Unbeaten Missouri pummels Furman

~ The Tigers led 42-0 at halftime and won 52-12.

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Jared Perry came to Missouri weighing under 150 pounds -- a good-sized team manager, but hardly sturdy enough for the rigors of Big 12 football.

Fellow wide receiver Danario Alexander, at 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds, had the physical tools but spent two of his first three seasons hindered by serious injuries.

On Saturday, the seniors combined for 10 catches, four of which went for touchdowns in Missouri's 52-12 defeat of Furman. They also hooked up on the game's signature play, a 40-yard pass from Alexander to Perry that began with a cross-field lateral to Alexander from quarterback Blaine Gabbert.

"I've been waiting for this opportunity," said Perry, who had 37 catches as a freshman, but faltered a year later with the arrival of star receiver Jeremy Maclin and the emergence of tight end Chase Coffman. Both now play in the NFL.

Missouri receiver Jared Perry scores a touchdown against Furman during the first quarter Saturday in Columbia, Mo. (L.G. PATTERSON ~ Associated Press)

Alexander also took a step back after some early success, missing three games with a wrist injury in 2007 before tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in that season's Big 12 title game against Oklahoma. The severe knee injury -- he had two more surgeries after the initial operation -- continued to hamper his effectiveness in 2008.

"They've had their injuries and they've had their tough times," said Missouri coach Gary Pinkel. "Both of them had their ups and downs."

Gabbert, a sophomore, added a 40-yard scoring run to his three TD passes, tying a career high set two weeks earlier against Illinois. He completed 17 of 25 passes for 256 yards with no interceptions.

Perry added a 48-yard TD catch and set career highs with seven catches for 161 yards. Alexander also caught two touchdown passes in the first half.

Missouri (3-0) led 42-0 at halftime before Furman (2-1), a member of the Football Championship Subdivision, scored on a 21-yard pass from Jordan Sorrells to Tyler Maples midway through the third quarter. Sorrells completed 24 of 39 passes for 250 yards with one touchdown and an interception for the Southern Conference team.

"We got a young secondary, and I think they got welcomed to college football today," said Furman coach Bobby Lamb. "We didn't sustain anything on the offensive side of the ball, and every time it looked like we had a good play we were a step behind."

The Paladins compiled nearly 400 yards in total offense and controlled the ball for 11 more minutes than the Tigers.

But those numbers don't reflect Missouri's scoring ease after the Tigers failed to gain a first down on their first two possessions. None of the Tigers' four offensive scoring drives in the first half lasted longer than three minutes. Perry's second score came on the first play of the drive. Alexander's second TD catch capped a 59-second drive that pushed Missouri's lead to six touchdowns just 11 seconds before halftime.

Earlier, defensive end Jacquies Smith intercepted a tipped pass and ran 43 yards untouched into the end zone to make it 35-0.

True freshman Kendial Lawrence led Missouri with 77 yards rushing on 10 carries. Starting tailback Derrick Washington scored a touchdown and added 46 yards on 15 carries.

Jerry Williams led Furman with 57 yards rushing on 14 carries. Adam Mims caught 10 passes for 154 yards.

On defense, linebacker Will Ebner led Missouri with nine tackles. Ryan Steed led Furman with seven tackles.

Pinkel said that Perry is capable of more breakout performances.

"It's nice to see him rise to the occasion and make the plays that he does," Pinkel said.

Alexander's pass to Perry was slightly underthrown, and not exactly a tight spiral. But the trick play fooled the Paladins enough that Perry scored easily.

"I could probably get it about 80 yards actually," Alexander said when asked about his arm strength. "I wanted to make sure it got there just right. I didn't want to overthrow him."

Missouri travels to Nevada on Friday for its final nonconference game before returning home Oct. 8 to face No. 19 Nebraska in the Big 12 Conference opener for both teams. The Cornhuskers lost 16-15 Saturday to No. 13 Virginia Tech.