Amidst the deafening cacophony of 100,000 Aggie voices, Missouri senior receiver Darius White left the friendly confines of the huddle and jogged into howling winds and sheets of rain to take his place along the line of scrimmage.

Without hesitation, White made a beeline for the back corner of the endzone and turned his head skyward. He pinpointed the ball mid flight, fought off his defender, stuck out an arm and snagged a one-handed touchdown reception on his back.

“That was nasty,” senior receiver Bud Sasser said.

In White’s first action in nearly a month, he stole the lead and momentum from Texas A&M and ignited his offense in the process. He ended the night with a season-high six receptions, 55 yards and a bevy of big plays.

“He had five or six great plays, especially the touchdown catch on that third-down play,” Missouri coach Gary Pinkel said. “That was a real important part of the game. It was pouring down rain, and somehow he made that one-handed catch.”

The senior wide receiver helped bring life to a Missouri offense that had struggled through much of Southeastern Conference play. The Tigers had racked up 587 total yards, a season high.

Additionally Mauk threw for 252 yards, the most in nearly two months since losing to Indiana. He credits his success to White’s return.

“He’s a guy I know like the back of my hand,” Mauk said. “Darius and I were here all season working together. I know where he’s going to be on scrambles and I know what he’s going to do. For him to be out there and making plays for us is something we’ve been waiting on.”

White’s size (6’3”, 205 pounds) and speed make him a downfield threat for Mauk and the Tiger offense. Mauk said his return was the key to spacing out the defense and giving him enough room to spread out the offense.

“It was big having Darius back out there just to spread the field,” Mauk said. “Now you don’t have to worry about just Bud and Jimmie (Hunt) on the one side. He’s a guy I know and having him out there is a big help to our offense.”

Even though it meant fewer looks in his direction, Sasser said he was happy to see his teammate back out on the field showing his competitiveness and making plays once again.

“He’s a big time playmaker and he made a few big plays,” Sasser said. “He and Jimmie are just as excited as I am when we’re those type of situations. We’re all expecting to get the ball. It’s great to have those type of people out there.”

Leading up to their game against Texas A&M, Pinkel spoke to the team and stressed the importance of playmakers and the need for people to step up. White rose to the challenge, and Pinkel was quick to applaud the senior for his play

“You’ve got to have players make plays,” Pinkel said. “We have to make plays; there’s no magic out there. It’s the greatest team sport in the world but you still have to have individuals make plays. Darius certainly did a great job.”