KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Todd Reesing could barely lift his arm above his shoulder early in the week, forced to watch backup Kerry Meier take snaps because he was in so much pain.

He got hit so hard during the game that his eyes rolled up in his head, making his coach think he had been knocked out. He spent the postgame in the training room getting stitches for a gash in his hand.

Didn't matter. Reesing wasn't about to give up and neither were the rest of his injured teammates.

Reesing threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Meier with 27 seconds left, helping Kansas rally twice in the fourth quarter to beat No. 12 Missouri 40-37 on Saturday.

The Jayhawks (7-5, 4-4 Big 12) led by 16 early in the third quarter, let Missouri back in it, then traded touchdowns with the Tigers in the fourth quarter before Reesing hit Meier on fourth-and-7.

Not bad for a team that spent almost as much time in the training room as the practice field last week.

“Our injury list, a roll of toilet paper wouldn't be enough,” Kansas coach Mark Mangino said. “We've got guys that played today that could barely walk a week ago. It's the guttiest performance I've ever been associated with as a coach. Our kids heard all week long we didn't have a chance. Never tell KU they don't have a chance.”

Missouri (9-3, 5-3) figured to have it easy against its border rival.

The Tigers already secured a return trip to Arrowhead Stadium for next week's Big 12 Championship game and were facing a team that had lost four of its previous five.

The Jayhawks just wouldn't let Missouri coast into the postseason, dominating most of the first half, answering every score in a back-and-forth fourth quarter.

Seven days from playing from a conference title, the Tigers have no choice but to bounce back.

“This hurts right now, especially because it is Kansas, especially because it is a rivalry game, but we've got redemption next week,” Missouri quarterback Chase Daniel said. “We're in the championship game, not Kansas, not Kansas State, not Baylor.”

Missouri found its rhythm in the second half, getting within a field goal after a pair of touchdown passes by Daniel.

Then the fireworks started.

Daniel hit Chase Coffman for his second touchdown, a 6-yarder with just under 7 minutes left that put Missouri up 30-26.

Reesing answered 3.5 minutes later with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Meier to put the Jayhawks back on top.

Missouri got the ball back, then quickly marched down the field for a 6-yard touchdown run by Derrick Washington that made it 37-33. The Tigers left too much time on the clock, though. Kansas got the ball with 1:50 and moved 67 yards for the 26-yard touchdown from Reesing to Meier.

Missouri still wasn't done, moving to Kansas' 36 in three plays set up a 54-yard field goal attempt. Kicker Jeff Wolfert made good contact, but Kansas safety Phillip Strozier partially blocked it and the ball fell harmlessly to the turf, finally ending one of the wildest games in the 117-game history of the Border Showdown.

“Just to know the stage we were on, and to know the team and the odds we were going up against - it's one of the guttiest wins for this team,” said KU safety Darrell Stuckey, who had two interceptions, a forced fumble and recovered a fumble.