Mizzou Defense Saves Best Performance for Last, Holds Ohio State to Three
In this story:
After Missouri Tigers wide receiver Luther Burden III stole a page from Lebron James book by performing the Ohio native's 'silencer' celebration following a touchdown, the Cotton Bowl was in the hands of the Missouri defense. Burden's touchdown had put the Tigers up 14-3 with just 5:12 remaining. One more stop on the Ohio State defense would likely secure a victory for Missouri.
For Burden, there was no doubt in his defense.
"We knew they (the Buckeyes) couldn't score," Burden said after the game.
The sophomore's confidence came from two things — the weakened personnel of the Buckeyes' offense and the dominance from the Missouri defense.
Ohio State was down to its third-string quarterback, freshman Lincoln Kienholz, after starter Kyle McCord had transferred to Syracuse and sophomore Devin Brown had suffered a leg injury in the second quarter. The Buckeyes were also without superstar wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., who had opted out for the bowl game.
Additionally, the Missouri defense had completely shut down the Ohio State offense for nearly the entire game. The Buckeyes gained only 203 total yards, the Buckeyes' fewest since November 21 of 2015 when a J.T Barrett led team only gained 132 yards in a 14-17 loss to Michigan State. Against Missouri, Ohio State's only points came on a field goal in the first quarter, making Friday's Cotton Bowl the Buckeyes' lowest scoring performance since they were shutout by Clemson in the 2016 playoff semifinals.
"The story of the game is how hard our defense played," Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz said. "Refused to give in. Refused to blame or place blame. Stick together, and then our offense just kept chopping wood."
Burden's confidence was validated when eight plays after his touchdown, Kienholz was mauled by defensive back Daylan Carnell. The ball flopped out of Kienholz's hands. Defensive end Joe Moore Jr. pounced on the ball to recover the ball for Missouri. On the sideline, the Tigers had begun the long-awaited celebration.
While the strip-sack was certainly Carnell's most important contribution to the win, it was far from being his only. The stat sheet minimizes the junior's impact to just three tackles but the Indianapolis native patrolled the middle of field in the passing-game while also expertly filling holes in the run-game.
"He's a baller," He comes in, works hard," defensive linemen Johnny Walker Jr said of Carnell. "Leaves, comes back, works hard. There's nothing I don't think he can't do."
The matchup against the Buckeyes also held a layer of revenge for Carnell, who grew up less than three hours from Ohio State.
"If there was anybody that didn't think Daylan Carnell was going to come ball out tonight, being from Indianapolis, didn't have an Ohio State offer, was overlooked, undervalued." Drinkwitz said. "There was zero doubt in my mind that he was going to play his best game. ... I absolutely knew he was going to play lights out tonight."
Carnell was the fourth Missouri player to earn a sack in Friday's game, along Walker Jr., safety JC Carlies and defensive end Darius Robinson. Walker Jr.'s sack also caused a fumble recovered by Missouri in the first quarter. The forced turnover from Walker Jr. led to him being named the game's most outstanding defensive player. Walker Jr.'s five sacks in the 2023 season were the second most for Missouri, only behind Robinson's 8.5.
In the secondary, Missouri's veteran group limited the Ohio State's receivers to just 106 yards. Only junior receiver Emeka Ebugka gained more than 40 yards. Even without Harrison Jr., Missouri defensive coordinator Blake Baker called the Ohio State receiving corps "one of, if not the best, in all of college football."
The secondary shut Ohio State down even without elite corner back Ennis Rakestraw Jr., who was sidelined with an injury. The Tigers were also missing linebacker Ty'Ron Hopper, a member of the All-SEC second team, due to injury.
Even without their top two players, the Tigers' defense put together their most impressive performance of the 2023 season. Even if the offense didn't deliver, the Missouri defense allowed Buckeyes any time to breathe as Ohio State only sustained two drives that were longer than 2:30 minutes and never reached the red zone. The defense's unwavering consistency came down to paying attention to the details that had got it to this point.
"When you’re playing a good team, you can’t be complacent on your end, you can’t think you’re good enough or you’ll get blocked," Robinson said. "You have to keep that edge and keep going and keep fighting. We were able to do that- our edge, energy, details and most of all consistency. We were able to display that all four quarters, and that’s why we were able to stay locked in."
Next season, Missouri's defense will be forced to adjust to some change. The morning after the Cotton Bowl win, Rakestraw declared for the NFL Draft. Second-team All-American cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine is expected to do the same soon. In addition, fellow starters Robinson and Carlies' eligibility will expire. Through the transfer portal, the Tigers will add Florida defensive tackle Chris McClellan, Miami linebacker Corey Flagg Jr., Georgia edge rusher Darris Smith, and Clemson defensive back Toriano Pride.
Even with the incoming talent and the returning nucleus, the 2024 team will have a big test to replicate the confidence held by Burden in the 2023 unit when the Tigers needed to put together one final stop.
