Let’s Go Bowling

FRANKLIN

Missouri (Tigers,  33,805 students, Columbia, MO) 42, NORTH CAROLINA 24 – Underdog  North Carolina scored on their first possession to take an early lead, but Missouri scored on their first five possessions of  the first half.

Game over.

James Franklin's hard running and timely passing led Missouri to an easy win in its final game as a member of the Big 12. It also gives the Tigers plenty of hope heading into their new home in the Southeastern Conference.

Franklin ran for two touchdowns and threw for another, and the Tigers easily beat North Carolina 41-24 in the Independence Bowl on Monday night.

Missouri (8-5) ends the season on a four-game winning streak for the first time since 1965. The Tigers will join the SEC next fall and showed one reason they should be a factor immediately: The 6-foot-2, 225-pound Franklin, a sophomore who generally did as he pleased in both the running and passing games.

Missouri coach Gary Pinkel said Franklin has just started to realize his potential.

Franklin, named the game's offensive Most Valuable Player, rushed for 142 yards and threw for 132 despite less than ideal conditions in the cold and rain at Independence Stadium. He led the Tigers to 31 first-half points -- an Independence Bowl record.

For North Carolina (7-6), a season that started with a promising 5-1 record ends with a lopsided loss. The Tar Heels lost five of their final seven under interim coach Everett Withers, who leaves to become defensive coordinator at Ohio State under Urban Meyer.

The Heels  had the ACC's second-best rushing defense, giving up just 106.2 yards per game. But the Tigers found plenty of running room with Franklin and Kendial Lawrence, repeatedly gashing the Tar Heels for big gains.