“Brady Cook: ‘The Buck Stops Here’ – Mizzou QB Gets Brutally Honest About Game Performance”

Despite earning the win, the Missouri Tigers’ offense was not satisfied with its performance in the 30-27 double-overtime victory.

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Brady Cook took his time against Vanderbilt, allowing the offensive line to fend off the Commodores while he surveyed the field and adapted his strategy.

It wasn’t until overtime that Cook linked up with receiver Luther Burden III for a crucial game-tying touchdown. This reliable duo ultimately worked in favor of the Missouri Tigers, along with a field goal in double-overtime that sealed the victory.

Cook’s patience paid off, enabling him to complete long passes that had previously posed challenges. He acknowledged past struggles with timing and overthrows.

Ahead of the game, Cook addressed these concerns. “We all know we haven’t created as many explosive plays as we should,” he said in a Tuesday press conference. “It starts with me. We need to focus on getting better reps on explosive pass plays in practice on Tuesday and Wednesday and run them at full speed to improve our timing.”

Staying calm under pressure, Cook made critical plays, including a 20-yard completion to Burden for the Tigers’ first touchdown and a 25-yard strike for the final touchdown, right on his first attempt in overtime.

“They just kept fighting for each other,” said Tigers coach Eli Drinkwitz after the game. “They kept saying they had each other’s back. I’m proud of those guys.”

Even after the win, Cook expressed his disappointment during the postgame conference. He recognized that he wasn’t flawless and was quick to admit it.

“We need to take a hard look at the Missouri Tigers’ performance,” Drinkwitz said regarding the upcoming bye week. “We need to understand why we’re struggling on third downs in the red zone, missing field goals, missing tackles, and making assignment mistakes.”

The Tigers faced difficulties in the red zone, failing to convert several scoring opportunities, with many drives ending in field goal attempts. Statistically, Missouri should have had an easier game.

“There’s no reason we should be settling for field goals when we’re in the red zone,” Cook stated. “We’ve got to find a way to get the ball into the end zone.”

He added, “I’m a bit disappointed with my performance and the offense’s performance. But at the end of the day, we found a way to win.”

The Tigers had several opportunities with favorable field position during the game but managed to score only four times. Even with successful long passes and big runs from the offense, they struggled to generate more consistent scoring.

They hope to improve that moving forward.

“The days after the game will involve a lot of tape review,” Cook said. “I’ll be watching over and over to understand how I can improve and how we can score more touchdowns overall.

“It starts with me.”