ORLANDO, Florida — Markus Golden watched from the sidelines as the clock counted down for the final minute.

Golden made his way onto the field with the rest of his teammates as the Tigers’ 33-17 victory went final, but then he felt someone tug at his arm. A Citrus Bowl staff member pulled him close and yelled over the cheering crowd.

“Markus you have to come with me,” the man said. “You’ve just been named the Citrus Bowl MVP.”

Golden jerked his head back and shot the man a confused look.

“Are you serious?”

He was serious, and Golden had done every bit of work to earn the award. In his final game in a Mizzou uniform, Golden racked up 10 tackles, four tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. He also forced a fumble on Minnesota’s first drive of the game.

“For me to get the MVP, it’s amazing,” Golden said. “It’s one of the best days of my life.”

Once on stage, Golden credited his fans, teammates and coaches for all of his success before being presented with his MVP trophy. But before he let any of that happen, Golden called his teammate, junior defensive end Shane Ray, onto the stage.

“That’s my brother,” Golden said of Ray. “I wanted him to be up there with me.”

Golden and Ray shared an emotional embrace after playing their final game together at Missouri.

Emotional moments were happening in the stands as well.

Clad in a No. 33 Missouri jersey was Golden’s mother, pointing to him teary-eyed from above.

Golden ends his career with 143 tackles and 16.5 sacks, putting him near the top of Missouri’s all-time record book. He was named a senior captain and earned a spot on the All-SEC Honorable Mention team following his senior season.

“It’s a blessing just to be a part of the Mizzou family and be out here playing,” Golden said. “Coming to Mizzou was the best thing that ever happened to me.”