The Missouri Tigers returned to form Saturday, winning 39-20 against Mississippi State on the road. After a season rife with close calls, comeback victories, and heartbreaking losses, the dominant win reminded fans and media alike what this Missouri team can do.
Heading into the matchup, questions were raised about what version of Missouri would play at Davis Wade Stadium on Saturday. After a brutal 34-30 loss to South Carolina that saw the Tigers’ playoff hopes whisked away, many believed Missouri was vulnerable to being upset by the 2-8 Bulldogs. With Mississippi State also having won the last two matchups, it seemed reasonable to believe Missouri’s season could fall out from under them.
Initially, that possibility seemed to be reality. On Mississippi State’s first drive, the Tigers’ defense seemed sluggish, as they allowed Bulldogs quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. to drive his team to the Missouri 20-yard line. However, Missouri managed to hold Mississippi State, only going down by three after the Bulldogs elected for the 38-yard field goal. Missouri would go three-and-out on its next two drives, to add another slow start to the list of recent first-quarter performances.
After failing to catch the Bulldogs early, Missouri’s “death row defense” would come to life with seven minutes left in the quarter. Defensive tackle Kristian Williams sacked Van Buren Jr. to force a fumble, and safety Daylan Carnell scooped the ball to return it for 68 yards and a touchdown, giving Missouri a 7-3 lead. From there, Missouri’s offense would run roughshod over Mississippi State. It would start by sending Marcus Carroll and Jamal Roberts to rush through the Bulldogs’ defensive line, capped off by a 2-yard rush up the middle for Carroll to extend the Tiger’s margin to 11. Near the end of the quarter, Van Buren would throw a touchdown pass to Jordan Mosley, cutting Missouri’s lead to 14-10, but Missouri’s success wouldn’t be stifled.
In the second quarter, Missouri picked up where it left off. Brady Cook managed the offense well, and capped the drive with a beautiful 28-yard connection to Luther Burden III for the touchdown. Up 21-10, Missouri didn’t let off the gas, and after forcing the Bulldogs to punt, the offense was primed to score again. It did just that, scoring from a two-yard rush up the middle by Carroll, set up by long runs from Cook and Nate Noel. With 4:32 left in the half, all that Mississippi State could manage was another field goal, after a costly holding penalty pushed them out of the endzone.
Missouri would enter the third quarter leading 28-13, extending further after a long nine-minute drive resulted in Blake Craig’s final field goal. Mississippi State’s last gasp came surprisingly quick, on a two-play drive that saw running back Davon Booth plunge through the Missouri defense for 65 yards. If the door looked open for a comeback, Missouri’s offense would close it out, with their final third-quarter drive extending well into the fourth.
Eating away at the clock, the Tigers took another nine minutes to punctuate their high-scoring day, with Carroll finding the end zone again for his third rushing touchdown, plus a successful two-point conversion on top. Up 39-20, Missouri’s defense once again stopped the Bulldogs, bringing out the offense to close the game. Brady Cook and the running backs again ran and passed their way to the Mississippi State one-yard line, but feeling merciful, they elected to kneel rather than score again.
With the victory, Missouri improved to 8-3 in the season and earned the SEC road win that had eluded them for weeks. Surprisingly, Ole Miss, Alabama, and Texas A&M lost to unranked opponents on Saturday, giving Missouri a lifeline back to the upper level of the conference standings.
Missouri still has one game left on its schedule, the Nov. 30 “Battle Line Rivalry” matchup against the 6-5 Arkansas Razorbacks. What that game will do for the Tigers remains to be seen, but if the SEC continues to be rocked with upset wins and losses by its contending teams, they could find themselves in a high-profile spot in December or January.
Heading into the matchup, questions were raised about what version of Missouri would play at Davis Wade Stadium on Saturday. After a brutal 34-30 loss to South Carolina that saw the Tigers’ playoff hopes whisked away, many believed Missouri was vulnerable to being upset by the 2-8 Bulldogs. With Mississippi State also having won the last two matchups, it seemed reasonable to believe Missouri’s season could fall out from under them.
Initially, that possibility seemed to be reality. On Mississippi State’s first drive, the Tigers’ defense seemed sluggish, as they allowed Bulldogs quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr. to drive his team to the Missouri 20-yard line. However, Missouri managed to hold Mississippi State, only going down by three after the Bulldogs elected for the 38-yard field goal. Missouri would go three-and-out on its next two drives, to add another slow start to the list of recent first-quarter performances.
After failing to catch the Bulldogs early, Missouri’s “death row defense” would come to life with seven minutes left in the quarter. Defensive tackle Kristian Williams sacked Van Buren Jr. to force a fumble, and safety Daylan Carnell scooped the ball to return it for 68 yards and a touchdown, giving Missouri a 7-3 lead. From there, Missouri’s offense would run roughshod over Mississippi State. It would start by sending Marcus Carroll and Jamal Roberts to rush through the Bulldogs’ defensive line, capped off by a 2-yard rush up the middle for Carroll to extend the Tiger’s margin to 11. Near the end of the quarter, Van Buren would throw a touchdown pass to Jordan Mosley, cutting Missouri’s lead to 14-10, but Missouri’s success wouldn’t be stifled.
In the second quarter, Missouri picked up where it left off. Brady Cook managed the offense well, and capped the drive with a beautiful 28-yard connection to Luther Burden III for the touchdown. Up 21-10, Missouri didn’t let off the gas, and after forcing the Bulldogs to punt, the offense was primed to score again. It did just that, scoring from a two-yard rush up the middle by Carroll, set up by long runs from Cook and Nate Noel. With 4:32 left in the half, all that Mississippi State could manage was another field goal, after a costly holding penalty pushed them out of the endzone.
Missouri would enter the third quarter leading 28-13, extending further after a long nine-minute drive resulted in Blake Craig’s final field goal. Mississippi State’s last gasp came surprisingly quick, on a two-play drive that saw running back Davon Booth plunge through the Missouri defense for 65 yards. If the door looked open for a comeback, Missouri’s offense would close it out, with their final third-quarter drive extending well into the fourth.
Eating away at the clock, the Tigers took another nine minutes to punctuate their high-scoring day, with Carroll finding the end zone again for his third rushing touchdown, plus a successful two-point conversion on top. Up 39-20, Missouri’s defense once again stopped the Bulldogs, bringing out the offense to close the game. Brady Cook and the running backs again ran and passed their way to the Mississippi State one-yard line, but feeling merciful, they elected to kneel rather than score again.
With the victory, Missouri improved to 8-3 in the season and earned the SEC road win that had eluded them for weeks. Surprisingly, Ole Miss, Alabama, and Texas A&M lost to unranked opponents on Saturday, giving Missouri a lifeline back to the upper level of the conference standings.
Missouri still has one game left on its schedule, the Nov. 30 “Battle Line Rivalry” matchup against the 6-5 Arkansas Razorbacks. What that game will do for the Tigers remains to be seen, but if the SEC continues to be rocked with upset wins and losses by its contending teams, they could find themselves in a high-profile spot in December or January.
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