COLUMBIA, MO. • Missouri was due, right? Beat writers were having to find new synonyms for the Tigers’ proclivity to squander big leads (gag, choke, cough up, etc.), and sure enough, it nearly happened again Tuesday when Arkansas chipped away at Mizzou’s 14-point advantage and turned a two-touchdown deficit into a thriller in the final minutes.
Instead, the Tigers made more clutch plays down the stretch in the 79-78 win, but in the postmortem discussion minutes later, senior forward Kevin Puryear shared an observation that might help explain some of the Tigers’ second-half issues, notably at home, where they’ve seen big leads crumble against SEC competition.