Live from Faurot Field: Bell is Tolling on MU Season After Loss to Baylor

COLUMBIA - Those bells of doom that echo out of the public address system at Faurot Field when the Missouri defense lines up to stop a foe on third down?
They toll for thee, Mizzou.
With their defense absent without leave in the first half, the Tigers’ offense at least made things interesting.
But until it was entirely too late, Missouri’s offense joined its defense on the sidelines in the second half.
From up 27-16 at the half, Missouri ultimately fell 40-32 to a Baylor team that won a Big 12 Conference game for the first time in five tries.
Missouri now stands 5-4 overall and at 1-4 is all but officially out of the race for the Big 12 North.
Missouri quarterback Blaine Gabbert hit 21 of 27 passes for 322 yards in the first half when senior wide receiver Danario Alexander caught 11 passes for 171 yards. The two combined on the longest scoring catch and TD pass of their careers.
In the second half, Gabbert hit only nine of 24 passes for 146 yards. Alexander caught only two passes for 43 yards.
With 2 minutes, 55 seconds to play, Grant Ressel’s 46-yard field goal produced the only offensive points for Mizzou in the second half.
The other two points came on a safety by the MU defense.
For the first time this season, boos from Missouri fans were heard early in the fourth quarter at Memorial Stadium.
Even that symbol of displeasure turned to disillusioned silence when, after Ressel’s last field goal, Missouri tried a squib kickoff instead on an on-side kick.
Two flags were thrown on that play. One on Missouri for off sides and one on Baylor for taunting.
Baylor, trying to run out the clock, wound up punting to Missouri with 1:57 to play.
Missouri, setting up shop at its 24, did mount a last gasp drive. The big gainer was a 36-yard pass to Alexander.
But on fourth down and six from the Baylor 18, Gabbert rolled right into pressure and threw incomplete.

(updated)

A one-yard touchdown run has just put Baylor on top of Missori 40-29.

There are still 5 minutes, 46 seconds to play, but Missouri's offense has gone nowhere the entire second half.

The Tigers will need the miraculous to escape falling to 5-4 overall and at 1-4 in the Big 12 all but officially out of the race for a third straight Big 12 North Division title.

(update)
With Missouri's offense joining its defense in slumberland, boos are being heard from MU fans at Faurot Field.

Two incomplete passes and a Blaine Gabbert scramble gained no yards from a first down at the Missouri 10.

With 40 yards of offense in the second half, the Tigers trailed Baylor 33-29 with 9:09 to play.

Baylor's Terrance Ganaway has just broken loose for a 22-yard run to the Missouri 12.

(update)
Baylor's Kendall Wright beat MU's Robert Steeples deep and not even a late, in vain, interference by Steeples was good enough.

Wright caught a bomb from Nick Florence down the west sideline then cut back across the field to complete a 59-yard touchdown.

With 13:11 left in the game, Baylor grabs a 33-29 lead and Missouri looks in real trouble.

(updated)
Jake Harry IV rolled a punt 51 dead to the Baylor one. And, on the next play, Dominique Hamilton and Brian Coulter tackled Baylor running back Terrance Ganaway in the end zone for a safety.

Asthe fourth quarter begins, Missouri holds a 29-26 lead.

(Update)
Fear, if not loathing, has gripped Memorial Stadium.

Baylor's Dary Stone has just kicked a 35-yard field goal, pulling Baylor within 27-26 of Missouri with 6:12 left in the third quarter.

Look out.

(Updated)
As the second half began, MU was without a couple of veteranhs in the defensive secondary.

Starting cornerback Carl Gettis came out of the dressing room without pads after the break after being injured making a tackle late in the second quarter.

Reserve free safety Hardy Ricks was on crutches with a knee injury.

Baylor quickly took advantage with a 9-play, 67-yard scoring drive, the touchdown coming on a third and goal 13-yard pass.
Baylor QB Nick Florence avoid pressure with a roll right and then hit a wide-openb Kendall Wright who got his feet down in the back of the end zone.

With 10:36 left in the third quarter, Missouri leads 27-23.

.

Missouri Up at Half 27-16

Missouri came into the game 32nd nationally in total defense, Baylor No. 85.

With the way this game is going, both team's defenses could drop into triple digit rankings by the end of the afternoon.

Apart from a couple of sacks by MU's Sean Weatherspoon and Aldon Smith, and one three and out forced by Baylor, defense seemed to have taken the first half off.

The half ended typically.

Missouri drove nine plays and 57 yards in 59 seconds. Blaine Gabbert hit Wes Kemp with a 7-yard touchdown pass right at the right front pylon of the end zone.

At the half, Missouri 27 16.

Some unbelievable stats:

Gabbert has hit 21 of 27 passes for 322 yards.

MU's Danario Alexander has caught 11 of those passes for 171 yards. And Jared Perry four for 87 yards.

Baylor quarterback Nick Florence hasn't been bad either, hitting 21 of 26 passes for 202 yards.

(updated)
Danario Alexander just took a pass over the middle from Blaine Gabbert, broke loose from a would-be tackle and raced 84 yards for a touchdown that boosts Missouri up 20-9.

Forget All-Big 12 for Alexander. The senior wide receiver now is going for All-American consideration. In this one he already has 11 catches for 171 yards.

The 84-yard catch and the toss itself are career highs for Alexander and Gabbert.

(updated)

Sean Weatherspoon blows up Florence on a 12-yard sack. Review rules no fumble, but finally MU stops the Bears offense.

With 4:57 left in the first half, Missouri starts at its 12 up 13-9

(updated)
Blaine Gabbert now has 184 yards passing and Danario Alexander 10 catches for 87 yards.

But the Tigers have to settle for another field goal. This one, a career-high-tying 46 yards by Grant Ressel, makes it MU 13-9 with 8:36 left in second quarter.

(Update)
Missouri may have misplaced its defense, but Baylor looks to have left its defense at home.

Missouri rolls 65 yards in 10 plays and Grant Ressel kicks a 33-yard field goal for a 10-9 Missouri lead.

First quarter stats tell the tale:

Mizzou's Blaine Gabbert hit 11 of 12 passes for 129 yards, sevenof them to Danario Alexander for 56 yards.

However, Nick Florence hit 12 of 16 passes for 135 yards for Baylor, three of them to Lanear Sampson for 62 yards.

Running games are ghosts. Missouri netted eight yards in five carries, Baylor five yards in four rushes.

(Updated)
Maybe it is Missouri playing defense like Illinois.

Baylor is passing at Will - and cornerback Carl Gettis for 38 yards - and rolls 71 yards in eight plays for a touchdown. Quarterback Nick Florence gets the score on an 8-yard run up the middle.

Andrew Gachkar blocks the extra point, the best defensive play by Missouri in a disturbingly easy Baylor drive.

(update)Baylor answers with a 13-play, 57-yard drive covering 6 minutes, 3 seconds. MU defense holds on fourth and 2 and Baylor settles for a 22-yard field goal.

(update)

Wow. That was quick. Misosuri takes the opening kickoff and drives 64 yards in 7 plays in 2 minutes, 33 seconds for a 7-0 lead.

Derrick Washington scores the TD out of the Wild Tiger, lining up for a direct snap and going the last yard.

Gabbert hit Danario Alexander for 12 yards Jared Perry for 38.

Missouri's offense looked as if it was playing Illinois. Or was it Baylor looking as if it was playing defense like Illinois?