Mizzou Football defeats Oklahoma in a wild game

What seemed like a pillow fight quickly turned into a drunken college football game late in the fourth quarter, with Mizzou beating Oklahoma 30-23 in one of the craziest games of the season.

When it was announced that starting quarterback Brady Cook would not be playing, that appeal began to fade, but the historic rivalry still made for a highly anticipated matchup.

Early in the fourth quarter, Mizzou defensive back Marvin Burks picked off Deion Burks and forced a fumble, which the Tigers were able to recover.

On the next possession, Mizzou recovered the ball 30 yards in 9 plays and ended the drive with a third-and-goal completion to Brett Norfleet for a 5-yard touchdown. Blake Craig hit the resulting extra point wide left, giving Mizzou a 16-9 lead with 8:47 left.

Oklahoma wouldn’t get away without a fight, and Arnold led his team down the field for the Sooners’ most impressive drive of the game. Arnold reached the end zone on a trick play and scored from 18 yards out to tie the game with 3:18 left in the fourth.

On Mizzou’s ensuing possession, trying to keep the ball on the ground, freshman running back Jamal Roberts coughed up the football and Billy Bowman returned it 43 yards for a Sooners touchdown. This gave Oklahoma a 23-16 lead with 2 minutes to play.

Needing a score to tie the game, Pyne gave his team a chance. Luther Burden made an emphatic 33-yard catch and Wease followed it with one of his own, good for a 10-yard touchdown that tied the game at 23 with 1:03 left.

Despite all the hate, Pyne led his team down the field and gave Mizzou a chance to win the game.

As Oklahoma tried to get into field goal range, Triston Newson sacked Arnold and Zion Young picked up the ball and returned it 17 yards, allowing for a Mizzou touchdown. This gave the Tigers a 30-23 lead with just 22 seconds left.

Mizzou’s defense was special all night, and it was only fitting that it was the defense that sealed one of the craziest games of the season.

What took place in the first half was a pillow fight that looked strikingly similar to many Iowa football games in 2023. The two biggest plays in the first half came from punts.

First, Oklahoma punter Luke Elzinga perfectly ran a fake punt and sprinted toward the line of scrimmage as if he was about to run before throwing a pass to Bauer Sharp for 43 yards. This gave the Sooners excellent field position, but they were unable to capitalize on it, eventually settling for a 40-yard field goal to score first six seconds into the second quarter.

The second-biggest play was a botched punt over Oklahoma returner Peyton Bowen that put Mizzou on the doorstep of the red zone. Blake Craig hit a 25-yard field goal to cut the lead to 6-3 with 3:26 left in the first half.

Sooners kicker Zach Schmit was the first-half MVP, converting all three of his field goal attempts, including a 56-yard rush to end the half, giving Oklahoma a 9-3 lead at halftime.

With Pyne at quarterback, Mizzou showed no real ability to move the ball down the field. The Sooners were able to reinforce the line of scrimmage, ultimately preventing the Tigers’ offense from asserting itself.

Mizzou looked dominant on defense and completely shut down Oklahoma’s offense. Sooners quarterback Jackson Arnold had the same number of passing yards as his team’s punter in the first half, 43.

Coming out of the locker room it looked much the same, but midway through the third quarter Mizzou put together a strong 12-play, 59-yard touchdown drive capped by a screen pass from Theo Wease for a 13-yard touchdown .

The Tigers defense continued its dominance in the second half, constantly pressing the Oklahoma offense.