Tigers pass ‘another barrier’ with win over Kansas State

Missouri’s football team did more than beat Kansas State.

Entering the game, fans and the media would not let either team forget the 13 straight losses the Tigers had suffered against the Wildcats before Saturday’s 41-21 victory at Faurot Field.

Before the game, most of the Tigers coaches and players said the losing streak didn’t mean anything. After, they were happy to talk about beating the Wildcats for the first time since 1993.

“When I took this job, there were some inherent barriers,” Missouri coach Gary Pinkel said. “There have been a lot of them, and I have contributed to this certainly as the head coach here the last five years. But this is another barrier that we have finally got through, and I’m glad that it’s over with.”

After the game, Will Franklin, the Tigers’ top receiver, said the streak was weighing heavily on the upperclassmen.

“A lot of us, the older guys, we had a chip on our shoulder the last two years and wanted to go out and get that over with,” Franklin said.

Franklin and Pinkel said beating Nebraska was as another obstacle the program has recently overcome. Before Missouri’s 41-24 victory against the Cornhuskers in 2003, the Tigers had lost 24 straight times to Nebraska.

Perhaps more than anything, the Tigers got back to winning Saturday, bouncing back from a loss to Texas A&M on Oct. 14.

“It didn’t really matter who it was against, as long as we got the win after the loss,” linebacker Marcus Bacon said.

LET IT RAIN: If Franklin had his way, the Tigers would never have to play in bad weather. The junior said he prefers to play when it is 60 degrees and sunny.

Pinkel said he sees things differently.

“I wanted two days of rain, and fortunately, the last two weeks, one Tuesday and last week on Wednesday, we got rain,” Pinkel said. “I prayed for some nasty weather and we got nasty weather both those days.”

Franklin said practicing in the rain helped Missouri prepare for the bad weather against Kansas State.

“That helped us out a lot, just being in it all week knowing what we were going to face come Saturday,” Franklin said. “It prepares you and gave you a mental edge.”

Cornerback Darnell Terrell, who had an interception Saturday, said the rain didn’t impact his play, because he tried to focus on what plays the coaches were calling and playing defense.

“You may need to take it into consideration, but you can’t think about it,” Terrell said.

After the game, tight end Martin Rucker said it felt great to be back in dry clothes.

“We went out there for the last punt, and I was like ‘man it’s time to get up out of here. I’m ready to hit the showers,’” Rucker said.

GREAT CATCH: Chase Coffman’s jumping fade-away catch for 21 yards in the third quarter was impressive, especially considering the rain.

“To be honest, it slipped,” Chase Daniel said of what he called ‘a heck of a catch.’

Pinkel said he enjoyed the feat.

“I’m sitting there, like you are, watching this guy jump into the sky and snag this ball,” Pinkel said. “I don’t know what to tell you. You know what, I’m just glad he’s on my team.”

Coffman said the play wasn’t anything special.

“It’s not that big of a deal,” he said. “You just have to go and make plays.”

The play, on a third-and-4, extended a Missouri drive that ended with a touchdown pass to Tommy Saunders. After the score, Missouri led 24-7.

Coffman’s 35 catches, five for touchdowns, lead all Big 12 Conference tight ends. There are only a few tight ends in the nation who have better numbers. Chris Hopkins, a senior from Toledo, betters Coffman with 47 catches and six touchdowns. Dustin Keller, a senior from Purdue, has 36 receptions, and Darius Hill, a redshirt sophomore from Ball State, has 10 touchdown receptions.

RANKINGS: Missouri is ranked No. 23 in both the media and coaches’ polls released Sunday. Last week the Tigers were No. 24 in the media poll and received votes in the coaches’ poll. Oklahoma, Missouri’s opponent Saturday, is ranked No. 19 in both polls.