COLUMBIA | Those bells of doom that echo out of the public address system at Faurot Field when the Missouri defense lines up to stop a foe on third down?
They toll for thee, Mizzou.
With their defense absent without leave in the first half, the Tigers’ offense at least made things interesting.
But until it was entirely too late, Missouri’s offense joined its defense on the sidelines in the second half.
Missouri fell 40-32 to a Baylor team that won a Big 12 Conference game for the first time in five tries.
Missouri now stands 5-4 overall and at 1-4 is all but officially out of the race for the Big 12 North.
Missouri quarterback Blaine Gabbert hit 21 of 27 passes for 322 yards in the first half when senior wide receiver Danario Alexander caught 11 passes for 171 yards. The two combined on the longest scoring catch and TD pass of their careers.
In the second half, Gabbert hit only nine of 24 passes for 146 yards. Alexander caught only two passes for 43 yards.
With 2 minutes, 55 seconds to play, Grant Ressel’s 46-yard field goal produced the only offensive points for Mizzou in the second half.
The other two points came on a safety by the MU defense.
For the first time this season, boos from Missouri fans were heard early in the fourth quarter at Memorial Stadium.
Even that symbol of displeasure turned to disillusioned silence when, after Ressel’s last field goal, Missouri tried a squib kickoff instead on an on-side kick.
Two flags were thrown on that play. One on Missouri for off sides and one on Baylor for taunting.
Baylor, trying to run out the clock, wound up punting to Missouri with 1:57 to play.
Missouri, setting up shop at its 24, did mount a last gasp drive. The big gainer was a 36-yard pass to Alexander.
But on fourth down and 6 from the Baylor 18, Gabbert rolled right into pressure and threw incomplete.
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