By JASON WILLIAMS
of the Tribune's staff

Missouri tripped on a boulder and tumbled back down a mountain that it thought it had almost conquered over the last two years.

But the Tigers found themselves in the familiar deep valley below Mount Cornhusker after sixth-ranked Nebraska took advantage of numerous Missouri mistakes and an ineffective offense to pound MU 40-10 before a sellout crowd of 68,174 at Faurot Field and a regional television audience last night.

The Tigers (2-1, 0-1 Big 12 Conference) dropped their 21st consecutive game against the Cornhuskers (4-0, 1-0) and their 36th versus a Top-10 opponent.

"We stunk," MU coach Larry Smith said. "We're embarrassed. That's the worst excuse of a football team I've ever seen in my whole life, and everyone's responsible for it."

MU, which had lost to Nebraska by just one touchdown in each of the last two seasons, mustered only 174 yards of offense, including a pathetic 25 rushing, and 10 first downs. DeVaughn Black, who entered the game ranked fourth in the nation in rushing, gained just 39 yards on 13 carries.

The nation's No. 4 rushing team stood still.

"Offensively, we never moved a lick," Smith said. "Our biggest gains were when we took a touchback. We gained 20 yards every time we took a touchback."

Not that the offense was the lone culprit. MU's struggles began on the first series of the game, and, not surprisingly, the punting unit helped dig the trench.

After three plays that produced minus-nine yards, the Tigers were forced to punt for the first time since the season-opening game against Alabama-Birmingham, when MU allowed two blocked punts to be returned for TDs.

With the Tigers stuck on their own 35-yard line, deep snapper Ben Davidson fired a snap that 5-foot-10 punter Jared Gilpin would have had difficulty catching on stilts. The ball bounced into the end zone, and a hustling Gilpin wisely swatted it out for a Nebraska safety.

On the Tigers' next offensive series, Davidson's nightmare was prolonged when he sent a snap that Shaquille O'Neal wouldn't have grasped with outstretched arms. Gilpin scooped the ball up inside the 10 and fired an incomplete pass, turning the ball over to the Huskers on the MU 35.

The Cornhuskers capitalized on the gaffe in five plays, capped by Matt Davison's seven-yard TD reception to give Nebraska a 9-0 lead.

The Cornhuskers took advantage of another MU error en route to taking a 16-0 lead. Nebraska's Julius Jackson intercepted Kirk Farmer's pass, and the linebacker gladly returned it to the Tigers' 31.

Nebraska quarterback Eric Crouch scampered 31 yards for a TD on the following play as time expired in the opening period.

"Giving them 16 points on turnovers and two snaps over our head, that's what set the tempo," Smith said. "Š We did it to ourselves."

The Cornhuskers, who entered the game permitting only 40.7 yards rushing a contest, almost immediately quashed any confidence the Tigers' offense had gained from last week's 48-point, 560-yard performance against Western Michigan. MU managed only three first downs and rushed for minus 23 yards on 11 attempts in the first quarter.

Brad Hammerich, who continued to be one of MU's most consistent performers, drilled a 47-yard field goal from the left hash mark with 12:12 remaining in the second quarter for MU's only first-half score. The Tigers, who had 13 yards rushing in the first half, trailed 19-3 at halftime.

Nebraska's offense, which had been completely overshadowed by its defense in the first three games, erased most doubts about its abilities.

The Cornhuskers gained 476 yards, including 333 rushing. That included several big plays, continuing a trend that has plagued the Tigers' veteran defense in the early part of the season.

In addition to Crouch's TD run, he connected with wingback Bobby Newcombe on a 53-yard pass with 12:12 remaining in the third quarter to propel the Cornhuskers to a 26-3 advantage.

In the fourth quarter, Crouch, who rushed for 92 yards, sprinted for a 27-yard gain on an option run to help set up the Cornhuskers' final TD. Nebraska took advantage of yet another Tiger gaffe to take a 33-3 lead.

Quarterback Jim Dougherty completed a pass to tight end Brandon Ford, but he fumbled after running nine yards and Nebraska took over on the MU 30 with 5:55 remaining in the third quarter. Correll Buckhalter scored on a 10-yard run with 3:31 left in the third.

Dougherty left the game in the third period after suffering a sprained left knee after a late hite by an NU defender.

Smith said Nebraska's consistently great field position was overwhelming for the Tigers' defense.

"I don't think our defense figured they would have to play on a 30-yard field," he said. "It was like playing a scrimmage on one-third of the football field."