They were without their coach and they were without their conference-leading rusher. Something the Missouri Tigers weren’t missing in their Senior Day 31-27 victory over Texas Tech at Faurot Field, however, was resiliency.
With 6:06 remaining in the game, sophomore quarterback James Franklin led the Missouri offense onto the field, down three.
What happened next will go down as the defining moment of the Corinth, Texas, native’s first year under center of MU’s offense.
Starting at the Tiger 11-yard line, Franklin orchestrated a 10-play, 89-yard drive culminating in his own 9-yard scamper to pay-dirt to give the Tigers a 31-27 lead. It was their first advantage of the game, coming with just 2:22 remaining on the clock.
On Texas Tech.’s ensuing possession, the Red Raiders drove down inside the MU 10. The Tiger defense had bent, but on this drive, it refused to break.
Senior defensive tackle Dominique Hamilton got a hand on a pass from Texas Tech. quarterback Seth Doege, deflecting it into the direction of Missouri sophomore defensive end Michael Sam, who came down with the ball to clinch the victory for the Tigers (6-5, 4-4 Big 12 Conference).
“We weren’t going to lose,” senior running back De’Vion Moore said. “Our underclassmen played hard for us. They did a tremendous job. They told us before the game, ‘We won’t let you leave without a ride.’ So, they held up their end of the bargain and we left with our ride.”
The Tigers encountered hardship early Saturday, falling behind 14-0 after one quarter. The Red Raider start stood in contrast to their previous three games, in which the Red Raiders were outscored 45-3 in the opening frame.
Defensive coordinator Dave Steckel served as the acting coach in place of Gary Pinkel, serving a week suspension for a DWI offense. With his team trailing 14-0 and facing fourth-and-one from its own 30 with 6:35 remaining in the first-half, the one-time coach gambled.
Steckel was handsomely rewarded for his rolling of the dice to go for it, as Franklin picked up the first down on a quarterback sneak.
Two plays later, Moore rattled off a 54-yard run to give the Tigers first-and-goal. Franklin plunged into the end zone from five yards out to get MU on the board.
After a 48-yard field goal extended Texas Tech’s lead to 17-7 with 27 seconds remaining in the first half, Missouri’s offense came to life, as a 36-yard strike from Franklin to sophomore wide receiver L’Damian Washington set up a 39-yard field goal by junior kicker Trey Barrow as time expired.
A 24-yard touchdown pass from Doege to junior wide receiver Darrin Moore gave the Red Raiders a 27-17 lead with one-second left in the third quarter. “
All that did was set the stage for Franklin’s heroics.
After it was all said and done, Franklin had amassed 324 total yards from scrimmage and four scores on the day. It was his fourth straight turnover-free game.
Steckel reveled in the opportunity to engage in the offense Saturday and liked what he saw.
“The thing I think makes (Franklin) special is yeah he can run, he can throw, but he’s tough as nails,” Steckel said following the game.
Despite qualifying the team for postseason play for the seventh consecutive season, Missouri’s victory was much about those that were not with the team – notably Pinkel and sophomore running back Henry Josey.
“(Pinkel and Josey are) both so important to the program and everything we’ve done, you hate them not being here to celebrate,” offensive coordinator David Yost said.