The Missouri Tigers are heading to a bowl game.
Mizzou defeated Florida 24-23 in overtime at Faurot Field on senior day on Saturday to secure its sixth win of the season.
“That was definitely a roller coaster throughout the game,” linebacker Blaze Alldredge said. “But I really appreciate the guys and the coaches and them putting everything on the line to help send [the seniors] off in a good way.”
Here are takeaways from the game.
OVERTIME ACTION
With the score tied 16-16 at the end of regulation, Missouri won the coin toss and elected to start the overtime on defense.
Florida scored in four plays, taking the advantage on a 6-yard connection from quarterback Emory Jones to wide receiver Trent Whittemore. After the extra point, the Gators were up 23-16.
The Mizzou offense had struggled throughout the afternoon but needed to come up with a score.
On first-and-10 at the 25-yard line, running back Tyler Badie ran to his left and picked up 12 yards. He got the ball again on the next play, once again going left as he sprinted 13 yards into the end zone for the touchdown.
Now came a decision for Missouri head coach Eliah Drinkwitz as he called a timeout. Tie the score or go for two? He chose the latter.
Quarterback Connor Bazelak was pressured by two defenders, but let off a pass towards the end zone as he went down. Tight end Daniel Parker Jr., a Kansas City native, caught the two-point conversion pass and the Tigers celebrated on the field.
DEFENSE COMES UP CLUTCH
The Tigers’ defense has continued to impress in recent weeks. The unit’s performance was crucial on Saturday.
“We all knew we was coming in this game to get bowl eligible,” linebacker Chad Bailey said. “… I just think we all was out there on one goal, and we did that.”
After Harrison Mevis missed a 46-yard field-goal attempt with 1 minute, 4 seconds left and the score tied, it was up to the defense to get a stop with a trip to a bowl game on the line. The Tigers did just that, forcing the Gators to go three-and-out, coming up clutch as they had all day on that end of the field.
Mizzou held Florida to a mere field goal in the first quarter, marking the Tigers’ fewest points given up to an SEC opponent in the opening frame all season.
In the second quarter, after a three-and-out from the offense and a muffed punt, the Mizzou defense had to try to stop a Florida drive starting 37 yards away from the end zone. A pass-interference penalty by defensive back Allie Green IV would eventually put the Gators at the 2-yard line, a touchdown seemingly on the way. But the defense once again came up with a string of stops, and the drive only resulted in a field goal, giving Florida a 6-3 lead with 9:35 left.
The defense was solid throughout the rest of the period, keeping the Gators at bay. With 50 seconds left until the break and Florida facing first-and-10 on its own 43, MU defensive lineman Trajan Jeffcoat sprinted past an offensive lineman and pounced on Florida QB Jones for a loss of 8 yards. The Tigers didn’t allow the Gators to put any more points on the board for the rest of the half.
The Gators only converted three of their nine attempts on third down in the first half. They had 188 yards and only averaged 2.9 yards per rush, with Mizzou up 9-6 at the break.
Though Florida managed to put a touchdown on the board in the third quarter, the Tigers held solid for much of the rest of the day.
With the game on the line in the fourth quarter and the Gators in scoring position 15 yards away from the end zone, linebacker Alldredge tackled running back Dameon Pierce for a loss of 1 yard. Florida attempted the field goal instead of coming up with a touchdown, tying the score 16-16 with 8:30 left.
“I think the biggest part of that is just confidence and passion,” Alldredge said. “We knew we had to put it all out on the line tonight … It’s coaches having the faith in us and us having faith in ourselves to go out there and make those plays.”
After another stalled offensive drive, the Mizzou defense once again came up with a key stop late in the fourth quarter. Defensive lineman Jatorian Hansford sacked Jones for a loss of 10 yards and the Gators eventually went three-and-out with under four minutes left in the fourth.
OFFENSIVE WOES
The Mizzou offense struggled to execute throughout much of Saturday’s game.
Bazelak started the game at quarterback for the Tigers after another week of uncertainty as to who would get the nod under center. Bazelak had an impressive throw on third-and-12 to Tauskie Dove for a gain of 22 yards on Mizzou’s opening drive, but then struggled a few plays later when he tried to run it himself on third-and-6. He couldn’t pick up the yardage, and the Tigers, already down 3-0, were forced to punt.
The Tigers were in incredible field position for their second drive after a quick defensive stop and an 11-yard shanked punt. They had a perfect opportunity, set to start on the 18-yard line, but, once again, Bazelak and the offense couldn’t get the job done. The home team settled for a 39-yard field goal from Harrison Mevis, good enough to tie the game with 2:40 left in the first quarter, but a disappointing result given the rare chance it had.
After a three-and-out on their next drive, a sack once again took away a great scoring opportunity for the Tigers towards the end of the second quarter as the offensive line continued to struggle with protection. Mizzou had advanced as far as the 23-yard line, but had a poorly executed second down, and Bazelak was then sacked for a loss of 6 on third down.
The field-goal unit then came onto the field and a 46-yarder from Mevis tied the game 6-6. He was the entire source of scoring for the Tigers in the first half, hitting a 31-yard field goal as well to give them a 9-6 lead.
The offense converted just one of its 12 third-down conversion attempts in the half and had 118 total yards of offense. Things weren’t much better to start the second half, as the Tigers didn’t put a single point on the board in the third quarter, repeatedly going three-and-out, and its only score in regulation came on a 41-yard connection from Bazelak to Niko Hea in the fourth following some big runs from Badie.
There were issues all around for the Mizzou offense. The line, dealing with several injuries, was lacking on protection throughout the afternoon. The play calling was questionable at times too, including on several third downs where Bazelak was tasked to run with the ball despite it being made clear earlier in the week that he wasn’t as mobile as he’d like to be.
Still, Mizzou was able to get the job done in overtime and come up with the win.
“I’m proud of Connor,” Drinkwitz said of his QB after the game.
“He’s faced a lot of criticism, faced a lot of boos, but when we needed him, he stepped up and made the plays we needed him to make and that’s what a quarterback has to do. He’s got to be mentally tough.”