Instant Takeaways from Missouri's 14-3 Win in the 88th Cotton Bowl
ARLINGTON, Tx. — After three grueling quarters defined by a mind-numbing amount of punts, the Missouri Tigers won 14-3 over the Ohio State Buckeyes in the 88th annual Cotton Bowl Classic.
Here's three takeaways from the Tigers' first bowl game win since the 2014 season.
Cody Shreds Time and Hope for Ohio State
By the fourth quarter, Ohio State's defense was exhausted. The punt-fest had taken a toll on the stalwart defense. They had become as fragile as cracked glass, just one more tap away from completely shattering. On the final drives of the game, Missouri running back Cody Schrader put the final slash into the Buckeyes.
In his final game as a Tiger, Schrader put the team on his back. His story has become one of the best in college football this season. Nothing came easy for the SEC's leading rusher on Friday. The first three quarters were rough for Schrader. But he still ended up with 128 yards on 29 carries. Schrader was at his best when his team needed him the most, rushing for 68 yards in just the final quarter.
Trench Warfare
It's one of head coaches favorites cliches, but Friday's game was truly won in the trenches.
Early on, neither of the Ohio State or Missouri offensive lines could hold ground with the opposing defensive line.
For Missouri, this limited virtually everything on the Missouri offense. Quarterback Brady Cook didn't have any time to operate Schrader was met by a brick wall on most runs.
That was until the fourth quarter when the Missouri offensive line finally found some pull, allowing Schrader to drain the clock, securing a win for Missouri.
The Official Dawn of a New Era in Missouri Football
The 2023, 10-win regular season for the Missouri Tigers was enough to build momentum that would change the program. A resilient win over a blue-blood team in a New Year's Six Bowl game was a Texas sized cherry on top to the season. The 2023 season was special for the Tigers but has the writings of being only the beginning for a new era for the program under Eli Drinkwitz.
