Bring on Johnny Football.
After a 24-10 victory Saturday night at No. 24 Mississippi, all that stands between No. 8 Missouri and the SEC Championship game is a showdown with Texas A&M and the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, sophomore quarterback Johnny Manziel.
The Tigers, 10-1 overall and 6-1 in the SEC, took care of business against the Rebels at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, clinching at least a share of the SEC East division title in senior quarterback James Franklin’s return to the starting lineup after a four-game absence.
“To say I’m proud of my team would be an understatement,” Missouri coach Gary Pinkel said.
Franklin, who completed 12 of 19 passes for 142 yards with an interception, opened the game on fire. He didn’t have an incomplete pass until the third quarter.
On the first play from scrimmage, Franklin connected with Marcus Lucas for a 19-yard gain. He went 3-for-3 on the up-tempo drive, which ended on a 4-yard touchdown run by Henry Josey 2:45 into the first quarter.
“I thought he did an outstanding job,” Pinkel said of Franklin. “The guy hadn’t played in about six weeks and had a lot of pressure on him to play well, because (backup quarterback) Maty (Mauk) had been playing well.”
Cornerback Randy Ponder picked off Bo Wallace, who endured flu-like symptoms and missed the first two third-quarter drives, on Mississippi’s first drive.
The Rebels (7-4, 3-4) marched 85 yards on 19 plays on their second drive, but freshman Josh Augusta blocked Andrew Ritter’s 23-yard field-goal try on the first play of the second quarter.
“That was awesome,” senior linebacker Andrew Wilson said. “Me and Josh are right next to each other, and we’ve been talking all week about how he was going to get one.”
On the second drive of the second quarter, Missouri turned to redshirt freshman Mauk, who brought a spark to the sputtering offense during his preplanned playing time. Mauk converted on third-and-8 with a 60-yard bomb down the middle to junior Bud Sasser, which set up Andrew Baggett’s 33-yard field goal.
The Rebels answered with a 30-yard field goal by Ritter, but Missouri — with Franklin back at quarterback — tacked on a late touchdown on Marcus Murphy’s 3-yard run.
With Barry Brunetti in at quarterback to start the second half, Mississippi blitzed down the field in four plays and pulled within a touchdown on running back I’Tavius Mathers’ 45-yard touchdown only 1:33 into the third quarter.
On Missouri’s ensuing drive, one play after defensive tackle Harold Brantley rumbled 26 yards on a fake punt, Franklin was picked off by Rebels safety Cody Prewitt.
The Tigers’ defense forced a three-and-out, and Franklin engineered an eight-play, 85-yard touchdown march, which was capped by Josey’s 12th touchdown of the season on a 10-yard run that restored the two-touchdown advantage.
Mississippi appeared to trim that deficit midway through the fourth quarter on a 12-yard pass from Wallace to Ja-Mes Logan, but the score was overturned when replays showed Logan stepped out at the Missouri 7.
Wallace tried a first-down fade, which was incomplete, and defensive tackle Lucas Vincent snuffed out a reverse for a 6-yard loss.
Safety Matt White broke up Wallace’s third-down throw into the end zone, and Wallace tossed another incomplete pass on fourth down.
During three trips to the red zone, Mississippi managed only three points.
“Our focus just increases when we get in the red zone, and we really study the red zone hard throughout the week,” Wilson said.
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