Missouri ends tumultuous week with win over BYU

He was focused exclusively on beating BYU at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo.

As BYU continues to attempt to state its case as a major player in the college football landscape and continues to explore a possible power conference home in the future, being able to point to such strong support for a game 1,500 miles from home serves as a nice teaching moment for any movers and shakers who may be watching.

Neither team scored a first-half touchdown, but Missouri’s Andrew Baggett nailed a pair of field goals to give the Tigers a 6-3 lead at halftime. Pinkel, 117-71 at Missouri since taking over in 2001, will stay on through December 31 or until athletics director Mack Rhoades hires his replacement. After a week that nationally displayed the racial tension on Mizzou’s campus, the football team, which was at the heart of a student movement, regained its confidence after a season in which it was falling off the rails.

The 63-year-old Pinkel, who was originally diagnosed with cancer back in May, dismissed the idea that the events that transpired this past week in Columbia was the behind his decision to step down. They had added incentive from an unfortunate announcement that Missouri head coach Gary Pinkel was forced to make the day before the game. I think he’s doing a really nice job with the team he now has and making the best out of a unique situation, including their quarterback situation and a really tough defense.

BYU didn’t score a touchdown until Algie Brown finally busted through the line on a fake draw play with 6:21 left in the third quarter, giving the Cougars their first lead at 10-6.

Missouri answered with arguably its two most important touchdowns of the season.

That made it 3-0 in favor of the Tigers.

Then Missouri retook the lead early in the fourth on a pass reception and slammed the door on a BYU comeback for good when it sacked Tanner Mangum, forcing and recovering a fumble that it later converted into points and a 20-10 lead.

Sae Tautu’s hit on Lock wasn’t big, but the BYU linebacker was called for roughing the passer as the Tigers drove deep while looking for their first touchdown drive to start the fourth quarter.

One student went on a hunger strike November 2 and said he would not eat until Tim Wolfe was replaced as president of the university system.

There were no protests or other incidents surrounding the game, though one fan was denied entry with a sign referencing “Concerned Student 1950” – the name of the original activist group.

‘I made the decision in May, after visiting with my family, that I wanted to keep coaching, as long as I felt good and had the energy I needed, ‘ Pinkel said in a statement. “It’s just very flattering. That’s what you do this for”.