Lining up against a national championship contender, the Buffalo Bulls did everything they could to keep themselves in the game-and kept things interesting for over two-and-a-half quarters.???
???The Bulls were down just six points against fifth-ranked Missouri late in the third quarter on Saturday at Faurot Field in Columbia, Mo. before the Tigers took advantage of key Buffalo mistakes to widen their lead, culminating in a 42-21 Missouri victory.
???Following a fumble forced by sophomore cornerback Josh Thomas five minutes into the third quarter, Buffalo (2-2, 1-0 Mid-American Conference) went 55 yards down the field to cut the Tigers' (4-0) lead to six points. Senior quarterback Drew Willy found senior wide receiver Ernest Jackson in the end zone for Jackson's second touchdown of the game.
???Missouri would turn the ball over on downs on the next possession and give Buffalo an opportunity to take the lead for the first time all game. However, an illegal block penalty on sophomore running back Brandon Thermilus forced the Bulls into a first-and-25 situation, eventually leading them to punt it away.
???On the next play, Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel completed a 69-yard pass to wide receiver Tommy Saunders, who was tackled on the Bulls 17-yard line by sophomore strong safety Davonte Shannon. Missouri would score on a three-yard run by running back Derrick Washington to put the game out of reach.
???"They're a very explosive offense. They can make plays at any time," said Bulls head coach Turner Gill. "Daniel's been able to scramble and extend plays and that makes it tough on your defense. They get tired and that's obviously the strategy of that offense."
???While the Bulls were able to go toe-to-toe against one of the nation's best, it looked like a blowout-in-the-making early on. The Bulls struggled to get into an offensive rhythm and the Tigers took a 7-0 lead on their first possession of the game, driving 50 yards in six plays and in just over a minute and a half. Running back Derrick Washington ran in six yards for Missouri's first score and finished the game with 89 yards rushing and 27 yards receiving.
???The Bulls would be forced to punt again on their next possession, setting Missouri up for another scoring drive. Starting on their own two-yard line, the Tigers took 14 plays to travel 90 yards and capitalize on a 26-yard field goal by kicker Jeff Wolfert. The Tigers took a 10-0 lead and then prepared for a struggling Buffalo offense to take the field yet again.
???"I also have to give credit to their defense," Gill said. "I thought that we have a pretty good offense, too. We did have some points on the board but we did have one or two opportunities where we didn't capitalize."
???Linebacker Sean Witherspoon was all over the field for Mizzou, totaling 20 tackles and a half-sack on the afternoon. Shannon and junior free safety Mike Newton led the Bulls with 11 tackles each.
???Following the Tigers field goal, Buffalo received a much-needed spark from Jackson. On the ensuing kickoff, Jackson caught the ball and took it back 97 yards for a touchdown with 1:42 left in the first quarter.
???"He's not usually back there on kick returns but I'm sure he'll be back there now," Willy said.
???It was the first kickoff return of Jackson's collegiate career and the first time the Bulls scored on a kickoff since junior wide receiver Naaman Roosevelt did it against Bowling Green in 2006.
???"I used to return [kicks] my freshman year when I first came here, but then I kept telling coach, I want to go back there," Jackson said. "I got the ball and ran with it."
???Two drives later, the Tigers would score again, taking advantage of great field position. A punt of 16 yards by freshman Peter Fardon gave the Tigers possession on Buffalo's 23-yard line. Missouri wide receiver Jeremy Maclin rushed 16 yards into the end zone on the second play of the drive, putting Missouri up 17-7. Maclin finished with 25 yards on two rushes and caught a game-high 14 passes for 168 yards.
??? The Bulls struggles would ease for a short time as they found the end zone on their next drive thanks to a Missouri penalty. As the Bulls were faced with a fourth-and eight situation on their own 32-yard line, the Tigers were flagged for roughing the kicker as Fardon was drilled as he released his punt. The Bulls were awarded 15 yards and a fresh set of downs.
???Just three plays later, Jackson would cap off the 80-yard drive with a 32-yard catch from Willy for his first receiving touchdown of the game. Jackson compiled 55 yards on four catches on the day while Willy finished with 237 yards and two touchdowns.
???The Tigers would turn the ball over four times, having only two turnovers in their first three games. Thomas factored in heavily to that statistic, forcing two Tiger fumbles, including the one that put the Bulls in striking distance of an upset.
???"What we talked about was tackling and creating turnovers and making sure everyone knows their assignments. We just want to run our defense, rally to the ball, tackle and strip the ball and hope we can get two or three turnovers and we were able to do that," Gill said.
??? Junior running back James Starks did not play in the game due to a hip injury suffered in the Bulls' win over Temple last week. Thermilus was named the starter but junior Mario Henry got most of the workload. Henry ran for 60 yards on 16 carries while Thermilus carried the ball 12 times for 23 yards. The Bulls gained just 49 yards on the ground, well below their season average of 163 yards per game.
???Gill anticipates Starks being ready for next week's game at Central Michigan and was satisfied with the way Thermilus and Henry performed.
???"I think they did OK," Gill said. "There were probably some opportunities for them to make a few more plays; we'll see what happens when James comes back."
???Daniel broke two Big 12 Conference records in the game, passing for 439 yards and completing 20 consecutive pass attempts. The Heisman Trophy hopeful threw for 284 yards and a touchdown over that stretch. He completed 36 of 43 pass attempts in the game and has thrown just one interception in 133 attempts this year.
???"We came in knowing that we were just as good," Thomas said. "We know we're a good football team...Hanging with them, it's not enough. It's not enough."
???The Bulls travel to Central Michigan (2-2, 1-0 MAC) on Saturday for their second conference game of the season. Kickoff against the Chippewas is scheduled for 4 p.m.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
