Missouri: 2024 Music City Bowl Champions

 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — This season, Missouri has relied on setting the tone offensively with its run game. But quarterback Brady Cook broke that norm and made the Music City Bowl his own Monday at Nissan Stadium.

The three-year starter completed 18 of 32 passes for a season-high 287 yards and two touchdowns and added 54 yards on 14 carries in the Tigers’ 27-24 win over Iowa.

It was the second-most yards passing in a game this season for Mizzou. Cook and backup Drew Pyne combined for 310 yards in the season opener against Murray State.

Cook was named the Music City Bowl MVP for his performance against the Hawkeyes. It was the feather in the cap of a storied collegiate career for the fifth-year senior from St. Louis, who finished his MU career with 9,876 all-purpose yards — the third-most in program history — and 8,721 passing yards, the fourth-most in program history.

Cook’s 54 rushing yards paced the Tigers, who finished with just 89 yards on the ground. It was the third time this season MU failed to crack triple digits rushing, the others coming in the loss to Texas A&M (68 yards) and the win over Auburn (81 yards).

“Getting that 10th win, leaving our legacy and going out with a win, going out winning a championship, no matter what the championship it is, we’ve won a championship today,” Cook said. “And that’s what we want to do every single year.”

Mizzou finished the season with three straight victories, helping the program to back-to-back double-digit-win seasons. Coach Eli Drinkwitz said the reason the streak stayed alive was because of the seniors.

“When these guys showed up, it wasn’t this way,” he said. “It was really, really tough. And then, there was people leaving left and right, and I’m sure these guys had doubts. But they stayed, and they fought shoulder to shoulder every day to get to where we’re at. And the underclassmen, they now know what it looks like, but they owe it to them every single day to keep fighting for the legacy that these guys built.”

Monday’s result was full-circle for the Tigers, who lost 27-24 to Iowa the last time the teams played — Dec. 28, 2010, in the Insight Bowl.

Mizzou improved to 10-1 in one-score games in the last two seasons, the only loss a 34-30 road defeat to South Carolina on Nov. 16.

“I think (it stems from a) belief in each other, belief in what we’re doing,” Drinkwitz said. “We prepare really hard for these moments. We truly believe in our elite edge. We truly believe we’re faster, stronger, tougher than you in the fourth quarter. I think there’s a big belief.”

Craig sets Music City Bowl record then breaks it again

Cook was the MVP of the game, but the Tigers’ kicker came up big in the victory.

Both of Blake Craig’s field goals against the Hawkeyes broke the Music City Bowl record for longest field goal. His 51-yarder with 10:10 left in the fourth quarter surpassed the 49-yarder booted by Maryland’s Jack Howes last year and tied the game at 24. Then, Craig broke his own record with a 56-yarder that gave the Tigers the lead with 4:36 remaining.

Craig ended his first season as MU’s starting kicker 24-for-34 on field goals. He went 7-for-8 from 20-29 yards, 10-for-10 from 30-39 yards, 1-for-7 from 40-49 yards and 6-for-9 from 50-plus yards.

When asked what goes through his mind before high-stakes kicks, Craig replied, “I’m going to be completely honest: I black out when I go out for kicks.”

“That explains a lot,” Drinkwitz jokingly responded.

“Before the kick,” Craig continued, “I’m thinking about all the seniors and everything like that. I’m ready to do what I do for them, especially this scenario, their last game.”

Wilderness brotherhood, finishers, team culture

Each year, Mizzou seems to have a mantra for its bowl game. Last year in the Cotton Bowl, it was all about a wilderness brotherhood. This year, Drinkwitz’s team adopted the idea of being a finisher.

When words seem to fail to describe the way the Tigers’ season turned out, Drinkwitz can find the perfect phrases. His latest came from a quote by philosopher and poet Henry David Thoreau.

”All endeavor calls for the ability to tramp the last mile, shape the last plan, endure the last hours toil. The fight to the finish spirit is the one characteristic we must posses if we are to face the future as finishers.”

“It’s just something (that) I think speaks to us,” Drinkwitz said. “There’s a lot of people to start things in life if they don’t finish, and if you’re going to be a person of significance, if you’re going to be the best at whatever you do, you’ve got to have a finisher’s fight-to-the-finish spirit. ... I just felt like (for) these seniors that have come this far, we just needed to finish. We needed to finish. And that’s what they did for four quarters today.”

It’s a mindset that has embedded itself in the MU locker room and in the practices leading up to games, Drinkwitz said. He’s brought it onto the field, and it’s been motivation that helped push players past their limits and in the final moments of a game.

Drinkwitz recalled a conversation he had with Cook after he took a big hit from Iowa defensive back Xavier Nwankpa with a minute left in the first quarter. After Cook had his head down on the field for a moment, the mentor had another push for his veteran signal-caller in his last game as a Tiger.

“There was one point where you could tell it looked like they were roll tackling pretty good, and it looked like his ankle started bothering him,” Drinkwitz said. “But I just kept telling him, ‘You’re a finisher, man. You’re a finisher. You’ve gotta finish.’”

And finish the seniors did, some members of Drinkwitz’s first signing class at Mizzou. Their legacy may outstretch their own names, however, as Drinkwitz and players have consistently said in the weeks leading up to the bowl game.

“I hope we left behind a great brotherhood,” redshirt senior defensive end Johnny Walker Jr. said. “Years before, to be real, it was toxic. We had to get rid of those players. But now, I just hope the guys know what a team is and team success.”

Missouri: 2023 Cotton Bowl Champions

There was plenty to say after the 88th Cotton Bowl Classic.

Missouri football just staged a fourth quarter for the ages. The Tigers, down 3-0, put up 14 of the biggest points in MU history to down Ohio State 14-3.

It was exactly what Missouri set out to do when it started this historic season about one year ago after the Gasparilla Bowl.

"We talk about developing an elite edge, and the G and EDGE stands for grit, a stubborn refusal to quit, and that's what our team displayed tonight to score 14 in the fourth quarter when you're down 3-0," Drinkwitz said. "Just really, really proud of those guys.

Here's what Drinkwitz said after winning the 2023 Cotton Bowl.

What Mizzou was about this year

Going up against Ohio State didn't mean going up against the No. 7 team in the nation. It also meant going up against established history of college football excellence.

Eight national championships, five College Football Playoff appearances since 2014 and 964 total wins.

Missouri doesn't have that kind of resume. It did not care.

"Last night, our chaplain, gave a message about the difference between a blue blood Brotherhood and a wilderness brotherhood," Drinkwitz said. "A wilderness brotherhood forged through adversity and fight and scratching and clawing for everything you get, and it just totally encompassed everything that we're about."

Drinkwitz, with his back against the wall this season, put forth one of the best seasons in Missouri football history.

Just don't think he'll take much of the credit, though.

"I'll be honest, it really doesn't have much to do with me," Drinkwitz said. "It's really about our players and our team and the legacy of the 2023 brotherhood."

'It's really not ever going to be about me'

Drinkwitz's face is now the face of Missouri athletics.

He is the coach who won Missouri a Cotton Bowl. He is the coach who has Missouri in the conversation to be a playoff team next year when the CFP expands to 12 teams.

But, he is also the man who wants fans to know the players are the ones who deserve the most credit after Friday's win.

"We have a sign in our locker room that goes around that says, 'when the weakest choose to run, we stand shoulder to shoulder and move forward together,'" Drinkwitz said. "That's what our brotherhood did."

Drinkwitz made all the right decisions this season. It led to 11 wins and a win in the Cotton Bowl.

He's willing to pass off all that credit in a heartbeat.

"It's really not ever going to be about me," Drinkwitz said. "It's going to be about our team and our coaching staff and our university."

On the game-winning fourth quarter

Missouri had some fourth-quarter inspiration from the NFL level.

Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, after a last-minute win over the Philadelphia Eagles led by Missouri alum Drew Lock, mentioned that games are won in that final frame. Drinkwitz took that to heart.

"We saw Coach Carroll say the other day, and actually talked to the team about it, you can't win it the first, you can't win it in the second, you can't win in the third, but you can sure win it in the fourth quarter," Drinkwitz said. "This team, they did that. They displayed that."

MU scored 14 points and forced a game-sealing turnover in the fourth quarter. It played the best quarter of the season when it mattered most.

"Appreciative to Coach Carroll for demonstrating that, and then Drew Lock giving us the inspiration to go out there," Drinkwitz said. "We didn't have to quite do it on the last drive of the game, but it was sure a lot of fun."

On Mizzou's mentality going forward

Missouri went into the 2023 season with one single mantra.

It was plastered everywhere, repeated plenty of times and sounded like a broken record to some. To some, maybe, but not to Missouri. Now, the team gets to change that mantra.

"It's why stop now," Drinkwitz said. "That's the mentality is."

Missouri climbed its way from the depths. This team was mired in hell as a squad picked to finish sixth in the SEC behind Vanderbilt. The Tigers had everything to prove.

Eleven wins and a Cotton Bowl title later, they proved it all and more.

"We've worked really hard to get this opportunity and we're not gonna sit here and change," Drinkwitz said. "So, why stop now?"

Missouri: 2015 Citrus Bowl Champions

ORLANDO, Florida — As Missouri players jogged to the locker room to celebrate a Citrus Bowl victory against Minnesota, running backs coach Brian Jones grabbed center Evan Boehm by the shoulders. 

"Every bone! Every bone!" Jones shouted in Evan Boehm's ear, praising the Tigers' play in the 33-17 win.

Meanwhile, Missouri quarterback Maty Mauk looked worn out heading to the locker room, pressing against his temple and limping as a result of a Golden Gopher hitting Mauk's calf with his helmet. Mauk would need to be carried off the field by his teammates after that play, and he vomited on the sideline. On television, he looked dazed. 

ABC commentators discussed whether Mauk was concussed after getting hit on a touchdown run. But Mauk got up after the score and shouted in the direction of Derrick Wells, who caught one of Mauk's two interceptions in the first quarter. Mauk would later say he did not get tested for a concussion and was fine. 

"I mean, that's Maty being Maty right there," receiver Bud Sasser said. "That's him taking chances. He's not about to dive in the end zone. He's going to lower his shoulder. It doesn't matter what size you are, how big you are. If he feels like you're trying to challenge him, he's going to accept that challenge and he's going to take you head on."

As the game wound down, Missouri continued to lean on running backs Russell Hansbrough (121 rushing yards) and Marcus Murphy (159). But Mauk, despite being dinged up, stayed in the game long after it was in hand for the Tigers.

When you get down to the basics, Missouri has the same options on offense as everyone else. They can run the ball or pass it.

But with Mauk, this two-dimensional football reality becomes a vivid Jackson Pollock painting. His twists, turns, scrambles and flick throws often seem errant and undisciplined. But, in the end, the Missouri quarterback finds a way to win. 

"I’m never worried about Maty," kicker Andrew Baggett said. "He’s a phenomenal athlete, phenomenal quarterback, phenomenal leader. I know he’ll always get it done when he needs to get it done."

Missouri is now 14-4 in games Mauk has started. With key receivers departing from last season, as well as injuries to starting receivers this season, many expected that record to dive in 2014. 

But like the team did after devastating losses to Indiana and Georgia, Mauk and the Tigers bounced back from a bad first quarter to win the Citrus Bowl. Mauk completed 12 of 19 passing attempts, ran for a touchdown and threw for two, including a touchdown to Bud Sasser off a fade route. 

"That's what I love about Maty," Sasser said. "He believes in me to make those big plays." 

The Tigers won their 11th game of the season and second-straight bowl game. Their 23 victories over two seasons are the most in team history.   

An eight-play, 45-yard drive in the second quarter resulted in Missouri's first score. Andrew Baggett cut the score to 7-3 after a 21-yard field goal. Missouri failed to score a touchdown on that drive after being four yards away from the goal line. 

Missouri is losing a lot from this 11-win team, including defensive coordinator Dave Steckel and the three starting receivers. 

But in Mauk, the Tigers have a constant who reflects their win-at-all-costs attitude. He'll keep playing, no matter how long it takes him to limp back to his teammates. 

Missouri: 2014 Cotton Bowl Champions

ARLINGTON, Texas — After a mostly quiet night, Missouri’s unanimous All-American defensive end Michael Sam came up with the biggest play Friday in a 41-31 victory against Oklahoma State in the Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium.

Sam raced around the left end with the Cowboys driving in the final minute, tracking down quarterback Clint Chelf from behind. Sam’s sack forced a fumble that sophomore Shane Ray scooped up and raced 73 yards for a game-ending touchdown.

The play gave Sam, who led the Southeastern Conference in sacks and tackles for a loss en route to becoming only the second unanimous All-America in program history, 11 1/2 sacks on the season.

Before that, Oklahoma State, which trailed by 10 at halftime, seemed poised to retake the lead and end Missouri’s remarkable turnaround in its second season in the SEC.

The victory also moved Tigers coach Gary Pinkel alone into first place on the program’s career wins list. Pinkel, who is 102-63 in 13 seasons at Missouri, passed Don Faurot, who went 101-79-10 in 19 seasons.

The Tigers, 12-2, trailed 31-27 after junior Desmond Roland’s 2-yard touchdown run with 5:04 left, but quarterback James Franklin, who had an otherwise tough ballgame in his college swansong, engineered a 69-yard go-ahead touchdown drive.

Junior Henry Josey scored his third touchdown on a 16-yard run as Missouri jumped back in front 34-31 in the closing minutes.

The game had been something of a snoozer for three quarters before both teams finally found rhythm on offense down the stretch.

Tied at 17-17, Josey moved Missouri back into the lead with a 25-yard touchdown run at the 11-minute, 32-second mark.

Oklahoma State answered less than two minutes later when Chelf weaved his way for a game-tying 23-yard touchdown.

Franklin was bailed out when he threw a pick-six as former KU cornerback Tyler Patmon stepped in front of sophomore Dorial Green-Beckham for an interception and 40-yard return. Patmon was whistled for pass interference to the chagrin of the Cowboys’ faithful in the crowd of 72,690.

Seven plays later, the Tigers took the lead instead on a 46-yard field goal by sophomore Andrew Baggett.

Sluggish doesn’t begin to describe the game’s start, which was memorable primarily for dueling interceptions and dropped passes by the Tigers throughout the first quarter.

Missouri finally broke a scoreless stalemate with three minutes remaining when junior Henry Josey scooted into the end zone on a 3-yard option pitch from senior quarterback James Franklin.

The drive was set by senior cornerback E.J. Gaines’ team-leading fifth interception of the season at midfield.

Oklahoma State senior quarterback Clint Chelf, who had scrambled from the pocket and appeared to have a clear path to the first down before throwing the ball straight to Gaines, answered with a 40-yard touchdown strike to junior Josh Stewart.

The Tigers then closed the half with 10 straight points for a 17-7 halftime lead.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Maty Mauk took over for a series and scrambled for 35 and 34 yards on consecutive plays.

Mauk capped a six-play, 80-yard drive by dropping a pretty 24-yard lob to senior wide receiver Marcus Lucas, dropping the pass over leaping cornerback Ashton Lampkin trailing safety Shamiel Gary.

Baggett added a 35-yard field goal on the second quarter’s final play, but the Cowboys would storm back thanks to two fumbles by Franklin.

The first, on a read-option handoff to Josey, set up Chelf’s 21-yard touchdown to Jhajuan Seales late in the third quarter and the second, on an option pitch to Josey, led to freshman Ben Grogan’s game-tying 25-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter.

ead more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2014/01/03/4728354/cotton-bowl-halftime-report-missouri.html#storylink=cp
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Of Statistics, Ebonics, and Football Mechanics

At my Stats class today, I made a joke about converting statistical data into Ebonic speak when analyzing something. The instructor, who is African-American said, "You know, you're trying to be funny, but you aren't." I thought, "Well EXCUUUUUUUUSE ME for putting the ASS in CLASS, but that's just the way I am, chief." And while I went into Diplomat Mode after class, I stil thought, "And you know, that's not the worst epithet I can lay on you, either. At least be happy the bloody N-word wasn't decked out in a nod to the KKK being reformed as a result of the election a couple weeks ago, and that I am doing my role in making this class fun like you are. You ungrateful instructor."

He was even gargling a bit while talking about the 5-Step Hypothesis Test. For a few fleeting seconds, I thought, "My god, is Screamin' Jay Hawkins teaching the course? Did he somehow get back from the dead? Damn you, Henry!" Henry is Jay's little butt-smoking skull friend on a stick. Something like that.

As I left for the 111, I was like Kyou Fujibayashi post-Tomoya Okazaki Bitchslap of Horror: "Sheeesh, why do professors who gargle like Screamin' Jay Hawkins show a lack of gratitude? Are they taught to be that way since childhood? If so, may the Devil Incarnate save them."

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Speaking of elections, what took the damn pricks from CNN so fucking long to call Missouri to McCain. I mean, it's TWO WEEKS after the fact, and just today...they called it.

God help whoever was working the map, or compiling the exit polls down there at the Election Center. They call Missouri a bellweather state...I beg to differ; Missouri got its bell rung today. Guess they showed them, huh?

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And aside from my little chastising moment a few hours ago, I am actually in a good mood overall. The Socceroos and the USA men's national team (unlike the U-17 girls against Kim Jong Il's young Arirang Mass Games gymnasts-in-training) actually won. Australia's 1-0 win against Bahrain was funny. It looked like the goal winner by Marco Bresciano was a Steven Bradbury-esque goal. The seas party like the Men's 1,000 meters in short track at Salt Lake 2002, and the most unlikely of heroes takes advantage of the unexpected opportunity.

Ironically, Mark cycled a cracker against this same Bahraini side two years ago in Sydney. One thing's for sure: Bresciano is a hated man in Manama now. He may have as well ruined their hopes of even coming close to the fifth-place match.

As for the guys, it was just plain cleaning up in a 2-0 win over Guatemala., So they enter the Hexagonal with Mexico (I mean, come on, a CONCACAF Hexagonal would not be a CONCACAF Hexagonal without the USA and Mexico in it...it just wouldn't be the same without both of them qualifying), Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, and Trinidad and Tobago (who dealt Bob Bradley's guys the only loss in the third round).

One has to feel for Jamaica, though. In spite of a 3-0 blasting of Canada, they are set to be in a state of lux (and their manager is destined to be sacked like a gift in Santa's gunny) after Mexico failed to do their share of the dirty work in a 1-0 defeat (with two red cards; ugh!) against Los Catrachos. Poor Reggae Boyz..now they will get the epithet of "Reggae Toyz" for four more years.

It's a cruel game, football is. But that's what makes it fun to watch.

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Once agaim, I said it again...good riddance Ted Stevens. Thanks to Mark Begich unseating the old geezer, we Now all that needs to happen in Norm Coleman and Saxby Chambliss to fall in their races in Minnesota and Georgia, respectively. They will be luckier than Steven Bradbury if they do get re-elected, the GOP rubes.