For the first time in the whole 2024-25 season, Missouri football’s offense could be summarized in just one word: bleak. 

At the 7:44 mark in the third quarter, Missouri looked to be on the brink of crushing defeat. A loss no less against an Auburn team that was previously winless in Southeastern Conference play. Missouri’s lack of execution was spearheaded by costly turnovers, injuries, and an offense that was simply searching for answers on Saturday afternoon at Faurot Field. 

Auburn (2-5, 0-4 SEC) hit Missouri with two major gut punches in the third quarter. Quarterback Peyton Thorne found his receiver Cam Coleman for a 47-yard touchdown, which left Missouri safety Marvin Burks Jr. in the dust, putting Auburn up 10-3 with 2:34 left in the third.

The second came from an event that was undoubtedly Missouri’s (6-1, 2-1 SEC) own doing. Following a defensive stop by Missouri, Auburn proceeded to punt to Luther Burden, who muffed the punt, leading to an Auburn recovery for a 15-yard touchdown. Momentum began to heavily against Missouri’s favor with 11:08 remaining in the third quarter.

The momentum didn’t just shift on the field, but in the crowd full of black and gold fans. Following another drive without a trip into the end zone and Blake Craig splitting the uprights instead from 38 yards out, boos were audible from the stands as quarterback Drew Pyne once again was unable to find his receiving target on the previous third down and the Tigers were down 17-6 with 7:44 remaining in the third quarter.  

Wait, Pyne, you say? How did he get into the game you may ask? Coming into this game, Pynes was the backup to quarterback Brady Cook, who suffered a non-contact lower-body injury in the first quarter and didn’t return until the last 20 seconds of the third quarter. 

It was long, it was a long hour and a half for sure,” Cook said “I did not think I was going to come back to playing the game, my stuff was off, my pads were off.”

The QB switch was the spark that the Missouri offense was looking for. On the second play from scrimmage, inside 30 seconds left in the third, Cook hit receiver Mookie Cooper for a 78-yard passing play, which put Missouri at the 2-yard line of Auburn heading into the fourth quarter. Mind you, Cook had come out of the University Hospital and in Devine Practice Facility. 

Marcus Caroll then followed that play up with a two-yard touchdown up the gut of the defense. On the two-point conversion, Cook’s keeper was successful, putting the score at 17-14 Auburn with 14:57 remaining in the fourth. The crowd and the Missouri sideline were back in the game.

[Brady’s] their guy, Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz said. “Nobody. Nobody doubts that guy. Coaches, hopefully, and nobody else, hopefully we’ll get over that.”

Following a pair of unsuccessful trips for each team offensively, Missouri took over with 4:26  left in the fourth quarter. The time was ticking on their chances of winning but also of possibly accomplishing bigger goals this season.

One big third-and-seven came and went, as Brady Cook’s 14-yard run on a QB keeper kept the Missouri hopes alive for a comeback with the two-minute warning hitting right after. 

Two more tests awaited the Tigers on the drive, tests that would define the clutch ability of Brady Cook. A fourth-and-five pass and Cook converted to Luther Burden to push the Tigers to the 15-yard line of Auburn. Then, he did the same on a third-and-ten situation, hitting Theo Wease on the nine-yard line of Auburn to gain the first down.

That would be the last time Missouri would have their backs against the wall.

“I realized I had two and a half games left to play in Faurot,” Cook said. I knew we were down, I knew we needed to come back and find a way to win this game. I think if we lose that game, the rest of our season looks a little different, and I recognized that I knew we needed to go win.”

Running back Jamal Roberts finished off the 17-play, 95-yard drive that gave put the Tigers up 21-17; their first lead of the game since leading 3-0 5:45 into the first quarter.  

Missouri’s defense stifled Auburn’s offense for one last drive, fully ending the game with a broken-up pass on 4th-and-18 that ended the ballgame with nine seconds left. 

“Hats off to Corey Batoon in that defensive side of the football, they never flinched,” Drinkwitz said. “Even after the muffed punt they didn’t flinch, didn’t feel sorry for themselves.”

Missouri next faces Alabama (5-1, 2-1 SEC)  next Saturday in Birmingham, while Auburn next travels to Kentucky (3-3, 1-3 SEC) at 6:45 p.m next Saturday.