Tigers produce embarrassing

effort in 35-3 loss to Boilermakers​

There was plenty of room available for fans to stretch out during the second half of Missouri's game with Purdue on Saturday at Faurot Field.

Sept. 16, 2017

COLUMBIA, Mo. --- Who would win this football game? 

That wasn't the biggest question on this day.

It was: Who was Cuonzo Martin pulling for? His alma mater, Purdue, or his current employer, Missouri?

Anything to think about basketball, because this football season seems to be a lost cause.

Already.

Saturday was a textbook example of the good, the bad and the ugly for the Missouri Tigers --- except for the good part.

This went far beyond bad, it stretched to futile and embarrassing, then all the way to frightfully uncomfortable to watch.

It was a total no-show and non-effort by Missouri, as the Purdue Boilermakers --- who've had one winning season in the last decade --- plowed through the Tigers like they were bugs on a windshield in a 35-3 victory at Faurot Field.

"We didn't play very well and we got our tails kicked," Tigers coach Barry Odom said. "That's hard to say out loud ... it's a reflection of me and the things we did on the field."

The stands were about half empty when the game started, before slowly filling in during the first half to what was an "announced" gathering of 53,262. But at halftime, most fans could not get out of there fast enough.

Empty seats = empty bank accounts. Schools and athletic directors don't like that.

But the fans left because it was over by halftime. Actually, it was over by the end of the first quarter. Well, truth be told, the Boilermakers  had enough points to win the game after their first possession.

Purdue took the opening kickoff and went 75 yards in 11 plays to take a 7-0 lead in the first five minutes.

That would be that. It was basically over as soon as it started.

Purdue (2-1) led 14-0 after one quarter, 28-3 at the half and made it 35-3 early in the third quarter. It could have ended up name-your-score to 3, but first-year Boilermakers head coach Jeff Brown showed mercy.

A few other numbers:

^ First downs: Purdue 26, Missouri 10

^ Rushing yards: 205-70

^ Passing yards: 272-133.

^ Total yards ended up 477-203, but it was a lopsided 374-92 in the first half.

It was the worst of both worlds for Missouri football from its first two games. The defense played like it did against Missouri State; the offense performed like it did last week against South Carolina.

There was a series in the first half when the offense for the Tigers (1-2) had back-to-back-to-back-to-back penalties. Four attempted plays, four penalties --- one was a procedure call on the entire offensive line.

That was followed up by a terrible snap to punter Corey Fatony on fourth-and-about 20 miles. It took some time, but Fatony was able to snag the errant pig and when he looked up, nobody --- and I mean nobody --- was rushing him, so he was still able to kick at his leisure.

Thanks for small favors.

The Tigers' only points were a gift, and they did their best to mess even that up.

Late in the first half and with the score 28-0, a pass hit Purdue tight end Brycen Hopkins in the hands, but the ball popped into the air and led to an interception by Thomas Wilson. It was Missouri's ball at midfield, 28 seconds left.

A rare good pass from Drew Lock to J'Mon Moore moved it to the Purdue 29. Timeout, 20 seconds left, Missouri still had two timeouts left. But after another completion moved it to the 12 with 12 seconds left, no timeout taken. By the time the next pass fell incomplete, there were 4 seconds left.

At that point, Missouri called timeout ... with still another timeout left ... to kick a field goal ... to make it 28-3.

Thanks for nothing.

In the fourth quarter, Moore should have pulled in a 34-yard touchdown pass from Lock. Not that it really mattered, but it couldn't hurt, right? 35-10 sounds better than 35-3, right?

But Purdue's Kamal Hardy simply took it away from Moore in the end zone, who had two hands squarely on the ball. It was a great case of want to compared to wondering what the special was at Harpo's.

Earlier, we mentioned there was nothing good about MU's effort, but that really wasn't the case. Fatony had a fine day, averaging 48.2 yards on nine punts, giving him 434 yards worth of punts --- which was more than twice the total of the team's offense.

Good day, bad sign.

"I'm very, very frustrated," Odom said. "I've got to do a better job of getting our guys ready to play ... we've got a lot of work to do. I still think we have a chance to be a good football team, but the urgency to get there is past due."

By all appearances --- and this is the saddest part about this sinking ship --- is that Odom looks to be the Kim Anderson of football. Another favorite son of Ol' Mizzou taking one for the team, buying some time to forget some recent nastiness in the program, until more of a brand-name coach can be lured to the school.

In basketball, it was the mess made by Frank Haith that caused the problems. Enter Anderson, exit Anderson, enter Cuonzo Martin.

In football, it was some campus unrest that led to a hunger strike by one person that caused the football team to go on strike, the head football coach to resign (at the very least, Gary Pinkel's timing wasn't a coincidence), and ultimately led to the dismantling of the university's entire hierarchy.

Was this school this bad? Of course not. But perception won out over reality.

And it wasn't even close.

That's where this football program is right now, and it seems like the only cure will be time.

So who was Cuonzo Martin pulling for, anyway? Doesn't matter.

It made you think about basketball.

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