By: Andy Humphrey
Not even a hospital visit can keep Brady Cook out of a game.
After a muffed punt-turned-touchdown for Auburn gave them a 17-3 lead in the third quarter, all hope seemed lost for Mizzou. The playoff, Atlanta, every possible dream was about to fly straight out the window. But with the comeback of the team’s unquestioned leader, key plays by Mizzou receivers, a stalwart defensive effort and a little bit of luck, Mizzou kept Homecoming weekend happy with a 21-17 victory.
Too much to get into, so let’s just get to the Knee-Jerk Reactions:
This is Brady Cook’s team
There’s no question anymore. Brady Cook is the quarterback that gives Mizzou the best chance to win. Full stop.
Cook came out with a lower-body injury on the first drive, and didn’t come back until late in the third quarter. That drive where Cook left ended in a field goal. Here were the next seven possessions for Mizzou that were led by backup Drew Pyne: Missed field goal, punt, fumble, missed field goal, halftime, punt, field goal. They gained 144 total yards, out of the 353 for the game. They were out of sync. Rhythm was non-existent. It wasn’t just because of Pyne; drops, missed blocks and missed field goals held Mizzou back for sure. But the vibe was just different. There was very little hope left.
Then Cook came back, and a burst of energy came back into the stadium. On his first third-down attempt after injury, he found Mookie Cooper on a deep slant, which Cooper then took 78 yards to set up 1st and goal from the 2-yard line. Immediately, the juice was back. They scored the touchdown, Cook ran in the two-pointer, and the lead was cut to three.
Eventually, it came down to Mizzou having the ball on their own five and 4:33 left to find a tying or go-ahead score. It wasn’t pretty, but Cook did whatever he could to keep Mizzou on schedule. He overcame a couple of sacks, scrambled to get a first down, and found Luther Burden twice on third- and fourth-down to convert a 3rd-and-18 situation. They got in the red zone, and Jamal Roberts finished the drive with a rushing score.
Cook’s grit was the biggest reason why Mizzou came back from a 14-point deficit in the second half. Not the only reason, but the biggest. The team responds better when he’s out there. And why wouldn’t they? Cook literally went to the hospital during the game to get his ankle checked, did whatever needed to be done to treat it in the short term, then sucked it up and went out there again. That’s a leader. That’s someone anyone would want to play for.
There were still doubters out there saying that change was needed at that position. But after Saturday, those folks don’t have a leg to stand on. I’m not saying Drew Pyne can never lead this team. He’ll get his chance to earn the job eventually. But Mizzou’s offense was almost lifeless with him out there. For the rest of the regular season, barring his legs literally coming off his body, Brady Cook deserves to be the starting quarterback. Period.
The defense did its job
Two main guys that scared the heck out of me coming into this game for Auburn: running back Jarques Hunter, and wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith. Here were their stat lines:
Hunter: 19 carries, 57 yards (3.0 per carry), two receptions, 28 yards.
Lambert-Smith: two receptions, 16 yards.
That was huge for Mizzou’s defense. They came in wanting to force Auburn to have someone other than those two guys beat them. And Auburn couldn’t. Yes, quarterback Payton Thorne was dangerous on the run. Yes, there was another concerning defensive breakdown on the 47-yard touchdown pass. But that was the only offensive touchdown of the game. Mizzou’s defense stood up when it needed to, especially in the fourth quarter to help give the offense a chance for the winning score.
It’s also promising to see this bounce-back performance two weeks removed from the Texas A&M embarrassment. This Auburn offense, while turnover-prone, still has plenty of talent and has been efficient when handling the ball well. To have Mizzou come back and win this game when they didn’t even win the turnover battle says a lot about this Mizzou defense. Without the play of guys like Eddie Kelly, Zion Young, Corey Flagg and Marvin Burks, they don’t win this game. Hats off to Corey Batoon and company.
What a moment for Jamal Roberts
I thought there were times that Mizzou should’ve been running more often than they did in this game. But Nate Noel apparently got hurt again, this time with an ankle injury as Eli Drinkwitz shared after the game. So it left Marcus Carroll, Kewan Lacy, Tavorus Jones and Roberts to be Mizzou’s backfield going forward. Carroll seemed to be the only guy capable of providing consistent production on the ground. But Roberts was the one that came up in a big spot to finish a lengthy Mizzou drive to take the lead.
Roberts only got five carries for 20 yards, but the four he gained for the touchdown at the end were probably the toughest he’s ever gained. He looked to be bottled up at the line of scrimmage, but at the last moment broke through and made the end zone.
I was impressed with how Drinkwitz trusted a guy like that who was usually only on the field for passing downs. But Roberts stayed ready for whatever he was called to do, and delivered to help Mizzou take the lead and also bleed clock in the final minute.
The offensive line still needs work
Five sacks for 28 yards lost is not what you want. Granted, one of the bigger sacks was Cook’s stumble while trying to play hurt on the first drive, but the pressure from Auburn continued throughout the game. Pyne struggled, but he also took some hard hits in the pocket and even looked hobbled himself trying to get back up. And Cook took a few while coming back to play on the bad ankle.
I don’t know what the snap breakdown was or who on the offensive line was most responsible for each sack. I just know it needs to improve, fast. Some of the sacks/pressures just came down to bad communication. You can’t have that in the second half of the season. It also wasn’t the best run blocking day for this group, either. Drinkwitz indicated there would be more competition for spots on the offensive line before this game. From the looks of it, that needs to probably continue.
Say what you will, but this team survived again
I know a win like this doesn’t encourage Mizzou fans a whole lot more about playoff chances. But technically, Mizzou should still have everything on the table. Losing this game would’ve changed that. But they didn’t lose it. It’s also about surviving. You keep doing that, and you’ll eventually rise up the rankings enough to at least be in the mix. I still don’t know if 10-2 is enough to get in or what 10-2 needs to look like in order to get in. But it’s still possible. That’s what matters.
Right now, I can’t see this team going in to Alabama and grabbing a victory based on how they’re playing now. They still have several flaws. But maybe not many more than Alabama does. Maybe you catch the Tide on another bad day like they had against Vanderbilt. It’s impossible to know how it’ll look. But Mizzou will certainly need its best game of the season to have a chance.
(Photo credit: LG Patterson)
