Down two points in the fourth quarter, Missouri coach Gary Pinkel elected to go for it.

Sophomore quarterback Maty Mauk led his team to the line to attempt a two-point conversion. Mauk shuffled to the side to bark at his offensive line and amidst the confusion — or feigned version of such — senior running back Marcus Murphy took a direct snap in the backfield.

Murphy rolled out to the left and pitched it to senior receiver Bud Sasser. Sasser ran it to the right side and scanned the field for an open target. With a hungry Arkansas defense closing in, Sasser threw a dart to senior receiver Darius White in the back corner of the end zone.

“When those things work, they’re great calls,” Pinkel said.

Sasser helped the Tigers rally for a 21-14 win over the Razorbacks in front of a sellout crowd at Memorial Stadium. With the victory, Missouri passed Georgia on the Southeastern Conference East totem pole and clinched a second consecutive division title.

“To see the journey we’ve been on this year and to see how we’ve fought in every game is very rewarding,” Sasser said. “Nothing can top that feeling.”

This wasn’t the first time Sasser had completed a big pass. A year ago in Athens, he threw the game-clinching touchdown to L’Damian Washington on a similar trick play. Sasser maintained his team-best 100 percent completion rate with his successful conversion.

“I saw those guys open and the first thing in my mind was ‘two for two,’” Sasser said, laughing. “I don’t know which one was bigger. I liked both of them.”

Sasser saved one of his best games of the season for last with nine receptions for 127 yards against Arkansas. Both were team highs and would be career bests, if not for his 12 catches and 153 yard performance against Indiana.

He and Mauk have come a long way since then and he credits their long journey together for his senior day success.

“Maty don’t let that stuff get to him,” Sasser said. “He had a down period, but he knew that. He was just trying to fight his way out of a slump and so were we. It wasn’t just Maty. Once we were all able to get past those negatives, everything started to work out.”

Mauk too had one of his best performances tonight, completing 25 of 42 passes for 265 yards and a touchdown.

He praised Sasser’s playmaking ability and credits him for the team’s big win.

“When the game is heated like that, who’s going to make a play? Who’s it going to come down to?” Mauk said. “Our guys made plays and that’s what it comes down to … That’s the law of being a playmaker.”

As the game clock began to wind down and the crowd screamed in excitement, Sasser retreated to the back of the Tigers’ sideline and took a knee. As cheers surrounded him, he closed his eyes and tried to choke back the tears.

“It’s extremely hard,” Sasser said. “Just to see the journey we’ve been on this year and to see how we’ve fought in every game is very rewarding. Nothing can top that feeling.”

Hoards of Missouri faithful stormed onto the field. Sasser made his way towards the Rock M and climbed atop the brick sidewall. He celebrated with fellow senior receivers White and Jimmie Hunt, signed a few autographs for future Tigers and snagged a souvenir: a whitewashed rock of his own.

While Ray Charles’ “Georgia On My Mind” played over the sound system, Sasser disappeared with his prize into a sea of black and gold, with a return trip to Atlanta on his mind.