Mizzou shocks itself back to life, takes down Auburn in epic Homecoming turnaround

Oct 19, 2024 | Uncategorized

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The streak of Homecoming wins dating back to 2016 was kept alive by a cold-blooded comeback from Eli Drinkwitz’s crew.

When Mookie Cooper took off, new life blasted into Faurot Field like the Kool-Aid man.

The 78-yard completion — most of which came after the catch — reignited a home crowd whose volume rivaled a library for most of Saturday afternoon. Brady Cook had just re-entered the game after an ankle injury sidelined him for most of it, and his throw to Cooper at the end of the third quarter proved to be the spark that fueled an epic 21-17 comeback victory on Homecoming.

However, the trajectory didn’t go straight up the rest of the way. Mizzou found itself down by three, pinned at its own five-yard line late in the fourth quarter. Victory was far from a guarantee.

When the weight of the world was at its peak, the pressure of the moment at its greatest, Cook & Co. became one collective Hercules and put the team on their back.

Just like their previous successes on offense in 2024, Mizzou moved the ball efficiently. Similarly to 2023, the Tigers made plays when they absolutely needed to the most. That included a fourth-and-five completion to Luther Burden III and a third-and-10 completion to Theo Wease Jr. The drive etched Cook’s name further into Mizzou legend status and kept the Tigers in the College Football Playoff Conversation.

Throughout most of the game, something just didn’t feel right. There was plenty that didn’t go as planned for Mizzou as it was staring down its first loss on Homecoming since the disaster against Middle Tennessee State in 2016.

Amidst an unintentional re-enactment of MU’s first Homecoming football game in 1911 — a 3-3 tie against Kansas — Mizzou struggled offensively when Brady Cook exited the contest less than halfway through the first quarter.

For the first time in his Mizzou career, the iron man showed mortality. He’d played through a torn shoulder labrum and had been banged up plenty of times before. But he’d never looked as hurt as he did on Saturday afternoon. Last season, he told reporters that it would take something as serious as a broken leg for him to miss significant action.

Cook came up hobbling after a handoff and, moments later, crumbled to the ground on a drop back. He limped to the sidelines and went to the locker room shortly after with an ankle injury.

Drew Pyne seemed to have proven his worth as a solid backup, as he was 19/22 passing against Murray State, Buffalo and UMass. However, Mizzou’s offense looked hamstrung with Pyne at the helm, especially when Brett Norfleet and Nate Noel went out with injuries later in the second quarter. Pyne was able to extend plays with his legs and an elite willingness to throw in the face of pressure — the graduate completed passes despite taking numerous hard hits.

But Pyne was unable to give receivers a chance on intermediate and deep passes, especially towards the sidelines. Luther Burden III also didn’t receive a touch nor a target until there were 92 seconds left in the first half. Combined with the rushing attack’s inability to generate even moderate gains on the ground, and Mizzou was stuck in the mud during the second quarter and most of the third.

Even when the home Tigers made it into scoring position, they couldn’t crash into the end zone. Mizzou made it into Auburn’s 40-yard line four times in its first five drives and came away with three points. The lost scoring came via two missed kicks by Blake Craig — one from 49 yards and one from 55 yards — and a lost fumble on a botched handoff from Drew Pyne to Marcus Carroll at Auburn’s 30-yard line. A trip to the doorstep of Auburn’s red zone ended in three points, as Pyne missed a pair of throws that forced another appearance by Craig. albeit a successful one.

Pyne finished 10/21 for 78 yards; his 7.8 yards per completion would rank dead last in all of college football if it were over an entire season. Mizzou’s defense and special teams blinked only once apiece; Cam Coleman dusted Dreyden Norwood and Marvin Burks Jr. for a 47-yard touchdown, and a muffed punt by Burden was recovered in the end zone for a touchdown. But with the offense’s inability to create much of anything, an 11-point deficit felt much more difficult for MU to overcome.

Then, Cook re-entered the game.

His reappearance was slightly surprising, mostly because reports had indicated he would likely be out for the rest of the game with the ankle injury he suffered in the first quarter. But the senior marched out onto the turf and reinvigorated the offense with a little help from his teammates. After Cooper’s game-changing catch-and-run, Carroll powered in for six on the fourth quarter’s opening play, and the Black & Gold carried that momentum with them the rest of the way, ultimately leading to a game-winning touchdown drive that was overflowing with grit.

The Tigers will head down to Tuscaloosa for a clash with No. 7 Alabama next Saturday with the loss to Texas A&M as its only blemish.

For MU, there’s still plenty still to work on. But on the annually momentous Homecoming game, Mizzou brought home a win through adversity and will look to carry the never-say-die spirit throughout the rest of the 2024 campaign.

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