Missouri quarterback Brady Cook left Saturday’s game vs. Auburn on the first drive with an ankle injury before returning late in the third quarter to lead the No. 19 Tigers to a 21-17 comeback win.
The home Tigers went on a 17-play, 95-yard drive that ended with Jamal Roberts’ game-winning four-yard TD run with 46 seconds to go. Roberts’ score came after Mizzou converted a fourth down six plays earlier when Auburn decided to blitz Cook and leave Missouri’s wide receivers in man coverage.
Cook found potential first-round draft pick Luther Burden III for a 16-yard catch that got Mizzou to the Auburn 25-yard line. Three plays later, Cook found Theo Wease for a 10-yard catch on third-and-10.
Missouri (6-1) trailed 17-6 with less than a minute to go in the third quarter before Cook returned to the field for the first time since he hobbled off after falling to the ground without any contact. He hit Mookie Cooper on a 78-yard third-down completion on the final play of the quarter a play before RB Marcus Carroll ran for a two-yard score to open the fourth.
Mizzou ended the game with 18 straight points after Auburn led 17-3 early in the fourth quarter. Auburn’s offense became very predictable in the second half after Payton Thorne opened the third quarter with a 47-yard TD pass to Cam Coleman. Thorne was inaccurate the rest of the game as Auburn tried to lean into its run game to little effect. Auburn had the ball at the Mizzou 37-yard line after the Tigers punted with less than six minutes to go, but Auburn had two negative rushing plays before Thorne’s third-down incompletion led to a punt.
Cook appeared to suffer the ankle injury early in the first drive after he was tackled awkwardly around the ankles. He was clearly in pain for plays after the hit, and took himself out of the game immediately after he fell down with no one around him.
Cook was replaced by former Arizona State and Notre Dame QB Drew Pyne and Pyne was ineffective. Pyne was just 10-of-21 passing for 78 yards — or the same number of yards Cook had on his first completion since returning to the game.
Burden’s fourth-down catch also made up for a massive blunder earlier in the second half. Auburn took that 17-3 lead when Burden muffed a punt deep in Missouri territory. The ball rolled into the end zone and was recovered by Auburn for a touchdown.
The win keeps Missouri’s chances at the College Football Playoff alive ahead of a trip to Alabama in Week 9. The loss is another chapter in what’s been a disappointing season. Auburn is now 0-4 in SEC play and 2-5 overall.
