Chizzy Sandala- 23 Sports
After 34 years, the Missouri Tigers went on the road to Chestnut Hill to take on the Boston College Eagles. The game marked the first time the Eagles hosted an SEC team since 1987 when they hosted Tennessee.
The Eagles won the game in overtime 41-34 with a game-ending interception.
In the first quarter, the Tigers came out strong with a pick on the first play by safety Shawn Robinson and a 9-yard touchdown to Barrett Banister. Boston College came back with a 67-yard rushing touchdown by running back Pat Garwo lll.
Mizzou answered back to tie the game with a 38-yard flea-flicker to Tauskie Dove. That set up running back Tyler Badie to score a touchdown. The Tigers held a 14-7 lead going into the second quarter.
The second quarter tested the problem of the season for the Tigers: the defense’s ability to stop the run. Boston College scored on a 7-yard touchdown drive by Jaden Williams that tied the game 14-14.
The Eagles defense played well once the Tigers gained possession of the ball, so Harrison Mevis had to kick a 28-yard field goal for Mizzou. This gave Missouri the lead in this back-and-forth battle in Chestnut Hill. The Tigers defense was determined to stop the Eagles offense from scoring again before halftime.
Columbia native safety Martez Manuel and Linebacker Blaze Alldredge sacked the quarterback on third down. That left the Eagles to either punt or attempt a field goal. The Eagles decided to have Connor Lytton kick the 49-yard field goal. The successful attempt was a career-best for Lytton.
The score was tied 17-17 entering halftime. The real challenge for the Tigers opened in the third quarter.
Boston College dominated the time of possession by holding the ball for 13:42 in the third quarter alone. That gave the Eagles the chance to score a 3-yard touchdown by Garwo lll and take a 24-17 lead.
Once the Tigers finally got their chance to shine, it didn’t go so well. Bazelak waited too long to throw the ball, leaving wide receiver Barret Banister wide open downfield. Boston College cornerback Josh DeBerry picked off Bazelak’s throw. The Tigers defense showed some strength to stop a potential touchdown and left Lytton to kick a 31-yard field goal making the score 27-17.
The Tigers began to shine in the fourth quarter when walk-on running back Mike Cox scored a 1-yard touchdown to make the score 27-24, Boston College. Cox made his debut last game against SEMO when he rushed for a 55-yard touchdown.
In the next play sequence, Mizzou’s defense brought the heat with a great stop by McGuire on the first down, linebacker Devin Nicholas brought pressure on second down, and third down saw pressure from the Tigers on a corner blitz nearly getting to the quarterback, Dennis Grosel.
The offense matched the energy on secondary with an 8-yard touchdown made by Badie putting the Tigers back in the game, 31-27.
Once again, the defense couldn’t stop the run on Levy and he scored a 5-yard touchdown making the score 34-31.
The pressure was on for the Missouri offense to either kick a field goal to tie up the game or score a touchdown to take home the win. The Eagle’s defense made it hard for the Tigers to score, so they decided to kick a field goal with only 3 seconds left in the fourth.
Mevis kicked the game saving 56-yard field goal for a career best and sent the game into overtime, 34-34.
In overtime, Boston College took possession of the ball first and Zay Flowers scored a 10-yard touchdown to take a 41-34 lead. Overtime came to an end on the first play for Mizzou.
Bazelak threw his second interception of the game leaving the Eagles with a win over the Tigers. The final score of the game was 41-34.
The Tigers return home to host its first SEC game this season in Columbia on Saturday, October 2 against the Tennessee Volunteers.
