Mizzou Football outlasts Iowa, wins Music City Bowl in epic fashion

Much of the fabric that weaved this season’s edition of Mizzou football contained resilience, and that certainly traveled to Nashville.

The Tigers were either trailing or tied for most of Monday’s Music City Bowl against Iowa. But Iowa’s successes were almost always followed by Mizzou responding with success of its own. The largest Hawkeye lead of the game (10) was quickly overturned by a Josh Manning touchdown late in the third quarter.

Sure enough, Mizzou pulled a win out of the jaws of defeat as the sound of Music City was a sweet victory for Eli Drinkwitz’s crew. The Tigers defeated the Hawkeyes 27-24, which happened to be the result the last time these two teams met in the 2010 Insight Bowl, which went to Iowa. This time it was the team from the Show-Me State that claimed a postseason victory.

Blake Craig, who struggled with consistency all season, made 52- and 56-yard field goals on consecutive drives to put Mizzou ahead 27-24. When Iowa tried to win a game late in the fourth quarter, Brendan Sullivan was stuffed with a fourth-down sneak. Iowa had no timeouts left and Brady Cook knelt out the clock to rapturous cheers from the Mizzou faithful.

Early in the fourth quarter, it seemed like the Tigers found the spark they needed to take the lead. Toriano Pride Jr. intercepted Brendan Sullivan, just shy of midfield. It was just the third MU interception since Week 4 and the first since Week 10.

Iowa was without its star running back, Kaleb Johnson, when he opted out of the competition with a presumed NFL future in store. But there wasn’t much of a drop-off in production at all, as Kamari Moulton and Jaizun Patterson combined for 173 rushing yards on 23 carries.

Iowa threw some early haymakers as its often glacial offense melted early in the Tennessee sun. After Iowa forced a punt on Mizzou’s opening drive, the Hawkeyes marched right down the field, with a six-yard jet sweep by Terrell Washington Jr. capping a 7-play, 80-yard touchdown drive. But the Tigers responded with an efficient touchdown drive of their own, going 85 yards in 10 plays. Cook totaled 87 yards, including an eight-yard punt to Theo Wease Jr. for a touchdown.

The score wasn’t even very long, however, as Kaden Wetjen took the ensuing kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown. The Hawkeyes dominated on special teams as Marquis Johnson picked up on his first two kick returns that went for short gains.

As momentum picked up again for Iowa, so did Mizzou’s offensive efficiency. This time, the Tigers needed just seven plays to go 75 yards as Marquis Johnson hauled in a lob pass for a touchdown. Both offenses then went cold, trading punts before Iowa embarked on an eventual 11-play, 90-yard touchdown drive. Moulton got into the end zone with 49 seconds left, giving Iowa a 21-14 lead that would carry into halftime.

The Hawkeyes averaged 7.5 yards per carry. game over the first two quarters, a number they had not reached over an entire game since September 28, 2019 (!). Iowa experienced unprecedented efficiency on offense; Unfortunately for Kirk Ferentz’s crew, it stalled when their team needed it the most.

In his final game donning the Black & Gold, Cook amassed 200 yards at halftime — 140 through the air, 60 on the ground. He would finish with 287 passing yards and two touchdowns along with 54 rushing yards. From both a statistical and empirical standpoint, Monday was arguably the closest Cook had seen to an elite dual-threat quarterback since the Buffalo game, where he passed for 228 yards and ran for 62 more along with a pair of rushing scores.

Johnson had the most productive receiving outing of his career, catching seven passes for 122 yards and the aforementioned touchdown. When Luther Burden III opted out, and Wease Jr. left the game with an injury, Johnson took on a much larger role, and he played it awfully well.

The Tigers achieved their second straight campaign with at least 10 wins for just the third time in program history (2007-08, 2013-14). Even though MU didn’t reach the dreams it set out to achieve before the season, the Tigers still ended 2024 on a high note.