Mizzou running backs help avert potential disaster in win over Vanderbilt

COLUMBIA, Mo. — For the first time in the 2024 season, the Missouri Tigers trailed after the first half Saturday night.

The electric offense that had been deployed in the preceding weeks suddenly collapsed against the Vanderbilt Commodores defense, scoring just 10 points before halftime. Missed opportunities and miscommunication plagued the Tigers, but one specific call caused the first real outcry around Faurot Field: snapping the ball with eight seconds left in the second quarter.

With a 4th-and-3 and the half winding down, trying to make a play didn’t make much sense at first. And when Brady Cook was tackled by Khordae Sydnor for a five-yard loss — in addition to giving the Commodores good field position — it just cemented the fact that Missouri would fall behind.

Brock Taylor stepped up to attempt a 56-yard field goal, and just like that, Vanderbilt led 13-10.

To avoid a surprise loss in its first championship game, Missouri’s offense needed a boost, and fast. It simply couldn’t come from the passing game.

Quarterback Brady Cook was underwhelming for most of the game, finishing with 226 yards passing on 23 of 37 completions and two touchdowns. Too many times, the senior missed wide-open receivers for big gains, especially in the red zone. But beyond that, the offensive play-calling seemed completely off.

When Cook was forced to run or move with the ball, the outcome was no better. The normally strong rusher lacked the speed he had in previous games, making slow decisions and getting tackled for losses.

Instead, Nate Noel and the running back team rose to the challenge.

At 8:49 of the third quarter, Noel exploded past the Vanderbilt defense en route to a 64-yard gain, setting up a score at the Commodores’ third-yard line. Marcus Carroll took the snap there, running across the middle to make it 20-13 after Blake Craig’s PAT attempt.

Sure, you would have expected Noel to finish the sequence, but head coach Eli Drinkwitz and his staff decided to leave the ball in Carroll’s hands. It may have been surprising, but it wasn’t a problem for Noel.

“I was happy for him,” Noel said. “I was the first one to jump down the sideline and meet him in the end zone. That’s my guy.”

Noel continued to make his presence felt in the second half, carving his way through Vanderbilt’s defense and picking up first downs. Even when the Tigers found themselves in another season first — an overtime period — he managed to continue to make an impact until the end.

Without the big Christmas Day, it would have been difficult for Missouri to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

“Nate Noel had a great game,” Cook said. “We don’t win the game without him… I’m just super happy for him.”

Noel didn’t score a touchdown in his nearly 200-yard day, but the Tigers often wouldn’t have been in scoring position if it weren’t for the many quality runs he put up throughout the game. The red zone issues they faced as a whole kept him from scoring, not his individual performance.

“It’s unbelievable,” Drinkwitz said. “He’s a special player, I think we all noticed that. We just have to continue to finish drives for him.”

Missouri has plenty of work to do before heading south to Texas A&M in two weeks, but for now it can only take heart from maintaining a 4-0 record in a game filled with tension – thanks in large part to the running back room.