For much of this season, Missouri football has disappointed and failed to live up to its preseason expectations. Despite much going against them Saturday night, the Tigers would overcome it all in one of their biggest games of the year, defeating Oklahoma 30-23, and reminding fans and doubters alike that they are not done yet.

After their brutal 34-0 defeat against Alabama on the road, heading into their bye week many questions swirled around this team. Would Drew Pyne be able to serve as the starting quarterback going forward, after throwing three interceptions in place of Brady Cook? How would the offense look without important pieces like wide receiver Mookie Cooper, and leading rusher Nate Noel? Missouri answered these questions emphatically.

It certainly didn’t look that way early on though, as the Tigers would struggle to produce in the first half. At the helm Pyne looked troubled, and with an inconsistent rushing attack, Missouri was forced to punt four times. The Tigers were able to lean on their “Death Row Defense”, holding Oklahoma’s offense to just three field goals. Missouri would only manage one themselves. Heading into halftime down 9-3, it seemed like Missouri was in for another disappointment.

Then, the game came to life. On their second drive of the third quarter, Missouri’s offense would hit its stride, as Pyne began to connect on longer passes to tight end Brett Norfleet and wide receiver Luther Burden III. Pyne would find former Sooner Theo Wease Jr. on a 13-yard pass to give the Tigers their first lead of the game at 10-9.

Now leading into the fourth quarter, Missouri looked poised to continue their upward trajectory. Thanks to another forced fumble by the defense, the offense would go on an eight-minute drive that would be capped off by a short 5-yard pass across the middle from Pyne to Norfleet, which would push the lead to 16-9. Kicker Blake Craig would miss the extra point, leaving Oklahoma down by only a single score.

Oklahoma wouldn’t go away quietly, and with a trick play that saw running back Taylor Tatum throw the ball to Jackson Arnold, the quarterback would have little-to-no trouble running it in to tie the game at 16-16. To make matters worse, on the next drive running back Jamal Roberts fumbled the ball in a rushing attempt near the Missouri sideline, that would be scooped up and scored by Oklahoma, giving the Sooners a 23-16 lead with two minutes left in the game.

Down with little time left on the clock, Pyne would prove why his veteran experience from Notre Dame and Arizona State was now valued by Missouri. Pyne would lead the Tigers down the field with a quick 57 second drive, highlighted by a 10-yard pass to Wease. With the game tied at 23-23, it seemed all but likely the renewed rivalry matchup was headed to overtime.

The Missouri defense would put a stamp on their stellar night soon after. As Jackson Arnold would step out of the pocket, linebacker Triston Newson would get ahold of the Oklahoma quarterback, forcing yet another fumble. Defensive end Zion Young recovered the fumble and returned it for a touchdown that put Missouri ahead for good, 30-23.

In the post-game press conference, head coach Eliah Drinkwitz was fired up to say the least. Now with his team back in the win column, his message was clear.

“That is the thing I love about this team,” said Drinkwitz, “We love y’all when you’re cheering for us and when you’re not, we just keep on rolling.”

They certainly rolled over Oklahoma defensively. Missouri’s defense totaled seven tackles for loss and three sacks. Their pressure left Jackson Arnold with little to celebrate as well, as he completed only 15 of 24 attempts, and ended the night with 74 yards passing and 45 yards rushing. Oklahoma had six fumbles on the night too, four of which Missouri recovered.
Offensively, they managed the game quite well. Pyne had one of the best second half performances of the year, throwing three touchdowns with 143 yards passing. Additionally, they were able to diversify their rushing attack, five ball carriers rushed for 10 or more yards, Jamal Roberts leading with 54.

Missouri is ranked No. 24 in the nation by the Playoff Committee and sits at 7-2 with just three games left on their schedule. With their hopes of making the college football playoff slim at best, they need to win out, and a lot to go their way out in the Southeastern Conference. If Saturday’s performance is anything to go by, the Tigers still have what it takes to succeed.

They’ll be back on the road Saturday, Nov. 19, against South Carolina.