A Tale of Two Seasons: How The Cotton Bowl Defined the Evolution of Brady Cook
Exactly a year to the day after undergoing surgery to repair a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder, Brady Cook led the 10-2 Missouri Tigers into AT&T Stadium and came out with some hardware for the trophy case.
Cook took home the J. Curtis Sanford Offensive MVP trophy for his performance, after leading multiple 90-yard drives and finding Luther Burden III in the end zone late in the fourth quarter to put the dagger in Ohio State's chances.
This game and performance by Cook was symbolic of not only this season, but his entire career for Missouri.
Slow starts defined early play, going just 5-of-11 in the first half for just 28 yards. Much like his first season as the Tigers starter in 2022, he threw for just over 2700 yards with a 14-to-7 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Both performances not doing enough to put the Tigers in positions to lose, yet never truly propelling their ability to win.
Cook, even in his worst moments the last two years, has shown the ability to protect the ball at all costs. Finding extreme success in keeping down interception numbers, regardless of tough starts or cold stretches.
After a slow start to the most important game of his career, much like his season before one thing remained constant, Cook found the support of his teammates and coaches in the toughest moments
On overcoming early offensive struggles in the Cotton Bowl, "we believed in each other," Cook said.
The belief that the team and coaches have in each other is not something that appeared with the winning season for the Tigers, especially from the perspective of Brady Cook. Since the very first week of the season, from teammates to Coach Eliah Drinkwitz, nobody has passed up the opportunity to show Cook support.
"He shows up every single day and puts the team first," detailed Coach Drinkwitz after the Tigers win over South Dakota State in the season's very first game.
Cook has told of his ability to lean on others in times of adversity, to pull himself out of any holes he finds himself in. He's been voted team captain multiple times in just two seasons as starter for the Tigers, and shares the comfort that he finds in his family and support outside of the team.
This was especially evident in his press conference after the Tigers win in Cook's hometown of St. Louis early in the season, crediting a strong support group for keeping him afloat during his times of struggle.
Cook and the Tigers came face to face with adversity, something common for the team, and right on trend they came out on top. The Missouri offense scored 14 points in the fourth quarter to lead the team to its biggest win since 2015.
Cook's ability to fight through adversity and lead his team to victory in the most important moment perfectly mirrored the quarterback's transition between seasons. When adversity strikes and the critics are louder than ever, Cook has found the important ability to lean on his teammates, coaches, and family to find his way and make the plays when it matters.
This isn't the end of the line for Cook, with one more year of eligibility, he is looking to make this season a stepping stone in his full circle story of redemption. While a Cotton Bowl win is monumental moment for this program, they will not be satisfied being on the outside looking into the playoffs anymore.
Cook will continue to lead Missouri into battle next year as both coaches and teammates keep rallying behind him. His senior season could be the stepping stone moment for a career that has been thus far defined by a tale of two seasons.
The Tigers will look to carry on the consistent high level that led Cook and the Tigers to their first New Year's Six Bowl victory in almost nine years, building further momentum on a program reaching back to success.
"This isn't the full circle moment I've been waiting on." Cook reminds everyone, setting up not only the next step for himself, but the team as a whole next year as they continue to have "something to prove."
