Missouri's Miraculous Misfortune Continues in Loss to Kentucky
Games aren't won and lost on a single play. They're decided over 60 minutes (maybe more) and the final results are a culmination of everything that transpired. That's what they tell us, anyway.
It's true, too, but not the entire truth. Some plays do, in fact, decide the game, especially ones late in the fourth quarter. That's exactly what happened to Missouri on possibly the most bizarre special teams penalty in recent years.
On fourth down at their own 41-yard line, Kentucky set up to punt before an absolute debacle unfolded. The Wildcats long snapper flung the ball over Kentucky punter Colin Goodfellow's head and it careened all the way back to the five-yard line before Goodfellow could recover it. The Mizzou defenders collapsed on him, set to make what would surely be a game-changing tackle.
And then disaster struck. Somehow, Goodfellow miraculously got a punt off as he was being tackled. The kick was a shank, but the hit drew a controversial roughing the kicker penalty, which was met by a downpouring of boos from Tiger fans. Kentucky was given a new set of downs in Missouri territory, and the game was lost.
Yes, Mizzou could have put themselves in a better position by making plays earlier in the game. But they didn't, and that put them in a position where one play can decide the game. For the Tigers, those plays haven't gone their way all year.
Today's heartbreaker to Kentucky is just the latest in a season-long string of disappointing and mind-boggling losses. Against No. 1 Georgia, a game that was decided by four points, Missouri had first-and-goal inside the one-yard line at one point in the game. A costly penalty backed the offense up and they were unable to score that touchdown. They settled for the field goal, a difference of a crucial four points, leaving the Tigers short in the end.
They dropped their meeting with Florida in a similar manner, finding themselves unable to score on their final possessions. The cruelest twist of fate this year, though, came against Auburn in an overtime thriller.
Tigers running back Nate Peat was crossing the goal line for the game-winning overtime touchdown when the ball slipped right through his fingertips and bounced into the end zone where Auburn recovered it for a touchback and ended the game.
After another defeat that has to have Tigers fans pulling their hair out, it's hard to ignore Mizzou's misfortune. This is the fourth one-score loss of 2022 for Missouri and, honestly, it's one that probably should've been a victory.
Head coach Eli Drinkwitz, who just received an extension, has to be at least a little concerned with his team's inability to finish games. Without much offensive firepower, Missouri's probably going to be in quite a few close contests in the near future.
The penalty called on that punt in today's game may technically be the right call (Goodfellow did get the punt off, after all). But it's hard not to feel like the Tigers got hosed again. Whether it's been a lack of preparation, a voodoo curse, or a sheer act of the football gods, Missouri has continued to get the short end of the stick.
Maybe the Tigers will bring in a shaman and sage Memorial Stadium, or maybe they'll just start running two-a-day practices. But something has to change in Columbia, Mo. if they want to be a winning football program.
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