After displaying a fighting spirit through the first half, Mizzou fells 17-6 to the Oklahoma Sooners, extending the losing streak in Oklahoma to 60 years.
It seemed as if the tide was turning in the first
quarter when Mizzou marched down the field and struck first with a field goal. Zion Young and Damon Wilson followed up the first drive with stellar defense that shut down Mateer and all his options. The Tigers forced the Sooners into three consecutive punts before they seemed to find a groove.
Halfway through the second quarter the Tigers had ample opportunity to extend the lead. On a fourth-and-three on Oklahoma’s 17-yard line, Mizzou looked like they were going for it. A few timeouts later, the attempt was changed to a field goal and Robert Meyer’s kick was blocked.
The momentum in Norman flipped.
Soon, Mateer found the speedy Sategna after the wide receiver created separation and exploded for 87 yards to the house. Mizzou couldn’t reach another level and began tripping over their own feet.
It seemed Oklahoma was able to rattle the Tigers and use the tempo to their advantage. Heading into the game, the Sooners held opposing rushers to an average of 0 yards before contact. While Ahmad Hardy seemed to work his magic in the first quarter, it dissipated soon after. In the third quarter alone, Hardy only managed eight yards on the ground, while the team as a whole only mustered up 11 yards.
The running back finished the night with 57 yards.
Mizzou’s main advantage on the ground was unsuccessful and left them with no choice but to put the ball in the air. However, they couldn’t use that to advantage either, even with the return of Beau Pribula. The offense overall took quite a hit in the third quarter, like the run game, the yardage in the air also decreased. Over five passes, Pribula was only able to connect for five yards.
While it was a bumpy ride for the quarterback, he also deserves a load of credit for fighting his way back onto the field after suffering a non-fractured, dislocated left ankle against the Vanderbilt Commodores nearly a month ago.
Not only is that not enough to find the win column, the third downs were an ultimate killer. After the first two successful conversions, the Tigers then went on an 12 straight third down attempt drought. Though they were bailed out twice after penalties.
In the fourth quarter, the offense appeared to be trending in the right direction. On a fourth-and-two, Eli Drinkwitz and co. opted to lay down all the chips. In the endzone, the ball found Coleman Jr., but the wide receiver couldn’t bring the ball down. The drive seemed to seal the Tiger’s fate.
In the third and fourth, Pribula threw two interceptions as well. That makes it his ninth interception over the last six games if you don’t include Vanderbilt, the game he left with an injury.
Mizzou falls to 7-4 on the season with eyes on its final game of the season in Fayetteville, Arkansas, next weekend.
