Defense solid on third downs

Football can be reduced to simple statements: To win, a defense must make stops on third down to get off the field.

The obvious nature of this statement doesn’t diminish its importance. Missouri’s ability to stop Colorado on third down in the second half keyed the Tigers 17-9 victory Saturday.

After allowing 4-of-6 conversions on third down in the first half, the Tigers stopped the Buffaloes 5-of-6 times in the second half.

“I think everybody knew how important it was,” safety Nino Williams said. “At that point, we were just shooting ourselves in the foot. We were getting them in positions we wanted them, and we were letting it go ourselves.

“We just all point the finger at everybody else playing, and say we got to do it ourselves. And we start taking care of that.”

In the third quarter with the Tigers leading 10-9, they forced the Buffaloes to punt on the fourth play of the series four straight times. After the first three-and-out, quarterback Brad Smith hit Sean Coffey for a 51-yard touchdown pass.

The Tigers entered the game third-best in the Big 12 Conference in opponent’s third-down conversion rate, allowing 26 percent. They allowed Troy and Ball State five conversions on 27 attempts.

On the Buffaloes first scoring drive, a 15-play, 69-yard field goal drive, they hit on three third downs before being stopped at the Tigers’ 4.

In the second half, the Tigers also forced the Buffaloes into longer yardage situations. Better pressure and containment on running back Bobby Purify caused the Buffaloes to have third-and-long yardage.

“We executed better,” coach Gary Pinkel said. “I thought we put a little more pressure on the quarterback in the second half with just a four-man front, and I think that helped us a little bit.”

Even when the Buffaloes had a short-yardage situation in the third quarter, C.J. Mosley stopped tailback Isaiah Crawford on a third-and-1 midway through the third quarter.

Third down conversion is one of the areas the Tigers have improved since last season. They finished 2003 eighth in the Big 12, allowing 41 percent.

Defensive end Xzavie Jackson said the team didn’t make any technical adjustments during halftime, but they did receive a lecture from the coaching staff, including defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus.

“He just yelled at us a lot, and we did our job,” Jackson said.

Williams said after the Tigers turned around their third-down problems, it gave them the confidence necessary to stop Purify.

“If you take away what they want to do and make them one dimensional, it makes the game easier,” he said. “Once we got our third-down conversions down, everything took care of itself.”

Colorado quarterback Joel Klatt said the Tigers’ defense deserves the credit, and the Buffaloes stopped themselves.

“It’s not all on our side,” Klatt said. “It’s not that we shot ourselves in the foot all day. They played well on defense.”

PINKEL’S MENTOR WATCHES:

Pinkel said he felt some pressure for his team to play well with Don James, who coached Pinkel at Kent State, in attendance. Pinkel also worked for 12 seasons as an assistant coach for James at Washington.

Pinkel introduced James to the media and asked the gathering recognize him with applause.

“I wanted to win because he was here. That was something real important to me,” Pinkel said. “I love the guy. He knew me when I was a punk 18-year old. So don’t ask him any questions about me.”

NASH RELINQUISHES SCORING LEAD:

Even though running back Damien Nash scored once, he lost his spot as leader in points scored in the Big 12.

He has 42 points, six less than Texas’ Cedric Benson, who scored three touchdowns in Texas’ 44-14 win against Baylor. The Tigers play at Baylor next Saturday at 9 p.m.

Oklahoma’s Adrian Peterson is third with 36 points. Peterson scored once in the Sooners’ 28-13 win against Texas Tech.

BOWLS REPRESENTED:

Represen-tatives from the Fiesta Bowl and Florida Citrus Sports, which hosts the Tangerine Bowl, attended Saturday’s game.

The Fiesta and Tangerine Bowls represent possible postseason destinations for Big 12 teams. Colorado appeared in the Fiesta Bowl in 2001 after it won the Big 12. Oregon defeated the Buffaloes 38-16.