KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – After the Missouri Tigers (4-6, 2-5 SEC) closed to within 28-24 on a 38-yard touchdown pass from Brady Cook to Dominic Lovett early in the second half, the fifth-ranked Tennessee Volunteers (9-1, 5-1) hit the Tigers with three quick touchdown drives and cruised to a 66-24 victory before a sellout crowd of 101,915 at Neyland Stadium.

First came a 68-yard pass-and-run TD from Hendon Hooker to Jalin Hyatt on a 25-second drive, then Dylan Sampson had runs of 42 and 15 yards to set up Hooker for a 2-yard scoring pass to tight end Princeton Fant on a drive that lasted 41 seconds; and finally, Jaylen Wright capped a 67-yard scoring drive with a 1-yard touchdown run that moved the score to 49-24.

On the day, Hooker completed 25-35 passes for 355 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for 50 yards and a touchdown.

In the first half, the Tigers twice stopped the Volunteers on fourth-down attempts, and both times Mizzou turned the defensive stops into scores. Trailing 7-0, DJ Coleman sacked Hooker for a five-yard loss on fourth-and-four at the MU 27, and Cook led the Tigers down the field to tie the score. Cook had runs of 11 and 20 yards to get the drive started and hit Barrett Bannister for a 14-yard gain on a third-down play. Inside the 10-yard line, Harrison Mevis kicked a short field goal, but a UT penalty gave the Tigers a first down at the 4, and Luther Burden III took a short pitch to the left and ran it in for a TD to make the score, 7-7.

After Tennessee scored twice to take a 21-7 lead, Missouri closed to within 21-14, when Cook completed a 75-yard drive with a 43-yard touchdown pass to Tauskie Dove on a fourth-and-one play. Tennessee went to the running game the next time it got the ball, with Small breaking off a 26-yard run and Wright a 17-yarder before Hooker rushed 14 yards for a touchdown that put the Vols up, 28-14 with 4:06 before halftime.

With just :34 left in the second quarter, Chad Bailey sacked Hooker on a fourth-down attempt at the MU 41 to give Mizzou a chance before the half. Cook, who ran 16 times for a career-high 106 yards, dashed 40 yards up the middle on a QB draw, and on the last play of the half, Mevis kicked a 32-yard field goal to bring the Tigers within 28-17.

The Tigers stopped the Vols to start the second half, getting a big sack from Isaiah McGuire. Cook ran twice for 16 yards, connected with Bannister on two passes for 27 yards, then dropped a 38-yard pass over Lovett's right shoulder that he caught and took into the end zone to close within 28-24.

But that's when Tennessee's high-powered offense, which finished with 724 total yards took over.

Cook had 323 yards of total offense, completing 19-of-32 passes for 217 yards and two TDs. Bannister had career highs with seven receptions for 73 yards.

UP NEXT

The Tigers return home for their final non-conference contest of the season next week when they host the New Mexico State Aggies on Nov. 19. Game time at Memorial Stadium/Faurot Field will be 6:30 p.m.and the game will air on ESPNU and the Tiger Radio Network.

2022 FOOTBALL TICKETS
Single-game and group tickets are available for Mizzou's remaining 2022 home games by calling 1-800-CAT-PAWS or by visiting the football tickets page online.

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