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Missouri routs Buffs by 19

Photo by DAVID ZALUBOWSKI/AP

Missouri’s Aldon Smith sacks CU quarterback Tyler Hansen in the fourth quarter of the Tigers’ 36-17 victory Saturday in Boulder.

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BOULDER - Gary Pinkel has a file full of motivational speeches designed to defuse deflating losses.

The Missouri coach doesn't need to brush one off this week as the Tigers snapped a three-game slide.

Behind a 33-0 start and a swarming defensive unit that had eight sacks and forced four turnovers, the Tigers held off Colorado 36-17 on Saturday.

Pinkel can save that sermon for another time.

"It takes a lot of courage from the team and a lot of positive attitudes and perseverance to come out of that," Pinkel said. "I can't tell you how good it feels to win again." The Tigers (5-3, 1-3 Big 12) roared out, leading 33-0 late in the second quarter and appearing to be on their way to another rout of Colorado (2-6, 1-3).

Instead, the Tigers had to hold off Colorado's second-half surge.

Missouri's defense came up big in the final quarter, ending three Colorado drives on fourth-down stops and another on an interception.

"We were on a mission, and we knew we couldn't lose this game," said linebacker Zaviar Gooden.

The Buffaloes thought they were on a similar mission. The team held a players' only meeting last week to try to break out of their funk.

Still, the Buffaloes stumbled for the fourth time in five games.

"You talk about your options every week, and the tangible is that you have to win out to go to a bowl game," Colorado coach Dan Hawkins said. "Regardless of what's on the line, we need to show up." The fans are growing restless, chanting for the firing of Hawkins after a dismal first half.

Is Hawkins losing this team?

"That's people's opinion," Buffaloes receiver Scotty McKnight said. "I know there is a lot of negativity out there, but as a player you have to remain positive no matter what the circumstances." Missouri scored 21 points in the first quarter as Derrick Washington scored from a yard out, while Danario Alexander caught TD passes of 73 and 2 yards.

The Tigers kept the momentum going in the second quarter when Grant Ressel hit a 29-yard field goal, followed by Jarrell Harrison sacking Tyler Hansen for a safety 10 seconds later.

Missouri even turned to trickery for another score, converting on a fake field goal as holder Forrest Shock flipped the ball to Jacquies Smith, who danced around the end of the line and stepped out of a tackle before scurrying 24 yards for the score.

The rout looked to be on, just like the last two meetings where the Tigers won by a combined margin of 113-10.

With their 33-point start, the Tigers had a streak of 139 unanswered points against Colorado spanning the last three games, which was finally halted with Aric Goodman's 48-yard field goal just before halftime.

The Tigers offense, however, bogged down in the second half, gaining just 94 yards.

Colorado had a different attitude in the third quarter, the offense finally showing some spark as Rodney Stewart scored on a 3-yard run.

Even the Colorado defense got into the act when safety Benjamin Burney jumped in front of a Blaine Gabbert pass with Missouri on the move and raced 78 yards for the score.

The momentum, however, was short-lived.

Missouri bottled up Colorado in the fourth quarter, coming up with one clutch stop after another. Defensive end Aldon Smith led the way, finishing with three sacks and a fumble recovery.

"We're a team. If some part of the team is struggling, another part will step up," Smith said.

The Tigers hounded Hansen all afternoon, constantly making him scramble into trouble. Hansen finished with 190 yards passing and minus-34 yards rushing. He also fumbled the ball three times.

"They were definitely bringing the heat," Hansen said. "We didn't have that fire in the first half." That perplexed McKnight.

"There was so much to fuel us for this game, it's hard to believe that we could possibly come out here and play flat," McKnight said. "They played a great game, but we've got to use that stuff to give us the energy to start this game with a spark, and we didn't."