Missouri gets past Central Michigan to win season opener
Tyler Badie compiled 224 all-purpose and scored two touchdowns to lead the Missouri Tigers past the Central Michigan Chippewas 34-24 Saturday in Columbia, Mo.
Missouri quarterback Connor Bazelak completed 21 of 31 passes for 257 yards and two touchdowns.
The Chippewas played without head coach Jim McElwain, who underwent an appendectomy earlier in the week. Assistant head coach Tim Skipper guided the team in his absence.
Jacob Sirmon, a transfer from Washington, completed 23 of 46 passes for 292 yards and one touchdown in his first start for Central Michigan. Lew Nicholls III rushed for 135 yards and a touchdown.
Central Michigan piled up 465 offensive yards, but two interceptions and 10 penalties for 80 yards undermined its upset bid.
Missouri scored just 29 seconds into the game. After Bazelak hit a 63-yard pass to D’ionte Smith, Badie scored on a 12-yard run.
Central Michigan immediately countered with a five-play, 75-yard drive to tie the game 7-7. Sirmon capped it with a 7-yard touchdown pass to JaCorey Sullivan.
The Chippewas moved ahead 14-7 with 6:08 left in the first half. Nicholls got the 88-yard drive rolling with a 27-yard run and he capped it with an 18-yard TD burst.
The Tigers responded with Bazelak’s swing pass to Badie for a 30-yard touchdown. Then Harrison Mevis hit a 53-yard field goal to put Missouri up 17-14 at the half.
Elijah Young’s 32-yard touchdown run pushed Missouri’s lead to 24-14 in the third quarter.
With Sirmon knocked out of the game for one play, back-up quarterback Daniel Richardson threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Sullivan to cut the lead to 24-21 with 11:52 left.
Bazelak’s 2-yard touchdown pass to tight end Niko Hea restored Missouri’s 10-point lead.
Marshall Meeder’s 51-yard field goal cut Central Michigan’s deficit to 31-24, but Mevis answered with a 44-yard field goal with 59 seconds left.
–Field Level Media
