In a bowl game between 7-5 teams going down in Shreveport, La., on the day after Christmas, the outcome usually hinges on who cares.
In Monday night’s Independence Bowl match-up, the North Carolina Tar Heels played like they had spent the weeks leading up to the game perfecting their Arkham City skills. The Missouri Tigers played like they had been sleeping with their playbooks. The result: Missouri 41, North Carolina 24.
How big of a mismatch was this? Mizzou rolled up 31 points in the first half alone, scoring on all five of possessions in the first two quarters.
James Franklin, the Tigers’ sophomore quarterback, gave possibly his best performance of the season. Franklin hit on 15 of 23 pass attempts for 132 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Mizzou’s QB did most of his damage on the ground, though, working the UNC defense repeatedly with the zone read. Franklin averaged nearly 8 yards per carry, rushing for 142 yards and two scores on the evening.
Mizzou running back Kendial Lawrence joined Franklin in tearing up the Heels, dialing up 108 rushing yards of his own. Overall, the Tigers ran for a total of 337 yards, enabling Mizzou to chew up the clock in the process.
Although the UNC defense looked completely outfoxed, sophomore quarterback Bryn Renner did give Tar Heel faithful and new coach Larry Fedora reason for optimism. Renner completed 27 of 42 passing attempts for 317 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Junior receiver Jheranie Boyd, who caught three balls for 95 yards and a score, will be back in 2012, too.
Mizzou fans have plenty to look forward to as well, as the Tigers head off to the SEC next season. In their final Big 12 game, they left the league with a bang.
