With the game on the line, sophomore quarterback Maty Mauk lined up in the shotgun behind center. The Tigers’ signal caller snapped the ball and faked right before turning his attention to his favorite target, senior wide receiver Bud Sasser. Mauk launched a bomb to the far back corner of the end zone and hit Sasser with inches of turf to spare.
The touchdown was the second hookup of the day for Mauk and Sasser and the deciding score in Missouri’s 24-14 win over the visiting Vanderbilt Commodores.
However, it wasn’t the passing game that powered the Tigers to victory. Rather, it was running backs Russell Hansbrough and Marcus Murphy who carried the team on the ground for the win.
With Mizzou having struggled offensively in the weeks leading up to the Vanderbilt game — Mauk had combined totals of 117 yards and five interceptions against Georgia and Florida — it was the Tigers’ ground game that brought the Missouri offense back to life.
“Coach put us in a good situation to get first downs and keep the ball moving,” Mauk said. “And then you look at what our run game did the whole day. We ran the ball a little bit more than we usually do, but when you have Russell and Marcus back there, you have to get those guys the ball. They can make things happen, and we relied on that.”
Murphy rushed 16 times, tying a career high en route to running for a team-high 97 yards. Hansbrough tallied 19 carries — one shy of his career high — in addition to 83 yards and a touchdown of his own.
Missouri coach Gary Pinkel said his running back duo executed the team’s game plan better than he expected.
“That was certainly the offensive staff’s plan going in: to run the ball more and throw off of that,” Pinkel said. “We like to throw the ball downfield. We like to be vertical. We like to do all those things, but you have to adjust to how you’re playing and it was a really good game plan for what we were trying to get.”
Saturday’s win was also the first time in several weeks that Murphy was predominantly featured in the backfield over his traditional roles as a slot receiver and return man.
“Getting the ball is always fun,” Murphy said. “We just did a good job up front. We worked hard with the O-line all week, just working on run reads and hitting the holes. If that helps us out, then I think we will run a little bit more.”
The Mizzou offense ended the day with 244 yards on the ground, a new season high that couldn’t have come at a better time. Heading straight into the teeth of a dangerous SEC schedule, Missouri will have to face a string of stingy defenses, starting Saturday with the Kentucky Wildcats.
But Murphy said he doesn’t see a problem with the bump up in competition, thanks to his and Hansbrough’s chemistry and abilities in the backfield.
“We’re both physical runners. We both bring that element of speed and quickness to the backfield,” Murphy said. “We can rotate and not miss a step within the backfield… It shows that we’ve been working hard all season.”
Kentucky went blow-for-blow with No. 1 Mississippi State last weekend in Lexington and held Bulldogs quarterback and Heisman Trophy hopeful Dak Prescott to the worst passing performance of his season in terms of quarterback rating.
But the Wildcats’ defense does have a weak spot: its run defense.
Kentucky surrendered 326 rushing yards to Mississippi State, more than Mizzou has racked up all season. Hansbrough and Murphy will likely hear their numbers called a whole lot come Saturday.
But Mauk isn’t upset by the change in philosophy. He said he just wants to do whatever it takes to get his team the win.
“If we can run the football, then we’re going to do it,” Mauk said. “I’m fine with handing off and giving the ball to Marcus or Russell. Those guys are playmakers and to win football games they need to get the ball.”