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PRINT THIS PAGE | E-MAIL THIS PAGE Saturday, October 31, 1998 No 18. Missouri may meet its mirror-image in "must-win" game against Texas Tech By CHRIS NEWTON Associated Press Writer LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) -- For No. 18 Missouri, keeping its Big 12 North championship hopes alive rests on beating Texas Tech Saturday. "We have to win this game," Missouri tailback Devin West, the nation's third-leading rusher, told the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. "One of our goals was to improve our record (7-5) last year, go to a bowl game, and we wanted to try and get to the Big 12 championship game. We're in the running and we can't lose. We know that." For the Red Raiders, it's just a chance to get back on the winning track after losing two straight games to ranked teams and dropping out of the Top 25 poll. "It's been tough for us, after losing back-to-back, but we're not giving up and we're not giving in," said Tech running back Ricky Williams. But besides feeling the pressure of what both teams consider a must-win game, the similarities between the teams are almost startling. Both Missouri (5-2, 3-1) and Texas Tech (6-2, 3-2), boast impressive defenses, known for stonewalling running backs. And both teams are known for offenses that have trouble scoring and rely on scrappy quarterbacks and running backs that haven't found their way into the endzone recently. Rekindling the offense is a priority for both teams headed into Saturday's contest. "We're not getting it done on offense. We just keep shooting ourselves in the foot and not playing for four quarters," Dykes said. "Either of the last two games could have been games we won but we just didn't follow through." Tech lost to Texas A&M, 17-10, and to Colorado, 19-17. Hindering Missouri's offense is injured quarterback Corby Jones, who was hurt Oct. 3 against Northwestern State. In last week's loss to Nebraska, the Tigers' offense looked completely inept, racking up only 166 yards. Jones' injury has forced Missouri to simplify its offensive playbook. Many of the bootlegs, which Jones normally thrives on because they give him a run-pass option, have been scrapped. "We haven't been happy with the way our offense is running and we're making adjustments," said Tigers coach Larry Smith. "We're looking to open things up a little more for our running back and take a little pressure off of the ground game." Dykes said he's not willing to count on the Missouri offense not being able to produce. "We aren't looking at what people say they can't do or what they aren't able to do," Dykes said. "We're expecting them to be at their best and we're concentrating on playing our best."   Send a Letter to the Editor about This Story | Start or Join A Discussion about This Story Send the URL (Address) of This Story to A Friend: Enter their email address below: texnews.com Reporter OnLine Local Sports Texas Sports Copyright ©1998, Abilene Reporter-News / Texnews / E.W. Scripps Publications Send the URL (Address) of This Story to A Friend: Enter their email address below:

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