Mizzou Running Backs 'Took Control' of Win at Mississippi State

Marcus Carroll led the way with three touchdowns and Nate Noel nearly hit the century-mark for yards against the Bulldogs.

Nov 23, 2024; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Missouri Tigers running back Marcus Carroll (9) runs against the Mississippi State Bulldogs during the fourth quarter at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-Imagn Images / Matt Bush-Imagn Images

The No. 23 Missouri Tigers set themselves up with a strong one-two punch in their run game with transfer running backs Nate Noel and Marcus Carroll heading into the 2024 season.

The true extent of the talent in the running back room was put on display in the 39-20 win over Mississippi State in Week 13.

Noel and Carroll's running styles compliment each other well with Noel bringing the speed and Carroll being the power. This combination worked a bit better expected against the Bulldogs. Noel got the ball down the field and led the team in rushing, but it was Carroll who continually completed the job, scoring three touchdowns.

"It means it's awesome to be the goal line back," head coach Eli Drinkwitz said of Carroll getting to punch in three scores. "I'm sure Nate's pretty ticked off. He does most of the work between the fives, and then we let Marcus finish it off. But they both have their strengths and we try to really play to those strengths."

The run game dominated for Missouri as Carroll himself put up more points than all of Mississippi State. He also put up 61 yards on 14 carries. Noel was just short of the century-mark in rushing yards with 95 on 25 attempts. On just five attempts, Jamal Roberts put up 29 yards for the Tigers.

"I felt very comfortable with us being able to just continually run the football," Drinkwitz said

Nov 23, 2024; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Missouri Tigers running back Marcus Carroll (9) runs against Mississippi State Bulldogs safety Isaac Smith (2) during the second quarter at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-Imagn Images / Matt Bush-Imagn Images

After a scoop-and-score in the first quarter, the Tigers defense had put up more points than their offense early in the game. Though the unit had failed to score a touchdown in the first quarter of SEC games since Week 4, the offense was boosted from the defense's score.

On Missouri's next drive, running back Jamal Roberts found a bit of open field for a 14-yard rush and quarterback Brady Cook pinpointed wide receiver Marquis Johnson on a 45-yard reception. Carroll pushed his way into the end zone for Missouri's second touchdown.

"We were just able to control the line of scrimmage," Drinkwitz said. "There was a few leakage plays early, but our running backs did a nice job of just continuing to run hard and refuse to have arm tackles."

Carroll's second touchdown came in the second quarter and featured a rare long rush from the fifth-year player. Rushing 19 yards to the end zone, Carroll put the Tigers up by 18.

Even though Carroll didn't have the most rushing yards in the game on the final stat sheet, he might as well have written his name in permanent marker over it.

On the final score, Noel and Roberts combined for 14 yards at the beginning of the 14-play drive, and Cook completed a 36-yard pass to wide receiver Joshua Manning and a 16-yard pass to wide receiver Luther Burden.

But it was Carroll that closed it out. He barreled his way into the end zone in back-to-back plays for the touchdown and the two-point conversion.

"As a whole running back group, man, we did a good job getting down hill, getting where we can," Carroll said. "We felt ourselves wearing defense down. It was really amazing to see and be in the game to do."

They all did their part, and even had to do a bit more at times.

Freshman running back Kewan Lacy has seen more playing time in the last couple week while Noel was dealing with an injury, but he missed a majority of the game against Mississippi State with an injury of his own. Missouri's run game didn't flinch, however.

"At the end of the day, we always our brother's keeper," Carroll said. "It's unfortunate, man, because Kewan works very hard and I hate to see him go down, but definitely our brother's keeper. He's down, so we got to play for Kewan and just go hard."

The Tigers were able to show off the true power of their run game and the talent they have in the running back room against the Bulldogs. The trio of Noel, Roberts and Carroll combined for 185 rushing yards.

"We kind of went into the game with the mentality of 'take control of the game,'" Carroll said. "We're gonna have to run the ball, control the line of scrimmage. I think it started with that mentality."

Read more from Mizzou at Mississippi State:

'We're Just Clicking': Mizzou Offense Defeats Mississippi State with Diverse Attack

Everything Eli Drinkwitz Said After Mizzou's Win at Mississippi State