Missouri tops Ohio State in Cotton Bowl with late surge: How win proves Tigers’ season was no fluke

By Cameron Teague Robinson and Ari Wasserman

Missouri, the No. 1 red-zone offense in the country, converted 54 of 55 attempts heading into the Cotton Bowl against Ohio State at AT&T Stadium. The problem on Friday wasn’t converting in the red zone, but getting there.

Trailing 3-0 with under a minute to play in the third quarter, the Tigers finally found themselves in the red zone, the first trip by either team into such territory. A 7-yard touchdown rush by Cody Schrader seconds into the fourth frame put Missouri ahead 7-3. The touchdown drive flipped the script for the Tigers, who then went on to force a punt, score a touchdown and force a fumble in the following three sequences en route to a 14-3 victory.

It was a drastic shift from the first half when each team stood on the shoulders of its defense. Both Missouri and Ohio State had six punts, four penalties and only five first downs, and combined for 48 passing yards at halftime.

By the final whistle, quarterback Brady Cook, who was named the game’s offensive MVP, accumulated 194 scrimmage yards. Schrader, who entered the day as the FBS leader in rushing yards per game with 124.9, upped his average, finishing with 128 rushing yards and one TD.

Mizzou edge rusher Johnny Walker Jr. was named the game’s defensive MVP.

For the Buckeyes, freshman QB Lincoln Kienholz, who assumed the role midway through the second quarter after Devin Brown sustained an ankle injury, went 6-of-17 for 86 yards. Running back TreVeyon Henderson added 72 yards on the ground and wide receiver Emeka Egbuka 63 through the air.

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Aside from star WR Marvin Harrison Jr., who’s The Athletic’s projected No. 2 draft pick, every Ohio State player that was both draft eligible and available opted to play. QB Kyle McCord, who had started every game for the Buckeyes this season, transferred to Syracuse earlier this month.

No player from Missouri opted out either.

In his first start, Brown sustained an ankle injury in the first quarter. He returned to the game briefly and then took a sack less than a minute into the second quarter, which seemed to worsen his injury as he left the field visibly in pain. He was then taken to the locker room and did not return to play. Brown previously hurt his ankle against Penn State on Oct. 21.

This win proves Missouri’s season was no fluke

Though most of the game was spent trading punts and there were more yawns than cheers, Mizzou was the program that walked off the field at AT&T Stadium as winners. It doesn’t matter if it wasn’t an aesthetically pleasing game, a win in a New Year’s Six Bowl over a blue-blood program was the chef’s kiss for a Tigers football program that is trying to build something special. This Mizzou win was proof that there was nothing flukey about this season, not even the close loss against Georgia in which the Tigers had a chance to win in the fourth quarter.

The best part? Cook is coming back. Wide receiver Luther Burden III, who made a game-clinching touchdown catch with 5:12 remaining, is coming back. And the Tigers had a handful of big transfer portal wins in December to ensure this roster is athletically equipped to do it again next year. — Ari Wasserman, senior college football writer

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Ohio State’s quarterback play holds it back, again

One of Ohio State’s weaknesses all year has been inconsistent quarterback play and when McCord hit the transfer portal all eyes turned to Brown.

The redshirt freshman lost the quarterback battle to McCord in the fall but took over at the beginning of December when McCord left. He played just three drives, though, and completed 4-of-6 passes for 20 yards. He injured his ankle in the first quarter and didn’t return to the game, so Ohio State went to Kienholz, who wasn’t ready for a game of this magnitude.

Kienholz played 19 snaps this season and never got into a rhythm against Missouri. Ohio State had just 106 passing yards in the game. That’s not close to good enough.

A program that is known for having talent at quarterback up and down the bench lost to Missouri because it couldn’t get anything from its passing game. Coach Ryan Day has to sort things out this offseason because poor quarterback play held back the potential of this year’s roster.

Three points is Ohio State’s lowest scoring output since being shut out by Clemson in the 2016 College Football Playoff. — Cameron Teague Robinson, Ohio State staff writer

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Jack Sawyer’s standout game

If you want a bright spot, defensive end Jack Sawyer was dominant.

He’s been one of the biggest impact players on the defense this year, but the sacks didn’t pile up. He got them in bunches on Friday. Sawyer finished the game with four tackles and three sacks and gave Cook trouble all game long.

He has a decision to make after this game about whether he wants to go to the NFL or come back to Ohio State. And though he’s hinted at his return, this game is a big boost for his NFL draft stock whenever he decides to go. — Teague Robinson

Required reading

(Photo: Matthew Pearce / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)