Mizzou Defeats Texas in Rodeo Bowl
12/24/2017 11:57:00 AM | Football
Tigers rallied from down 3-0 to win the best-of-seven, 4-3.
HOUSTON, Texas – Mizzou Football defeated Texas, 4-3, in the Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Rodeo Bowl Saturday evening, rallying from down 3-0 to win the best-of-seven contest, 4-3. Similar to how it performed this season, Mizzou rallied to win the final four events to claim the victory. Since the inception of the Rodeo Bowl, nine of the 11 teams to win the Rodeo Bowl won the actual Texas Bowl.
Mizzou and Texas were hosted by the Texas Bowl committee at NRG Park Saturday night for the Rodeo Bowl. Mizzou's entire bowl travel party went to take in the festivities, which pitted Mizzou vs. Texas in seven rodeo-themed events. It was a thrilling, come-from-behind win for the Tigers.
The first event was goat milking. Yes, you read that correctly; Mizzou took on Texas to see who could get the most milk from its goat in two minutes. Texas took round one with approximately three more ounces of milk, but there was controversy as Mizzou's goat seemed to run out of milk before the end of the two minutes.
Texas won the first three contests of the @TexasBowl rodeo. Naturally, #Mizzou won the next four to win the title!
— Mizzou Football (@MizzouFootball) December 24, 2017
Don't call it a comeback! #KeepItRollin#MIZ #ShowMe ???? pic.twitter.com/7rrtuFTWs9
Next up, Mizzou and Texas competed in the lasso competition, with each team having to lasso a dummy bull. Mizzou's four players could not connect while Texas had one of its four throw a perfect lasso. The Longhorns led, 2-0, after that event and things looked bleak for Mizzou.
In the third event, Mizzou and Texas had to herd a group of calves into a U-shaped pen. Texas opened with an arena record 20.3 second performance. Mizzou followed by getting seven of the eight cows into the pen in less than 17 seconds, but a stray cow plagued the Tigers as it took an extra six seconds to get the last one into the pen. Texas led 3-0, but Mizzou, as we learned all season, has no quit in them.
It was the heroics of RS junior PK Nick Bartolotta that got Mizzou back into things. In the barrel roll competition, Bartolotta climbed into a rodeo barrel and he was rolled across the arena by two teammates and had to run all the way back. Mizzou clocked a 13.9 in the competition and Texas countered with the exact same time, but the Longhorns were disqualified for not fully crossing the line that they needed to cross with the barrel before sprinting back across the arena. Mizzou was on the board.
Next up, Mizzou won the ribbon grab as a group of players had to corral a group of calves, one of which had a ribbon attached. Texas was impressive, getting it done in less than 20 seconds as Mizzou had an uphill battle to keep the contest alive. When the Tigers took to the pen, the calves scattered, but a great snag by Zion Sales as the cow streaked past him helped Mizzou win the event.
Next was the hay bail toss and stack and Mizzou dominated that event as Texas was a full two bails behind. The two teams had to throw eight bails through a chain of players from one end of the arena to the other. Samson Bailey was waiting at the end and had to neatly stack the eight bails. After Mizzou dominated that event, it had rallied from down 3-3 to tie the Rodeo Bowl and seize momentum heading into the final event.
The final event was the barrel race. A relay group of five players had to put on a horse costume and run from one side of the arena to the other, circle a barrel and race back. Mizzou again dominated as DB Christian Holmes was able to take a victory lap on his turn as the Tigers completed the comeback.
Mizzou and Texas will play in the Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl Wednesday (Dec. 27) at 8 p.m. on ESPN. For all the latest on Mizzou Football, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Twitter @MizzouFootball and like the team on Facebook and Instagram (Mizzou Football).
