COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Brady Cook returned from an injury to lead No. 19 Missouri to two fourth-quarter touchdowns, including the go-ahead run by Jamal Roberts with 46 seconds to go, as the Tigers escaped with a 21-17 victory over Auburn on Saturday.
Cook appeared to hurt his ankle on the opening series and did not return until late in the third quarter, by which point Auburn had taken a 17-3 lead. But he promptly hit Theo Wease Jr. with a 72-yard pass to set up Marcus Carroll's touchdown run, then led an even more dramatic drive with time running out in the fourth quarter.
Missouri (6-1, 2-1 SEC) took over at its own 5-yard line with 4:26 to go. Cook converted one third down with his legs, then hit Luther Burden III on fourth-and-5 for another first down. He hit Wease later in the drive on third-and-10 and found Mekhi Miller inside the 10-yard line with just over a minute to go, setting up Roberts' touchdown run.
Cook finished with 194 yards passing in less than two quarters of play, while the Missouri defense repeatedly shut down Auburn (2-5, 0-4) when it had a chance to put the game away to ensure its fourth consecutive loss.
Payton Thorne finished with 176 yards passing and a touchdown. Antonio Kite recovered a muffed punt for Auburn's other TD.
What should have been a showdown between two efficient offenses — Auburn averaging 444.5 yards and Missouri tops in the SEC in time of possession — turned into a defensive slugfest thanks in part to injuries that ravaged the Tigers.
The biggest was to Cook, their steady senior, who slipped to the turf on the first series of the game. He got up and hobbled to the sideline, then up to the tunnel to the locker room and did not return until near the midpoint of the second half.
It was tied 3-all early in the second half when Auburn's Cam Coleman ran past Missouri's Dreyden Norwood and Marvin Burks Jr., and Thorne hit him in stride down the middle of the field with a 47-yard touchdown strike.
Auburn got an even bigger play moments later, after Missouri had forced a punt. Burden was hit while trying to receive the kick at his own 5-yard line and the ball skipped into the end zone, where Kite pounced on it for another score.
Soon after, Cook returned as the crowd in Faurot Field roared, and the entire complexion of the game changed.
Auburn's only wins this season remain against Alabama A&M and New Mexico. Turnovers have been the biggest problem, and Auburn lost another fumble on Saturday.
Missouri won thanks to some heroics from Cook, though his health will be something to monitor going forward.
Auburn concludes its three-game SEC road trip at Kentucky next Saturday night. Missouri returns to the road to face seventh-ranked Alabama next Saturday.
Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
Missouri quarterback Brady Cook warms up before an NCAA college football game against Auburn Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, in Columbia, Mo. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)
