The Missouri Tigers defeated the Oklahoma Sooners by a score of 30-23 on Saturday night after a wild fourth quarter that saw each team score a defensive touchdown in the final 2 minutes of the game. The first three quarters of action were largely uneventful with each team struggling to get anything going offensively. Missouri’s starting quarterback Brady Cook was out with a hand injury and backup Drew Pyne struggled to move the ball down the field early. Neither team scored a touchdown in the first half and the score was 9-3 at halftime after a 56-yard field goal by Oklahoma kicker Zach Schmit just before the half. Mizzou finally broke through and scored the first touchdown of the game with 5:43 remaining in the 3rd quarter to take a slim 10-9 lead. After a series of defensive stops by each team, Drew Pyne led Mizzou down the field and threw a touchdown pass to tight end Brett Norfleet.
Missouri redshirt freshman kicker Blake Craig missed an extra point after the Norfleet touchdown, so the Mizzou lead was 16-9 with 8:47 remaining. The Sooners offense, which had struggled all day, finally woke up and scored on the next possession to tie the game up at 16-16 with 3:18 left in regulation. This is when things started to get wild. Missouri then had a chance to go down the field and take the lead again, however on the 3rd play of the drive Missouri running back Nate Noel fumbled the ball and it was returned by Oklahoma defender Billy Bowman Jr. for a 43-yard go-ahead touchdown for the Sooners. For longtime Missouri fans, this game was looking like another heartbreaking loss that would knock the Tigers completely out of playoff contention and go down as one of the more gut-wrenching in recent memory. Drew Pyne and the Missouri offense had other plans. The beleaguered senior quarterback led the Tigers on a 75-yard drive that included a 33-yard completion to Luther Burden that set Mizzou up inside the redzone. Drew Pyne would then throw a touchdown pass to former Oklahoma wide receiver Theo Weese Jr. that tied the game at 23-23 with 1:03 remaining in the game. What happened on the next drive will likely be remembered by Missouri fans for a long time. On the 3rd play of the drive, Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold was hit from behind and fumbled the ball. Missouri defender Zion Young then returned the fumble 17 yards for a miraculous touchdown with 0:23 remaining in the game to take a 30-23 lead. Oklahoma would fail to score on the next drive and Mizzou would secure the victory. This was the first game between the two programs since 2011, when both teams were members of the Big-12 conference. With Oklahoma and Missouri now both in the SEC, this rivalry is officially renewed and off to a good start for Missouri fans.