COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Harrison Mevis kicked a 30-garden field goal with five seconds remaining, and Brady Cook dinner concluded 20 of 34 passes for 326 yards and a touchdown to aid No. 11 Missouri rally past Florida 33-31 on Saturday evening.
“It’s what they brought me in this article to do,” Mevis said. “I’m an procedure kicker. I’m meant to go in and make these kicks for the group and aid us win. It’s a testament to the offense for putting me in posture to go do that.”
Cody Schrader carried the ball 23 situations for 148 yards and a touchdown, Luther Stress III caught 9 passes for 158 yards, and Mevis converted all four of his industry intention makes an attempt as Missouri (9-2, 5-2 SEC, No. 9 CFP) narrowly prevented dropping to an unranked opponent for the first time this year.
Montrell Johnson Jr. had 12 carries for 85 yards and Trevor Etienne ran 15 situations for 82 yards and a landing as Florida (5-6, 3-5) received 261 yards on 40 carries in its fourth straight decline.
Gators commencing quarterback Graham Mertz concluded 14 of 21 passes for 183 yards and two touchdowns with an interception before exiting with 2:09 remaining in the 3rd quarter with a non-displaced collarbone fracture.
Mertz left the field holding his collarbone after handing off to Johnson. Mertz appeared to hurt himself initiating contact with Missouri defenders Tre’Vez Johnson and Ennis Rakestraw Jr. on the past enjoy.
“He’ll be out for a minimal bit,” Florida mentor Billy Napier reported. “We’ll have more info no matter if it’s surgical or not. I assume right now the perception is it may well not be, but we’ll need to have to get a lot more photographs ahead of we make that final decision.”
Redshirt freshman Max Brown completed 4 of five passes for 56 yards in relief of Mertz and attained 42 yards on seven carries.
“Give Max some credit,” Napier claimed. “Max settled in there a minor little bit and made a couple of performs. Clearly, he’s a good athlete and we have been able to use his legs a small little bit and the read through activity. He made some throws as perfectly.”
Cook dinner linked with Load on a 27-property reception with Missouri struggling with fourth-and-17 from its very own 33-yard line with 38 seconds remaining to enable put the Tigers in subject-target assortment for Mevis.
“It’s Luther,” Cook dinner reported. “He’s finding more healthy and you can see that on the industry. He’s assured. He’s back again on the area making plays.”
Trey Smack kicked a 35-yard subject goal with 1:35 remaining to give Florida a 31-30 guide.
Etienne scored his next touchdown of the match on a 9-property run with 7:49 left to slash Missouri’s guide to 30-28.
Missouri went up 30-21 with 13:14 to go when Theo Wease Jr. hauled in a 77-property landing move from Cook two plays after Kristian Williams recovered a fumble by Brown as he attempted to hand off to Montrell Johnson Jr. at the Missouri 19-property line.
“I imagined it was truly massive, the takeaway in the crimson zone and then to rating to go up 9,″ Missouri mentor Eli Drinkwitz mentioned. “I truly felt like that may have been the dagger that set them absent. Defensively we were being just not regular tonight. We experienced them at the rear of the chains, we enable the quarterback scramble and they had been in a position to get the fourth down. We were being just definitely leaky in our run fits and we have bought a great deal of function to do this week to get that things fastened.”
Load hauled in a 48-garden reception from Prepare dinner with a roughing-the-passer penalty tacked on, but Florida’s defense held in the purple zone for the third time as Mevis kicked a 25-property industry intention to give Missouri a 23-21 direct with 3:53 remaining in the third quarter.
Florida pulled ahead 21-20 when Ricky Piersall scored on an end all over from 38 yards out.
Prepare dinner scored from within Florida’s 1-garden line with 8:53 remaining in the 3rd quarter to put Missouri back on top rated 20-14.
Etienne pulled in a 37-property landing reception with 11:54 to perform in the third to force Florida in advance 14-13.
Mevis related on a 38-property subject target with 1:49 still left in the initially half to extend Missouri’s lead to 13-10.
Missouri pulled in advance 10-7 immediately after Schrader ran unimpeded for 43 yards into the close zone on the Tigers’ next enjoy of the next quarter.
Mertz related with Eugene Wilson III on a 9-garden touchdown go to place Florida up 7-3 with 7:49 remaining in the very first quarter.
TAKEAWAY
Florida: The Gators struggled to regularly go the ball early but located achievement functioning it in the next half while becoming in a position to keep Missouri to two touchdowns in six red-zone attempts.
Missouri: The Tigers struggled at times defensively devoid of senior linebacker Ty’Ron Hopper but leaned on Schrader until finally Cook dinner started obtaining his groove in the passing activity.
“I was concerned mainly because of the emotion we experienced to participate in with the former two weeks,” Drinkwitz reported. “What I was concerned about was that lack of execution. I assume when we view the tape we’re going to see that we’re just a minimal bit of mis-execution away.”
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Missouri could go into the AP Prime 10 but will be tricky-pressed to shift up from ninth in the Faculty Football Playoff ranking.
UP Upcoming
Florida: Hosts rival Florida State subsequent Saturday night needing a gain to get paid bowl eligibility.
Missouri: Plays at Arkansas on Friday.
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