Gary Pinkel had never yelled at a fan -- until the Alamo Bowl.
Pinkel defended Chase Daniel after an uncharacteristically sloppy first half during which he had two interceptions and the senior responded with a 7-yard touchdown pass to Jeremy Maclin in overtime that sent Missouri to a 30-23 victory over Northwestern on Monday night.
"He was walking next to me and somebody was yelling at Chase," Pinkel said. "I'm not going to tell you what I said ... but I've got this guy's back. He's had a remarkable career. He's averaged 10 wins as a starter for three straight years. That's a great quarterback."
After the 25th-ranked Tigers scored on the opening possession of OT, their defense delivered, too. Missouri sacked a backpedaling C.J. Bacher, forcing a fumble that left Northwestern with fourth-and-goal from the 32-yard line.
Bacher's desperation heave into the end zone was knocked down, and Daniel rushed off the sideline with his teammates to celebrate.
"We didn't play as well as we wanted to, but we got the win today," Daniel said. "That's the only thing that matters and we can't be more proud of that."
The win gave Missouri (10-4) double-digit victories in consecutive seasons for the first time in school history. The No. 22 Wildcats (9-4) fell to 1-6 in bowl games, with their only win coming in their first bowl appearance in 1949.
"They made more plays than we did on that (last) drive," Bacher said. "That's why they're sitting over there Alamo Bowl champs and we're not."
Playing his final college game, Daniel overcame three interceptions to lead the Tigers back from a three-point deficit in the fourth quarter.
"I've never had something like that," Daniel said. "I was just glad I could help the team in the end. I was obviously hurting the team very bad in the beginning."
Jeff Wolfert made three field goals for Missouri, including a 37-yarder with 2:49 remaining that tied it at 23. But he missed a 44-yard attempt as time expired.
"We were all a little stunned," Pinkel said. "We got it together quickly."
Daniel, who finished fourth in 2007 Heisman Trophy voting, matched a season high with his three interceptions. He was 27-of-44 for 200 yards and two touchdowns.
"He had the adversity during the game," Pinkel said. "What defines him is he fought back from it with his teammates."
The speedy Maclin, a first-team All-America selection as an all-purpose player, also returned a punt 75 yards for a score, tying it at 10 in the second quarter.
"He's a special guy," Daniel said. "He's the reason this offense goes."
Bacher threw for 304 yards and equaled an Alamo Bowl record with three touchdown passes. His 23-yard toss to Ross Lane in the back of the end zone gave Northwestern a 23-20 lead at the end of the third.
After the Tigers tied it, Northwestern had a chance to drive for a go-ahead score, but Bacher's pass on third-and-3 with less than 2 minutes remaining fell incomplete.
Wildcats kicker Amado Villarreal missed an extra point in the third that could have made the difference in regulation.
"We didn't have a moral victory tonight, OK," Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald said. "We're very disappointed that we lost the game. We fought hard and we fought valiantly, but there are not moral victories."
Daniel gave Missouri a 17-16 lead -- its first of the game -- with an 11-yard TD pass to Danario Alexander in the third. Wolfert added a 43-yard field goal with 3:46 left in the quarter.
Bacher found Rasheed Ward for a 46-yard touchdown pass on the first drive of the second half but Villarreal's extra point bounced off the right upright.
Maclin, who leads the NCAA in all-purpose yards, dashed to his first punt return TD of the season just before halftime. He bolted through the first wave of defenders before getting a good block and zooming past punter Stefan Demos, who had an angle on him but tripped.
Maclin was happy to finish the year with a win after two straight losses, including a 62-21 setback against Oklahoma in the Big 12 championship game.
"We kind of stumbled this year," he said. "But we got back on track against a good Northwestern team."
Daniel got off to a rough start when his pass was tipped and intercepted by Brian Peters on Missouri's first drive. Northwestern took advantage of the opportunity when Bacher found a wide-open Eric Peterman streaking down the middle of the field for a 35-yard touchdown that put the Wildcats up 7-0 early in the first.
Daniel's second interception came on an ill-advised throw under heavy pressure from David Arnold in the second quarter. Six-foot-7 defensive end Corey Wootton made a diving grab for the pick.
Northwestern came away empty, though, when Villarreal's 47-yard field-goal attempt sailed wide left.
Wootton, who also had a sack, appeared to injure his right leg with about 4 minutes remaining and did not return. Fitzgerald said he did not have an update on his condition.
