Tennessee Pulls Away, Blows Out Missouri in Second Half

The Missouri Tigers are back in the loss column after being blown out in the second half by the Tennessee Volunteers

Matt Galatzan | Nov 12, 2022

Tennessee Pulls Away, Blows Out Missouri in Second Half /

The Missouri Tigers entered their Saturday matchup in Knoxville against the No. 5 Tennessee Volunteers, with a third-straight SEC win and an upset on their minds.

But while they were able to hang tough through the first 30 minutes of action, the wheels eventually came off, with Tennessee blowing the doors off of the Tigers in the second half on their way to a 66-24 win at Neyland Stadium.

Unsurprisingly, that second-half blowout was led by the explosive Tennessee offense, which totaled 728 yards against a Missouri defense that ranked No. 13 in the nation in total defense heading into the game.

That effort was led by Heisman candidate and star quarterback Hendon Hooker, who finished the game completing 25 of 36 passes for 355 yards and five touchdowns, while also rushing seven times for 54 yards and another score.

Speaking of the ground game, the Volunteers also racked up 236 yards rushing for the game as well as five total touchdown - 98 of which came from Dylan Sampson.

Despite the defensive collapse, the Tigers were able to have one of their best offensive games of the season, totaling 389 yards for the game, while the 24 points were the most they have scored in SEC play thus far, as well as their third highest scoring total of the season.

Quarterback Brady Cook was the main catalyst for the Tigers' offense, throwing for 214 yards on 18 of 31 passing while rushing 16 times for 106 yards and three total touchdowns.

Unfortunately for the Tigers, Cooks's heroics were not enough, as the explosive Volunteers offense was too much to handle, overwhelming the Mizzou defense.

Following the loss, the Tigers (4-6) must now win their final two games in order to earn bowl eligibility.

That quest will start next week in a very winnable game against the New Mexico State Aggies in Columbia.

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Published Nov 12, 2022

MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Managing Editor and Publisher of MizzouSportsTalk.com, AllAggies.com and LonghornsCountry.com, as well as the Editor-In-Chief of InsideTheBears.com, TheGroveReport.com, RamDigest.com, AllSeahawks.com, and TexansDaily.com. Galatzan graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry under Mike Fisher at DallasBasketball.com in 2014, which at the time was part of the 247Sports network. He also spent two years covering the SMU Mustangs for PonyStampede.com on the 247Sports network. When DallasBasketball.com and CowboysCountry.com moved over to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, Galatzan followed suit, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of LonghornsCountry.com and AllAggies.com a year later. Through the years, Galatzan has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, former Longhorns players Dan Neil and Phil Dawson, and many other recruits, and current/former players for each of the teams he has covered. Galatzan is also a full-time employee in the digital media department for Audacy and KRLD FM's 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, which is the official radio home of the Dallas Cowboys. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels. For any inquiries, please email matt.galatzan@gmail.com