Cook recognized how crucial the game was, and if it meant finding any possible way to push through the pain and help his team win, he would do it. As he miraculously ran to the sideline full of energy at the end of the third quarter, Drinkwitz asked him a simple question.

“Can you play?”

After Cook gave Drinkwitz a clear yes, it was the start of his three-year career.

The Missouri defense was able to prevent another Auburn from extending its lead to 17-6, allowing Cook to return with 31 seconds left in the third quarter in hopes of changing the direction of the game. After a few incomplete passes, he found an open Mookie Cooper up the middle for a 78-yard completion and set up a two-yard rush from Marcus Carroll for a touchdown.

Since kicker Blake Craig had already missed two field goals that day, the Tigers opted for two points instead. On that conversion, Cook grabbed the snap and ran it into the end zone, making the score 17-14 with 14:57 left in the fourth quarter.

Suddenly, Missouri was in a position to win the game.

After several drives with no points on either side, Missouri got the ball at 4:26 for its final drive of the game. They fought their way through Cook rushes and completions to their goal from Luther Burden III and Wease Jr. and didn’t even have to settle for a field goal to decide the contest and send it to overtime.

Instead, Cook helped his offense reach the 4-yard line in the end zone, where running back Jamal Roberts weaved his way through the Auburn defense, cementing a 21-17 victory.

Somehow, Missouri narrowly escaped a game full of injuries and constant question marks with a win. Previously it might not have seemed like a game where you had to fight to the end to win, but given the circumstances it was more than an impressive victory.

“When I woke up this morning, I didn’t expect any of this to happen,” Cook said. “Sometimes it’s just college football. Things don’t always work out the way you want or think.”

At the end of the day, the Tigers took the win. It may not have been “pretty,” but they persevered through constant obstacles throughout the game. Cook was at the forefront late in the game, and without his return they likely would have missed out on a decisive victory.

Cook has had his own ups and downs in performance this year, but he showed up when it mattered most and his own health was at stake. For Drinkwitz and the players in the locker room, this is their quarterback, and they have come together after his return.

The outside noise is pure outside noise.

“Everyone will be able to put their head on their pillow knowing that they did their best to give us a chance,” Drinkwitz said. “When someone does that, you want to put it on the line for them.”

Coming back from a hospital visit and leading your team to a victory sounds like fiction, but that’s what Saturdays are like at Faurot Field.

Just ask the hero of the story himself.

“I didn’t think I would come back and play,” Cook said, “… (but) this is it for me. Your days as a Mizzou Tiger are numbered.”

“We really appreciate these moments.”

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