最新杏吧原创

COLUMBIA, Mo. 鈥� There have been bigger wins against better opponents and more impressive statistical individual performances. But in terms of grit and guts displayed in a Missouri football game, let the record show what Tigers quarterback Brady Cook did here Saturday afternoon in a 21-17 win against Auburn deserves an eternal place in program history. And yes, Cook does score some extra points because he saved homecoming along with the season.

All that was missing was some theme music.

Memorial Stadium was as dead as it鈥檚 sounded in years as fans wrapped their minds around what a loss to Auburn would mean for a season that began with College Football Playoff hopes. A 14-point second-half deficit faced an offense that suddenly could not score touchdowns. Auburn, losers of 13 consecutive games against ranked teams, looked poised to snap that streak on No. 19 Mizzou鈥檚 homecoming.

And that wasn鈥檛 even the worst of it.

Cook was out of the game (and stadium) after he couldn鈥檛 will himself through a right ankle injury, the latest of the lower-body ailments that have kept him from playing his best at times. Cook tried. Hard. He went multiple snaps on basically one leg after a twisting Auburn tackle during his first drive caused the problem that eventually forced him to exit while backup Drew Pyne entered.

Meanwhile, lead running back Nate Noel was missing because of a newly sustained foot injury. Star receiver Luther Burden, who had inexplicably gone 30 plays before getting his hands on a football, had fumbled away an attempted punt return that led to an Auburn touchdown.

It felt over, honestly. The game. Maybe more. If getting blown out by Texas A&M didn鈥檛 spoil Mizzou鈥檚 playoff hopes, losing to SEC win-less Auburn sure would. And if Cook was going to miss significant time? Maybe a winning season was on the line.

Then, there he was.

Sprinting from a tunnel in his pads and helmet came the quarterback who has proven and re-proven himself to fans time and time again. Spoiler alert. He was about to prove himself again, this time to those who had wondered without any evidence if Pyne could be a better option.

When Cook first left the game, the team announced he was going to come back after getting his ankle taped. When he had stayed missing, the team鈥檚 report changed, saying he was unlikely to return. He spent a good chunk of a two-hour period getting an MRI at a nearby hospital, riding there in a trainer鈥檚 truck while receiving game updates. He declined to disclose the remedy that finally worked, but one wonders if the veterinarian school had to rush over something usually meant for large animals.

I鈥檓 kidding. I think?

鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot,鈥� Cook repeated about the methods used upon him during his absence. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of stuff. Yeah. Ultimately we found a way to come back and win the game, huh?鈥�

Whatever it was, it worked. He suited back up. He sprinted to the field. Your call, Tigers coach Eli Drinkwitz told Cook. No question, he responded.

MU鈥檚 offense had shriveled without Cook, and between a breakdown on defense that allowed Auburn鈥檚 47-yard touchdown pass and the Burden fumble turned touchdown, erasing the 14-point lead Auburn claimed with a little more than 11 minutes remaining in the third quarter seemed impossible 鈥� until Cook came roaring out of the tunnel near the end of the third quarter as if propelled by cannon.

The queasy crowd noticed, then clapped, then roared.

鈥淭hat gave everybody on the team juice,鈥� Cook said of the ovation. 鈥淭hat made a huge difference.鈥�

Cook started firing passes to a teammate on the sideline, zipping spirals as he bobbed to music. The Tigers had mustered six points on two field goals between his injury and his return. They scored 15 in the fourth quarter.

Cook鈥檚 first pass was incomplete, but it sent a clear message. The intended deep strike to Burden activated the crowd and the receiver who had muffed a punt earlier. Then Cook, moments after Mookie Cooper dropped a pass, went back to Cooper for a 78-yard catch and run. The crowd went from regaining a semblance of a pulse to rocking. After Marcus Carroll punched in the 2-yard touchdown, Cook (who else?) housed the 2-point conversion after faking a handoff, diving headfirst into the end zone.

Cook rolled his hands in a wheel motion. Message received. Keep going.

Two punts and two defensive stops later 鈥� the movie version of this game would edit those out 鈥� Cook engineered a drive that will forever be linked to his legacy.

The 17-play, 95-yard march over 46 seconds included him running for 14 yards on a third-and-7 play, creating a pass interference penalty on an accurate strike to Theo Wease Jr., finding Burden on a game-extending fourth-and-5 situation that went for 16 yards and one final third-and-10 conversion on a pass to Wease that set up Jamal Roberts鈥� go-ahead touchdown.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 believe it,鈥� Drinkwitz said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 one thing to come back. It鈥檚 another thing to scramble for first downs, move in the pocket, deliver accurate throws. The number one characteristic in an elite quarterback is toughness. He鈥檚 got it written all over him.鈥�

Mizzou alums know how nostalgia hits hard during homecoming. The longer you have been gone, the more it means to return. For Cook, two hours away from one of his final home games made him desperate to get back in the game. A time is coming soon when that won鈥檛 be an option for him. There isn鈥檛 an athletic tape (or pain-killing substance) strong enough to reverse time and restore expiring eligibility.

Mizzou fans, appreciate Cook while you still can. Sometimes you don鈥檛 know what you have until it鈥檚 gone. Everything the Tigers hoped to accomplish this season still is within their reach at 6-1, and as long as their quarterback has breath in his chest, he鈥檚 going to fight while inspiring a team that follows his lead.

鈥淚f we lose that game, the rest of our season looks a little different,鈥� Cook said. 鈥淚 recognize that. I knew we needed to go win.鈥�

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Photos: Mizzou defeats the Auburn University Tigers 21-17 at Faurot Field

COLUMBIA, Mo. 鈥� Brady Cook knows what a loss would have meant for Missouri鈥檚 football team.

The quarterback and linchpin to then-No. 19 Mizzou鈥檚 21-17 comeback win over Auburn on Saturday is why it happened. He鈥檚 not immune to why it mattered.

鈥淲e lose that game, the rest of our season looks a little different,鈥� Cook said. 鈥淚 recognized that.鈥�

It鈥檚 part of why he came back from an ankle injury that knocked him out of the game, leading to a midgame hospital visit, before returning to lead MU鈥檚 rally. The stakes were high because the margin for error is slim.

A loss to Auburn, which entered the game having not won a game against a power conference opponent since Nov. 11 would have doomed Missouri鈥檚 chances at making the College Football Playoff 鈥� and maybe even have made consideration of the playoffs in any capacity look like a silly endeavor.

But thanks to Cook, a last-minute game-winning touchdown from third-string running back Jamal Roberts and a solid defensive showing, that鈥檚 nothing more than a pessimistic hypothetical that never came to be.

Any style points earned by beating Auburn as Mizzou did were the kind made mostly of blood, sweat, tears and whatever was given to Cook by MU鈥檚 training staff. There won鈥檛 be extra credit for glamor.

鈥淐ouldn鈥檛 be any prouder of that football team,鈥� coach Eli Drinkwitz said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know how they found a way. I really don鈥檛, but they did. ... Wasn鈥檛 perfect, wasn鈥檛 clean, but man, those guys fight together.鈥�

Saturday鈥檚 game was a tag-team effort at quarterback between Cook and backup Drew Pyne, who saw his first competitive and high-pressure snaps in a Missouri uniform.

Pyne entered the game on MU鈥檚 first offensive series and played until late in the third quarter, when Cook returned. In comparison to the starter, Pyne didn鈥檛 seem as mobile or have the same downfield throws in his arsenal, though offensive coordinator Kirby Moore might have shifted his play calling with the quarterback change.

Pyne鈥檚 final stat line was 10 for 21 passing for 78 yards. His only scoring drive was the team鈥檚 first, which Cook started and the backup finished.

鈥淒rew came in a very tough situation, led us down for that field goal, which ultimately is the difference in us winning right there,鈥� Drinkwitz said.

The game called upon depth at running back, too. Starter Nate Noel left the game, came back and left again because of a foot injury.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not broke, but we don鈥檛 know how bad (it is),鈥� Drinkwitz said.

Noel carried the ball six times for 32 yards. As was the case a week earlier, when Noel missed the Tigers鈥� game against Massachusetts because of back tightness, Marcus Carroll stepped in as the primary tailback. He received eight carries for 41 yards and a touchdown 鈥� more goal-line work for the physical back.

Roberts, who has carved out a role on third downs because of his pass protection ability, saw more rushing work, too. With Missouri needing a touchdown to win the game in the final minute, it handed him the ball twice inside the Auburn 9-yard line.

Roberts powered through contact on both plays, scoring the game-winning TD.

鈥淚 was just nailing the coffin shut,鈥� Roberts said.

Needing to capitalize on an opportunity against a turnover-prone Auburn offense, Mizzou鈥檚 defense held up well 鈥� certainly better than it did in MU鈥檚 last SEC outing, a blowout loss to Texas A&M.

Because one of Auburn鈥檚 touchdowns came on a muffed punt, the Missouri defense really only conceded a touchdown and a field goal. The unit allowed 286 total yards to the visitors, holding them to 4 of 14 third-down conversions.

Auburn鈥檚 offensive touchdown, though, came on the type of defensive breakdown that has popped up from time to time for the Mizzou secondary: A safety, this time Marvin Burks Jr., seemed to be a little too focused on looking at the backfield, which allowed a receiver to streak right past.

Burks might have been keyed in on the chance to snag Payton Thorne鈥檚 seventh interception of the year, which never came. Thorne instead found freshman wideout Cam Coleman over the top for a 47-yard score.

鈥淚 liked everything about it, other than the one big play,鈥� Drinkwitz said of the defensive performance. 鈥淭hey really contained the run game, which we knew was important.鈥�

Auburn running back Jarquez Hunter picked up just 66 yards, the fewest he鈥檚 had since the blue-and-orange Tigers鈥� season opener, in which he ran just four times.

With Saturday鈥檚 win, Missouri has six this season 鈥� the mark of bowl eligibility. The Tigers are bowl-eligible for the fifth consecutive year, having reached the threshold in each of Drinkwitz鈥檚 seasons in Columbia. (Mizzou didn鈥檛 need six wins for a bowl game in the pandemic-shifted 2020 season, and its bowl was canceled that year because of the COVID-19 outbreak.)

Drinkwitz and company acknowledged the milestone 鈥� he wore a bowl season shirt to his postgame news conference and happily greeted representatives from the Cheez-It Bowl afterward. MU鈥檚 sights are a bit higher than that game, though, which is a sign of what rallying to win against Auburn preserves.

鈥淚 told the team this morning: Everything we want鈥檚 on the other side of this game if we can win,鈥� Drinkwitz said.

Next is an away game against a beatable Alabama team, which lost to Tennessee on Saturday and is 5-2. That will give the Tigers a clearer sense of just what their desires could lead to this season.

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Photos: Mizzou defeats the Auburn University Tigers 21-17 at Faurot Field

COLUMBIA, Mo. 鈥� At 11:15 a.m. on Saturday, Brady Cook鈥檚 right ankle gave way underneath him and he crumpled onto the 40-yard line.

Two minutes and three plays earlier, the Missouri quarterback had hurt that ankle because of a hip-drop tackle from an Auburn defender. Cook tried to stay in the game, hopping and hobbling between snaps to loosen the throbbing joint. His ankle made the decision for him, sending him tumbling to the turf on a scramble attempt.

Cook limped straight for the Mizzou locker room, disappearing into Memorial Stadium鈥檚 southwest tunnel at 11:16 a.m.

At 12:50 p.m., the team officially designated Cook as 鈥渦nlikely to return.鈥� But at 1:37 p.m., with MU trailing 17-6, he did.

And at 2:38 p.m., No. 19 Missouri (6-1, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) completed its comeback, beating Auburn (2-5, 0-4 SEC) 21-17 in a remarkable display of resilience shown by a player already known for his toughness.

In between those timestamps and out of the public eye, Cook鈥檚 own comeback came to fruition, from a midgame stint in a hospital to a personal epiphany and, ultimately, an improbable return to play.

鈥淚 was very convinced that I was not going to come back,鈥� Cook said.

Yet he did.

鈥楽taring at the ceiling鈥�

Riding in a truck through the MU campus, Cook kept getting recognized. And making eye contact with fans through the vehicle鈥檚 untinted windows felt awkward.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e like, 鈥榳hat is going on?鈥欌�� Cook said.

And they had every right to be confused. Cook wasn鈥檛 driving the truck 鈥� a member of Mizzou鈥檚 athletic training staff was 鈥� and they were trying to slip through lingering groups of tailgaters occupying the few blocks of parking and service roads between Memorial Stadium and University Hospital.

Oh, and this was during the first quarter of Missouri鈥檚 homecoming game. Cook, after making it back to the locker room, needed an MRI on his ankle. Re-taping it, icing it, walking it off 鈥� the basic remedies weren鈥檛 going to do the trick.

So he took an improvised ride to the hospital a short distance from the stadium. Once he was there, Cook had nothing to do but sit and wait.

He wasn鈥檛 allowed to have any electronics around him, so he sat in silence, 鈥渓ooking at the ceiling,鈥� Cook said.

He鈥檇 heard that, with backup quarterback Drew Pyne running the offense, Mizzou kicker Blake Craig gave the home team a 3-0 lead with a field goal shortly after the quarterback鈥檚 injury. Cook later caught wind that Auburn had tied the game at 3-3 in the second quarter with a field goal of its own. But mostly, it was just silence and a hospital room ceiling.

鈥淎s you can imagine, that鈥檚 not a whole lot of fun,鈥� he said.

Really, though, he wasn鈥檛 missing much fun on the field. The dueling sets of Tigers weren鈥檛 exactly scoring. Both offenses struggled to ignite, leading to 261 combined yards of offense in the first half.

And the third quarter was decidedly not fun for Mizzou. Auburn found a bit of explosiveness through a 47-yard passing touchdown over the top of the hosts鈥� defense. MU star Luther Burden III muffed a punt, which Auburn recovered in the end zone for a touchdown. By 1:14 p.m., the black-and-gold Tigers were trailing 17-3.

While they were collapsing inward, Cook, still ceiling-watching at the hospital, was looking inward.

He鈥檚 an experienced quarterback 鈥� Saturday was his 34th career start 鈥� and he鈥檚 in his final season of college football. He knows what that means for opportunities to play in the stadium his family drove to from 最新杏吧原创 during his childhood.

鈥淚 realized I had 2陆 games left to play in Faurot, in front of that crowd, in front of Mizzou,鈥� Cook said.

But in order to get from an MRI machine back out onto the field to make it 2陆 and not just two, he needed to get his ankle back in order.

鈥淲e were going to find a way,鈥� Cook said.

鈥楥an you really play?鈥�

Tucked inside Mizzou鈥檚 new south end team facility, adjacent to an expansive weight room, there are a few strips of artificial turf on the ground.

Around 1 p.m., Cook needed them to test out treatments for his ankle. He still didn鈥檛 think he鈥檇 be able to return to the game that was unfolding across the driveway. His pads and gear were off.

The training staff tried plenty of things to help Cook.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of stuff,鈥� he said, which was as specific as he鈥檇 get 鈥� though a blood-stained square Band-Aid stuck to the front of Cook鈥檚 swollen ankle suggests a needle was probably involved.

Not a lot was helping, but trainers proposed 鈥渙ne more last-ditch effort,鈥� Cook said. 鈥淚t worked, and immediately I knew.鈥�

Trainers spun more tape around his ankle. He strapped on his shoulder pads. And at 1:19 p.m., Brady Cook came sprinting out of the tunnel he鈥檇 limped into 123 minutes earlier.

To say it changed the game would be the kind of understatement that scrubs the moment of its power. Cook鈥檚 sudden, improbable entrance generated a kind of buzz in the crowd that would make a wrestling company jealous.

He threw some warm-up passes on the sideline. Mizzou coach Eli Drinkwitz walked over to the quarterback.

鈥淐an you really play?鈥� he asked Cook.

鈥淚鈥檓 gonna go,鈥� Cook replied.

At 1:40 p.m., he completed the play that set in motion the comeback. After wide receiver Mookie Cooper had dropped a short pass, Cook threw to Cooper again, getting a surprisingly stable base from his ankle to zip the ball between two Auburn defenders. Cooper caught the ball and busted a few tackles on a 78-yard journey, to the 2-yard line.

MU scored on the first play of the fourth quarter, on a 2-yard run by Marcus Carroll, making Cook鈥檚 first possession back in the game a touchdown drive. He punctuated that by running for a 2-point conversion to cut the Tigers鈥� deficit to 17-14. But the offense slowed again as the fourth quarter trundled by until there were four minutes and 26 left in the game and Mizzou still trailing by three points.

Starting a drive at his own 5-yard line, Cook scrambled effectively twice within Missouri territory, banking on his ankle鈥檚 ability to hold up. He took a sack that backed the hosts out of range for a game-tying field goal 鈥� not that they were looking to try that, anyway.

With the outcome hanging in the balance on a fourth-and-5 play, Cook beat a blitz to find Burden and move the chains. On a third-and-10 situation from the Auburn 25-yard line, Cook neatly timed a pass to wide receiver Theo Wease Jr. along the sideline. Running back Jamal Roberts ran the ball twice near the goal line before scoring the game-winning touchdown, with 53 seconds to go, then the defense didn鈥檛 allow Auburn to advance beyond its own 25 on its final possession.

MU鈥檚 decisive drive was 17 plays and covered 95 yards. It needed Cook as its fuel.

鈥淚t鈥檚 one thing to come back,鈥� Drinkwitz said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 another thing to be able to scramble for a couple of first downs, to move in the pocket and deliver accurate throws. The No. 1 characteristic of an elite quarterback is toughness.鈥�

At 2:54 p.m., Drinkwitz began his postgame news conference with an emotional assessment of what he saw from Cook, a quarterback whose resilience is firmly etched in what鈥檒l soon be his legacy.

鈥淚 mean, for all that criticism, that man takes, 12 sure would die on that field for everybody,鈥� Drinkwitz said, choking up. 鈥淚 mean, for him to be out there and put his body on the line for us is incredible. That ought to be inspiring to everybody who watched it today.鈥�

And Cook, while talking with reporters, looked like someone who was feeling the joy of a much-needed victory and the return of an ache in his right ankle.

鈥淲hen I woke up this morning,鈥� Cook said, 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 expect all this to go down.鈥�

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Photos: Mizzou defeats the Auburn University Tigers 21-17 at Faurot Field

No. 19 Missouri 21, Auburn 17

Auburn 0 3 14 0 鈥� 17

Missouri 3 0 3 15 鈥� 21

First Quarter

惭滨窜窜鈥�FG Craig 51, 8:17.

Second Quarter

础鲍叠鈥�FG McGough 32, 11:04.

Third Quarter

础鲍叠鈥�Coleman 47 pass from Thorne (McGough kick), 12:34.

础鲍叠鈥�Kite 0 fumble return (McGough kick), 11:08.

惭滨窜窜鈥�FG Craig 38, 7:44.

Fourth Quarter

惭滨窜窜鈥�Carroll 2 run (Cook run), 14:57.

惭滨窜窜鈥�Roberts 4 run (Craig kick), :46.

AUB MIZZ

First downs 17 20

Total Net Yards 286 353

Rushes-yards 35-110 32-81

Passing 176 272

Punt Returns 1-8 1--15

Kickoff Returns 1-19 2-41

Interceptions Ret. 0-0 0-0

Comp-Att-Int 17-29-0 21-43-0

Sacked-Yards Lost 3-25 5-28

Punts 7-40.857 4-42.75

Fumbles-Lost 1-1 2-2

Penalties-Yards 6-63 2-24

Time of Possession 32:29 27:26

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

搁鲍厂贬滨狈骋鈥�Auburn, Hunter 19-57, Thorne 11-18, Cobb 2-16, Simmons 1-15, Alston 2-4. Missouri, Carroll 8-40, Noel 6-32, Roberts 5-20, K.Lacy 1-1, (Team) 1-(minus 1), Pyne 3-(minus 4), Cook 8-(minus 7).

笔础厂厂滨狈骋鈥�Auburn, Thorne 17-29-0-176. Missouri, Cook 11-22-0-194, Pyne 10-21-0-78.

搁贰颁贰滨痴滨狈骋鈥�Auburn, R.Lewis 4-39, Simmons 4-29, Fairweather 3-2, Hunter 2-28, Lambert-Smith 2-16, Coleman 1-47, Cobb 1-15. Missouri, Burden 6-49, Wease 4-56, Norfleet 3-31, Cooper 2-84, Harris 2-20, Carroll 2-11, Manning 1-15, M.Miller 1-6.

MISSED FG鈥�Auburn, McGough 30. Missouri, Craig 55, Craig 49.

COLUMBIA, Mo. 鈥� Two hours and three minutes after he hobbled to the locker room with an ankle injury and 28 minutes after he was officially deemed unlikely to return to the contest, Missouri quarterback Brady Cook sprinted out of the Memorial Stadium tunnel to win a football game.

He did it.

No. 19 Mizzou overcame injuries and a disappearing offense to engineer a 21-17 comeback win over Auburn on Saturday, a victory that came to be almost exclusively through whatever treatment Cook received during his two hours out of view.

His second-half return to play galvanized a home team that was floundering on offense and crumbling on defense and special teams, ultimately leading to a homecoming win for MU.

Cook led an explosive touchdown drive upon re-entering the game and did so again late in the fourth quarter, stacking clutch third- and fourth-down throws on the game-winning touchdown drive.

Mizzou has now won seven consecutive homecoming games and, at 6-1, is bowl-eligible for the fifth consecutive season.

Injuries galore

Catastrophe, from an injury standpoint, struck Missouri in the first quarter. Only a few plays into the game, Cook tried to escape forward through a collapsing pocket that closed in on him. The starting quarterback came up limping.

He stayed in the game, hopping in between snaps while receiving play calls into his helmet. But when his ankle completely gave out during attempted scramble, Cook left the game. He hobbled straight to MU鈥檚 locker room.

Backup quarterback Drew Pyne replaced Cook, though the swap clearly changed Mizzou鈥檚 offensive capabilities. Pyne wasn鈥檛 able to escape the pocket or scramble like Cook, leading to the replacement signal-caller taking his share of big blows.

Tight end Brett Norfleet also left the game in the first quarter for a bit before returning. He caught a short pass from Pyne and lowered his shoulder 鈥� to which an early-season injury had previously kept him sidelined 鈥� into contact. Norfleet made it off the field but fell to the turf quickly, spending upwards of 10 minutes in the medical tent before jogging to the locker room. He returned to the game before halftime.

Running back Nate Noel, who missed last week鈥檚 game against Massachusetts with back tightness and was listed on the injury report for part of the run-up to Saturday, did not receive a touch or target past the 11-minute mark of the second quarter. A committee of Marcus Carroll, Jamal Roberts and Kewan Lacy replaced Noel.

Coming out of halftime, the team deemed Cook and Noel 鈥渦nlikely to return鈥� with lower body injuries, leaving the Tigers without their starting quarterback and running back 鈥� temporarily.

Drab first half

At halftime, the score matched the final tally of Missouri鈥檚 first-ever homecoming game, a 3-3 tie back in 1911.

Blake Craig gave the hosts their field goal in the first quarter, converting from 51 yards out shortly after Cook鈥檚 injury. He attempted two other field goals in the first half but missed wide left from both 49 and 55 yards.

Auburn鈥檚 Towns McGough put his side on the board early in the second quarter with a 32-yard make.

MU had just 133 yards of total offense at the break, while Auburn had only 128.

Mizzou wide receiver Luther Burden III didn鈥檛 get his hands on the ball until the black-and-gold Tigers鈥� 31st offensive play. With Missouri trying to find a bit of offense before the end of the first half, it got Burden the ball on a touch pass, which he turned into an eight-yard gain for a first down.

鈥淒efense is keeping us in the game,鈥� MU coach Eli Drinkwitz told the home radio broadcast on his way to the locker room. 鈥淲e鈥檝e got to find some offensive rhythm with Drew. That鈥檚 what we鈥檒l do in the second half.鈥�

Auburn breaks through first

After the blah first half, the second 30 minutes started with a feeling that one touchdown might be enough to put one team ahead for good. Auburn got the big play first.

Freshman wide receiver Cam Coleman, who had just nine catches on the season, burned Missouri safety Marvin Burks Jr. over the top 鈥� a familiar theme for the home team鈥檚 secondary at this point 鈥� for a crisp 47-yard touchdown.

Auburn鈥檚 10-3 lead arrived with 12:34 left in the third quarter.

Then came a sequence that looked like disaster.

Mizzou鈥檚 defense held Auburn to a 3-and-out, giving its offense a chance to claw something together. But Burden muffed the punt at his own 15-yard line, with the ball bouncing through his arms and behind him. Auburn recovered the ball in the end zone for a special teams touchdown.

The costly error gave the visiting Tigers a 17-3 lead with slightly more than 11 minutes in the third quarter.

A flash of optimism flickered across the Missouri sideline during its responsive drive as Carroll picked up a 20-yard carry and Cook came sprinting out of the MU tunnel. He immediately began throwing near the bench, with a team spokesperson confirming he would try to return.

It wouldn鈥檛 be on that drive, though, which led to a 38-yard field goal from Craig that cut the lead to 17-6.

Cooking up a comeback

Cook came back into the game to sling the rock. He unsuccessfully tried to find Burden on a deep ball right off the bat, then wideout Mookie Cooper dropped Cook鈥檚 second pass since returning.

The third time was the charm. Cook threaded the ball between overlapping defenders to Cooper, who held on this time. Cooper turned upfield and busted a few tackles, cutting diagonally for a 78-yard pickup.

Starting the fourth quarter at the Auburn 2-yard line, Missouri punched in the touchdown through Carroll. Needing a two-point conversion, the recovered Cook plowed across the goal line himself.

That cut Auburn鈥檚 lead to 17-14 with 14:57 left in the game.

Over the next 10 minutes, both sets of Tigers traded fruitless possessions and punts.

A pass interference penalty allowed Missouri to enter Auburn territory just inside the final two minutes of the fourth quarter 鈥� only for Cook to be sacked by an untouched blitzer on the next play. He connected with Burden downfield on 3rd and 18, but instead of cutting forward across the sticks, the wideout tried to juke his way for more yardage and set up a 4th and 5.聽

With the game on the line, Cook got the ball to Burden again, safely past the first-down marker. He found wide receiver Theo Wease Jr. for another key completion on a third down to enter the red zone.

Running back Jamal Roberts ferried the ball down to the 4-yard line to set up first and goal. He completed the comeback 鈥� and an 18-play, 95-yard scoring drive 鈥� with one more carry through contact.

Roberts' touchdown put Missouri ahead 21-17 with 46 seconds to play.

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No. 19 Mizzou has chance to quash unpleasant memories of last matchup against Auburn

• Eli Hoff

Mizzou Sports News

Where Mizzou football could see competitions, depth chart changes in second half of season

• Eli Hoff

Mizzou Sports News

No. 19 Mizzou views next opponent Auburn as turnover-prone but 'dangerous'

• Eli Hoff

Photos: Mizzou defeats the Auburn University Tigers 21-17 at Faurot Field