Mizzou Magic Resurged in Tigers’ Latest Comeback Victory

On By Littum

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Chances are, if you were at Memorial Stadium Saturday night, you woke up a little groggy, a little sore from all the fourth quarter bear hugs and high fives.

And if you weren’t there, one day you’ll tell your friends and family that you were. At least in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s 30-23 win over Oklahoma.

Maybe it’s time we start talking about Mizzou Magic. In what is becoming a tradition at Faurot Field, when the game gets tense, the nerves fray and the knuckles turn white, it is then Elijah Drinkwitz and his band of Tigers dig deep and rediscover their extraordinary will to win. And more often than not, they create another night of magical memories for Mizzou fans. The kind we remember for many years to come. In the last 14 months we have seen Harrison Mevis 61-yard field goal … the fourth and eternal pass to Luther Byrde III to beat Florida … the double OT thriller over Vanderbilt … the Brady Cook hospital games… and now Drew Pyne redemption game. Or was it Theo Wease Jr. redemption game? Or what about Zion Young scoop and score?

“I’m starting to believe Faurot has some real magic in it,” Wease said after his two-touchdown night against his former team. “Honestly, it was crazy. I can’t even put my emotions into words, what happened during that two-minute period. It was crazy.”

Two minutes and 59 seconds of crazy, to be exact, Mr. Wease.

In case it’s all still a blur today, the craziness began with 3:18 left when Oklahoma running back Taylor Tatum’s pass back to quarterback Jackson Arnold went for an 18-yard touchdown pass. Tie ball game.

From there, after two promising Nate Noel runs for 15 yards, the ball bounced off Jamal Roberts and OU’s Billy Bowman Jr. returned it 43 yards for the go-ahead touchdown, silencing the sellout crowd — except for the crimson pocket in the stadium’s southeast corner. Did the Mizzou Magic run on empty?

No retreat. No surrender.

Coming out of the two-minute timeout, Pyne’s first pass was a 28-yard slant to Wease near midfield. Play on. So incomplete, incomplete, incomplete.

But… a flag. Defensive holding on OU’s Woodi Washington. Instead of 4th and 10 from 47, it’s 1st and 10 from 37.

Still, nothing came easy the rest of the way. Sack, incomplete. 3rd and 16 with 76 seconds left. This time, Pyne connected on a 33-yard rainbow to a twisting, leaping Burden down the sideline. 1. and goals from 10.

This is where we break things off. How clutch is Luther? Over the past two seasons, on combined plays against 3rd and long (10 or more yards) and 4th down, Burden has 13 catches for 195 yards. When in doubt, look for #3.

Two plays later, Wease stepped on his toes in the back corner of the NORTH end zone — the NORTH end zone, ahem — for the game-tying touchdown.

“I knew I was in,” Wease later insisted. “You can tell right after the catch I pointed. I knew I was in.”

Then strip, scoop and score. Three plays into Oklahoma’s potential game-winning drive, Tristan Newson smashed into Arnold for the stripe, and Young snagged the ball off Faurot for the scoop. Touchdown Tigers. You could probably hear the ensuing roar in Boonville.

“It was sick,” Pyne said of the night’s crowd. “I mean, our fans are amazing. Our fans are so real and so amazing. It’s a real college atmosphere. I’m so glad I’m here. After I gave the first down when I heard them scream, I was like, ‘hell yeah!’ The fan section, I mean our whole stadium is amazing, I’m just grateful I can say that a million times.

No matter how we remember this game years from now… phew. It was an evening to remember. Here’s what I’ll remember most…

* Wease was once the nation’s No. 3-rated wide receiver — and rated higher than fellow Class of 2019 and now NFL standout receivers George Pickens, Jameson Williams, Puka Nacua and Drake London. Wease spent four years at Oklahoma, but his best days are far from coming in black and gold — and he will leave Mizzou as one of the most popular and productive Tigers of his era. How is clutch #1? Through nine games this season, Wease leads the SEC in third-down receptions (14) and ranks second in third-down receiving yards (211) and third-down conversion catches (11).

* As he has done so many times over the last few seasons, Coach Drinkwitz went to bat for his quarterback on Saturday night. And this time he came wielding the biggest, baddest 34-inch Warstic Bonesaber out of Coach Kerrick Jackson‘s bat rack over at Taylor Stadium.

“I feel like I’m up here all the time and have to defend my quarterback, which isn’t great,” Drinkwitz said. “But for all the crap (Drew) has taken on Twitter and X for him coming out here, ignore the noise … some of that from all of you in this room … and you can stand up and look at me, like it’s not you but it’s okay he goes out there and delivers in the most important moments in the fourth quarter we love you guys when you don’t we just keep rolling .

He was just getting started. For two weeks, starting with the three-interception day at Alabama, social media took countless shots at the backup quarterback. To his credit, Drew didn’t notice — “I was off the grid,” he said — but his head coach sure did. And he reminded everyone Saturday night.

“I see (Drew) in practice every day. I’ve seen his game tape. He’s played a lot of college football,” Drinkwitz said. “He’s won a lot of college football games as a starter. And one bad play doesn’t define a player. We’ve got to stop reacting to every play … let guys play, man. There’s a lot of quarterbacks in the NFL who throw three interceptions. They let them play. We had a game plan that suited him. He was excellent: 11-of-19 on third downs Luther Byrde III.

“There was not a shadow of a doubt in this building. In this building there is no doubt. There was no doubt.”

* Saturday’s game marked the first time a Missouri quarterback threw three touchdown passes in a game directly following a three-interception game since 2012. The last guy to do that? Another quarterback who absorbed his share of grief online. That year was Mizzou’s first in the SEC, James Franklin threw four picks in a loss at Florida and returned the next week to throw four touchdowns in a four-overtime win at Tennessee.

* The Letterwinner Club’s north field tent was packed with star power Saturday, including a rare appearance from one of the greatest players in program history: Hall of Fame tight end Kellen Winslow. And you can bet No. 83 enjoyed watching No. 87, the sophomore tight end Brett Norfleetcatch that touchdown pass in the fourth quarter.

* Did “Livin’ on a Prayer” become the new stadium anthem? The best matchday traditions happen organically, and 62,000 people kept it going long after the loudspeakers went silent. Hmmmm….

* Mizzou remains undefeated against Oklahoma when Gahan McGaffie do something cool at the start of the game. Of course, 14 years ago, McGaffie got the party started against No. 1 Oklahoma when he returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown – still the loudest I’ve heard Memorial Stadium explode in nearly 30 years of covering/attending games in CoMo. On Saturday, we brought Gahn and his family back to Mizzou — his first time back for a game since his playing career — and he held his 1-year-old daughter Mia to soak in another roar from the crowd.

gahn mcgaffie oklahoma football

* It is fitting that we honored the 2014 team on Saturday. That group perfected the art of winning games that weren’t always pretty. Defense, timely offense and sometimes a little Mizzou Magic. The stars from that team were in the house: Marcus Golden, Shane Ray, Maty Mauk and many more, including Hall of Fame coaches Gary Pinkel and longtime assistants Dave Steckel, Craig Kuligowski and Brian Jones. Most wrote off that 2014 Missouri team after early-season losses to Indiana and Georgia — and by season’s end, the SEC East and Citrus Bowl champions.

* Mike Kelly’s call from the radio booth was one for the ages. Rest the pipes, Mike. You have two basketball games this week and South Carolina football on Saturday.