Missouri's defense recorded the program's first shutout in four years and first in conference play since 1986, but the No. 14 Tigers have to make sure one player doesn't break loose during Saturday's road game at Baylor if they want to make it two in a row.
Bears freshman quarterback Robert Griffin has 1,405 yards passing and 554 yards rushing, accounting for 65.8 percent of his team's 2,977 total yards. He also has had a hand in 18 of Baylor's 29 touchdowns -- nine rushing and nine passing.
"We've got to be able to contain him because it's going to be hard to match his speed on defense,"
Missouri defensive end Stryker Sulak said.
After giving up 993 yards and 84 points in consecutive losses, the Tigers defense rebounded with its best performance of the year in a 58-0 victory over Colorado, handing the Buffaloes their first shutout loss since 1988.
The shutout was the first for Missouri (6-2, 2-2 Big 12) since a 48-0 win against Ball State in 2004 and its first in 13 seasons playing in the Big 12. The Tigers beat Kansas 48-0 in 1986, when the schools played in the Big Eight.
Missouri's defense allowed a season-low 199 yards -- less than half its season average of 411.0 yards through the first seven games, including a season-worst 591 in a 56-31 loss to No. 1 Texas on Oct. 18.
"I think we played better. I thought it was a great, focused effort by our defense. This day and age, I don't care who you play, you get a shutout that's pretty impressive,"
said Missouri coach Gary Pinkel.
Tigers quarterback Chase Daniel completed 31 of 37 passes for 302 yards, and his 83.8 percent completion rate set a single-game school record. It was his third consecutive 300-yard game, and he tied his own school record with a season-high five touchdown passes.
Chase Coffman also broke the NCAA record for receptions by a tight end, surpassing the 217 catches by Louisville's Ibn Green from 1996-99. Coffman caught seven passes for 50 yards and a touchdown last Saturday, giving him 220 career receptions.
Jeremy Maclin led Missouri with 11 catches for 134 yards and two touchdowns, posting his fourth 100-yard game this season and sixth in 22 career games.
Baylor (3-5, 1-3) started fast at Nebraska last Saturday, but was held scoreless in the second half of a 32-20 defeat -- its eighth straight Big 12 road loss that left the Bears 2-47 all-time on the road in conference play.
Griffin, who had a 47-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, finished with 121 rushing yards as he became the first Baylor quarterback with three 100-yard rushing games. The freshman also set a school record for consecutive passes without an interception, which now is 175 after going 9-for-20 for 134 yards versus the Cornhuskers.
"We played a great first half, but we couldn't finish the game," said Griffin, whose team had 145 rushing yards in the first quarter but only 125 total yards of offense in the second half. "I don't know what the reasons were for that, but each guy has to take responsibility for what happens on the field and re-evaluate then move on."
The Bears -- already 0-3 against Top 25 teams -- have dropped 15 straight games to ranked opponents since a 35-34 win over then-No. 16 Texas A&M on Oct. 30.
Missouri is 6-0 against Baylor since the Bears joined the Big 12 and leads the all-time series 9-2.
