Mizz): 15-of-20, 218 yards, 1 TD, 3 INT
Sims (Ala): 16-of-23, 210 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
Josey (Mizz): 25 carries, 118 yards, 2 TD
Yeldon (Ala): 14 carries, 119 yards
Green-Beckham (Mizz): 6 catches, 73 yards, 1 TD
Lucas (Mizz) 3 catches, 66 yards
Norwood (Ala): 3 catches 75 yards, 1 TD
Cooper (Ala): 2 catches, 53 yards, 1 TD
Gaines (Mizz): 6 tackles, 2 INT, 1 TD
Wilson (Mizz) 7 tackles
Sunseri (Ala): 6 tackles, 2 INT
Clinton-Dix (Ala): 6 tackles
RECAP
After he threw his third interception of the game in the fourth quarter, James Franklin went back to the sidelines and hung his head.
He told his teammates that if he got another shot to win the game, he was going to do it.
"I wasn't going to leave this field this way," Franklin said. "I've given four years to this place. Only thing we could do was go after it."
They did go after it. And for the first time in three years, Missouri is going bowling.
Franklin connected with Dorial Green-Beckham on a 2-yard slant route with 6 seconds remaining to give the Tigers (6-5, 4-4) another upset victory this year by taking down No. 9 Alabama 28-24 to become bowl eligible, and giving their senior quarterback a farewell present on Senior Day.
"I still can't believe we pulled that off," Franklin said. "We beat Alabama. We beat the two-time champs."
Well, sort of. The majority of the Alabama team was there, except for linebacker C.J. Mosley and starting quarterback AJ McCarron.
Blake Sims got the start at quarterback for the Crimson Tide with McCarron out due to bruised ribs. It was clear that the offense was performing much differently than compared to Alabama's original general under center.
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| EJ Gaines picks off his second pass of the day and returns it for a 42-yard touchdown in the third quarter. Photo by Danny Webster - Playstation 3. |
Gaines' second interception came on the second play of the third quarter on 2nd and 5 when Sims misread a route by Amari Cooper and took the ball 42 yards for a Tigers touchdown and a 21-13 lead.
"It's a lot different when McCarron isn't back there," Gaines said. "[Sims] was putting the ball right in my lap on both occasions. Christmas came early for me."
Sims regained his composure on the ensuing drive and found Cooper down the left sideline for a 32-yard touchdown. A 2-point conversion tied the game at 21-21 as both teams entered the fourth quarter.
Franklin struggled for the majority of the afternoon, especially when trying to hit receivers over the middle. His third interception of the day, second by Alabama safety Vinnie Sunseri, came when Franklin tried to hit tight end Eric Waters in the endzone. The Crimson Tide took over at the 13-yard line and got to the 38-yard line of Mizzou. Cade Foster's 55-yard attempt hit off the left upright and bounced inside to give Alabama a 24-21 lead.
The Crimson Tide, surprisingly, struggled against the running game of the Tigers, as Henry Josey recorded another century-mark day, running for 118 yards and two first half touchdowns. Josey carried the ball the majority of the final drive before Mizzou was set in position to win the game at the 2-yard line.
"All I kept thinking was, 'Play smart,'" Smith said. "I told him to keep giving Henry the ball and let him go to work. Only throw it if he needed to."
Franklin only passed twice on the final drive. The second pass was the biggest, calling an audible at the line with the clock running down, and found Green-Beckham one-on-one on the outside for the game-winning touchdown.
Franklin's final game statistically will be forgotten with those three interceptions. It was the touchdown on a rather off day offensively that will be remembered for a long time at Faurot Field in the eyes of Smith.
"I've said it before: If we were close to undefeated, Franklin would be getting Heisman consideration," he said. "He's been clutch all year long. I'm going to miss him, big time."
In Smith's first season as Mizzou head coach, he's beaten two teams ranked in the top-15, including the two-time defending National Champions. He's built the resume to get the Tigers great bowl consideration, now that they've found a way to get win No. 6. Right now, the Tigers are projected to play in the Gator Bowl on Jan. 1 against Michigan State.
Win No. 7 could change that in a heart beat. To do that, Mizzou will need to take on arch rival Texas A&M, who shockingly loss to LSU, and fell to No. 8 in the rankings. The Tigers have a chance to play spoiler and could possibly knock A&M out of any contention for a BCS game.
Smith's response?
"I wouldn't mind playing spoiler," Smith said. "You know what? I'll say it: We're going into College Station and we will beat Texas A&M. We're going to be in a bowl game, and we're going to knock two of our rivals out of BCS games. We will win.
RECRUITING NEWS
Missouri has locked up a running back, but not Jon Johnson just yet.
Ron Jones, a 5-11 speedster from Oklahoma, has committed to Mizzou over Big 12 schools Oklahoma State and Texas. Calvin Smith has been going after diamonds in the rough with his recruiting, and Jones has good speed with the ability to catch passes out of the backfield on 3rd down.
The main target, of course, is Johnson, who now becomes the top prospect on Mizzou's board. It was reported by ESPN on Friday that Johnson ran a 4.25 40 during his workout the other day. His speed is now on notice, and Mizzou seems to be pulling away in that chase.
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