Missouri Tigers' Late Collapse Against Nebraska Doesn't Have to Linger

The backdrop was ominous. An all-day dreariness had befallen Columbia, Mo., bringing dark, thunderous clouds that would part only to give way to the unrelenting sheet of rain that pelted Faurot Field and caused spotty power outages across town.

But none of that seemed to bother the water-logged crowd of nearly 66,000, which sported everything from waterproof body paint to childish flotation devices to keep the precipitation at bay.

Energized by their raucous army of supporters, the Missouri Tigers also withstood the elements, sloshing their way to a 12-0 lead through three quarters against Nebraska Thursday night.

It wasn't always pretty, as a frustrating number of absent-minded penalties halted progress, but a dominating Missouri defense received just enough help from its offensive counterparts to give a national audience an unexpected performance.

Regardless of the conditions, Nebraska—a three-point favorite—was largely expected to exploit the unbeaten Tigers en route to a win that would not only place the Huskers in the Big 12 North driver's seat, but put them one step closer to re-establishing dominance on a national scale.

But here were the Tigers, a team thought to have been too busy rebuilding to compete, gambling on a last-second fourth-and-goal situation and riding a surprisingly stout defensive performance to carry a commanding two-score advantage into the late stages of a game deprived of offense.

But the No. 21 Cornhuskers, which had been outscored by 70 points over its past two meetings with Missouri and had not won in Columbia since 2001, weren't content on letting three lackluster quarters diminish the opportunity of dominating the fourth.

"We just kept fighting," Nebraska coach Bo Pelini said of his team's 27-12 come-from-behind win. "In conditions like that you have take advantage of your opportunities. They took advantage in the first half, and we were able to get that done in the fourth quarter."

Ah yes, the fourth quarter. The most important quarter of all. And the one in which games are won or lost on more occasions than any other.

Despite a number of deficiencies that were exposed after being shrouded by a mostly non-threatening first four games, Missouri stayed afloat for the first 45 minutes Thursday. Over the final 15, however, the Tigers finally succumbed to the weight of their flaws.

After cruising through non-conference play mistake-free, sophomore quarterback Blaine Gabbert, facing his most talented opponent to date, panicked under a fierce Nebraska pass rush and seemed zapped off the calm and poise with which he guided Missouri to four consecutive wins.

When it was all said and done, the Big 12's leader in passing efficiency had completed just 39 percent of its passes and thrown a pair of devastating interceptions—on consecutive throws— in the game's final quarter that generously aided Nebraska's furious comeback.

Behind a work-in-progress offensive line, the Missouri running game once again stalled. And, once again, the Tigers' inability to run the ball effectively, instead of helping milk the clock, allowed the opponent to grind away at the Missouri lead.

An overmatched line failed to win the battle at the line of scrimmage, often getting blown up in the process, and creases in the defense were virtually non-existent.

Junior running back Derrick Washington amassed 80 yards, his second-highest total of the season, but he touched the ball only four times in the fourth quarter, including a 23-yard scamper that came in the game's waning seconds.

When Nebraska's lead began to swell, the Tigers didn't all together abandon the run—as some, including myself, had originally thought. Down by only eight points with less than 10 minutes remaining, Missouri made a push to the tie the game with an 11-play drive that featured six runs versus five passes, resorting to splitting carries between No. 2 running back De'Vion Moore and Gabbert, who appeared somewhat dazed after tossing his first interceptions of the season.

All things considered, though, 91 yards on 35 carries and a 2.6-yard average won't get it done—no matter the opponent.

Granted, Gabbert's untimely interceptions put the unit in a pair of seemingly inescapable holes, but Missouri's defense didn't produce a stop when it needed one the most. After imposing its will on Nebraska with numerous blitzes and solid showings from the secondary and defensive line, the defense fell victim to a blown coverage that so crippled the 2008 unit and failed to generate a takeaway in the fourth quarter for the fourth time this season.

And with the game still in the balance, the front seven wasn't able to produce enough push up front to stop Nebraska on a number of critical third-and-short situations.

And there's the intangibles, or lack thereof. Previously the least penalized team in the Big 12, at five per game, Missouri committed several infractions that can be chalked up to nothing but sheer stupidity, including a number of ill-timed holding and personal foul penalties that routinely killed scoring drives and reversed momentum.

Compounding the frustration was head coach Gary Pinkel's inferior leadership on the sidelines after halftime. Not exactly a master of making adjustments, Pinkel, in conjunction with offensive coordinator David Yost, did admirably stay devoted to the running game—however inept it may have. 

But after a crippling holding penalty stalled a crucial fourth-quarter drive that was fueled by a number of successful runs, Pinkel curiously rolled the dice on a desperate 4th-and-20 call from the Nebraska 32 yard line. Rather than attempt a 50-yard field goal or pin the Huskers deep with a punt, Pinkel put pressure on his struggling young quarterback and a beleaguered offensive line to pull off the low-percentage conversion, playing right into the hands of Pelini and the Huskers.

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