The Missouri Tigers suffered their first loss of the season in consistent rainfall Thursday at home against the Nebraska Cornhuskers, 27-12. The Tigers lead 12-0 after 3 quarters.
“We were on cloud nine after 3 quarters,” linebacker Andrew Gachkar said after the loss. “I don’t know if we got complacent, but we learned our lesson today.”
Both teams struggled on offense in the first half, mainly because of the consistent rain that greatly affected the ability to hold on to the football. Although it obviously played a factor, head coach Gary Pinkel said his team didn’t think the weather affected the outcome of the game.
"I'm not going to blame the weather on any of this," Pinkel said. "You have to play in any conditions. That's no excuse at all."
The Huskers got back into the game with a 56-yard touchdown pass from Zac Lee to Niles Paul early in the 4th quarter, cutting the lead to 12-7. On the first play of the ensuing Mizzou drive, star defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh dropped back in to coverage and forced Blaine Gabbert to throw his first interception of the year. It wasn’t long before the Huskers scored again, and just like that, they led 13-12.
“Obviously those were 2 good football teams with talented players, but they just executed better than us today,” sophomore quarterback Blaine Gabbert said.
Even though the Tigers led by 12 going into the fourth quarter, they stalled out on numerous drives in Nebraska territory in the first three quarters, which kept the Huskers in the game. Sophomore quarterback Blaine Gabbert struggled for the first time this year, throwing 2 late picks that sealed his team’s fate. Gabbert finished 17-43 for 134 yards and those 2 interceptions.
Adding to the odd night was the fact that the teams played during a campus wide blackout. About an hour before the game, power was lost at the stadium and throughout the campus, but a generator restored the stadium lights within 5 minutes. Still, the game was played without a PA announcer and without the use of the new scoreboard at Farout.