“It was a crazy day”: Mizzou QB Brady Cook recalls a thrilling win following a devastating midgame injury

One of Brady Cook’s best performances at Missouri came in October against Auburn. The quarterback got injured in the opening series and couldn't make a return until late in the third quarter when his team was down by 11 points.

Cook orchestrated two drives in the fourth quarter that resulted in a touchdown, with Missouri pulling away with a 21-17 win at home. The quarterback was questioned about how he pulled that off on the “Up & Adams” show on Tuesday.

“It was a crazy day,” Cook said. “It was homecoming at that point. It was my third-to-last game in Faurot. On the first drive, I hurt my ankles on a hip drop tackle and I knew immediately it was definitely going to be an issue. And I was off the field for about two hours.

“Honestly, I didn't know the score. I didn't know what was going on. We literally just spent the whole two hours finding a way to get my ankles right and go back on that field. We finally did, and I ran back out there, and I knew we weren't going to lose that game.

“As soon as my ankle got ready to go, I knew it. I popped the guys up. They were ready; they rallied around me, and we found a way. It was a special day. One of the longest games of my career, probably. ... It was cool.”

Brady Cook ended with 194 passing yards despite playing less than two quarters. The matchup exemplified his importance to Missouri in his three years as starting quarterback under Eli Drinkwitz.

Brady Cook was determined to write history in the game

Brady Cook gave a glimpse of the experience while his injury was getting examined on the “Up & Adams” show. The quarterback had to get an update on what was going on in the game from the medical staff and built the determination to go back and write some history right there.

“I literally sat in the MRI machine for 45 minutes,” Cook said. “It's terrible. I was there for about 45 minutes during the second and third quarters. And you can't have your phone there, obviously. You don't know what's going on in the game.

“I was asking for updates through headphones, the one you put on during MRI. So, the nurse back there was giving me an update. I remember staring at the ceiling of the MRI machine, ‘I'm going to find a way to come back and win this game, and the story is going to be told forever.'”

The memory of the Auburn game will remain for years in the minds of Mizzou fans, considering how the win came. It was also a perfect way for Brady Cook to enshrine his name in their heart as his tenure with the program was running down to an end.