Mizzou football falls 42-13 to Alabama in SEC title game

Alabama scored 21 points in the fourth quarter to pull away from Missouri late, as the Tide beat the Tigers 42-13 in the SEC Championship Game.

Amari Cooper had 12 catches receptions against Missouri, breaking the SEC Championship Game record for catches in a game. His teammate, DeAndrew White, had four receptions for 101 yards.

Missouri’s Jimmie Hunt had six catches for 169 yards, five of those receptions coming on third down.

The game changed when Mizzou’s star defensive end Shane Ray was taken out of the game. With 11:58 left in the second quarter Blake Sims found DeAndrew White for a 58-yard touchdown pass. At the end of the throw, Ray made a later on Sims. The Missouri junior was called for targeting and ejected, leaving the Tigers without their single-season sack holder.

Alabama took the lead on the opening possession of the game, going 68 yards capped off by a T.J. Yeldon 1-yard touchdown run.

Yeldon scored his second touchdown of the game when he reached the end zone on a two yard run that capped off a 14-play, 75 yard drive.

In the second half, the Tigers marched 75 yards in the opening possession in large part to a 68-yard catch by Hunt. Mizzou finished the drive with a 1-yard pass from Mauk to Sasser.

Missouri then got in the Alabama red zone for a second straight possession after Mauk and Hunt connected again, this time on a 47 yard pass. Tigers had to settle for an 33-yard field goal by Baggett to make it 21-13 in favor of the Crimson Tide.

But Alabama made Missouri pay with a Christian Jones touchdown catch to extend the Alabama lead. The Tide then went on to score on a 26-yard run by Derrick Henry with 7:38 left in the game, putting the 35-13 game out of reach for the Tigers. Henry would add a late touchdown toward the end of the game.

Mizzou drops to 10-3 on the season and will wait their bowl fate on Sunday.