COLUMBIA, Mo. -- The rain is coming down hard here at Faurot Field and the Missouri Tigers and their spread attack, this can't be in good.It's the exact opposite for Nebraska and running back Roy Helu, Jr., who should benefit from the soggy conditions. The 21st-ranked Cornhuskers are much more adept at running the football and playing solid defense, two attributes that swing tonight's Big 12 North matchup with No.24 Missouri heavily in their favor.
Mizzou sophomore quarterback Blaine Gabbert leads the Big 12 in passing efficiency after throwing 11 touchdowns and no interceptions in the Tigers first four games this season. But it will be hard to put the ball in the air with a lot of effectiveness with the rain coming down hard.
Follow Terrance Harris' liveblog after the jump.
Helu, meanwhile, leads the Big 12 in rushing with 464 yards and five touchdowns this season. He's averaging 6.4 yards per carry and 116.0 yards per game rushing through the Cornhuskers first four games.
Missouri has had trouble getting its 1,000-yard rusher Derrick Washington going on the ground so far this season. He has 301 yards and touchdowns on 68 carries for a an average of 4.4 yards per carry and 75.2 yards per game.
Establishing Washington tonight could be pivotal but the Tigers will have to do so against a touch Nebraska defense led by preseason All-American defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. The Cornhuskers lead the nation in scoring defense after surrendering just 28 points in their first four games. They rank fifth in the Big 12 in rushing defense, allowing an average of 113.2 yards per game and have surrendered just two rushing touchdowns this season.
PREGAME
A transformer near Faurot Field blew about an hour before the game, temporarily knocking out most power inside of the stadium. The lights are back on, but the giant scoreboard remains out as does power in several buildings on campus across the street from the stadium.
FIRST QUARTER
Not surprising in the sloppy rain conditions but both teams keep making mistakes after moving the ball successfully. Both teams have sufferered big penalties that ruined potential scores.
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Nebraska may have made the biggest mistake so far when one of its players allows the punt to hit him on the foot and the Tigers recover at the Cornhuskers 32.
Another holding penalty by Missouri and a big sack by Nebraska defensive tackle Jared Crick on Blaine Gabbert moves the Tigers back to the 49 to end the threat as the first quarter comes to a close with the score locked at 0-0.
Both teams combined to commit six penalties for minus-65 yards in the first quarter. They have also combined for just 95 yards of total offense, while both committed turnovers.
SECOND QUARTER
It was only a matter of time before the weather paved the way for a score. Well sort of. Nebraska punter Alex Henery, standing in his own end zone, took a high punt and all he could do to avoid giving up a touchdown is roll right and throw the ball out, giving Missouri a safety and a 2-0 lead with 14:01 left in the second quarter.
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Neither offense can string together a drive in this weather, making this a battle of field position. Nebraska just put together a nice drive with a couple nice passes from Lee, but the drive stalled at the Missouri 39 as Lee became a little erratic. You get the feeling that the first one to score a field goal will win this one tonight.
Defensively, Suh and the Nebraska defensive front have been extremely strong against the run and rushing Gabbert. Gabbert has come up limping a couple times tonight.
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Okay, can Nebraska receive a punt? The Cornhuskers have muffed three punts already tonight. One resulted in a turnover and the other two resulted in poor field position.
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For a minute Gary Pinkel seemed a little nuts as the offense jogged back out on the field on fourth with the ball on the 1-yard line and two seconds left on the clock in the first half. In a game where points will certainly be hard to come by, how does he pass up on the easy field goal.
Well, Pinkel's gamble paid off when Gabbert ran in from one yard out on a misdirection play to Derrick Washington that gave the Tigers a commanding 9-0 lead going into halftime.
Realistically with the way the game has gone, that may be all the scoring for the night. Nebraska can't get anything going consistently on offense and for that matter, neither has Missouri. But a deep pass from Gabbert to Jared Perry as Nebraska corner Prince Amukamara fell down went for 38 yards to the Cornhuskers six. That set up the touchdown as time expired in the first half.
It seemed like this would be Nebraska's game because of the Cornhuskers superior running attack. But in the first quarterback Zac Lee was just awful throwing the football, allowing Missouri to stack the line and dare Roy Helu to run the football. Helu has just 15 yards rushing on six carries and the entire Nebraska offense has rushed for just 24 yards this half.
The greatest difference in the first half is in the passing game where Gabbert has completed 12 of 24 passes for 107 yards. Lee has completed just 8 of 22 for 75 yards. Special teams has also been a major setback for the Cornhuskers, who have three muffed punts and gave up safety in the first half.
THIRD QUARTER
Another mistake by the Cornhuskers on the opening drive of the second half puts them in a bad spot. Bad snap results in a a turnover when Gachkar falls on loose ball at the Nebraska 29.
But Missouri isn't able to get much going offensively and Ressel's 45-yard field goal is no good to avoid the threat.
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Gabbert entered tonight not having thrown an interception this season. But he twice nearly thrown pick sixes. The first came in the first half and just now Nebraska defensive end Barry Turner nearly picked him off with nothing but green turf in the way.. But in both instances the defender dropped the passes.
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In this game where yards and points are still very difficult to come by, Missouri is winning the field position battle. After forcing Nebraska to punt from its own end zone late in the third, Missouri got the ball back at the Nebraska 34. Seven plays and 19 yards later, the Tigers capitalized when Ressel converted a 33-yard field goal that put them ahead 12-0 with 1:25 remaining in the quarter.
FOURTH QUARTER
Missouri kept daring Lee and Nebraska to pass the football and finally the Cornhuskers made the Tigers pay when Lee hooked up with Niles Paul for a 56-yard touchdown pass on a deep post to pull within 12-7 with 13:56 left to play. The Cornhuskers caught them in a corner blitz.
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Gabbert's first interception of the season proves to be a costly when Suh intercepts him at the line of scrimmage, giving Nebraska the ball at the MU 18. Two players later, Lee hit Paul in double coverage for a 13-yard touchdown pass two plays later to put Nebraska ahead for the first time on the night at 13-12 with 12:59 left to play. The two-point conversion attempt failed.
Lee and Paul have hooked up for two touchdowns in less than a minute (57 seconds) to all of sudden make this game.
Lee and Paul have hooked up for two touchdowns in less than a minute (57 seconds) to all of sudden make this game.
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Chances are Gabbert now realizes this thing ain't easy. He has just thrown his second interception in as many possessions to set up two Nebraska touchdowns. And just like than in a span of 3:22, the Cornhuskers have gone from being down by 12 points to leading 20-12 with 10:34 remaining in the game.
Gabbert's second interception placed the ball at his own 10 and threw plays later Lee threw his third touchdown pass of the game when he completed an eight-yard pass to tight end Mike McNeil.
