Four Takeaways from Missouri's Thrilling Win Over Oklahoma

In a game with too many emotional highs and lows to count, here are four thoughts to rehash the Tigers' win over Oklahoma.

Nov 9, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Oklahoma Sooners running back Taylor Tatum (8) runs the ball against Missouri Tigers defensive tackle Kristian Williams (5) during the first half at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

The first half of the Missouri Tigers' matchup against Oklahoma went exactly how many expected it to go. Neither team scored a touchdown and the Missouri offense struggled mightily.

The second half, however, turned into a thriller at Faurot Field. With four touchdowns between both squads scored in the final three minutes of the game, the scoring picked up like nobody could have predicted in the old Big 12 rivalry matchup. Missouri's offense found life with a new quarterback at the helm and the defense forced too many big stops to count.

The Missouri defense didn't falter one bit until the end of the game, allowing a trick-play touchdown in the latter stages of the fourth quarter. Late mistakes from the Tigers

Here are four takeaways from the emotional rollercoaster that was Missouri vs. Oklahoma:

Offensive Inconsistencies

It's pretty self-explanatory. With Drew Pyne in at quarterback, the Tigers didn't have much movement on offense in the first half and even with all of its running backs available, none of the three could gather chunk yardage.

The inability to push the ball into scoring territory, even without starting quarterback Brady Cook, is somewhat puzzling. The Tigers have all the weapons in the world at the receiver, running back and tight end spot but still, with someone different at quarterback, the offense is completely different.

Pyne went 14-for-27 on the night, with 147 yards and three touchdowns to show for it. Pyne threw his first touchdown on a screen pass in the red zone, a welcome sight for the Tiger offense.

Even with Pyne's score and drive itself, the Tigers left too many points on the board not being able to drive down the field. On multiple occasions, they were set up with great field positions while failing to score.

Despite the first-half performance, Pyne deserves all the credit in the world for the Tigers' victory. He delivered big play after big play when it mattered, especially when many people doubted him.

Capitalizing on Offense

The Tigers only allowed nine points in the first half but 23 in the entirety of the game. Time after time, the Missouri defense would secure stops. In nearly every instance, no points were added to the scoreboard.

In one of Missouri's best set-up field positions and scoring chances of the day, the Tigers settled for a field goal. Late in the second quarter, the Tigers cleaned up on special teams and recovered a muffed punt. This gave them the ball at the 28-yard line, Missouri's best field position of the game. Pyne completed an 18-yard pass to receiver Theo Wease Jr. but after that, the Tigers couldn't muster any offense.

Pyne was able to string together some positive yardage plays in the third quarter, finding Luther Burden III twice in scoring territory, both of which were good throws. Pyne managed a touchdown throw to Wease for the first score of the game, capitalizing on good defense for the first time on the night. If it weren't for the Pyne to Wease connection, the Missouri offense would not have had much life.

The outlook of Pyne's performance did improve as the game progressed. He threw his second touchdown in the middle of the fourth quarter and paired two runs together in the lead-up. This was the best performance from Pyne so far, a much-needed one for the offense.

They may not have been able to capitalize in the first half, but Pyne channeled some sort of energy in the second half to muster three touchdowns for the Tigers. He delivered some incredible throws to keep the Tigers in the game, many of which were not expected.

Tiger Defensive Line

Despite Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold rushing for 19 yards, he was never truly comfortable. Arnold and the Sooners quarterback room are the most sacked and pressured team in the country and it's clear the Tigers made getting to Arnold a priority.

Missouri grabbed two sacks in the first half, one belonging to linebacker Chuck Hicks and the other split between defensive ends Johnny Walker Jr. and Zion Young. Outside of the two sacks, Arnold was forced to roll out of the pocket on multiple occasions, either throwing an incomplete pass or throwing it away.

Besides the pressure on Arnold, the Sooner run game never truly got rolling. Xavier Robinson was the highest-rushing back for the Sooners with 56 yards, with his longest run of the game going for only ten. The other Sooner running backs, Taylor Tatum and Sam Franklin, never found anything consistent as well.

Missouri's constant ability to stop the quarterback and not allow big plays was its saving grace, despite the trick play that secured Oklahoma's first score. Without the defense's integrity to now allow those big plays, the result could have been much different.

Late Game Finish

Even when the offense wasn't clicking and the defense was getting stops, the Tigers were not making errors that would backfire on them as they did late in the fourth quarter.

After Pyne threw his second touchdown pass of the game, the Sooners drove right down the field and put themselves in scoring position. On third-and-four, with the Sooners looking down the barrel of a challenging fourth-down conversion, Oklahoma executed a reverse pass from Tatum to Arnold to perfection, tying the game. A few plays later, Missouri running back Jamal Roberts fumbled on a run and Oklahoma safety Billy Bowman returned it to take the lead.

This appeared to be the end of the Tigers' game but wasn't. Pyne led the Tigers down the field for a score and the Missouri defense forced a fumble for a score to take the lead. Missouri was fortunate for such good plays down the stretch and without them, could have been in for a massive upset.