No. 6 Mizzou flips momentum in first half, wins battle of ranked teams
Watch the postgame press conference in the player.
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
After facing its first deficit of the young season, No. 6 Mizzou Football turned the tide, shutting down No. 24 Boston College's offense to come back and claim a 27-21 win in front of Faurot Field's eighth straight sellout crowd. The Tigers remain perfect in their 2024 campaign, improving their record to 3-0.
For the first time this season, Eli Drinkwitz's team had to play from behind. Corey Batoon's defense allowed its first points of the year on Boston College's first offensive possession of the game, following a 14-play, 75-yard drive by the Eagles that ate nearly 7:30 of the game clock. Thomas Castellanos' 12-yard touchdown pass to Jerand Bradley on that opening drive was aided by a personal foul penalty that negated a third down stop.
MU settled for two field goals on its first three possessions and trailed 14-6 with 4:20 left in the first half, but a critical defensive play flipped the momentum. Tre'Vez Johnson picked off Castellanos, becoming the first defensive player to intercept the Boston College quarterback this season.
Following the turnover, it took the Tigers just three plays to find the end zone. Brady Cook found Luther Burden III for a 19-yard catch-and-run touchdown to pull his team within two points of tying the game. MU decided to try a two-point conversion attempt and was successful. Nate Noel took the snap into the end zone to tie the game.
MU got the ball back before the clock expired in the first half with less than one minute remaining. Cook and company marched into enemy territory, getting Blake Craig into field goal range. The redshirt freshman kicker drilled a 55-yard attempt to give Mizzou its first lead 17-14 at the break.
Collectively, the Tigers posted a streak of 24 unanswered points, which stretched into the second half courtesy of a 6-yard touchdown run by Cook and Craig's fourth field goal of the afternoon. The Eagles managed to cut that 27-14 deficit down to a one-possession game after a 38-yard touchdown pass from Castellanos to Kamari Morales, but MU did not let Boston College have another offensive possession, sealing the ranked win with a pair of first downs to run out the clock.
Cook finished the game 21-for-30 with 264 passing yards and two total touchdowns. Cook's top wide receiver was Burden III, who eclipsed 100 receiving yards for the first time this season, ending the contest with six catches for 117 yards and one touchdown.
Nate Noel surpassed 100 rushing yards for the first time as a Mizzou Tiger on Saturday, finishing the game with 121 yards on the ground on 22 attempts. Noel and Marcus Carroll recorded a combined 178 rushing yards in the contest.
On defense, MU forced a pair of turnovers, that game-changing interception from Johnson and a second pick from Dreyden Norwood. Batoon's unit also had two sacks and five tackles for loss. After allowing two touchdowns on Boston College's first three drives, the defense held the Eagles off the scoreboard for more than 35 minutes worth of game time.
Up next - Mizzou will take a break from non-conference action to begin SEC play. The Tigers will close out their four-game homestand with their conference opener against Vanderbilt on Saturday, Sept. 21 at Faurot Field.
