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The last time Missouri was on its home field, it was surrounded by thousands of jubilant fans after one of the biggest wins in its history.
Since then, there’s been little to celebrate for the 20th-ranked Tigers, but they’re hoping Saturday’s return home to face Kansas State can help them break out of their slump.
Missouri (7-2, 3-2 Big 12) won its first seven games for the first time in 50 years, culminating Oct. 21 with a 36-27 upset of then-No. 3 Oklahoma. However, one bad start and one bad finish since then have led to consecutive defeats.
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The Tigers, whose ranking rose to No. 7 after the win over the Sooners, fell behind 24-0 in the first quarter the following week at Nebraska en route to a 31-17 loss. They led 14-0 after the first eight minutes last weekend at Texas Tech, but managed just a field goal thereafter in a 24-17 defeat.
“We thought we were better than two losses this year,” defensive back Kevin Rutland said. “Unfortunately those two losses did happen. But the biggest thing is to bounce back and really focus.”
Missouri quarterback Blaine Gabbert has especially struggled in the past two games, completing 41.7 percent of his attempts for a total of 294 yards. The junior was 12 of 30 for 95 yards against Texas Tech. Gabbert had a 67.3 completion percentage and averaged 271.3 yards during the 7-0 start.
Despite the recent struggles, Tigers coach Gary Pinkel insists he’s sticking with Gabbert over highly-regarded freshman James Franklin.
“(Quarterback is) the hardest position to play in all of sports,” Pinkel said. “There are a lot of variables out there. He’s not perfect. If we make some catches or we do better protection, he makes a few better throws. He had some struggles but he’s still a good player and he’s got my support 100 percent.”
Gabbert was 20 of 27 for 298 yards and a career high-tying three touchdowns in last season’s 38-12 victory over Kansas State.
This time, the Tigers will face a Wildcats team that’s coming off a 39-14 victory over Texas and might have found another strong option at quarterback.
Sophomore Collin Klein, a surprise replacement after starter Carson Coffman’s undisclosed injury, rushed for 127 yards and two touchdowns during his team’s second win in five games.
Senior running back Daniel Thomas also scored two TDs during his 106-yard day, as Kansas State (6-3, 3-3) gained 261 of its 270 yards on the ground while scoring all of its points by the end of the third quarter.
The Wildcats, who became bowl eligible for the first time since 2006, gave up 412 total yards to the Longhorns but also intercepted five passes.
Coffman’s health is improving, but Kansas State coach Bill Snyder wouldn’t commit to a starter for this week.
“I am going to prepare hard like I have been,” Klein said. “I just have to be prepared whether I am going to start again or not.”
Thomas, second in the Big 12 with 1,102 rushing yards, had 79 on 23 carries in last season’s 38-12 loss to Missouri but has now topped 100 in three consecutive games.
The Wildcats could use another strong game from Thomas as they try to snap a four-game skid to the Tigers and win for the first time in Columbia since 2004. Kansas State has just four wins in its last 26 road games overall. with
The Wildcats have also dropped seven in a row to Top 25 teams. Two of those defeats were to Missouri.
The Tigers, meanwhile, have won six in a row at home - their longest such streak since a 10-game run Nov. 25, 2006-Sept. 20, 2008.
Since then, there’s been little to celebrate for the 20th-ranked Tigers, but they’re hoping Saturday’s return home to face Kansas State can help them break out of their slump.
Missouri (7-2, 3-2 Big 12) won its first seven games for the first time in 50 years, culminating Oct. 21 with a 36-27 upset of then-No. 3 Oklahoma. However, one bad start and one bad finish since then have led to consecutive defeats.
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The Tigers, whose ranking rose to No. 7 after the win over the Sooners, fell behind 24-0 in the first quarter the following week at Nebraska en route to a 31-17 loss. They led 14-0 after the first eight minutes last weekend at Texas Tech, but managed just a field goal thereafter in a 24-17 defeat.
“We thought we were better than two losses this year,” defensive back Kevin Rutland said. “Unfortunately those two losses did happen. But the biggest thing is to bounce back and really focus.”
Missouri quarterback Blaine Gabbert has especially struggled in the past two games, completing 41.7 percent of his attempts for a total of 294 yards. The junior was 12 of 30 for 95 yards against Texas Tech. Gabbert had a 67.3 completion percentage and averaged 271.3 yards during the 7-0 start.
Despite the recent struggles, Tigers coach Gary Pinkel insists he’s sticking with Gabbert over highly-regarded freshman James Franklin.
“(Quarterback is) the hardest position to play in all of sports,” Pinkel said. “There are a lot of variables out there. He’s not perfect. If we make some catches or we do better protection, he makes a few better throws. He had some struggles but he’s still a good player and he’s got my support 100 percent.”
Gabbert was 20 of 27 for 298 yards and a career high-tying three touchdowns in last season’s 38-12 victory over Kansas State.
This time, the Tigers will face a Wildcats team that’s coming off a 39-14 victory over Texas and might have found another strong option at quarterback.
Sophomore Collin Klein, a surprise replacement after starter Carson Coffman’s undisclosed injury, rushed for 127 yards and two touchdowns during his team’s second win in five games.
Senior running back Daniel Thomas also scored two TDs during his 106-yard day, as Kansas State (6-3, 3-3) gained 261 of its 270 yards on the ground while scoring all of its points by the end of the third quarter.
The Wildcats, who became bowl eligible for the first time since 2006, gave up 412 total yards to the Longhorns but also intercepted five passes.
Coffman’s health is improving, but Kansas State coach Bill Snyder wouldn’t commit to a starter for this week.
“I am going to prepare hard like I have been,” Klein said. “I just have to be prepared whether I am going to start again or not.”
Thomas, second in the Big 12 with 1,102 rushing yards, had 79 on 23 carries in last season’s 38-12 loss to Missouri but has now topped 100 in three consecutive games.
The Wildcats could use another strong game from Thomas as they try to snap a four-game skid to the Tigers and win for the first time in Columbia since 2004. Kansas State has just four wins in its last 26 road games overall. with
The Wildcats have also dropped seven in a row to Top 25 teams. Two of those defeats were to Missouri.
The Tigers, meanwhile, have won six in a row at home - their longest such streak since a 10-game run Nov. 25, 2006-Sept. 20, 2008.
