Missouri defends the belt, 42–21, at home over Buffalo.
AP poll, week 4: Buffalo unranked at Missouri No. 5 · No. 1 that week: Illinois. The belt vs. the polls →
Where this game sits in the lineage
Missouri came in 263 days into reign #265, which began with a win over Arkansas, with 3 defenses already behind it; this was its 4th defense. Missouri went on to defend it 1 more time before Oklahoma State took it on October 11, 2008, 284 days after the reign began.
For Buffalo this was its 2nd shot at the belt; it had never held the belt. It still hasn’t: 3 attempts in all, every one of them a loss or a tie.
This is the only time Buffalo and Missouri have met with the belt on the line.
Recap
Missouri's defense and explosive offense proved too much for Buffalo in this belt defense, as the Tigers dominated from the opening drive. After establishing early momentum with Derrick Washington's 6-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, Missouri's special teams nearly gave the game away when Ernest Jackson returned the ensuing kickoff 97 yards for a Buffalo touchdown, but the Tigers' firepower was relentless. Chase Daniel orchestrated a balanced attack throughout, connecting with Jeremy Maclin twice for scores and finding Danario Alexander and Chase Coffman in the end zone, while Buffalo's Drew Willy kept the Bulls competitive with two touchdown passes to Ernest Jackson. Missouri's defense ultimately sealed the win with a safety in the fourth quarter and a crucial interception by Kenji Jackson as Buffalo desperately tried to mount a comeback.
- Ernest Jackson's 97-yard kickoff return touchdown for Buffalo in Q1 — briefly made it competitive but couldn't sustain momentum
- Chase Daniel's four touchdown passes, including the 69-yard bomb to Tommy Saunders in Q3 that set up another score — established Missouri's aerial dominance
- Jeremy Maclin's 16-yard touchdown run in Q2 — showcased the Tigers' versatility and ability to attack multiple ways
- Safety in Q4 and Kenji Jackson's interception — defensive plays that sealed Missouri's belt retention
Written by Claude from the box score and play-by-play on this page — a plain-English recap of the numbers below, not a substitute for them.
Team stats
CFBD box scoreFull team box score from CFBD’s /games/teams data. This section only appears for belt games from 2003 onward — CFBD doesn’t have team-level stats that far back.
Key plays
CFBD play-by-play| When | Team | Yards | Play |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 15:00 | Missouri | +20 yd | Chase Daniel pass complete to Jeremy Maclin for 20 yards to the Buff 30, tackled by Mike Newton for a 1ST down. |
| Q1 11:47 | Missouri | +6 yd | Derrick Washington rush for 6 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. |
| Q1 11:47 | Missouri | +24 yd | Jeff Wolfert kickoff for 68 yards returned by Ernest Jackson, tackled by Kevin Rutland for 24 yards to the Buff 26, tackled by Kevin Rutland. |
| Q1 11:47 | Missouri | +0 yd | Jeff Wolfert extra point GOOD. |
| Q1 1:42 | Missouri | +97 yd | Jeff Wolfert kickoff for 67 yards returned by Ernest Jackson for 97 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. |
| Q1 1:42 | Buffalo | +0 yd | A.J. Principe extra point GOOD. |
| Q2 11:53 | Missouri | +0 yd | Jeff Wolfert extra point GOOD. |
| Q2 11:53 | Missouri | +16 yd | Jeremy Maclin rush for 16 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. |
| Q2 7:30 | Buffalo | +32 yd | Drew Willy pass complete to Ernest Jackson for 32 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. |
| Q2 7:30 | Buffalo | +0 yd | A.J. Principe extra point GOOD. |
| Q2 0:00 | Missouri | +48 yd | Jeff Wolfert 48 yard field goal GOOD. |
| Q3 12:13 | Missouri | +27 yd | Chase Daniel pass complete to Danario Alexander for 27 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. |
| Q3 12:13 | Missouri | +0 yd | Jeff Wolfert extra point GOOD. |
| Q3 12:13 | Missouri | +25 yd | Jeff Wolfert kickoff for 65 yards returned by Ernest Jackson, tackled by Kenji Jackson and Andrew Gachkar for 25 yards to the Buff 30, tackled by Kenji Jackson and Andrew Gachkar. |
| Q3 7:16 | Buffalo | +3 yd | Drew Willy pass complete to Ernest Jackson for 3 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. |
| Q3 7:16 | Buffalo | +0 yd | A.J. Principe extra point GOOD. |
| Q3 7:15 | Buffalo | +21 yd | Drew Willy pass complete to Mario Henry for 21 yards to the Misso 40, tackled by Sean Weatherspoon for a 1ST down. |
| Q3 4:39 | Missouri | +69 yd | Chase Daniel pass complete to Tommy Saunders for 69 yards to the Buff 17, tackled by Davonte Shannon for a 1ST down. |
| Q3 1:25 | Missouri | +3 yd | Derrick Washington rush for 3 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. |
| Q4 15:00 | Missouri | +36 yd | Chase Daniel pass complete to Jeremy Maclin for 36 yards to the Buff 29, tackled by Tom Drewes for a 1ST down. |
| Q4 9:41 | Missouri | +4 yd | Chase Daniel pass complete to Chase Coffman for 4 yards for a TOUCHDOWN. |
| Q4 9:41 | Missouri | +0 yd | Jeff Wolfert extra point GOOD. |
| Q4 7:37 | Buffalo | -23 yd | Team rush for a loss of 23 yards to the Buff 0 for a SAFETY. |
| Q4 4:48 | Missouri | +53 yd | Jeff Wolfert 53 yard field goal MISSED. |
| Q4 0:00 | Buffalo | +35 yd | Drew Willy pass intercepted by Kenji Jackson at the Misso 2, returned for 35 yards to the Misso 37 out-of-bounds. |
Scoring plays, turnovers, and gains of 20+ yards, pulled from CFBD’s play-by-play. This section only appears for belt games with play-by-play on file (2003 onward).
Player stats
CFBD player statsPassing
Missouri
| Player | C/ATT | YDS | AVG | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chase Daniel | 36/43 | 439 | 10.2 | 2 | 0 | 89.1 |
| Danario Alexander | 0/1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 3.3 |
Buffalo
| Player | C/ATT | YDS | AVG | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drew Willy | 22/40 | 237 | 5.9 | 2 | 1 | 46.0 |
Rushing
Missouri
| Player | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Derrick Washington | 18 | 89 | 4.9 | 2 | 11 |
| Jeremy Maclin | 2 | 25 | 12.5 | 1 | 16 |
| Jimmy Jackson | 2 | 16 | 8.0 | 0 | 9 |
| Chase Daniel | 4 | 16 | 4.0 | 0 | 16 |
| De'Vion Moore | 2 | 6 | 3.0 | 0 | 8 |
| Jerrell Jackson | 1 | -1 | -1.0 | 0 | 0 |
Buffalo
| Player | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mario Henry | 16 | 60 | 3.8 | 0 | 13 |
| Brandon Thermilus | 13 | 30 | 2.3 | 0 | 7 |
| Drew Willy | 5 | -18 | -3.6 | 0 | 3 |
Receiving
Missouri
| Player | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeremy Maclin | 14 | 168 | 12.0 | 0 | 36 |
| Tommy Saunders | 4 | 96 | 24.0 | 0 | 69 |
| Chase Coffman | 10 | 84 | 8.4 | 1 | 16 |
| Danario Alexander | 1 | 27 | 27.0 | 1 | 27 |
| Derrick Washington | 3 | 27 | 9.0 | 0 | 10 |
| Jared Perry | 2 | 20 | 10.0 | 0 | 16 |
| Andrew Jones | 2 | 17 | 8.5 | 0 | 9 |
Buffalo
| Player | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Naaman Roosevelt | 9 | 87 | 9.7 | 0 | 19 |
| Ernest Jackson | 4 | 55 | 13.8 | 2 | 32 |
| Brett Hamlin | 3 | 32 | 10.7 | 0 | 12 |
| Mario Henry | 2 | 28 | 14.0 | 0 | 21 |
| Brandon Thermilus | 3 | 24 | 8.0 | 0 | 16 |
| Gary Rice | 1 | 11 | 11.0 | 0 | 11 |
Show more stats (4 more categories)
Interceptions
Missouri
| Player | INT | YDS | TD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenji Jackson | 1 | 25 | 0 |
Buffalo
No recorded stats in this category.
Kicking
Missouri
| Player | FG | PCT | LONG | XP | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeff Wolfert | 2/3 | 66.7 | 48 | 4/4 | 10 |
Buffalo
| Player | FG | PCT | LONG | XP | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A.J. Principe | 0/0 | 0.0 | 0 | 3/3 | 3 |
Punt Returns
Missouri
| Player | NO | YDS | AVG | LONG | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeremy Maclin | 3 | 10 | 3.3 | 10 | 0 |
Buffalo
No recorded stats in this category.
Punting
Missouri
| Player | NO | YDS | AVG | TB | In 20 | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jake Harry | 1 | 37 | 37.0 | 0 | 0 | 37 |
Buffalo
| Player | NO | YDS | AVG | TB | In 20 | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peter Fardon | 6 | 213 | 35.5 | 0 | 0 | 51 |
Full player stats from CFBD’s /games/players data, split out by team. This section only appears for belt games from 2003 onward — CFBD doesn’t have player-level stats that far back. Linked player names go to that player’s stat line in every other belt game they’ve appeared in.
Sources Box score at ESPN · Game record: College Football Data (id 282640142) · This game in the downloadable dataset