Texas outlasts Mizzou for third straight win, deals blow to Tigers’ Playoff hopes
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
Texas ran its winning streak to three games, using 21 unanswered points and some stingy defense to put away Mizzou 34-20 at Faurot Field in Columbia on Saturday.
Mizzou held a 20-13 lead with just over five minutes remaining in the third quarter after Naeshaun Montgomery took a 72-yard Austin Simmons pass to the house. Texas, though, tied things up on the ensuing drive, but not without some controversy. On 3rd-and-10 from the Tigers’ 39 with 2:22 left in the frame, an apparent incompletion by Arch Manning was instead ruled a fumble recovered by the Longhorns at the 25.
Texas cashed in a few plays later. Jermaine Bishop Jr.’s 25-yard touchdown catch tied it at 20 with less than two minutes left in the quarter.
The Longhorns’ defense then forced back-to-back Mizzou punts before taking the lead for good with 5:03 remaining. Manning hit Raleek Brown streaking down the right sideline for a 23-yard-score.
After forcing a stop on defense, Mizzou got the ball back just before the two-minute timeout. But on 3rd and 5, Cayden Lee coughed up a catch near midfield on a hit from Texas’s Warren Roberson before Graceson Littleton returned it to the Mizzou 6. A few plays later, Brown ran it in from eight yards out to ice the game away with his second touchdown of the afternoon.
Mizzou had no answers for Texas’s defense late in the game. After Montgomery’s touchdown, the Tigers went punt, punt, punt, fumble, turnover on downs. They also went 3-of-16 on third downs.
Manning finished 28-of-38 for 297 yards and three touchdowns. Brown ended the day with 133 yards from scrimmage, 85 rushing and 48 receiving.
Simmons, who briefly left in the fourth quarter, was 23-of-43 for 252 yards and two touchdowns. Jamal Roberts had 19 carries for 66 yards in a losing effort. Ahmad Hardy had a single carry for three yards.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
