Oct 12, 2024; Amherst, Massachusetts, USA; Missouri Tigers quarterback Brady Cook (12)  waits for the snap of the ball during the first half against the Massachusetts Minutemen at Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Missouri QB Brady Cook (ankle) leaves game vs. Auburn

Missouri quarterback Brady Cook left Saturday’s game against Auburn in the first quarter with an ankle injury.

Cook came up limping on the first series for No. 19 Missouri after his leg came out from under him on a non-contact play. He jogged off the field with a trainer.

The third-year starter, who is a St. Louis-area native, was replaced by veteran quarterback Drew Pyne, who previously played at Notre Dame and Arizona State.

The school said at the start of the second half that Cook would not return.

Cook completed 3 of 4 pass attempts for 37 yards before he departed with just under 12 minutes left in the first quarter.

In an interview on Sports Radio 810WHB earlier this week, Cook said he had been “a little dinged up, lower-body wise” but was feeling good and “ready to make some plays this weekend.”

Entering Saturday’s game, Cook had thrown for 1,351 yards with seven touchdowns and an interception in the first six games. He had added four rushing touchdowns.

Prior to Saturday, he appeared in 40 games over five seasons for the Tigers, with 7,824 passing yards, 45 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He also had 1,110 rushing yards and 19 TDs.

The game was tied 3-3 at halftime.

–Field Level Media

Sep 16, 2023; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers quarterback Brady Cook (12) and wide receiver Luther Burden III (3) celebrate after a touchdown during the second half against the Kansas State Wildcats at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

Missouri QB Brady Cook (hyperextended knee) day-to-day

Missouri starting quarterback Brady Cook hyperextended his knee during Saturday’s upset win over then-No. 15 Kansas State, Tigers coach Eli Drinkwitz confirmed Tuesday.

Drinkwitz said Cook did not sustain any ligament damage and will sit out practice on Tuesday. Drinkwitz termed him as day-to-day, while an ESPN report said Cook was questionable for Missouri’s game against visiting Memphis this Saturday.

If Cook can’t play, Sam Horn and Jake Garcia are next up on the depth chart.

“We have confidence in every one of our guys, Sam and Jake. I have high confidence in them,” running back Cody Schrader said. “So I don’t think we’ll miss a beat on offense. But losing a guy like Brady, when he’s day-to-day, definitely just having that in the back of your head definitely makes you wonder.”

Cook suffered the injury during the game but played through the pain. He finished 23-of-35 passing for 356 yards and two touchdowns in the 30-27 win decided on Harrison Mevis’ 61-yard field goal at the final horn.

In parts of four seasons at Missouri, Cook has thrown for 3,888 yards, 22 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He has 732 yards, five touchdowns and zero picks this year.

–Field Level Media

Dec 23, 2022; Tampa, Florida, USA; Missouri Tigers quarterback Brady Cook (12) drops back to pass against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in the first quarter in the 2022 Gasparilla Bowl at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

Missouri to open season with two-QB system

Missouri coach Eliah Drinkwitz plans to take his time — and see some more reps — before naming a starting quarterback.

Drinkwitz told reporters late Saturday that he plans to play incumbent starter Brady Cook and Sam Horn in the first two games of the season before making any decisions on a full-time QB.

“In this day and age of college football, I think you can very easily see a couple quarterbacks play in the first couple of games and let the play on the field decide it,” Drinkwitz said.

Cook, a junior from St. Louis, started all 13 games for Missouri last season. He threw for 2,724 yards and 14 touchdowns against seven interceptions. He ran for 585 yards and six more scores.

Horn, a redshirt freshman, made one appearance last season. On Nov. 19 against New Mexico State, he threw two incomplete passes and ran once for 10 yards.

The Tigers were 6-7 in 2022.

Missouri will open the 2023 season with a pair of home games — Aug. 31 against South Dakota and Sept. 9 vs. Middle Tennessee State before Kansas State comes to Columbia on Sept. 16.

The Tigers will begin Southeastern Conference play two weeks later against Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tenn.

–Field Level Media

Dec 22, 2021; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; Missouri Tigers quarterback Brady Cook (12) throws with Army Black Knights linebacker Malkelm Morrison (2) defending during the third quarter of the 2021 Armed Forces Bowl at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Dieb-USA TODAY Sports

Missouri names Brady Cook starting QB

Missouri coach Eliah Drinkwitz named Brady Cook his starting quarterback when the Tigers play their season opener Sept. 1 against Louisiana Tech.

Cook, a St. Louis native, was a three-star prospect coming out of high school and has three years of eligibility remaining. He’s played in eight career games, including five last season, which he finished 47-for-59 for 350 yards, two passing touchdowns and no interceptions.

Cook made his first collegiate start in the 2021 Armed Forces Bowl against Army. He went 27-for-34 for 238 yards and a touchdown and added 53 rushing yards, including a 30-yard rushing score. Missouri lost the bowl game 24-22.

Missouri was picked sixth of seven teams in the SEC East in last month’s preseason SEC media poll.

–Field Level Media

Nov 26, 2021; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Missouri Tigers quarterback Connor Bazelak (8) hands the ball off to running back Tyler Badie (1) during the first quarter against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorbacks Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

Missouri RB Tyler Badie to enter draft, skip Armed Forces Bowl

Missouri record-setting running back Tyler Badie said Tuesday he will enter the 2022 NFL Draft, and will not play in Wednesday’s Armed Forces Bowl.

The Tigers (6-6) will face Army (8-4) in the bowl in Fort Worth, Texas.

He announced his intention on social media.

Badie set a Missouri single-season record with 1,604 rushing yards. He had 14 rushing touchdowns, plus four more scores on 54 receptions for 330 yards. He was named first-team All-Southeastern Conference.

The 5-foot-8 back from New Orleans had one year of eligibility remaining.

At an Armed Forcces Bowl news conference on Tuesday, coach Eliah Drinkwitz said he and running backs coach Curtis Luper made the decision to hold Badie out of the game due to the risk of injury.

“I know that if we asked him to play, he would play and he would take every rep just like he did against Arkansas with over 40 carries,” Drinkwitz said. “But I cannot do that to that young man and as a program we’re not gonna do that. We thank him for all that he’s done. He’s been a tremendous leader and captain for our football team and will continue to do that for us tomorrow. He’ll just be serving our football team in a different way.”

Dawson Dunning will start at running back. He had 10 carries for 83 yards with one touchdown on the season.

Drinkwitz also said redshirt freshman Brady Cook will make his first start at quarterback in place of sophomore starter Connor Bazelak. The job was up for grabs after Bazelak, who started 11 games this season, threw for just 65 yards and an interception in a 34-17 loss to Arkansas to end the regular season.

In 2021, Bazelak threw for 2,548 yards with 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Cook completed 19 of 24 pass attempts for 107 yards and a touchdown.

“Brady Cook has had really an outstanding past two weeks whether it was the Saturdays and Sundays that we practiced during the recruiting weekend or the way he’s put himself out there to lead,” Drinkwitz said. “And everybody competed for it, but I think for our football team right now it’s his opportunity to play, and we’ll be ready if something else presents itself, but going into the game, Brady will be our starting quarterback.”

–Field Level Media