Late scores push Missouri past Ohio State to win Cotton Bowl

ARLINGTON, Texas (KMIZ)

It may not have been pretty for three quarters, but the Missouri offense got going at the right time.

The Tigers were held scoreless until the final frame, when senior running back Cody Schrader found the end zone on a seven-yard run to give Missouri a 7-3 lead in the first five seconds of the fourth quarter.

Mizzou came up with another score with 5:12 to go and were able to close out a 14-3 Cotton Bowl victory over the Ohio State Buckeyes, the program’s first since the 2013 season.

Schrader’s score capped off a long drive. Missouri (11-2) for most of the game opened each offensive drive deep in its own territory, as did the Buckeyes (11-2) did on their own drives. Missouri punter Riley Williams booted the ball 326 yards on eight punts against Ohio State’s Jesse Mirco’s 386 yards on eight punts.

The go-ahead scoring drive began on the Missouri 5-yard line. The drive lasted eight plays, and a 50-yard pass launched from quarterback Brady Cook to receiver Marquis Johnson. The next play resulted in an Ohio State penalty, and eventually Schrader’s score.

After a stop from the Missouri defense, the Tigers came up with a 6-minute, 10-second scoring drive that began on the Missouri 9-yard line and ended with a seven-yard touchdown pass from Cook to receiver Luther Burden.

Ohio State had one more chance to come back with 5:05 left in the game, but the drive halted after Mizzou defensive lineman Joe Moore fell on a fumbled by Ohio State quarterback Lincoln Kienholz with 3:13 to go.

Mizzou ran out the clock, and with it, sealed head coach Eli Drinkwitz’s first bowl victory at the program.

Cook finished with a game-high 128 yards on 11-of-18 passing, as Shrader ran for a game-high 128 yards on 29 carries. Cook also came up with 66 yards rushing on 19 carries. Johnson’s lone catch ended up being a team-high 50 yards. The Missouri offense finished with 331 yards against Ohio State’s 203.

Lincoln Kienholz and Devin Brown had a combined 106 yards passing for the Buckeyes on 10 completions. TreyVeyon Henderon rushed for 72 yards on 19 runs.

FOURTH QUARTER UPDATE: 10:04 p.m.

Quarterback Brady Cook fired a 7-yard strike to receiver Luther Burden in the end zone to extend Missouri's lead to 14-3 with 5 minutes, 12 seconds to go in the game.

The touchdown capped off a 13-play, 91-yard drive, 42 yards of which were provided by nine rushing attempts from Cody Schrader.

FOURTH QUARTER UPDATE: 9:41 p.m.

The Tigers opened the fourth quarter with a bang. Or at least a few hits.

Running back Cody Schrader ran in the ball from the 7-yard line on a second down-and-2 to give Missouri its first lead, and first score of the game. The run capped off an eight-play, 95-yard drive.

The scoring run was set up from a 50-yard play, when quarterback Brady Cook launched a pass to receiver Marquis Johnson. That play was followed up by an Ohio State penalty for too many men on the field.

THIRD QUARTER UPDATE 9:31 p.m.

The Mizzou defense is doing everything you could ask and more, but the group needs some help. Ohio State is up 3-0 and the Tiger offense can't seem to find a rhythm.

HALFTIME UPDATE 8:41 p.m.

At the half, Mizzou trails Ohio State, 3-0. The Tiger defense deserves a lot of credit for that first half of football. JC Carlies led the way for them with seven total tackles and three Tigers have a sack.
However, the offense needs to get going. MU has outgained OSU 112 to 76 but hasn't hit end zone.

SECOND QUARTER UPDATE 8:07 p.m.

Lincoln Kienholz is now in at quarterback for Ohio State. He's passed the ball five times in his Buckeye career

SECOND QUARTER UPDATE 8:02 p.m.

The Mizzou offense struggles to find rhythm at AT&T Stadium, but the Tiger defense continues to stand tall. Johnny Walker Jr. leveled Ohio State quarterback Devin Brown for a sack. As a result, Brown has been escorted to thee locker room for further evaluation.

FIRST QUARTER UPDATE 7:41 p.m.

Ohio State gets on the board first with a five-play, 27 yard drive, which resulted in a 41-yard field goal from kicker Jayden Fielding. The Buckeyes lead the Tigers, 3-0.

PREGAME

The No. 9 Missouri Tigers are in Texas tonight for their showdown with the No. 7 Ohio State Buckeyes in the Cotton at AT&T Stadium.

Kickoff is at 7 p.m.

This will be Missouri’s (10-2) first Cotton Bowl appearance since the 2013 season, when the then-SEC champion Tigers knocked off Oklahoma State 41-31.

Missouri comes into Friday night’s game on a three-game winning streak, with the latest being a 48-14 rout of the Arkansas Razorbacks on Nov. 24. The 11-win Buckeyes’ sole loss this season was their last game, a 30-24 decision against Michigan on Nov. 25.

Eight players on the Buckeyes’ offense have entered the transfer portal, including their regular starting quarterback this season, Kyle McCord. McCord totaled 3,170 yards this season on 229-of-348 passing (65.8%) with 24 touchdowns and six interceptions.

The Tigers are led by All-American running back Cody Shrader, who racked up 1,489 yards on the ground on 247 carries (6 yards per attempt) and 13 touchdowns. Quarterback Brady Cook tallied 3,189 yards this season on 233-of-351 passing (66.4%) and provided 20 scores through the air against six interceptions. Cook also had 253 rushing yards this season on 94 carries and 8 scores.

Check back here for updates throughout the game.