COLUMBIA, Mo. — Missouri quarterback Brady Cook returned from a midgame trip to the hospital to have an MRI exam on his ailing ankle and led his team to two fourth-quarter touchdowns, including the go-ahead run by Jamal Roberts with 46 seconds remaining that gave the Tigers a 21-17 victory over Auburn on Saturday. Cook was hurt on the opening series and did not return until late in the third quarter, after his hospital trip and a session in the nearby indoor practice facility, where Missouri coaches wanted to see whether his ankle could properly function.
"It was a long hour-and-a-half for sure. I did not think I was going to come back to play in the game. My stuff was off, my pads were off," Cook said later.
"Ultimately, I realized I had 2 1/2 games left to play in Faurot Field. We were going to find a way." The comeback began with Auburn leading 17-6, and Cook hit Mookie Cooper with a 78-yard pass, setting up Marcus Carroll's TD run.
Then, as time was slipping away, Cook led a legacy-making drive that kept his team's College Football Playoff hopes alive. Taking over at his own 5-yard line, and with 4:26 to go, Cook converted one third down by running on his sore ankle, then hit Luther Burden III on fourth-and-5 for another first down. Cook hit Wease later in the drive on third-and-10, then found Mekhi Miller inside the 10-yard line with just over a minute to go, setting up Roberts' go-ahead touchdown run.
"He could have sat out and watched the game from the sideline, or o.