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Mizzou QB Brady Cook's unfathomable heroism sparks comeback win against Auburn football

By Andrew Hughes

Mizzou's Brady Cook was the hero in another unfathomable loss for Auburn football
Mizzou's Brady Cook was the hero in another unfathomable loss for Auburn football / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
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Missouri's Brady Cook was not supposed to come back into the game, after several quarters of Drew Pyne failing to make an impact in his stead, and bring the Tigers back in what would turn out to be a 21-17 win over Auburn football.

Mans plan and God laughs.

On SI's James Parks assessed Cook's odds of returning after an ankle injury in the first quarter as "unlikely."

"Missouri quarterback Brady Cook was declared unlikely to return after he left Saturday’s game against Auburn with an apparent ankle injury," Parks wrote.

Cook came back and looked completely unaffected by his injury. The result was 18 unanswered points and a fourth straight conference loss for Auburn.

Give credit to where it's due for the orange and blue: Payton Thorne looked just as tough as Cook's QB counterpart. Thorne looked like he'd be knocked out of the game in the third quarter after a big hit following a nine-yard run. Three defenders converged on him and the training staff tried to keep his head down. Many thought it was a concussion.

Thorne came back three plays later and threw a 47-yard touchdown to Cam Coleman. Gamer.

It was a battle of QBs that Mizzou got the best of, but Thorne put his best foot forward himself. 17/29 passing with one TD isn't elite counting stats, but calling his number so many times in the second half after taking a beating is elite toughness.

Thorne isn't to blame for this loss. He's one of the last guys who can be blamed.

Hugh Freeze is losing the public as Auburn football continues to lose

Hugh Freeze is rapidly losing the plot on the Plains. The Tigers can't win if they turn the ball over or if they don't. They blow leads. They don't make the heroic late game-winning drives themselves.

Losing to Mizzou was right on schedule. But being on a three or four-win pace isn't. Kentucky, Vanderbilt, ULM, Texas A&M, and Alabama are all live threats. Even finding another win can be tough.

Auburn needs to find a feel-good win or two in that group. Three wins would be a successful second half of the season. Making a bowl game is a minor miracle at this point.

This wasn't supposed to be the story for 2024. The plot went in a much different direction than it should've.

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