COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Zion Young returned a fumble 17 yards for a touchdown with 22 seconds remaining as Missouri stunned Oklahoma 30-23 on Saturday night.
Triston Newson sacked Oklahoma’s Jackson Arnold and knocked the ball loose. Young, a defensive end, picked it up and raced in for the score.
“It was a surreal moment,” Young said. “There was no one around the ball.”
Missouri quarterback Drew Pyne filled in for the injured Brady Cook and passed for 143 yards in his first start for the Tigers (7-2, 3-2 Southeastern Conference). He threw three touchdown passes in the second half, including two to former Oklahoma receiver Theo Wease Jr.
The second half was a rebound for Pyne. Missouri’s longest drive in the first half was a mere 24 yards.
“At halftime, we kind of just said we’re just going to go all out,” he said. “I felt really good, and I said I’m just going to do whatever I possibly can. We’ve talked about it all week — whatever it takes. Whatever it takes to win this game.”
Pyne could have fallen apart. He threw three interceptions in relief of Cook two weeks ago in a 34-0 loss at Alabama.
Instead, he showed resolve. Tigers coach Eli Drinkwitz defended Pyne following his performance against the Crimson Tide, and he doubled down after the victory over Oklahoma.
“He goes out there and delivers in the keyest moments in the fourth quarter after fans having been booing,” Drinkwitz said. “He just goes out there and delivers. That’s the thing I love about this team, is we love you all when you’re cheering for us, and when you’re not, we just keep on rolling. We’re gritty. We’re really, really gritty.”
The Sooners (5-5, 1-5) led 9-3 at halftime on three field goals by Zach Schmit, including a 56-yarder as time expired to end the first half. That marked a career-long by Schmit, and ties the third-long field goal in school history.
But the Sooners made too many mistakes to win. They fumbled six times and lost four.
“In the second half, I thought our guys fought with everything they had, and it wasn’t good enough,” Oklahoma coach Brent Venables said. “We’ve (coaches) got to do a better job to help them.
Pyne connected with Brett Norfleet for a 5-yard touchdown following a Sooners turnover, giving the Tigers a 16-9 lead with just under nine minutes remaining in the fourth quarter before things got weird.
Arnold caught an 18-yard touchdown pass from running back Taylor Tatum to tie the game at 16. On the ensuing Missouri drive, Sooners linebacker Sammy Omosigho poked the ball away from Missouri running back Jamal Roberts, and Oklahoma’s Billy Bowman Jr. picked up the fumble and ran it back for a 43-yard touchdown.
Wease’s second touchdown catch, a 10-yarder with 1:03 remaining, tied the score at 23 and set up the final sequence. He said it was special to have that kind of performance against his former team.
“I still got a lot of friends over there,” he said. ‘It’s definitely competitive, still friendly, competitive, but just being there for four years, and going through what I went through there — I really just wanted to put everything on the line tonight, just to win for the team.”
Takeaways
Oklahoma: This was a tough loss for a team that now will need to beat LSU or Alabama to become bowl eligible. The seat just got hotter for Venables.
Missouri: Wease provided a spark when the Tigers needed it most, proving pivotal to three Tigers’ scoring drives. He’s become a key part of the Missouri offense with 90 catches for 1,234 yards and nine touchdowns in 22 games for the Tigers.
Rivalry renewed
The two teams hadn’t met since 2011 after Missouri departed the Big 12 for the SEC. With the Sooners joining the Tigers in the conference this season, the two teams resumed a rivalry that went the Sooners way much more often than not. Oklahoma still leads the head-to-head matchup 67-25-5.
Up next
Oklahoma: The Sooners have a bye week before hosting No. 11 Alabama on Nov. 23.
Missouri: The Tigers visit South Carolina next Saturday in the battle for the Mayor’s Cup.
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