Franklin leads Missouri Tigers football team's rally past Texas Tech

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Missouri pulled one out for the seniors. For coach Gary Pinkel, too.

James Franklin accounted for four touchdowns and got the go-ahead score on a 9-yard run with 2 minutes, 22 seconds remaining to help Missouri, minus its suspended coach, rallied past Texas Tech 31-27 on Saturday.

"I think we came together because of the foundation that Gary Pinkel has built," said defensive coordinator Dave Steckel, who filled in as coach. "He has built it on a rock.

"If you build your foundation on a rock and the storms come, it will survive."

Franklin rushed for a career-best 152 yards with two touchdowns to help the Tigers (6-5, 4-4 Big 12) overcome Henry Josey's season-ending knee injury last week. Franklin was 13 of 20 for 172 yards and two more touchdowns, including a 7-yarder to Marcus Lucas earlier in the fourth quarter that cut Texas Tech's lead to three.

Texas Tech threatened late, driving to the Missouri 6, before Dominique Hamilton tipped a pass from Seth Doege, and Michael Sam intercepted it at the 4.

"We knew it was going to come down to us," Sam said. "It just fell in my hands, and my first thought was to go down."

Doege threw for one touchdown and ran for another for Texas Tech (5-6, 2-6), which has lost four in a row and must beat Baylor next week to become bowl eligible for the 12th consecutive season. Doege was 37 of 53 for 315 yards one week after being held to a season-low 169 yards.

Aaron Crawford had 70 yards on 14 carries, and Darrin Moore had nine catches for 88 yards and a touchdown for Texas Tech.

"Sometimes things aren't fair. That's what life's about," Texas Tech coach Tommy Tuberville said. "Our guys played their tails off when they had to come in and play.

"We led all the game except for a couple minutes. Just wasn't meant to be tonight."

This was a major improvement for the Red Raiders, who were whipped by an average of 42 points the previous three games and absorbed the worst loss in school history in a 66-6 rout against Oklahoma State last week.

"We know we're a good team," Doege said. "We can't let this one hurt too bad because we have a big game next week."

Pinkel can rejoin the team Thursday, two days ahead of the season finale against Kansas in Kansas City, Mo.

Offensive coordinator Dave Yost joined Steckel at the postgame podium and chatted with reporters afterward, choking back emotion several times. The team bus had an empty seat for Pinkel.

"What happened happened, but it's hard to take this, and I can't imagine how he felt as that game was going on," Yost said. "You knew he was watching it and making notes.

"When it ended, I was just so happy. All the things he's done for the program, we were able to give it back."

Pinkel's wife, Vickie, attended the game.

Missouri trailed entering the fourth quarter for the seventh time and won for the second time under those circumstances.

Texas Tech started fast, playing with the wind on a gusty day. It led 17-10 at the break.

Michael Egnew's first touchdown catch in five games came on a leaping grab in the back of the end zone to cut Missouri's deficit to 20-17 with 4:43 to go in the third quarter. It was the first touchdown in the third quarter in five games for the Tigers, who have totaled 40 points in that quarter all year.

Texas Tech again went up 10 on Moore's 24-yard catch from Doege to make it 27-17 with 1 second left in the third quarter.

The wind was such a factor early that Texas Tech called a timeout to force Missouri to punt into it. The move was foiled when Trey Barrow got a very favorable roll on a 68-yarder into the end zone.

Missouri blew a scoring chance in the first quarter when Kendial Lawrence got stripped by Cornelius Douglas at the Red Raiders' 6-yard line and fumbled the ball out of the end zone.