LOOKING BACK (NOV. 29) | KANSAS 40, NO. 13 MISSOURI 37
One year after seeing Missouri end its perfect season and its bid for a national championship, Kansas exacted a measure of revenge, knocking off the 13th-ranked Tigers 40-37 Saturday at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.
Facing a fourth-and-seven from the Tigers' 26-yard line with 33 seconds remaining, Jayhawks quarterback Todd Reesing tossed a go-ahead touchdown pass to wideout Kerry Meier, accounting for the final margin. Reesing out-dueled one-time Heisman hopeful Chase Daniel, completing 37 of 51 attempts for 375 yards and four touchdowns for his first career victory over the Tigers.
Trailing 26-10 with 10:29 to play in the third quarter, Missouri began a furious comeback bid, scoring 20 unanswered points to take a 30-26 lead. Daniel led the charge, tossing three of his four touchdown passes during the stretch.
Over the next 5:02 the teams traded touchdowns, setting the stage for Reesing's heroics. On the eventual game-winning drive, the Meier went 6 of 9 for 67 yards to help the Jayhawks end a recent skid that saw them lose four of their five previous contests.
Although its Rivalry Week loss to Kansas was a poor ending to Missouri's regular season, the Tigers' postseason plans will not change as a result of the setback, as Missouri had already locked up the Big 12 North title and a trip to the conference title game. They'll now take on Oklahoma, ranked No. 2 in the BCS, in a rematch of last season's Big 12 title game.
LOOKING AHEAD (DEC. 5-DEC. 6) | TUFTS ATHLETICS AT MIT
Four Tufts squads — both swimming and diving teams, the men's basketball team and the men's squash team — will head down the Red Line this weekend for a set of clashes against regional foe MIT.
For the unbeaten men's and women's swimming and diving teams, the weekend's competition will provide a chance for the Jumbos to assess where they stand relative to other squads throughout New England. No fewer than six teams, including a couple from the NESCAC, will be on hand to put a dent in Tufts' early season success.
The men's basketball team, meanwhile, will renew what has been a spirited rivalry with MIT over the past few seasons tomorrow afternoon. The Jumbos have not lost to the Engineers in recent memory, but the two squads have met for some memorable contests. Most notably, Tufts and MIT played to a triple-overtime thriller on Dec. 2, 2006, with the Jumbos coming away with an 86-81 victory.
The men's squash team, which took a 1-4 mark into last night's clash at Amherst, will look to get back on track against MIT tomorrow. The squad hasn't lost to the Engineers since 2004 and has swept MIT 9-0 in competition the past three straight years.
