Mizzou wins back-and-forth thriller in highly-anticipated rivalry renewal with Oklahoma
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Mizzou's late fourth-quarter surge propelled the team to a comeback victory in the renewal of a century-old rivalry. The Tigers scored 14 unanswered points in the final two minutes of Saturday's contest to win the program's 97th all-time meeting with Oklahoma 30-23 under the lights of Faurot Field.
You can watch extended highlights from MU's win in the video player below.
Saturday's game marked the first matchup between the two former Big-12 Conference rivals since the 2011 season, and Oklahoma's first visit to Columbia in 14 years.
You can watch the full postgame press conference with head coach Eli Drinkwitz in the video player below.
Both offenses struggled to move the football in the first half. Mizzou's defense held Oklahoma to 122 total yards in the first 30 minutes of action while the Tigers only posted 88 total yards during the same span.
The visitors put the game's first points on the scoreboard. The Sooners scored six unanswered points in the first 22 minutes of the contest, settling for field goals on a pair of drives that were set up by a 43-yard fake punt and an unsuccessful fourth down attempt by the Tigers.
However, the momentum swung towards MU's sideline with less than six minutes left until halftime. Oklahoma's Peyton Bowen muffed a punt deep in his team's territory, and Ja'Marion Wayne recovered it to give the Tigers great field position. Mizzou capitalized on the turnover with a 25-yard field goal from Blake Craig to cut its deficit down to three points.
Oklahoma added a field goal to regain a six-point advantage at halftime, but Mizzou responded with two unanswered touchdown drives. Drew Pyne delivered a 13-yard touchdown pass to Theo Wease Jr. to give his team its first lead with less than six minutes remaining in the third quarter. Then, Pyne connected with Brett Norfleet for a 5-yard touchdown in the back of the end zone to extend MU's advantage to seven points, following a missed extra point in the fourth quarter.
You can watch the full postgame press conference with Pyne, as well as Wease Jr., in the video players below.
However, a pair of late miscues costed Mizzou the lead. Oklahoma running back Taylor Tatum threw a pass to his quarterback Jackson Arnold for a game-tying, 18-yard touchdown with 3:18 left in the game. Then, a Mizzou fumble led to a 43-yard scoop-and-score from Billy Bowman Jr. to put the Sooners ahead 23-16 at the two-minute warning.
With their backs against the wall, Pyne led the offense on an 8-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, tying the game on a 10-yard pass to Wease Jr. for his third touchdown of the night. Oklahoma attempted to drive into field goal range with about one minute left on the clock, but Mizzou stunned the Sooners as Triston Newson forced Arnold to fumble and Zion Young ran the football into the end zone for a game-winning 17-yard touchdown.
You can watch the full postgame press conference with Young, as well as Newson, in the video players below.
Pyne filled in for Brady Cook, who did not play in this contest due to his ankle and wrist injuries, and the backup quarterback completed 14 of his 27 throws in Cook's absence for 143 passing yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions. All three of Pyne's touchdown passes were delivered in the second half.
Wease Jr. tormented his former team, catching four passes for a team-high 70 yards and two touchdowns. The Oklahoma transfer was targeted by Pyne more than any other Mizzou receiver and led the team in yards-after-catch.
Collectively, MU's defense also wreaked havoc on the Sooners. Defensive coordinator Corey Batoon's unit forced and recovered three fumbles, posted three sacks and recorded seven tackles for loss. Newson and Chuck Hicks each led the team in sacks and tackles for loss.
Overall, Mizzou narrowly finished with more total yards than the Sooners. The Tigers ended the contest with 278 total yards to Oklahoma's 257 total yards. MU also outperformed OU on third down and time of possession.
Up next - Mizzou is hitting the road for a two-game road trip, starting with a battle for the Mayor's Cup. The Tigers face the South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday, Nov. 16 at 3:15 p.m.
