Playing for the first time in six weeks, James Franklin re-introduced himself to the SEC on Saturday night by leading an eight-play fast break that gave Missouri a lead in less than three minutes.
Franklin attempted three passes, completing them all. Senior back Henry Josey rushed five times for 37 yards. The 72-yard flurry happened so quickly — less than three minutes — and so efficiently that Ole Miss found itself trailing almost before a deep-frozen Senior Night crowd had stopped its pre-game sway.
Ole Miss hoped this would be an opportunity to elevate itself while derailing Missouri’s November march to Atlanta. Their hope became fiction worthy of Faulkner.
This season remains Missouri’s to write because of what they did at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Operating in decidedly big-boy fashion, the Tigers imposed themselves in ways inconceivable during their 2012 debut in the SEC.
Favored by less than a field goal, the Tigers extended their improbable run as a second-year SEC gate-crasher. They parlayed Franklin’s return from a shoulder injury and a heavy dose of whipsaw defense into a 24-10 win that assures them at least a share of the SEC East title, their 10th win this season and No. 100 in Columbia for out-of-the-frying-pan, into-the-Top 10 head coach Gary Pinkel.
This is where the story goes from interesting to downright compelling. Now the “what-ifs” are reduced to one: Beat bruised Texas A&M next weekend at Faurot Field and book an out-of-the-clouds trip to the Olympic City previously reserved for programs such as Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.
“You think this was big? That’s a lot bigger than this,” Pinkel said moments after his one-loss team had run out the final 8:08 with 15 consecutive running plays.
Pinkel allowed himself a public show of confidence that goes with a team that can win myriad ways. The Tigers had just surrendered a lone touchdown on the road to the nation’s No. 24 team. When Pinkel’s team needed to burn clock, it found a match. When it needed a stop, it made it.
“This is where it is,” he said. “It doesn’t matter where we play a game. It doesn’t matter who we play.”
The Tigers are a home victory removed from reaching the game that has given us the last seven national champions. There is no longer risk of “looking ahead.” Taking care of business Saturday night puts Pinkel’s rejuvenated program within arm’s length of a massive touchstone.
Missouri resembles an adult program in style and substance. The Tigers completed their first undefeated road schedule since 1979 by controlling a team that had passed for 1,446 yards in its last four conference games and defeated LSU on this same field. Missouri has finally has replaced trickeration on offense with a running game that can gash an opponent. Its rush defense ranked as the conference’s second best before Saturday. Its pass defense ranked third in efficiency despite standing 11th in yards allowed.
“Last year I felt we had a dominant defense but as a team we weren’t balanced,” junior defensive end Kony Ealy said. “We’re more dominant and more balanced this year.”
“We’ve always been a spread team and really didn’t run the ball as much,” Josey said. “Now our running game is so effective, it creates great balance.”
First-year offensive coordinator Josh Henson does not shrink from the obvious. “I had a certain vision in my head,” he said. “I thought we could be what we’ve become. But in some ways I think it’s worked even better than I had thought. That’s a credit to the kids and this coaching staff.”
Missouri has yet to trail in the second half against a conference foe this season. The loss to South Carolina came in double overtime after frittering away a 17-0 fourth-quarter lead. Indeed, the Tigers have trailed twice as often to nonconference tomato cans Murray State and Arkansas State (four) as they have in league against Georgia and Kentucky.
Ole Miss ran an astounding 24 plays without scoring in the first quarter. The Rebels took 45 snaps in the first half and 60 through three quarters. They squandered a 19-play, 90-yard drive after reaching first-and-goal on the Mizzou 1 thanks to two procedure penalties — one on fourth down to begin the second quarter — before freshman defensive tackle Harold Brantley blocked a field goal. Ole Miss parlayed 15 first-half first downs into an unsatisfying field goal.
Again a stout defensive front played to its billing. The Rebels got their yards but only once in large bites.
Bigger picture: This is what redemption feels like.
