The 2023 Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic between Missouri Tigers and Ohio State Buckeyes did not provide a lot of action during the first half. Both teams were not able to get much going offensively and still the defenses were impressive which led to a number of punts.
For the Buckeyes though there was only one scoring drive which was a field goal by Jayden Fielding, he also later missed a 48-yard field goal attempt in the third quarter. Quarterback Devin Brown left in the second quarter due to injury so freshman Lincoln Kienholz got his chance.
He ended up completing six of 17 passes for 86 yards and he lost a fumble late in the fourth quarter.
Offensively for the Tigers, nothing seemed to work. It then got worse after Buckeyes punter Jesse Mirco pinned the offense deep in their own territory. A touchdown drive did not seem plausible at this point.
Yet after picking up a first down on a third and seven, a 10-yard run by Cody Schrader, the momentum seemed to stall after a false start. Quarterback Brady Cook was unfazed and picked up 15 yards with his legs and took a big hit at the end of the run. The turning point of the game came when Luther Burden III was used as a decoy which led to a 50 yard completion to Marquis Johnson.
After both teams were penalized on back-to-back snaps, Cook ran again for eight yards, and Schrader finished the drive off with a seven yard touchdown run.
On the ensuing possession for Ohio State, Kienholz seemingly was finding a rhythm. As Emeka Egbuka came up with a 25 yard reception, Gee Scott Jr caught one for eight yards. The drive ended up stalling resulting in another punt.
Missouri once again was pinned deep in their own territory. Once again, the offense had an answer. This time it took 13 plays to go 91 yards, capped off with a seven yard touchdown reception by Burden III.
Overall Schrader came alive in the fourth quarter and finished with 29 carries for 128 yards and the aforementioned touchdown, Cook completed only 11 passes on 18 attempts, he did have the one touchdown, Johnson had the most receiving yards for the Tigers at 50 yards, and Theo Wease Jr led the way in receptions with four for 43 yards.
Tonight’s 14-3 victory over the Buckeyes marked the Tigers first bowl win since 2015.