3 weeks Ago By Amelia Hurley
STARKVILLE, Miss. — No. 23 Missouri secured its first victory over Mississippi State since joining the Southeastern Conference on Saturday, handing the Bulldogs a 39-20 loss and securing just its second road win of the season.
It didn't seem like a sure-fire victory at the start. The rocky beginnings were fueled by a slow start from Death Row Defense, which give up explosive plays down the field that allowed a 38-yard field goal from Bulldogs kicker Kyle Ferrie that gave Mississippi State its first points of the day on the game's opening drive. Missouri (8-3, 4-3 Southeastern Conference) followed with a lackluster performance from its offense, which featured a three-and-out that kept all the momentum in the Bulldogs' favor.
Midway through the first quarter, Missouri needed to make a statement to snatch that momentum back in Davis Wade Stadium. That came with Mississippi State (2-9, 0-7) in strong starting field position midway through the first half. On second-and-8 at Missouri's 30-yard line, defensive tackle Kristian Williams strip sacked Bulldogs quarterback Michael Van Buren Jr.
, and safety Daylan Carnell was there waiting. Carnell recovered the fumble and took it 68 yards into the end zone, providing a game-changing play that flipped the momentum in Missouri's favor six and a half minutes into the first quarter. It was Carnell's third career touchdown; the redshirt junior has scored one in each of the past three seasons.
The play was courtesy of the Bolton Drill, which is a practice drill that Mizzou coach Eli Drinkwitz attributed to defensive end Zion Young's scoop and score that secured the win in Missouri's contest against Oklahoma. The defense wasn't without its faults, though. With just over a minute left in the first quarter, a 5-yard completion from Van Buren to Mississippi State wideout Kelly Akharaiyi ended in a heated exchange on the Bulldogs' sideline.
Cornerback Toriano Pride Jr. had the tackle, but linebacker Corey Flagg Jr. laid a hit on the wideout while he was mid-wrapped up by Pride.
In came linebacker Chuck Hicks, who got too close for comfort in the heat of the moment. The pair received personal foul flags, ultimately gifting the Bulldogs an extra 30 yards and a first down that put them at Missouri's 16-yard line. The field position led to the Bulldogs' first touchdown of the day, a 11-yard completion from Van Buren to Mississippi State wideout Jordan Mosley just two plays later.
The Bulldogs' only other TD came from an explosive, 43-yard rush from running back Davon Booth with 5:31 remaining in the third quarter. Booth saw the end zone once beforehand with just a minute left in the second quarter, but a holding penalty took the TD off the scoreboard. The missed opportunity resulted in a 26-yard field goal for the Bulldogs, as the Tigers' defense locked in and prevented any opportunity at another touchdown on that drive.
Running back Marcus Carroll led Missouri with three rushing touchdowns. The first was a short 2-yard plunge into the end zone with just under three minutes left in the first quarter, marking Missouri's first offensive score of the night. The second was a 19-yard rush where Carroll cruised into the end zone untouched.
M-I-Z chants could faintly be heard under a symphony of cowbells after Carroll's second touchdown, which made it 28-10 with 4:32 remaining in the first half. Carroll rounded out the night by finding the end zone from 1 yard out, capping off his performance with a two-point conversion to put a cherry of his day with under six minutes of the game remaining. The Georgia State transfer ended the night with 14 carries for 61 rushing yards, topped only by Noel, who had 25 rushes for 95 rushing yards.
Tigers quarterback Brady Cook and the Mizzou offense picked up steam in the second quarter, headlined by yet another impressive connection from Cook to wide receiver Luther Burden III. Following a series of rushes, Cook rolled out to his right on a third-and-9 and fired a 28-yard TD pass to Burden, who caught the pass with a last-minute shift that separated him from a defender that was draped all over him. The score made Burden and Cook the third Mizzou quarterback and wide receiver combination to amass 20 touchdown passes in program history.
The Tigers close the regular season against Arkansas next Saturday at Memorial Stadium..
