While it may not have matched the spectacle, intrigue and legacy heroics of last week’s victory over Kansas State, the Missouri Tigers’ 34-27 win against Memphis marks a step forward just as crucial as their stunning upset did. But that’s not to say the game which moved them to 4-0 for the first time since 2013, wasn’t full of action; it definitely was.
Playing in St. Louis’ Dome at America’s Center, a venue in which they were 6-0 throughout their history, the Tigers were marginal favorites to take home a win. Despite their performance against Kansas State, and in some cases because of it, many questions were front-of-mind for Tiger fans. How much can the defense hold back? Can the receiving core keep up their deep-pass lightning? Can Brady Cook play on a hurt knee? And more importantly, can Cook prove that last week’s game wasn’t a fluke?
He certainly started his night with a confidence boost, entering his hometown stadium to 3-step chants of “Brady Cook! Brady Cook!” from the Tiger faithful. A heartwarming reversal of his entrance against K-State, wherein he was booed by fans and later caused head coach Eli Drinkwitz to openly call people to boo him, instead of Cook.
“They need to get behind him,” he said of the fans and Cook. “You get behind the young man.” St. Louis listened, and this time the masses of Mizzou stood behind their hometown quarterback from the start.
The game’s kickoff ironically signaled the kind of ride the crowd at the Dome was in for, as Missouri tried an onside kick to lead into the game, and recovered it to thunderous cheering and applause. However, a flag on the play turned out to go against Mizzou, and with the ruse uncovered, Drinkwitz returned to his standard playbook. When asked about the decision after the game, he explained with a smile, “It’s there. . .I mean, everybody says I’m not aggressive, so, I figured I’d show y’all I can play aggressive.” The Missouri defense didn’t let the flag and penalty get to them, however, as they forced a punt on Memphis’ first drive.
Brady Cook took command of the team from there, and pretty quickly assured the crowd that his bent-up knee, which nearly kept him from starting the game in the first place, was actually nothing to worry about at all. After a bit of running and short passes, Brady uncorked one deep into the field, right to the hands of a waiting Marquis Johnson; a 76-yard touchdown pass for the first score of the game brought the Dome into a frenzy.
Mizzou’s defense went back to work, but immediately began to suffer from the same woes that nearly cost them the Kansas State game. Almost without fail, the first defensive back to attempt a tackle on an offensive player let him slip through their fingers like they hadn’t been there in the first place. When the game was in the air, Memphis continued to find openings. On fourth-and-8, Memphis quarterback Seth Henigan found a wide open DeMeer Blankumsee straight up the middle. Missouri rallied back though, and managed to hold Memphis to a field goal. After a disastrous attempt at a drive, which featured two fouls, a hit to Cook’s knee and a fumble, Memphis got the ball back and didn’t waste any time.
On fourth-and-goal, Henigan dropped off the ball to Joe Scates for their first touchdown of the night. After a promising start, Missouri suddenly found itself at a 10-7 disadvantage. Missouri’s first attempt at a response went out fast, but the defense held the line and the Tigers quickly got a second chance. Cook tossed a strike to Luther Burden on the first play of the drive, instantly getting Missouri to midfield, before targeting LB3 again a few plays later to take the Tigers down to the 1-yard line. After an illegal substitution from Memphis, Missouri powered into the endzone to reclaim the lead, 14-10. Following up with a field goal on their next drive, the Tigers completed the first half with a 17-10 lead.
Both teams squandered their first drives, but Mizzou grabbed the momentum. On second-and-9, Cook and Burden combined to move the line of scrimmage from 21 yards in Mizzou territory down to the Memphis 19. However, Burden took a big hit in the process and suddenly the Missouri faithful were silent as they watched the trainers come out to work with the star wide-receiver. Drinkwitz later revealed that Burden was removed from the game temporarily because of cramps in his legs, which is an issue that he has been dealing with for some time. Cook’s very next pass made sure that Burden’s run and then removal were not in vain, as he passed the ball down to Theo Wease, waiting in the endzone, for another Mizzou touchdown.
From that point on, the game was effectively over. While Memphis did continue to put up points, and Missouri was never able to convincingly lock them away, the COMO Cats never relinquished the lead for the rest of the game, eventually finishing with a one-touchdown lead of 34-27. An important factor in Missouri’s continued stream of points was junior runningback Cory Schrader, who rushed for 123 yards and a touchdown, while not losing a single yard in any of his carries. This allowed Cook to make a stellar adjustment and flip the script; instead of targeting his wide-receivers through the air, he could reliably hand off the ball and keep Memphis guessing.
After a 341 yard performance from Cook, along with an 11 for 25 on completions and a 213 rating, it seems Drinkwitz was right to tell fans to “get behind the young man.” Back in his hometown, the Gateway City, he did not disappoint.
Next week, the 4-0 Missouri Tigers travel to Vanderbilt to open SEC play before returning home to Faurot Field to host the LSU Tigers.