Missouri's defense can't hold 17-point lead for offense



Oklahoma State rallied to win, 20-17, on a field goal with 55 seconds remaining.
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) -- Jason Ricks kicked a 28-yard field goal with 55 seconds remaining and No. 22 Oklahoma State rallied from a 17-point deficit to beat Missouri 20-17 on Saturday.
The Cowboys (6-1, 3-1 Big 12) drove 78 yards to set up the winning kick. The drive was kept alive when Donovan Woods connected with his brother, D'Juan Woods, for a 27-yard gain on third-and-4 from the Oklahoma State 42.
Missouri (4-3, 2-2) appeared headed for an easy win after going ahead 17-0 with 54 seconds left in the first half. But the Tigers allowed Oklahoma State to drive 80 yards in 50 seconds, scoring on a 12-yard pass from Woods to Woods with 4 seconds left in the half.
Fake handoff works
After Ricks' 27-yard third-quarter field goal cut the deficit to seven, the Cowboys tied it early in the fourth quarter when Donovan Woods faked a handoff to Vernand Morency and ran untouched 34 yards for the score.
It was no surprise Missouri was keying on Morency. He carried 31 times for 173 yards, bettering the 163.3 yards he averaged entering the game, second-best in the nation. Donovan Woods carried 10 times for 71 yards -- 69 of those coming on two runs -- and was 7-of-13 for 110 yards and one interception.
After controlling the ball for more than 21 minutes in the first half, the Tigers could muster just four first downs and 87 total yards in the final 30 minutes. The Tigers had the ball less than 12 minutes of the final half.
Smith's stats
Missouri's Brad Smith, a Chaney High graduate, was 18-for-29 for just 96 yards and one interception. He rushed 17 times for 58 yards, and Damien Nash carried 18 times for 89 yards.
Missouri drove 83 yards on 16 plays to go ahead 7-0 on Smith's 4-yard pass to Martin Rucker on the final play of the first quarter. Smith dropped straight back, scrambled to his right, then back to the left sideline before finding Rucker open in the middle of the end zone.
Joe Tantarelli's 21-yard field goal with 5:34 to play in the half gave Missouri a 10-0 lead.
On Oklahoma State's next drive, the Cowboys tried a fake punt with the ball snapped to up-back Chase Holland, who passed to Prentiss Elliott. But just as Elliott was about to make the catch, Missouri's Jason Simpson jarred the ball loose, giving the Tigers the ball at the Oklahoma State 42 with 3:21 to go in the half.
Last points
Seven plays later, Smith and Sean Coffey connected on a 3-yard touchdown pass with 54 seconds to play in the half.
Morency had runs of 21 and 19 yards to help Oklahoma State answer and seize the momentum with a late score.
Copyright 2004 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.