What we learned from Mizzou football’s thrilling win vs. Florida Gators: MU takeaways

In a season full of ‘em, the Missouri Tigers football team found another magic, surreal, jaw-dropping moment.

On fourth and 15 and with time quickly fading, quarterback Brady Cook found Luther Burden for a pass completion. Then he found Theo Wease Jr. Then he found Mekhi Miller.

And then it was Harrison Mevis time. The senior placekicker drilled a 30-yarder with a second remaining to lift the Tigers to a 33-31 victory over the Florida Gators on Saturday night at Memorial Stadium.

In the final game at Faurot Field for the 2023 season, Missou (9-2, 5-2 SEC) put together an incredible game-winning drive to solidify a second-place finish in the SEC East and likely move within one win of a New Year’s Six bowl berth.

Here are three takeaways from MU’s remarkable night:

Turnover, touchdown

Kristian Williams riled up the crowd. Then Wease sent them into a frenzy.

Williams, a Mizzou defensive tackle, fell on a Florida fumble early in the fourth quarter when the Tigers’ defense looked to be flailing. Two plays later, Wease turned that sequence into six points.

After closing the second half on a streak of five straight stops, including a JC Carlies pick, the Missouri defense was suddenly coughing up chunk play after chunk play. The Gators had scored on both of their two second-half possessions to that point.

The Tigers capitalized with the ball suddenly in their hands.

Just two plays after Williams’ recovery, Wease collected the ball just past the line of scrimmage on the right sideline. Then he hit the afterburners, staying inbound by a whisker for most of his 77-yard touchdown run.

Tigers’ defense struggles

Etienne walked home.

The Gators running back carved up the middle of the Missouri defensive line, and there was nobody waiting on the other side. It was the easiest 7-yard touchdown run you’ll ever see.

That was the tale of the second half for the Tigers.

Down both starting linebackers, Ty’Ron Hopper and Chad Bailey, the Tigers missed tackle after tackle in the second half. Four different Florida receivers had catches of 35 yards or longer.

Ricky Pearsall ran unbothered for a touchdown earlier in the half. Etienne made MU linebacker Chuck Hicks miss on his 37-yard catch-and-run score.

Florida rushed for a total of 261 yards, the most surrendered by MU in a single game this season.

UF quarterback and former Blue Valley North High School star Graham Mertz was 14-of-21 for 183 yards and two touchdowns before leaving the game with an injury.

Schrader’s CoMo curtain call

Cody Schrader hit the gap created by left tackle Javon Foster hard on the second play of the second quarter.

Then he made a vertical cut and did what he often does — he powered all the way to the end zone.

In his last game at Faurot Field, the St. Louis native and Truman State transfer gave the sold-out crowd one more show. By evening’s end, he had 148 yards rushing, including the aforementioned 42-yard TD.

It was Schrader’s seventh 100-yard rushing performance of the season, and his fourth straight. Schrader has now scored in eight straight games.

The Star has partnered with the Columbia Daily Tribune for coverage of Missouri Tigers athletics.