Michael Southern
Special to TideSports.com
ATLANTA | Even with their top defensive player watching the second half from the locker room, the Missouri Tigers thought they were on the verge of making life difficult for the top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide in the third quarter of the SEC Championship Game.
After falling behind 18 points by halftime, Missouri responded with two scoring drives, a touchdown and field goal, to pull within 21-13 with 4:37 remaining in the third quarter and give the outnumbered Tiger fans a glimmer of hope Saturday night in the Georgia Dome.
"It was crazy on the sideline, everybody was excited and had high energy," said Missouri wide receiver Jimmie Hunt, who exploited the Alabama secondary for 169 yards on six receptions.
But instead of letting the upstart Tigers keep the momentum, Alabama answered with consecutive touchdown drives of 64 and 90 yards that crushed any hopes Missouri had of creating College Football Playoff chaos.
"Once we got the game pretty close, (Alabama) came out and did what it needed to do," Hunt said. "They finished."
For Missouri head coach Gary Pinkel, the loss to Alabama dropped his record in conference championship games to 0-4. Pinkel lost two Big 12 Championship Games, before losing the last two SEC Championship Games.
"We had it down to eight points, I believe, and (Alabama) answered," Pinkel said. "They did what you had to do. Those were two statement drives from their standpoint. That's what good teams do.
"I've coached in four championships and haven't won one. I'm responsible for that."
Missouri's defense suffered a severe blow when its top lineman, Shane Ray, was ejected in the second quarter for targeting on Alabama quarterback Blake Sims.
"I was two steps within the quarterback which was legal," Ray said. "I led with my hands and if you look at the film, my helmet was underneath his facemask. The call is what it is. You can't take it back. It was unfortunate.
"I'm going to just let the people who watch the film judge and make their own decision. It's not my call obviously."
The officials upheld the penalty after a video review and Ray had to be escorted off the field.
"I was heartbroken," Ray said. "It's a championship game. You get ejected for a call, that's not how you want to end the regular season at all. It's unfortunate."
The Missouri offense used the improvisational skills of quarterback Maty Mauk and the sure hands of Hunt to mount its third-quarter charge.
On the Tigers' only touchdown drive, a scrambling Mauk heaved a 63-yard pass to Hunt that gave Missouri first-and-goal at the 1-yard line.
"Maty's feet put the defenders in a bind, the linebackers and safeties had to come up, and that frees us up a little more," Hunt said. "I just made sure he knew I was going to be able to beat the defender.
"I told him 'the defender can't hold me. I'm going to run past him and you just make sure you put the ball up in the right place.'" "
https://alabama.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1712737
Special to TideSports.com
ATLANTA | Even with their top defensive player watching the second half from the locker room, the Missouri Tigers thought they were on the verge of making life difficult for the top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide in the third quarter of the SEC Championship Game.
After falling behind 18 points by halftime, Missouri responded with two scoring drives, a touchdown and field goal, to pull within 21-13 with 4:37 remaining in the third quarter and give the outnumbered Tiger fans a glimmer of hope Saturday night in the Georgia Dome.
"It was crazy on the sideline, everybody was excited and had high energy," said Missouri wide receiver Jimmie Hunt, who exploited the Alabama secondary for 169 yards on six receptions.
But instead of letting the upstart Tigers keep the momentum, Alabama answered with consecutive touchdown drives of 64 and 90 yards that crushed any hopes Missouri had of creating College Football Playoff chaos.
"Once we got the game pretty close, (Alabama) came out and did what it needed to do," Hunt said. "They finished."
For Missouri head coach Gary Pinkel, the loss to Alabama dropped his record in conference championship games to 0-4. Pinkel lost two Big 12 Championship Games, before losing the last two SEC Championship Games.
"We had it down to eight points, I believe, and (Alabama) answered," Pinkel said. "They did what you had to do. Those were two statement drives from their standpoint. That's what good teams do.
"I've coached in four championships and haven't won one. I'm responsible for that."
Missouri's defense suffered a severe blow when its top lineman, Shane Ray, was ejected in the second quarter for targeting on Alabama quarterback Blake Sims.
"I was two steps within the quarterback which was legal," Ray said. "I led with my hands and if you look at the film, my helmet was underneath his facemask. The call is what it is. You can't take it back. It was unfortunate.
"I'm going to just let the people who watch the film judge and make their own decision. It's not my call obviously."
The officials upheld the penalty after a video review and Ray had to be escorted off the field.
"I was heartbroken," Ray said. "It's a championship game. You get ejected for a call, that's not how you want to end the regular season at all. It's unfortunate."
The Missouri offense used the improvisational skills of quarterback Maty Mauk and the sure hands of Hunt to mount its third-quarter charge.
On the Tigers' only touchdown drive, a scrambling Mauk heaved a 63-yard pass to Hunt that gave Missouri first-and-goal at the 1-yard line.
"Maty's feet put the defenders in a bind, the linebackers and safeties had to come up, and that frees us up a little more," Hunt said. "I just made sure he knew I was going to be able to beat the defender.
"I told him 'the defender can't hold me. I'm going to run past him and you just make sure you put the ball up in the right place.'" "
https://alabama.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1712737
