KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — There's no way Tennessee could duplicate last year's annihilation of Missouri, right?
Wrong.
On a chilly, overcast day along the Tennessee River, No. 5 Tennessee kept Mizzou hanging around for a while before drowning the Tigers’ chances in the second half. The Volunteers scored 38 unanswered points in the second half and eclipsed last year's lopsided score, beating Mizzou, 66-24, at Neyland Stadium. The Vols won last year's game in Columbia, 62-24.
A week after extending the contracts of coach Eli Drinkwitz and defensive coordinator Blake Baker, Mizzou gave up 724 yards of offense, a Tennessee single-game record.
This time, the decisive blow came midway through the third quarter. Just 25 seconds after Brady Cook’s beauty of a touchdown pass to Dominic Lovett got the Tigers back within four points, the Volunteers (9-1 ,5-1 SEC) countered with the kind of lightning strike that’s come to define the nation’s most prolific offense. Two plays later, Vols All-American receiver candidate Jailin Hyatt scored on a 65-yard touchdown pass.
The Tigers (4-6, 2-5) never recovered and now must sweep their final two games against New Mexico State and Arkansas to secure bowl eligibility and avoid their first losing regular-season record since 2016.
On a day Cook delivered three touchdown drives and rushed for a career-best 113 yards, it wasn’t nearly enough to overcome Tennessee’s suffocating attack. For the first time all year, Missouri’s defense looked overwhelmed, both by UT’s unrelenting tempo and the Vols’ elite class of playmakers. The Tigers turned it over just once but committed a season-high 13 penalties for 115 yards.
Mizzou hit rock bottom on Rocky Top midway through the fourth quarter when once again Eli Drinkwitz put backup quarterback Tyler Macon under center to handle a fourth-and-1 snap to draw the Vols offside. The Tigers did it earlier in the game, and as usual, instead took a delay of game penalty. This time, Macon actually took the snap and disaster unfolded. He tossed back to tailback Elijah Young and the Knoxville native bobbled the ball not once but twice then gave it to a Tennessee defender for the game’s first turnover.
Here are three major turning points of the game:
Mizzou defense suffers rare stumbles
Tennessee’s tempo gave the Tigers trouble from the start. The Vols gained three first downs on a lightning-fast first possession and down in the red zone drew multiple penalties from the Tigers as a direct result of their tempo. Defensive end D.J. Coleman tried running off the field for a substitution but he was flagged for being offside and for an illegal substitution. From the 10-yard line on the next snap, Jabari Small jogged 10 yards untouched for the game’s first score.
When the Tigers couldn’t get pressure up the front, Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker picked through Mizzou’s defense with ease. The Vols’ fourth TD drive covered 75 yards and lasted only 102 seconds, ending with Hooker’s 15-yard scoring run.
Tennessee’s four first-half touchdowns matched Kansas State for the most offensive TDs the Tigers have allowed in a game all season.
After Mizzou got within a score of the Vols to open the third quarter, Tennessee’s tempo and pre-snap caught the Tigers off guard again as Hyatt leaked into the flat completely uncovered and took a short Hooker pass 68 yards for a touchdown.
Signs of life from Mizzou’s offense
A few plays after going over 100 rushing yards for the day, Cook uncorked what might have been the best pass of his college career. With Lovett in single coverage to the right, Cook hit him in stride for a 38-yard touchdown strike, getting the Tigers within striking distance of the Vols.
There were promising stretches for Drinkwitz’s offense.
Mizzou took advantage of the game’s first big mistake. With 2:02 left, the Tigers stalled in the red zone and elected for a short field goal, but UT’s Aaron Beasley lined up offside on the kick, giving the Tigers new life from the 4-yard line. A play later Luther Burden dashed in behind a couple blocks on the outside for a game-tying touchdown run.
Mizzou managed some successful drives throughout the first half and squeezed three points out of the final minute thanks to a Cook 40-yard run deep into UT territory. But as usual, the Tigers made things hard on themselves in the red zone. As the clock ticked away in, Cook spiked the ball to stop the clock rather than burn a timeout to set up another offensive play with five seconds left. The Tigers settled for a Harrison Mevis 32-yard field goal to head into the locker room down 28-17.
Fourth down ups and downs
Tennessee came into the weekend leading the SEC with 24 fourth-down conversion attempts and padded its lead in the first half alone. The Vols tried going for an early kill shot on fourth and 4 in field-goal range, but Mizzou made the Vols pay for the early bravado as D.J. Coleman sacked Hooker for the turnover on downs. Vols coach Josh Heupel passed on another field goal on UT’s next fourth down to open the fourth quarter as Hooker connected with Hyatt for a 30-yard gain down the seam against Mizzou’s soft coverage, setting up Jaylen Wright’s 3-yard TD run on the next snap. Just a few plays earlier Mizzou cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr. dropped an interception when safety Joseph Charleston collided with him downfield.
Late in the second quarter it was Mizzou’s time for a rare fourth-down gamble. Having already tried to draw the Vols offside on fourth-and-1 with Macon under center, the Tigers tried a more conventional approach later in the quarter on fourth-and-1: Cook’s play-action pass found Tauskie Dove between a pair of Vols defenders and the senior wideout pulled away for the rest, a 43-yard touchdown catch, his first TD since 2020.
Later in the second quarter, the Tigers had a dreadful time for a three-and-out series, but Drinkwitz declined attempting a fourth-and-1 around midfield, giving UT the ball back with 2:35 left.
