Zion Young returned a fumble 17 yards for a touchdown with just 22 seconds left, helping Missouri defeat Oklahoma 30-23 on Saturday night.
Triston Newson sacked Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold, knocking the ball loose. Young, a defensive end, grabbed the ball and ran it in for the game-winning score.
“It was a surreal moment,” Young said. “There was no one around the ball.”
Missouri’s quarterback Drew Pyne stepped in for the injured Brady Cook and threw for 143 yards in his first start for the Tigers (7-2, 3-2 Southeastern Conference). Pyne passed for three touchdowns in the second half, including two to former Oklahoma receiver Theo Wease Jr.
The second half was a strong recovery for Pyne. Missouri’s longest drive in the first half was only 24 yards.
“At halftime, we kind of just said we’re just going to go all out,” Pyne 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 struggled after throwing three interceptions in relief of Cook two weeks ago during a 34-0 loss at Alabama. Instead, he showed determination. Tigers coach Eli Drinkwitz stood by Pyne after that tough performance and praised him again after the win 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.”
Oklahoma (5-5, 1-5) led 9-3 at halftime after three field goals by Zach Schmit, including a 56-yard kick as time expired in the first half. That field goal was a career-long for Schmit and tied the third-longest field goal in school history.
However, Oklahoma made too many mistakes, fumbling six times and losing four of them.
“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 after a turnover by Oklahoma, giving Missouri a 16-9 lead with just under nine minutes left in the fourth quarter before the game got even more intense.
Oklahoma’s Taylor Tatum threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to Arnold, tying the game at 16.
On the next Missouri possession, Oklahoma linebacker Sammy Omosigho stripped the ball from Missouri running back Jamal Roberts, and Billy Bowman Jr. of Oklahoma picked up the fumble and returned it 43 yards for a touchdown.
Wease’s second touchdown, a 10-yard catch with 1:03 remaining, tied the game at 23 and set up the dramatic final play. Wease said it was especially meaningful to have a big 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.”
