Tigers Fall on Last Second Field Goal in Armed Forces Bowl

FORT WORTH, Texas – Cole Talley kicked a 41-yard field goal on the last play of the game to give the Army West Point Black Knights (9-4) a 24-22 victory over the Missouri Tigers (6-7) in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl at Amon G. Carter Stadium on the campus of Texas Christian University.

Talley’s kick, his longest of the season, spoiled a valiant Mizzou drive that gave the Tigers a 22-21 lead with 1:11 to play. Brady Cook, in his first start as the Tiger quarterback, completed 7-of-9 passes for 72 yards to drive the Tigers 83 yards to a touchdown on a six-yard pass to Keke Chism. The ensuing two-point attempt failed, however, leaving Mizzou with just the one-point lead.

After the Tigers’ score, the Black Knights’ third quarterback of the night, Jabari Laws, moved Army 51 yards on seven plays, aided by a Mizzou facemask penalty, to put Talley in position for the game-winning kick.

Cook got the Tigers off to a fast start, capping Mizzou’s opening drive with a 30-yard touchdown run for his first career TD. He directed three other long first-half drives, but each sputtered in the red zone and led to field goals of 22, 25 and 39 yards by Missouri All-America kicker Harrison Mevis. The last came with just three seconds on the clock at the end of the half and gave the Tigers a 16-7 halftime lead.

For the game, Cook completed 27-of-34 passes for 238 yards and a TD, and ran nine times for 53 yards and a score.

Army got the ball first in the second half and marched 75 yards on 17 plays on a drive that lasted 8:25 and resulted in a 10-yard TD run by Jakobi Buchanan, a high school teammate of Cook at Chaminade College Prep in St. Louis. Buchanan was Army’s leading rusher with 68 yards on 21 carries.

Early in the fourth quarter, Army took a 21-16 lead on a fourth-down play when backup quarterback Tyhier Tyler completed a 14-yard TD pass to Brandon Walters. Army was 5-for-5 on fourth-down conversions on the night.

Missouri’s defense rose to the occasion with the game on the line, twice forcing three-and-outs that gave the Tiger offense a chance to come back. For the game, Mizzou held the nation’s second-ranked rushing attack to 211 yards, well below their season average of 286.4. Leading the defensive effort were lineman Isaiah McGuire, who had a career-high 12 tackles including two for loss, and linebacker Blaze Alldredge who had a career-high equaling 14 tackles.

Offensively, Mizzou turned to Dawson Downing and Elijah Young to lead the rushing attack. Young ran for a career-high 75 yards and caught five passes for 32 yards. Downing, who started for the first time, gained 69 yards rushing and caught three passes for 31 yards.

In total offense, Missouri outgained Army, 433-306.

UP NEXT

The 2022 season opens Sept. 3 with a game at Middle Tennessee State in Murfreesboro, Tenn. Missouri’s home opener is Sept. 17 against Abilene Christian.

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