Season 1, Week 14: Aggies Annihilated by Now-Ranked Mizzou

Mizzou wide receiver L'Damian Washington hushes the Texas A&M crowd after a 72-yard touchdown catch gave the Tigers the lead for good. Photo by Danny Webster - Playstation 3

FINAL
No. 24 Missouri (7-5, 5-4) 35
No. 14 Texas A&M (9-3, 6-3) 23

TOP PERFORMERS
Franklin (Mizz): 14-of-19, 229 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT
Manziel (A&M): 17-of-21, 204 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT

Franklin (Mizz): 13 carries, 90 yards, 1 TD
Josey (Mizz): 24 carries, 143 yards, 1 TD

Washington (Mizz): 3 catches, 102 yards, 1 TD
White (Mizz): 5 catches, 56 yards, 1 TD

Gaines (Mizz): 5 tackles, 1 INT
Wilson (Mizz): 4 tackles,1 INT
Matthews (A&M) 7 tackles, 1 INT
Harris (A&M) 6 tackles, 1 FF


RECAP
Calvin Smith might as well bet on parlay cards every week.

He's good at making predictions a week ahead of games.

After Missouri shocked the world and knocked off Alabama on Senior Day, Smith made the bold claim that the Tigers would go to College Station and beat Texas A&M on the road.

Not only did the Tigers win, they dominated the second half and are now in the top-25 in the country because of it.

James Franklin accounted for four of Mizzou's five touchdowns in his final regular season game as Tigers quarterback (three passing, one rushing), and L'Damian Washington reeled in 102 yards on three catches including a 72-yard touchdown to give the now-ranked No. 24 Tigers (7-5, 5-4) their most impressive win this season over the rival Aggies, 35-23.

"Words can't express how proud I am of this team," Smith said. "Even when we were down, we never gave up. In any loss, we never looked back. And now, we're in the top-25 because of it. That's true heart right there."

Tears running down his cheek at the press conference after the game, Smith saw his senior signal caller struggle once again in the early going. Franklin fumbled on Mizzou's first possession of the game, and threw a terrible interception in the second quarter.

But just like he's done all year long, Franklin played great in the second half. He didn't turn the ball over, and threw for two big-time touchdowns to give the Tigers the lead for good. The biggest came on a 72-yard post route by Washington, where he went across the middle and the closest Aggie defender was 20 yards away.

Washington gave the 'quiet' signal to the A&M crowd, and they listened. Mizzou was down four points after, but the Aggies couldn't find the momentum. Two plays into A&M's ensuing drive, reigning Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel was picked off by EJ Gaines, and Mizzou answered with a Marcus Lucas 11-yard touchdown to take the lead into the fourth quarter.

"I feel like I haven't said this at all this year: I'm so proud of our defense," Smith said. "To keep a guy like Manziel in check all game long is something extraordinary. Picked him off twice, sacked him six times. That's a great effort."

The six sacks on Manziel were the most by the Tigers defense this year, as were the two picks. Andrew Wilson came away with the second interception with Mizzou up 11 in the fourth quarter.

It was a ho-hum day as well for Mizzou's leading receiver, Dorial Green-Beckham. He caught three passes for 45 yards, but he eclipsed the 100-catch mark on the year, and is at 101. He still needs 254 yards to break the single season record by a receiver, but he's projected around the country as the Biletnikoff winner regardless.

"I'll take that any day of the week," Green-Beckham said. "I don't care if I only come away with one catch. For us to get a win like we did today, I'll take zero in a game if I need to."

The A&M defense did a great job containing DGB on the outside, but it was Darius White and Washington picking up the slack and providing that boost for Franklin in the passing game.

Henry Josey went over the century mark for the fourth straight game, tallying 143 yards and a touchdown. He's also nearing the top-10 nation's leaders in rushing with 1,291, and only a shade over 100 yards from Heisman Finalist, LSU running back Jeremy Hill.

"You know I talk a lot about James, but what Henry has done this last month, running the football the way he has, I'm so glad he has one more year," Smith said. "With our crop of running backs coming in, they can learn so much from him. Not just as a player, but a person."

A month ago, if you had asked anyone on the roster 'Should Mizzou be ranked right now if they finished the deal?', the response was always the same: "We don't think of it that way."

Now, the Tigers think of it that way.

"It just shows that people love how hard we've fought," Franklin said. "We're not going for the Sugar Bowl or anything, but to at least get some respect is something I love."

The Tigers will wait to see not only who they're playing, but what bowl game they'll be playing in. Depending on how the SEC Championship game goes, that could change everything. The Tigers will more than likely fall to fourth in the conference depending on how the LSU/South Carolina game goes.

Projections had Mizzou facing Michigan State in the Gator Bowl, but latest projections show the Tigers could be in the Chick-fil-A Bowl against Maryland on Dec. 31.

"No matter where we go, we're going to love being there," Smith said. "We played our asses off all year long to get here. Why stop now?"


NO RECRUITS THIS WEEK. NEXT POST WILL BE BOWL GAME PREVIEW.