Mizzou Fumbles Its Heart Away in Brutal OT Loss at Auburn
The Missouri Tigers headed into their 2022 SEC slate against the Auburn Tigers with a key chance to seize early momentum in conference play.
In reality, both teams were aiming to prove that they're better than being known as bottom-half programs in the conference this season.
But for a punt-filled and scoreless second half that saw 12-straight punts and a missed game-winning 26-yard field goal by Missouri kicker Harrison Mevis, it was still the final play that was the most heartbreaking moment for Mizzou (2-2) in a brutal 17-14 overtime loss to Auburn (3-1) on Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
Running back Nathaniel Peat, who had 20 carries for 110 yards, fumbled a potential game-winning touchdown out of his hand as he was inches away from crossing the goal line in overtime. As he extended the ball across for the win, it slipped out of grasp and rolled into the end zone, where Auburn fell on top of it to survive the SEC opener.
Many will likely pair Mizzou's absence of second-half production with the lack of looks and touches for star freshman receiver Luther Burden III, who had zero offensive touches.
The rushing attack was a focal point for Auburn in the first half, as Ashford had just six pass attempts through the first two quarters compared to 26 carries for 77 yards and two touchdowns for Auburn as a team.
For Mizzou, it was the exact opposite at first. But the second quarter saw a dramatic shift, as the road Tigers and home Tigers went into the half tied at 14-14 after Missouri put together back-to-back touchdown drives that finished with goal-line scores from running back Cody Schrader and quarterback Brady Cook.
Auburn was quick with the time it had remaining, picking up 42 yards in just three plays. Auburn kicker Anders Carlson missed a 50-yard field goal at the horn. An offsides penalty from Mizzou gave him another chance, but he missed that as well, securing another spark of momentum for the road Tigers.
Mizzou had a chance to completely take over the game headed into second half. An unfortunate injury to Ashford also seemed to add on to Missouri's momentum.
But for both teams, it was real ugly in what was a scoreless second half.
On Auburn's first possession of the second half, the home Tigers, already down their normal starting quarterback, lost Ashford after he delivered a block on a trick play. The injury killed any momentum Auburn had, as true freshman fourth-stringer Holden Geriner was forced to enter.
With Auburn now down it's speedy backup signal-caller, Mizzou had a chance to completely take over the game, but took too long to get there.
The Auburn defense stepped up in the meantime, as Ashford was able to return to on the Tigers' fourth offensive possession of the second half, sparking more hope into Jordan-Hare Stadium and the Auburn sideline as a whole.
This hope bled into the final minutes, as Ashford seemed to have given Auburn a first down on a third-down scramble with under two minutes remaining. In field-goal range, Auburn had a chance at ending the second-half scoring drought with a potential game-winning drive.
But after review marked Ashford short, Auburn went for it on fourth-and-short from the Mizzou 29-yard line, giving the ball back to the road Tigers with a minute-and-a-half remaining.
Cook had a 13-yard run to begin the ensuing drive which he followed up with two-straight completions to get Mizzou right outside of field-goal range.
But forget the field goal. Cook launched a deep ball to receiver Dominic Lovett, who hauled in an impressive 39-yard catch to set up Mevis for a chip-shot 26-yard field goal for the win.
An easy win right? Not so fast.
Mevis, one of the better kickers in Mizzou program history, missed the game-winning field goal to send the game to overtime.
Auburn continued its own kicking woes in overtime, as Carlson badly missed another field.
Yet, it was another offsides penalty by Mizzou that gave him another chance, which he nailed on a 39-yarder.
Missouri had a chance to win with a touchdown on its first possession of overtime. Peat dashed left, extended, and seemingly won the game for Mizzou. Instead, it was a loss that will be remembered by Tigers fans for quite some time.
You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7
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