Beau Pribula passed for 252 yards and rushed for the winning touchdown as No. 16 Missouri defeated Auburn 23-17 in overtime Saturday night in Auburn, Ala.
Ahmad Hardy rushed for two touchdowns as Missouri (6-1, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) kept its College Football Playoff hopes alive.
Jackson Arnold passed for 207 yards and rushed for a touchdown as Auburn (3-4, 0-4 SEC) lost for the 12th time in 13 games against a ranked opponent during Hugh Freeze’s coaching regime.
Jeremiah Cobb rushed for 111 yards for Auburn and Cam Coleman caught six passes for 108 yards. But Alex McPherson missed three field goal attempts in four tries.
Cobb’s 23-yard run got Auburn rolling toward McPherson’s 22-yard field goal as Auburn increased its lead to 17-10 with 10:31 left in the game.
Two Auburn penalties on one play — pass interference and personal foul — gave Missouri its chance to tie the game. Hardy capitalized with a 3-yard touchdown run with 5:07 left.
In overtime, McPherson missed a 50-yard field goal try, then Robert Meyer missed from 38 yards. After Pribula’s 3-yard touchdown run put Missouri up 23-17, Auburn failed to score on its ensuing possession to cement the game.
Auburn marched 75 yards on the game’s first possession to move ahead 7-0. A pass interference penalty on Missouri on fourth-and-2 midfield prolonged the drive, then Arnold capped it with a 1-yard touchdown run.
Missouri cut its deficit to 7-3 by converting Toriano Pride Jr.’s interception into Meyer’s 24-yard field goal.
Hardy’s 17-yard run got Missouri rolling on a 65-yard touchdown drive, which Hardy capped with a 2-yard run for a 10-7 lead.
Missouri had an opportunity to extend its lead late in the first half, but Kayin Lee intercepted Pribula’s pass at the Auburn 7-yard line with 2:28 left.
Auburn could have tied the game before the half ended, but McPherson missed from 40 yards with 6 seconds left.
Cobb broke a 41-yard run in the third quarter to give Auburn another scoring opportunity, but McPherson hit the right upright from 38 yards out,
Auburn moved 86 yards on 12 plays to take a 14-10 lead with 35 seconds left in the third quarter. Omar Mabson II capped the drive with a 1-yard TD run.
–Field Level Media
