Music City Bowl Ends One Era of Mizzou Football, Welcomes Another

A win over Iowa in the Music City Bowl was the last game for players who rebuilt the Missouri Tiger program, but the best performances for players who will lead the program into the next era.

Dec 30, 2024; Nashville, TN, USA; Missouri Tigers wide receiver Marquis Johnson (2) celebrates with tight end Jordon Harris (86) after his touchdown against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the first half at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images / Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Everyone looks for reason for hope and optimism heading into the new year. On Dec. 30, Eli Drinkwitz didn't have to look farther than the two seats to his left.

He sat at a table in the underbelly of Nissan Stadium, with his routine Diet Coke in hand. To his right sat quarterback Brady Cook and defensive end Johnny Walker Jr., both who had just played in their last games as Missouri Tigers.

To Drinkwitz's left sat kicker Blake Craig and Marquis Johnson. Two second-year players who had provided hope for the future by just putting together their best performances of their young careers.

After two years with continuity, the Missouri Tigers enter 2025 with uncertainty.

Missouri will lose all five of its team captains, and, in all likelihood, will feature a new starting quarterback, running back and wide receiver. Most of the faces that led a resurgence of the program will all step away.

Uncertainty can be scary. But, for the case of the Tigers, there's reason to be excited for what can be accomplished.

The win in the Music City Bowl over the Iowa Hawkeyes provided a window into that hope leading Missouri in the new year.

Not with its addition of Beau Pribula at quarterback or Ahmad Hardy at running back, both premier players at their positions in the transfer portal.

"We'll talk about that when those guys get on campus," head coach Eli Drinkwitz said when asked about Pribula in a press conference the day before the game. "This is really about this group of young men. This is about this game, this opportunity. We're excited about those signees, but this is about the Music City Bowl."

Instead with the exciting pieces that played a part in attracting those additions.

Sophomore wide receiver Marquis Johnson had the best game of the career, catching seven passes for 122 yards and a touchdown. The speedy receiver has mostly been utilized as a deep threat in the first two years of his career, but showcased his development as a more well-rounded player in the win.

Missouri was already down Luther Burden III and Mookie Cooper at wide receiver going into the bowl game. Burden, expected to be a first-round selection in the NFL draft, opted out and Cooper was dealing with an injury. Then, Theo Wease Jr. suffered an upper-body injury near the end of the first half. Suddenly, Johnson became Missouri's No. 1 option at wide receiver.

Johnson showed off his physicality, fighting for a contested catch on a 44-yard reception with a defensive back hanging off his shoulder. His route running was on display when he worked through the middle of the Iowa defense to find space in the back of the end zone for quarterback Brady Cook to connect with him on a seven-yard touchdown.

Johnson's 44-yard reception set up fellow sophomore wide receiver Joshua Manning to rush in for a four-yard touchdown in the third quarter that cut the Iowa lead to 24-21.

"It was easy to recruit a quarterback when you can send them tape of Marquis and Josh[ua Manning]" Drinkwitz said after the win. "So very appreciative of him and know that he's got a lot of work to continue to improve, but we know that the next year, hopefully two, but probably just one, is going to be really special."

Dec 30, 2024; Nashville, TN, USA; Missouri Tigers wide receiver Marquis Johnson (2) makes a catch for a touchdown against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the first half at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images / Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Missouri would enter the the fourth quarter still trailing 24-21. The Tigers called upon two field goals in the fourth quarter to win the game 27-24. The kicks were no cheap shots, though, coming from 51 and 56 yards out. Both set the record for the longest kick in Music City Bowl history.

"He's a record breaker, man," Drinkwitz said of Craig.

Craig has been inconsistent in his first year as Missouri's starter. He missed a kick in seven of Missouri's 13 games on the season. But, his range is undeniable, making six of his nine attempts from 50 or more yards on the season. Even through his young struggles, Drinkwitz has held faith in the Kansas City product.

"I don't get too concerned about 52 yards and 49 yard misses," Drinkwitz said after Craig missed from those distances in Week 2 against Buffalo. "I've got all the confidence in the world in him."

Craig explained that when he takes the field for kicks, he "blacks out." In the moments before though, he recognizes the role he plays as a kicker. The dependence the rest of the team has on his right leg.

"I'm thinking about all the seniors and everything like that that I'm there to do what I do for them, especially in this scenario with their last game," Craig said.

Dec 30, 2024; Nashville, TN, USA; Missouri Tigers offensive lineman Mitchell Walters (75) celebrates the made 59-yard field goal of kicker Blake Craig (19) against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the second half at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images / Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Craig's mindset is what Missouri's program has been built on in its 21-5 run over the past two seasons. However cliche it may sound, the Tigers insist they play for each other. It's why Drinkwitz believes his team has gone 10-1 in one-score games over that two-year time frame. He's spent the last two seasons developing a "brotherhood." His team has bought in.

"I think it's belief in each other, belief in what we're doing," Drinkwitz said. "We prepare really hard for these moments. We truly believe in an elite EDGE. We truly believe in faster, stronger, tougher than you in the fourth quarter."

When players like Cook and Walker move on from the program, that connection they've built with players like Craig and Johnson won't fade, Drinkwitz hopes. Craig might not be able to look down the sideline and know he has to make a kick for Cook. But the reminder of the legacy left behind by Cook and others will be present.

"They [the underclassmen] owe it to them [the seniors] every single day to keep fighting for the legacy that these guys built," Drinkwitz said. "They've put us on a launching pad to keep going. "Our board, our Athletic Director, our boosters are all in right now on Mizzou football because of these young men," Drinkwitz said, looking to his right at Walker and Cook.

"It's awesome right now what we've got going. It's up to these guys," Drinkwitz said, looking to his left at Craig and Johnson, "And our coaches to work our butts off every single day not to let them down."