Tag: Missouri Tigers

Nov 16, 2024; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; Missouri Tigers quarterback Brady Cook (12) and teammates celebrate after a touchdown against the South Carolina Gamecocks in the second half at Williams-Brice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

No. 23 Mizzou takes ‘finish strong’ mindset to Mississippi State

Posted on | by Field Level Media

After falling out of the College Football Playoff chase, No. 23 Missouri shifts its focus to earning the best possible bowl assignment.

That will be the motivation for the Tigers (7-3, 3-3 Southeastern Conference) when they visit Mississippi State (2-8, 0-6) Saturday in Starkville, Miss.

“At the end of the day, we’re going to finish strong,” quarterback Brady Cook said. “Two weeks left, let’s go get nine wins in the regular season, let’s finish strong and get to 10 with a bowl. That’s what we’re going to do.”

Cook came back from his wrist and ankle injuries last Saturday at South Carolina. He passed for 237 yards and a late go-ahead touchdown, but the Gamecocks pulled out a last-second 34-30 victory.

“He’s dealing with multiple injuries that aren’t fully recovered yet,” Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz said. “But he’s choosing to play much like he did several years ago, which you’d expect, nonetheless, from Brady as a leader and a teammate.

“He can’t quite snap his wrist the way he needs to, which is why some of the balls get left short.”

Nate Noel got up to full speed for the Tigers, rushing for 150 yards and a touchdown. He had been slowed by a nagging foot injury.

Mississippi State has allowed 40-plus points four times this season but allowed just 13 second-half points to explosive Tennessee during a 33-14 road loss in their most recent game on Nov. 9.

The Bulldogs rushed for 179 yards with a 4.7 average in that game, with Davon Booth gaining 125 yards on 20 carries.

“They’ve been really effective running the football, really, the last four weeks,” Drinkwitz said.

Michael Van Buren Jr. has passed for 1,415 yards and nine touchdowns. But he has also thrown five interceptions and been sacked 22 times.

Missouri will focus much of its attention on Kevin Coleman Jr, who has caught 62 passes for 756 yards and five touchdowns.

“Dynamic wide receiver, really good route-runner, really good yards after catch,” Drinkwitz. “As challenging a wide receiver as there is in the SEC, in my opinion.”

Mississippi State still is in the early program-building stages with first-year coach Jeff Lebby.

“As we finish this up, they were part of laying the foundation in Year 1 and giving us the ability to build something to sustain,” Lebby said. “That’s why it’s so important to play our best is for these older guys.”

The Bulldogs had extra practice time during their bye week to prepare for the Tigers.

“We have an opportunity to finish the way we need to finish,” Lebby said. “Creating that vision and that understanding with these last two games on the schedule is an unbelievable opportunity. It’s a really good (Missouri) team at home this weekend. For us, that was the focus, handling what we have a chance to handle, and finding a way to play our best football of the year this Saturday.”

–Field Level Media

Nov 16, 2024; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks quarterback LaNorris Sellers (16) passes against the Missouri Tigers in the second quarter at Williams-Brice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

LaNorris Sellers passes for 5 TDs to lead No. 21 South Carolina past No. 23 Missouri

Posted on | by Field Level Media

LaNorris Sellers passed for 353 yards and five touchdowns as the No. 21 South Carolina Gamecocks defeated the No. 23 Missouri Tigers 34-30 Saturday in Columbia, S.C.

Rocket Sanders scored the decisive touchdown on a 15-yard shovel pass reception with 15 seconds left as the Gamecocks (7-3, 5-3 Southeastern Conference) kept their College Football Playoff hopes alive.

Sellers completed 21 of 30 passes and also rushed for 45 yards.

Missouri quarterback Brady Cook returned from ankle and wrist injuries to complete 21 of 31 passes for 237 yards and a touchdown.

Nate Noel rushed for 150 yards and a touchdown for the Tigers (7-3, 3-3 SEC), and Blake Craig kicked field goals from 38, 37 yards and 25 yards.

Missouri took an early 3-0 lead on Craig’s 38-yard field goal. South Carolina answered with a 75-yard touchdown drive, capped by Sellers’ 26-yard pass to Nyck Harbor, to take a 7-3 lead.

Craig’s 37-yard field goal cut Missouri’s deficit to 7-6.

Sellers completed a 43-yard pass to Harbor to set up his 6-yard TD pass to Joshua Simon with 1:57 left in the half as the Gamecocks made it 14-6.

After a defensive stop, the Gamecocks extended their lead to 21-6 on Jared Brown’s 38-yard touchdown catch and run with 39 seconds left in the half.

Missouri cut its deficit to 21-12 in the third quarter on a 2-yard TD run by Marcus Carroll. Cook’s conversion run failed.

Craig’s 25-yard goal with 12:49 left cut South Carolina’ lead to 21-15.

Cook’s 49-yard pass to Marquis Johnson set up Noel’s 1-yard touchdown to put the Tigers up 22-21 with 9:12 left.

Sellers marched the Gamecocks back to a 27-22 lead with 5:04 left, hitting a 53-yard pass to Dalevon Campbell to set up his 5-yard TD pass to Michael Smith. South Carolina’s 2-point conversion try failed.

On a fourth-and-5 play, Cook hit Luther Burden III on a 37-yard touchdown pass with 1:15 left. Jamal Roberts’ 2-point conversion put Missouri up 30-27, but the Gamecocks responded with the winning six-play, 70-yard drive.

–Field Level Media

Nov 9, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver Deion Burks (6) is tackled by Missouri Tigers safety Daylan Carnell (13) during the first half at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

No. 24 Missouri scores 2 TDs in final 63 seconds to steal win over Oklahoma

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Missouri’s Zion Young returned a fumble 17 yards for a touchdown in the final minute to lift the No. 24 Tigers to a 30-23 win over Oklahoma on Saturday in Columbia, Mo.

Young’s touchdown capped off a wild finish, with four touchdowns between the teams in the final 3:18.

The Tigers (7-2, 3-2 SEC) kept their College Football Playoff hopes alive while the Sooners’ bowl hopes took a major hit.

Oklahoma (5-5, 1-5) needs one more win in its final two games — against Alabama and LSU — to extend its bowl streak to 26 seasons.

Missouri tied it on Theo Wease Jr.’s 10-yard touchdown catch from Drew Pyne with 1:03 left.

It didn’t take long for the Tigers to come up with another big play.

Triston Newson hit Sooners quarterback Jackson Arnold in the backfield, knocking the ball free, and Young picked it up and returned it for the score.

Not long before Wease’s touchdown, it looked like the game had turned disastrous for the Tigers.

Billy Bowman returned a fumble 43 yards for a touchdown with 2:00 left to put Oklahoma in front 23-16.

But Pyne quickly directed an eight-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to tie it and set up Young’s late heroics.

The teams combined for just 535 total yards, with Missouri outgaining the Sooners 278-257.

Pyne finished 14-of-27 for 143 yards and three touchdowns.

Arnold finished 15-of-24 for just 74 yards as the Sooners turned the ball over four times.

Wease had four catches for 70 yards and two touchdowns.

Oklahoma tied the game with 3:18 left on a bit of trickery.

Running back Taylor Tatum took a handoff from Arnold on third down then turned to throw it back to Arnold, who caught it and ran in for an 18-yard touchdown.

On the third play of the next drive, Sammy Omosigho hit Missouri’s Jamal Roberts, popping the ball free. Bowman scooped it up and took it in for the score.

Pyne threw three touchdowns in the second half, including a 5-yard touchdown to Brett Norfleet with 8:47 left. But the point-after attempt was missed, keeping Missouri’s lead 16-9.

That’s when the Sooners finally answered, with a 12-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to tie the game.

Oklahoma’s Zach Schmit hit three field goals, including a career-long 56-yarder as time expired in the second quarter, to send the Sooners into halftime leading 9-3.

–Field Level Media

Oct 12, 2024; Amherst, Massachusetts, USA; Missouri Tigers linebacker Corey Flagg Jr. (11) intercepts a pass during the first half against the Massachusetts Minutemen at Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images

No. 21 Missouri cruises past Massachusetts

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Quarterback Brady Cook completed 14 of 19 passes for 219 yards and two touchdowns as No. 21 Missouri routed Massachusetts 45-3 on Saturday in Amherst, Mass.

After suffering a 41-10 loss at Texas A&M in their previous game, the Tigers (5-1, 1-1 Southeastern Conference) muscled up against the independent Minutemen (1-6) in their final nonconference game.

With Missouri’s leading rusher Nate Noel sitting out with back tightness, Marcus Carroll stepped in to run for 91 yards and three touchdowns.

Receiver Luther Burden III rushed for 68 yards and a touchdown on two carries and caught five passes for 59 yards for the Tigers before exiting the game in the third quarter with an apparent shoulder injury.

Missouri outgained Massachusetts 461-237 and built a 231-95 advantage in rushing yards and 22-13 in first downs.

Minutemen quarterback Taisun Phommachanh completed 12 of 22 passes for 132 yards and an interception. Jakobie Keeney-James caught six passes for 80 yards.

On the second play from scrimmage, Burden broke a 61-yard touchdown run on a jet sweep play as Missouri took a 7-0 lead 57 seconds into the game.

Missouri moved 80 yards on 13 plays on their next possession to double their lead to 14-0. Carroll capped the drive with a 3-yard TD run.

The Tigers made it 21-0 less than 4 minutes into the second quarter. They moved 80 yards on nine plays with Carroll scoring from 4 yards out.

Jacob Lurie put the Minutemen on the board with a 28-yard field goal with 6 minutes left in the first half.

Missouri increased its lead to 24-3 at the half after Corey Flagg Jr.’s 80-yard interception return set up Blake Craig’s 42-yard field goal as time expired.

The Tigers made it 31-3 on Carroll’s 35-yard touchdown run with 10:09 left in the third quarter. Joshua Manning’s 63-yard scoring catch-and-run play upped the margin to 38-3.

Missouri made it 45-3 on Cook’s 8-yard touchdown pass to Brett Norfleet with 1:24 left in the third quarter.

–Field Level Media

Oct 5, 2024; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Conner Weigman (15) is tackled by Missouri Tigers wide receiver Luther Burden III (3) in the second quarter at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images.

No. 25 Texas A&M blasts No. 9 Missouri with balanced attack

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Le’Veon Moss rushed for 138 yards and three touchdowns and Conner Weigman threw for 276 yards as No. 25 Texas A&M dismantled No. 9 Missouri 41-10 in their Southeastern Conference matchup on Saturday in Bryan-College Station, Texas.

The Aggies (5-1, 3-0 SEC) amassed 512 total yards, including 236 on the ground, in winning their fifth straight game. Their defense had six sacks, including 1 1/2 by Nic Scourton, and limited the Tigers (4-1, 1-1) to 79 yards in the first half and 254 for the game.

Missouri had just three plays that went for more than 20 yards, while Texas A&M had seven, including a 75-yard burst by Moss that widened the blowout to 31-0 on the first play from scrimmage in the third quarter.

His 1-yard touchdown run had given the Aggies a 24-0 lead with 6:34 left in the first half. He added an 18-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter as he set a career high for rushing.

Brady Cook, who threw for at least 226 yards in each of the Tigers’ first four games, all played on their home field, managed 186 yards on 13-of-31 passing. A big chunk of those yards came on a 59-yard touchdown strike to Theo Wease with 5:06 left in the third quarter.

Weigman returned after missing three games due to a shoulder injury and completed 18 of 22 passes.

Texas A&M jumped on Missouri at the outset, stopping the Tigers on a fourth-and-2 at the Aggies’ 40 on the first possession of the game. The Aggies then went 60 yards the other way on eight plays, capped by Amari Daniels’ 1-yard touchdown run about five minutes into the game.

Randy Bond’s 44-yard field goal made it 10-0 with 5:01 left in the first period. After the second of three straight three-and-outs for the Tigers, Daniels again scored from 1 yard out to pad the lead to 17-0 on the second play of the second quarter.

Bond added a 38-yard field goal in the third quarter, and after Texas A&M made a goal-line stand in the closing seconds, Missouri’s Blake Craig booted a 23-yarder.

–Field Level Media

Sep 14, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers linebacker Triston Newson (14) looses his helmet while tackling Boston College Eagles running back Turbo Richard (27) during the first half at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images

No. 6 Missouri erases 14-3 deficit, outlasts No. 24 Boston College

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Brady Cook completed 21 of 30 passes for 264 yards and a touchdown as No. 6 Missouri outlasted No. 24 Boston College 27-21 Saturday in Columbia, Mo.

Cook also rushed for a touchdown for the Tigers (3-0), who erased a 14-3 second-quarter deficit.

Blake Craig kicked four field goals for Missouri: two from 38 yards, one from 31 and one from 56. Nate Noel rushed for 121 yards and Luther Burden III caught six passes for 117 yards and a touchdown for the Tigers.

Missouri overcame eight penalties for 78 yards and outgained the Eagles (2-1, 1-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) 440-295.

Thomas Castellanos completed 16 of 28 passes for 249 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions for Boston College.

The Eagles struck on the game’s opening possession to take a 7-0 lead. Aided by a drive-extending personal foul penalty on the Tigers, Boston College covered 75 yards on 14 plays. Castellanos capped the drive with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Jerand Bradley on 4th-and-4.

Craig’s first 38-yard field goal cut the Eagles’ lead to 7-3 before the visitors extended their advantage to 14-3 in the second quarter. On a broken play, Castellanos recovered an errant snap and threw a 67-yard TD pass over the Missouri defense to Reed Harris.

The Tigers responded with 14 points over the final 4:54 of the first half to take a 17-14 halftime lead.

Craig’s second 38-yarder pulled Missouri within 14-6 before Tre’Vez Johnson intercepted a pass and returned it to the Boston College 25-yard line. Cook then connected with Burden on a 19-yard touchdown pass, and Noel ran in the two-point conversion on a direct snap to tie the game 14-14.

Craig’s 56-yard field goal as the first half ended propelled the Tigers ahead.

Missouri opened the third quarter with a 75-yard touchdown drive, highlighted by Burden’s 38-yard catch and run, to increase its lead to 24-14. Cook scored on a 6-yard run.

After Craig’s 31-yard field goal with 5:58 left made it 27-14, the Eagles responded with a 75-yard touchdown drive. Castellanos connected with Kamari Morales on a 38-yard TD pass with 3:45 left.

The Tigers maintained possession for the rest of the game to run out the clock.

–Field Level Media