The Morning Commute for Tuesday, December 31st
Welcome to the Morning Commute
Today we’re talking about the Music City Bowl.
In a game that was a perfect representation of the entire 2024 season, Mizzou stumbled out of the gates, got down early, came back, made second half adjustments and made enough plays to pull out a dramatic 27-24 win over the Iowa Hawkeyes. The win ends Mizzou’s season at 10-3, giving the Tigers back-to-back double-digit win seasons for just the third time in program history (2007-2008, 2013-2014, 2023-2024).
Rock M Nation had plenty of coverage and insight into what took place at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., so be sure to check out all the links below for the recaps.
Let’s relive this game-clinching play. I thought live that the left side of Iowa’s line moved early, but it didn’t matter as the Tiger defense stood tall and preserved the dub! How big was the stop on 3rd down that forced this 4th down try by Iowa with the clock ticking and the Hawkeyes out of timeouts?!
ABSOLUTELY STUFFED
MIZ DEFENSE HOLDS FOR THE WIN@MizzouFootball x ESPN pic.twitter.com/3OlB3NXM63
— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) December 30, 2024
I thought this Tweet from KMIZ-TV sports anchor Nathalie Jones was also emblematic of the game. In the post-game trophy presentation, Tiger Coach Eli Drinkwitz nearly dropped the trophy, but he recovered nicely and played it off with style.
#Mizzou wins one more 27-24 over Iowa
Eli Drinkwitz presented with the Music City Bowl trophy…almost dropped it“You almost dropped it!”
“We almost lost too, but we’re a team of finishers” pic.twitter.com/EWAjNnhHSE— Nathalie Jones (@NathalieABC17) December 30, 2024
Yesterday at Rock M and Rock M+
Sure enough, Mizzou pulled a win out of defeat’s jaws, as the sound of Music City was one of sweet victory for Eli Drinkwitz’s crew. The Tigers defeated the Hawkeyes 27-24 which, coincidentally, was the score of the last time these two teams met in the 2010 Insight Bowl, which went to Iowa. This time around, it was the team from the Show-Me State who claimed a postseason win.
Drink’s ability to get his team across the finish line in close games is really pretty remarkable. The Tigers went 6-1 in one-score games in 2024, after going a perfect 4-0 in 2023. They might be tough on us fans, but the Tigers know how find a way to win.
Brady Cook’s career at Mizzou gets the capper it deserves: A second consecutive bowl victory and two 10-win seasons in a row. You know which other full-time Mizzou QBs have that on their CV? Chase Daniel… and that’s it. Even the eternal Cook haters will now have to contend with the fact that Cook’s final game cemented him amongst the elite QBs to ever don black and gold.
Summed it up well right there indeed.
- It wasn’t top of the bill, but the Tiger men’s hoops team closed out the calendar year with a solid 82-65 win over Alabama State. Adeen Rao had the recap here. You can catch the game preview from Quentin Corpuel and the live thread here.
Mark Mitchell relied on his usual offensive strategy, getting to the paint and getting to the line, as his first four points came from the charity stripe. Mitchell was joined by his usual partner in scoring, Tamar Bates, as the two combined for 30 points.
It was a good close to the non-con season for the Tigers, who improved to 11-2 thus far. Ant Robinson didn’t play due to an illness, but some good news came in the form of Caleb Grill returning from injury. A healthy Grill should bode well for the Tigers as they enter the gauntlet of the SEC, which begins on Saturday on The Plains.
- Lots of comments in the Football Live Game Thread, catch them here.
- Are you a fan of Tiger QB Brady Cook? We sure are here at Rock M, and our Nathan Hurst penned this open letter to thank him for what he’s done for our favorite program.
In a time in college athletics where we so often see folks leave for greener pastures or seek easier paths, you chose to stay. You chose to face adversity head-on, knowing that Mizzou needed you just as much as you needed Mizzou. That kind of loyalty and devotion isn’t something we see every day, and it’s something that will echo through Mizzou’s history for years to come.
Spot on, Mr. Hurst. It’s hard to imagine anyone ever wanting to be a Tiger more than Cook. In this new age of transfer portal and no loyalty, he’s been a refreshing throwback to the days when the name on the front of the jersey meant more than the name on the back. Huzzah, Brady, congrats on a race well-run!
- A handful of us Rock M slappies gave our thoughts in the Music City Bowl Pregamin’ piece. Check out all the wisdom we had to share.
I’ll say the better team finds a way, and Brady Cook ends his career the right way with a 23-16 Tiger win.
That was my personal pick for the final score. Not too bad for a guy who gets these things wrong way more often than not!
- Monday’s morning commute put together by Josh Matejka focused heavily on previewing the Music City Bowl, in addition to pieces featuring both men’s and women’s hoops, and a nice year-end review of some of our best work compiled by Karen Steger.
Rock M Radio: Beyond the Box Score Recap of Music City Bowl
In case you weren’t aware, Mizzou won the Music City Bowl! Nate and Nate were on the mics shortly after the game’s conclusion to discuss the details.
Subscribe to Rock M Radio on Apple Podcasts. Or stream episodes through Megaphone or Spotify. Have a question for us? Leave a 5-star review with your question and that show just might answer it in an upcoming episode!
If you like Rock M Radio drop us a Review and be sure to subscribe on your preferred podcasting platform. Follow @RockMRadio on Twitter and if you heaven’t already head over to our YouTube channel and click that subscribe button!
(** RockMNation has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though RockMNation may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links.**)