Missouri Triumphs in Defensive Showdown: Recap of the 88th Cotton Bowl Classic

After all of the fanfare, after all of the speculation about who is playing and who is in the transfer portal, the 88 th annual Cotton Bowl Classic was kicked off and we finally got to some football. Missouri won the coin toss and chose to defer to the 2 nd half, Ohio State chose to receive to start the game. The Buckeyes started with an uninspired 3 and out with Devon Brown looking a little nervous to start the game. Missouri had mild success on their first drive, picking up one first down before having to punt it away to the Buckeyes. The Tigers and Buckeyes traded punts for the next few drives before Ohio State finally broke through to start the scoring at the 3:17 mark of the first quarter with a 44 yard field goal off the foot of Jayden Fielding. After the ensuing kick off the Tigers had some success moving the ball but the drive stalled out and they were forced to kick the ball back to the Buckeyes. The first quarter ended after one play from the Buckeyes with the score Ohio State 3, Missouri 0, but it was a costly quarter for the Buckeyes as Devon Brown was hobbled after a sack by the Tigers and struggled to get back on the field. TraVeyon Henderson carried the load for the Buckeyes with 45 yards rushing at the end of the first quarter. Cody Schrader was the most productive player for the Tigers with 22 yards rushing to end the quarter.

The defensive battle continued in the second half of the 88th Cotton Bowl Classic. After punts by both teams Lincoln Kienholz entered the game at quarterback for Ohio State with 8:41 left in the quarter as Devon Brown was unable to shake off the lower leg injury he suffered in the first quarter. The Tigers controlled field position in the second quarter with the Buckeyes average drive starting at their own 7.5 yard line. Give credit to the Buckeye defense for holding Missouri scoreless for the first 30 minutes, with the offense sputtering they stepped up and shut down Brady Cook and Cody Schrader.

The second half started much the same way as the first half. Both teams struggled to move the ball and score points. The third quarter was another battle of the defenses and the punters. Lincoln Kienholz remained at quarterback for the Buckeyes but his inexperience was evident as he struggled to run the offense effectively. His job was made even more difficult by an aggressive, blitzing defensive scheme put together by Missouri defensive coordinator, Blake Baker. Kienholz was unable to get settled in the pocket and the Buckeye offense continued to struggle. On the opposite side Tigers quarterback, Brady Cook was starting to settle into a rhythm. He was hurting the Buckeyes with his legs on both timely scrambles as well as designed quarterback runs. Late in the 3 rd quarter he was also starting to sync up with his receivers and the Missouri offense was showing signs of life. The Tiger offense had put together a solid drive that started at their own 5 yard line to end the 3 rd quarter and put themselves into scoring position. The third quarter ended with the score still 3-0 in favor of the Buckeyes.

The fourth quarter started with the first touchdown of the game. Missouri running back Cody Schrader punched it into the endzone from 7 yards out to put the Tigers up 7-3. After the ensuing kickoff the Buckeyes put together one of their most productive drives of the game, but ultimately it stalled out on Missouri 40 yard line and the Buckeyes were forced to punt once again. Missouri was pinned inside the 10 once again by Buckeye punter Jesse Mirco but by this point the Tiger offense was firing on all cylinders and the Buckeye defense was showing signs of fatigue from all of their time on the field. The Tigers marched the ball 91 yards for a game clinching touchdown on a 7 yard pass from Cook to wide receiver Luther Burden. Missouri Kicker Harrison Mevis tacked on the extra point and the Tigers took and insurmountable 14-3 lead with 5:12 left in the 4 th quarter. The Buckeye last ditch attempt to make a run at Missouri ended with a sack and Kienholz fumble on an excellent defensive play by defensive back Daylan Carnell. The Tigers were able to run out the clock and end the game to become the 2023 Cotton Bowl Classic Champs.

It was a long, frustrating night for the Buckeyes who came to Dallas with a different offense than Buckeye fans were used to seeing all year. One bright spot for the Buckeyes was Junior defensive end Jack Sawyer who finished the game with 3 sacks. The Tigers on the other hand came into the Cotton Bowl focused and had all hands on deck. They weathered the slug fest with the Buckeye defense until they were finally able to break through and start scoring some points. Head Coach Eliah Drinkwitz did an excellent job preparing his team and keeping them focused against a formidable Buckeye defense. All in all it was a great night for the Missouri Tigers and I expect this win will be a springboard for them to start planning for another great season in 2024.