Brady Cook threw for a touchdown and ran for another, helping No. 6 Missouri defeat No. 24 Boston College 27-21 on Saturday.
Nate Noel rushed for 121 yards for the Tigers (3-0), who were down 14-3 early in the second quarter. Blake Craig kicked four field goals during the game.
“Was not pretty, wasn’t our best performance top to bottom but really responded,” said Tigers coach Eli Drinkwitz. “We hadn’t been challenged all year and (I) was concerned with so many new faces about what that response would be. Today I think you saw a team that’s committed to each other, a team that responds, a team that’s never out of the fight.”
Cook completed 21 of 30 passes for 264 yards. He threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Luther Burden III with 3:04 left in the first half, and Noel tied the game at 14 with a successful 2-point conversion.
Cook’s 6-yard touchdown run gave Missouri a 24-14 lead in the third quarter, and Craig added a 31-yard field goal with 5:58 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Thomas Castellanos threw for 249 yards and three touchdowns for Boston College (2-1), but he also threw two interceptions. The Eagles managed only 49 rushing yards on 26 carries.
Castellanos and Boston College started strong with a 14-play, 75-yard drive on their first possession. Castellanos connected with Jerand Bradley on a 12-yard touchdown pass to make it 7-0 with 7:31 left in the first quarter.
Eagles coach Bill O’Brien praised Castellanos, who used his mobility to extend plays against Missouri’s defense.
“We’re lucky to have Tommy,” O’Brien said. “We’re in the game because of Tommy and some of those plays that he made. He knows that he’s got to execute better, make better decisions, more consistent decisions, and he’ll do that.”
