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Missouri Tops UNC, 41-24, For Independence Bowl Victory
James
Franklin ran for two touchdowns and threw for another, and Missouri
easily beat North Carolina 41-24 in the Independence Bowl on Monday
night.
SHREVEPORT,
La. (AP) - James Franklin's hard running and timely passing led
Missouri to an easy win in its final game as a member of the Big 12. It
also gives the Tigers plenty of hope heading into their new home in the
Southeastern Conference.
Franklin ran for two touchdowns and
threw for another, and the Tigers easily beat North Carolina 41-24 in
the Independence Bowl on Monday night.
"(Frankin) is just such a dynamic guy running and throwing that you have to respect both,"
UNC Interim Head Coach Everett Withers
Missouri
(8-5) ends the season on a four-game winning streak for the first time
since 1965. The Tigers will join the SEC next fall and showed one
reason they should be a factor immediately: The 6-foot-2, 225-pound
Franklin, a sophomore who generally did as he pleased in both the
running and passing games.
Missouri coach Gary Pinkel said Franklin has just started to realize his potential.
"After
the game, I gave him a hug and said congratulations," Pinkel said.
"Then I went back and asked `What happens when you get really good?'
... He kind of gave me a look, but that's a huge compliment."
Franklin,
named the game's offensive Most Valuable Player, rushed for 142 yards
and threw for 132 despite less than ideal conditions in the cold and
rain at Independence Stadium. He led the Tigers to 31 first-half points
- an Independence Bowl record.
For North Carolina (7-6), a
season that started with a promising 5-1 record ends with a lopsided
loss. The Tar Heels lost five of their final seven under interim coach
Everett Withers, who leaves to become defensive coordinator at Ohio
State under Urban Meyer.
North Carolina had the Atlantic Coast
Conference's second-best rushing defense, giving up just 106.2 yards
per game. But the Tigers found plenty of running room with Franklin and
Kendial Lawrence, repeatedly gashing the Tar Heels for big gains.
"(Frankin)
is just such a dynamic guy running and throwing that you have to
respect both," Withers said. "I always count the quarterback as an
extra running back in the spread and that's exactly what he was."
Lawrence rushed for 108 yards and a touchdown as the Tigers racked up 337 yards on the ground.
North
Carolina's poor defense wasted a productive game by quarterback Bryn
Renner, who threw for 317 yards, three touchdowns and an interception.
But Renner couldn't offset the Tar Heels' anemic running game, which
produced just 36 yards.
Freshman running back Giovani Bernard rushed for 31 yards - more than 70 yards less than his season average.
Withers
said he didn't think the program's upcoming coaching change had any
bearing on the outcome. The Tar Heels hired Southern Mississippi's
Larry Fedora last week.
"We've had issues for two years so I don't know why tonight would be any distraction," Withers said.
Pinkel didn't shy away from the importance of the game, saying the result would be "a trivia question after I'm long gone."
North
Carolina scored first, with Renner hitting Dwight Jones for a 22-yard
touchdown pass with 12:12 left in the first quarter. That would be the
high point for the Tar Heels.
Missouri responded with a 40-yard
touchdown pass from receiver T.J. Moe to Wes Kemp after a lateral from
Franklin. Moe hadn't thrown a touchdown pass since his days as a high
school quarterback in suburban St. Louis, and it was just his second
complete pass of the season.
"I saw the corner bite and I just let her go," Moe said.
The
Tigers scored again on Franklin's 2-yard run to take a 14-7 lead late
in the first quarter. The touchdown was set up by Franklin's 16-yard
pass to L'Damian Washington that put the Tigers at the 2-yard line.
Washington grew up in Shreveport, just a few miles from Independence
Stadium.
And Missouri just kept piling on.
The Tigers scored two touchdowns and a field goal during the second quarter to take a 31-10 halftime lead.
North
Carolina had a glimmer of hope late in the third when Jheranie Boyd
caught a 44-yard touchdown pass from Renner to pull the Tar Heels to
34-17, but Missouri responded minutes later with Franklin's second
touchdown run and the rout continued.
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