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No. 19 Missouri QB Brady Cook injures his ankle and leads the Tigers again with a 95-yard game-winning score against Auburn

No. 19 Missouri QB Brady Cook injures his ankle and leads the Tigers again with a 95-yard game-winning score against Auburn

COLUMBIA, MO – SEPTEMBER 21: Missouri Tigers quarterback Brady Cook (12) looks to pass during the third quarter of an SEC football game between the Vanderbilt Commodores and Missouri Tigers at Memorial Stadium on September 21, 2024 in Columbia, MO. (Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Brady Cook left No. 19 Missouri's game against Auburn early in the first quarter. (Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Missouri quarterback Brady Cook left Saturday's game against Auburn on the first drive with an ankle injury before returning late in the third quarter to lead the No. 19 Tigers to a 21-17 comeback victory.

The home Tigers completed a 17-play, 95-yard drive that ended with Jamal Roberts' game-winning 4-yard TD run with 46 seconds left. Roberts scored after Mizzou converted a fourth down six plays earlier when Auburn decided to blitz Cook and leave Missouri's wide receiver in man coverage.

Cook found potential first-round draft pick Luther Burden III for a 16-yard catch that brought Mizzou to Auburn's 25-yard line. Three plays later, Cook found Theo Wease for a 10-yard catch on third-and-10.

Missouri (6-1) trailed 17-6 with less than a minute left in the third quarter before Cook returned to the field for the first time since he hobbled after falling to the ground without making contact. He hit Mookie Cooper on a 78-yard third-down completion on the final play of the quarter, one play before RB Marcus Carroll had a two-yard score to open the fourth.

Mizzou finished with 18 straight points after Auburn led 17-3 early in the fourth quarter. Auburn's offense became very predictable in the second half after Payton Thorne opened the third quarter with a 47-yard TD pass to Cam Coleman. Thorne was inaccurate the rest of the game as Auburn tried to get into its running game, to no avail. Auburn had the ball at the Mizzou 37-yard line after the Tigers punted with under six minutes left, but Auburn had two negative rushing plays before Thorne's incompletion led to a punt on third down.

Cook appeared to suffer an ankle injury early in the first drive after being awkwardly tackled on the ankles. He was clearly in pain during the plays following the hit and immediately abandoned the game after falling with no one near him.

Cook was replaced by former Arizona State and Notre Dame QB Drew Pyne and Pyne was ineffective. Pyne was just 10 of 21 passing for 78 yards — or the same number of yards Cook had on his first completion since returning to the game.

Burden's fourth-down catch also made up for a big mistake early in the second half. Auburn took a 17-3 lead when Burden thwarted a punt deep in Missouri territory. The ball rolled into the end zone and was recovered by Auburn for a touchdown.

The win keeps Missouri's College Football Playoff chances alive ahead of a trip to Alabama in Week 9. The defeat is another chapter in a disappointing season. Auburn is now 0-4 in SEC play and 2-5 overall.

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