Earning their respect

Missouri players said Colorado didn’t respect the Tigers’ defense.

Despite giving up only one touchdown Saturday, Missouri defensive end Brian Smith said having the Buffaloes try for first downs four times on fourth down was like being slapped in the face.

Luckily for Missouri, the defense didn’t actually get slapped, and players shouldn’t have problems smiling after their 28-13 victory. The team is ranked for the first time in both polls this season. The Tigers are No. 23 in AP’s rankings and No. 25 in the coaches’ rankings. They are also the only undefeated team in the Big 12 Conference.

Colorado outgained Missouri in total yards 373 to 353 but couldn’t come up with yards when they needed them on fourth down.

The Buffaloes turned the ball over five times Saturday because of loss of downs. Four times the Tigers stopped Colorado’s offense, and the other time, punter Matt DiLallo fumbled the snap before Sean Weatherspoon and Steve Redmond tackled him for a 20-yard loss.

Dan Hawkins, Colorado’s first-year coach, said he risked going for it on fourth down multiple times to try to motivate his now 0-5 squad.

“At some point, you have to play to win and not play to lose,” Hawkins said. “When you are trying to push these guys a little bit over the edge and to believe in themselves, you have to take some selected opportunities where you say, ‘Hey, I believe in you, and we have to go right now.’”

The Buffaloes’ first fourth-down conversion attempt came early in the second quarter. The team drove from their own 9 down to the Missouri 5 to end the first quarter. Then, after an incomplete pass and two rush attempts, it was fourth-and-goal on the 4.

“In the back of my mind, I knew they were going to do it,” Dedrick Harrington said of Colorado’s strategy. “I was kind of thinking ‘OK three-and-out let’s get off the field.’ But in the back of my mind, I knew they were going to bring everything they had today, because they had something to prove as well as we do.”

Smith said he felt disrespected when the offense stayed on the field.

“I just told everybody, ‘This is like a slap in the face. Let’s go,’” Smith said. “I was out there on the field. I was telling everybody, ‘Lets go, y’all. See, they are trying to slap us in the face with this. It is total disrespect.’”

Colorado failed and came out with no points.

“You got to believe in your guys a little bit,” Hawkins said. “We had a chance to make a play. We didn’t. Shoot, we make that play, it’s 10-14. You look smart.”

Colorado’s other attempts on fourth down were also in Missouri territory. All three were incomplete passes, though the Buffaloes fourth-and-2 attempt from the Missouri 47 should have been converted. Dan Goettsch dropped a wide-open pass from Bernard Jackson.

“We made some big stands, but I’m kind of disappointed that it took them to get on our side of the field for us to make a stand,” Smith said. “We were really lacking in our three-and-out today.”

MULTITASKING: Tommy Saunders had a busy day Saturday.

The sophomore wide receiver caught a pass, threw a pass and was Missouri’s punt returner against Colorado.

Saunders made a big play early in the game when he bounced off a tackle on third down to go 13 yards for a first down on the Tigers’ opening drive. Missouri went on to score a touchdown on the drive.

Later in the game, Saunders was part of an unsuccessful trick play. Chase Daniel threw a quick screen pass to Saunders, who then attempted to find Daniel on the other side of the field. The pass was incomplete.

Saunders’ biggest impact might have been on punt returns. He replaced Marcus Woods, who has muffed multiple punts this season, and Pig Brown, who has a sore ankle. On DiLallo’s first successful punt of the game, Saunders returned the kick 41 yards.

“I lost it in the sun so I was like, ‘I’ll just try to get it off the bounce.’” Saunders said. “It had a good bounce and bounced to me and I got some great blocks.”

The return was Missouri’s best of the year. Before Saunders return, the Tigers had just 69 yards on 14 punt returns.

Saunders said it was great to be so involved in the game plan.

“He played good today,” Daniel said. “He knocked some heads today on that punt return and made a huge third down catch.”

CHASING A RECORD: After Saturday’s game, Chase Daniel said he had no idea what the Missouri season record for touchdowns passes is.

Daniel might want to open the record book, because his name could be in it again. He has 13 touchdown passes after the Colorado game. Terry McMillian set the record at 18 in 1969. Daniel set the game touchdown passes record of five against Murray State.

“Let’s just keep on going, just keep going. Come on,” Daniel said when informed of the mark.

The sophomore quarterback has a good chance of breaking the record before the Tigers next play in Columbia on Oct. 21.

“We don’t want to focus about that,” Daniel said of his chances of setting it next week against Texas Tech. “We just want to focus on what we are doing.”

LAUGHING MATTER: Tony Temple could only laugh when asked if he thought he finally scored a touchdown this season.

On a second-and-nine play late in the second quarter, Daniel, on the run, connected with Temple on a pass in the end zone for what looked to be a touchdown. However, Daniel threw the ball past the line of scrimmage, so Missouri was penalized five yards and lost a down.

“I thought I had it,” Temple said. “I was kind of shocked. I kind of had the ball like something has to be wrong.”

Temple, the team’s leading rusher with 526 yards, said not having a touchdown is starting to get to be funny for him.

“I went to the sidelines and was laughing about it,” Temple said. “I can’t win. It’s going to happen sooner or later, hopefully.”

Ten different Tigers have touchdowns this season, including fellow tailbacks Marcus Woods, Jimmie Jackson and Earl Goldsmith.