When kicker Harrison Mevis’ 61-yard boot went through the uprights as time expired in regulation, Faurot Field erupted. The kick not only secured a 30-27 win for Missouri football over Kansas State, it was also the longest kick in SEC history. 

Before Mevis trotted out to the field for his record-setting kick, he received a pep talk from the team’s starting quarterback and leader, Brady Cook.

Cook described the talk to reporters after the game.

“I told him right before the kick: ‘Listen, you’ve been doing this your whole life. This is your opportunity,’” Cook said. “I was just on a knee, watching. I just could not believe it.” 

The kick was made possible by a commanding offensive drive led by Cook. Before the game, when the junior quarterback was announced through the P.A. as the starter, the sold out crowd responded with loud boos. 

Following the game, head coach Eli Drinkwitz voiced his displeasure for the pregame jeers directed at Cook.

“I’ll be honest, it pissed me off that everyone booed the starting quarterback,” Drinkwitz said. “And he went out there and played his butt off for this University and this team. [The fanbase] needs to get behind him.” 

Delivering in many crucial moments and ending the day with 357 yards and three touchdowns, Cook silenced any remaining doubters.

Playing through an ankle injury that he suffered late in the first half, Cook’s toughness and leadership was on full display. His first touchdown of the day – a 47 yard rainbow to sophomore wide receiver Luther Burden III – set the tone for the remainder of the game. 

Burden, who finished the afternoon with seven catches for 114 yards and two touchdowns, spoke about his quarterback’s perseverance after the game.

“I knew he had it in him,” Burden said. “He’s never going to give in.”

The Tigers’ prolific offensive performance was complemented by a great showing from their defense. Two of the standouts from the group were senior linebacker Ty’Ron Hopper and junior defensive-back Kris Abrams-Draine. On Missouri’s second defensive drive, Hopper rushed in the face of Wildcat’s quarterback Will Howard, causing him to throw an interception directly into the hands of Abrams-Draine. 

The defense allowed a touchdown on their first drive, but stepped up in the most crucial moments, holding Kansas State to only a field goal in the final quarter.

Their most important stop of the day came when Kansas State was threatening to take the lead with just 3:46 remaining in regulation. After a back-and-forth offensive battle, the game was tied at 27. Allowing the Wildcats to score a touchdown would’ve likely ended the game. However, on third-and-15, senior defensive back Joseph Charleston made a tackle 14 yards short of the line to gain at Kansas State’s 46 yard line, forcing the Wildcats to punt the ball back to the Tigers.

After the punt, just 1:25 remained and the game lied solely in the hands of the Missouri offense. A methodical 38-yard drive gave Mevis the opportunity to win the game for Missouri. As the ball traveled through the goalposts, a group of fans in disbelief jumped over the brick walls and stormed the field. Their team had just beaten a ranked opponent for the very first time since 2018 and it was against a team that they had been embarrassed by last year in a 40-12 defeat. 

After the game, Drinkwitz, Cook and Mevis all spoke of a common theme: redemption.

Mevis’ 2023 season has been off to a rocky start. In the first two games of the season, the senior missed two field goals and one extra point. Even in Saturday’s game, he missed a 53-yard kick in the second quarter. Additionally, the former all-conference kicker had the opportunity to win last year’s game against Auburn on a 26-yard kick but missed wide right. After his kick on Saturday, a herd of Mevis’ teammates piled around him to celebrate.

Cook’s performance spoke for itself, sending a clear message back to anyone who had doubted him. 

As Drinkwitz said after the game, “redemption is a beautiful thing.”

Edited by Quentin Corpuel | qcorpuel@themaneater.com 

Copy Edited by Sterling Sewell | ssewell@themaneater.com 

Edited by Sophie Rentschler | srentschler@themaneater.com