Mizzou Closes Gap With Late First Half Score vs. Wake Forest

The Tigers got off to a slow start in the Gasparilla Bowl on Friday night

Matt Galatzan | Dec 23, 2022

Mizzou Closes Gap With Late First Half Score vs. Wake Forest /

The Missouri Tigers entered their Friday night matchup with the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in the Gasparilla Bowl as two-point underdogs.

And despite getting out to a slow start and a 14-3 hole, the Tigers have now closed the gap, with quarterback Brady Cook connecting with Demariyon Houston in the end zone to cut the Wake Forest lead to 14-10 heading into the locker room at halftime.

The Tigers have once again been led offensively by Cook, who has been the do-it-all man.

Through two quarters, Cook has completed 13 of 19 passes for 122 yards and a touchdown and also leads the Tigers in rushing with four carries for 46 yards, 36 of which came on a second-quarter scamper to set up the late touchdown.

In the absence of the now Georgia-bound Dominic Lovett, freshman sensation Luther Burden has performed well as the No. 1 wideout, catching five passes for 56 yards, putting him on pace for a career night.

Defensively, it took the Tigers a good while to settle in, giving up two touchdowns on their first three drives.

However, since the second touchdown, the Tigers have been back to their usual ways, forcing two turnovers and a punt on the next three Demon Deacon possessions.

The Tigers will kick off to start the second half.

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Published Dec 23, 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