Missouri tumbles to Simms, Texas

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Missouri didn't stop Chris Simms for long.

Simms passed for four touchdowns and ran for a fifth as No. 7 Texas recovered from a frustrating start to beat Missouri 35-16 Saturday. He has thrown 12 touchdown passes with one interception the last three weeks.

"My receivers have me confident that I can go to them when times get tough or when we need a big play," Simms said. "They did that again today."

Cedric Benson had 157 yards on 31 carries, his third straight 100-yard game. Texas (7-1, 4-1 Big 12) put together several lengthy drives, scoring after 10, 13 and 11 plays, after coming up empty on an 18-play march at the start of the game.

Texas controlled the ball for 39:22, nearly two-thirds of the game.

"After a while, the defense gets tired of being on the field," Simms said. "Their defensive line isn't oversized or anything and I think our line was a lot for them to handle."

Texas has won 13 of its last 15 overall and has a six-game winning streak on the road. The Longhorns' defense, giving up 13 points a game, held its fifth straight opponent to fewer than 300 yards.

Zack Abron had 109 yards rushing on 13 carries and a touchdown for Missouri (3-4, 2-3), which has lost 42 in a row to Top 10 teams since 1980. Abron has three straight 100-yard games and four overall for the Tigers, who were outgained 421-244.

Being competitive wasn't nearly enough for coach Gary Pinkel.

"We walk in this locker room and people are cheering, 'Great job, Missouri,"' Pinkel said. "I hate that. That's how losers think."

Simms was 24-for-30 for 229 yards, with scoring passes to B.J. Johnson, Brock Edwards, Roy Williams and Brett Robin, and scored on a 1-yard sneak. As the game concluded, Texas players were discussing scores involving other Top 10 teams.

Texas' only loss was to No. 2 Oklahoma.

"We lost to the hottest team in the nation," Simms said. "We're one of the best teams in the country, I think."

Benson, a freshman, had 100 yards last week against Colorado and 131 the week before against Oklahoma State.

Johnson's touchdown put Texas ahead to stay at 14-10 with 1:50 to go in the first half. The Longhorns had to drive only 41 yards for the score after a 24-yard punt by Jared Gilpin.

Missouri backup quarterback Darius Outlaw had entered the game for the previous series starting from the Tigers 16, and was sacked on third down. Pinkel barked at a reporter who asked why Outlaw was used at that stage of the game.

"I don't know if you're insinuating that he went in and destroyed the offense, because he didn't at all," Pinkel said. "I said last week he would go in on the first series of the second quarter and he'll do that in almost every game."