Brady Cook returns from injury, rallies Missouri past Auburn - ESPN

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Brady Cook returned from an injury to lead No. 19 Missouri to two fourth-quarter touchdowns, including the go-ahead run by Jamal Roberts with 46 seconds to go, as the Tigers escaped with a 21-17 victory over Auburn on Saturday.

Cook appeared to hurt his ankle on the opening series and did not return until late in the third quarter, by which point Auburn had taken a 17-3 lead. But he promptly hit Theo Wease Jr. with a 72-yard pass to set up Marcus Carroll's touchdown run, then led an even more dramatic drive with time running out in the fourth quarter.

Missouri (6-1, 2-1 SEC) took over at its own 5-yard line with 4:26 to go. Cook converted one third down with his legs, then hit Luther Burden III on fourth-and-5 for another first down. He hit Wease later in the drive on third-and-10 and found Mekhi Miller inside the 10-yard line with just over a minute to go, setting up Roberts' touchdown run.

Cook finished with 194 yards passing in less than two quarters of play, while the Missouri defense repeatedly shut down Auburn (2-5, 0-4) when it had a chance to put the game away to ensure its fourth consecutive loss.

«When I came back, I just knew we weren't going to lose,» Cook told ESPN after the game.

Auburn had been 105-1 over the past 20 seasons when leading by 14 or more points in the second half, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

Payton Thorne finished with 176 yards passing and a touchdown. Antonio Kite recovered a muffed punt for Auburn's other TD.

What should have been a showdown between two efficient offenses — Auburn averaging 444.5 yards and Missouri tops in the SEC in time of possession — turned into a defensive slugfest thanks in part to injuries that ravaged the Tigers.

The biggest was to Cook,