Mizzou RB Cody Schrader became the first SEC player to ever notch 200 yards rushing and 100 yards receiving in the same game, Saturday against Tennessee. (Photo: Terrance Williams)

NCAA Football1st2nd3rd4thFinal
#13 Tennessee (7-3, 3-3)07007
#14 Missouri (8-2, 4-2)01391436

Cedric Williams
Senior Editor

COLUMBIA, MO — Coming into Saturday’s Top 15 showdown at Faurot Field, the No. 13-ranked University of Tennessee Volunteers boasted the No. 1-ranked rushing offense and No. 1-ranked rushing defense in the SEC.

Tennessee’s season had been all about how it controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.

But on Saturday, a very hungry to prove itself No. 14-ranked University of Missouri squad turn the tables and dominated Tennessee to the tune of a 36-7 beatdown in front of a sold out Mizzou crowd of 62,621.

“I’m really proud of this team,” Mizzou head coach Eli Drinkwitz said during an excited press conference following the game. “We talked all week about how we wanted to dominate the line of scrimmage. We weren’t going to allow them to control the game like they like to do.”

And not only did Missouri not allow Tennessee to control the line, the Tigers were the ones who did, as they held the Volunteers’ three-man running back crew, which came in averaging nearly 250 yards per game, to just 83 total yards on 23 carries.

Then on offense, Missouri’s Cody Schrader bowled through Tennessee’s defense for 205 rushing yards and another 116 receiving yards, making him the first player ever in SEC history to have over 200 yards rushing and 100 yards receiving in the same game.

“Our mantra was four quarters of hell,” Schrader said. “Everybody bought into that.”

Especially Schrader, who had over 200 yards of total offense in the first half alone. He caught a 38-yard pass on the first play of the game, a 43-yard pass later that helped set up a touchdown that he scored. Then, when most thought Mizzou was just going to run out the clock to end the first half, Schrader broke a 35-yard run that helped get the Tigers into field goal range, which helped build a 13-7 halftime lead.

“What an incredible day that little Superman had for us,” Drinkwitz said. “I can’t call him the ‘Smurf’ anymore he’s risen to a new level. He’s Superman now and (I’m) really proud of him.”

Schrader really was like Superman and Batman and Spider-Man and all the Avengers in one, in the second half. He handled the ball on nearly every play.

On the first 30 plays Missouri ran in the second half, Schrader carried the ball or caught a pass on 21 of them. It was his 17-yard run that helped set up quarterback Brady Cook’s 4-yard touchdown run that gave the Tigers a 19-7 lead.

On Mizzou’s next possession, Schrader caught a 23-yard pass that set up a 23 yard field goal by Harrison Mevis. That was all in the third quarter.

Then in the fourth quarter, Schrader broke back-to-back 31-yard and 10-yard runs that helped set up a 21-yard touchdown pass — on a play fake — from Cook to wideout Luther Burden III.

“Absolutely (Schrader should be considered for the Heisman),” Drinkwitz said, after being asked by a reporter. “If we’re talking about the best player in college football, who’s done more for his football team than anybody else? He’s the leading rusher in the SEC. When was the last time the leading rusher in the SEC, on a top 10 anything, wasn’t considered for the Heisman?”

Schrader finished with 35 carries for 205 yards, five catches for 116 yards, and the one touchdown.

The Mizzou defense put the game away, a few plays after Burden’s touchdown, when safety Daylan Carnell intercepted a pass by Tennessee’s Joe Milton III and returned it 38 yards untouched for a touchdown of his own.

“It’s funny, throughout the game ‘DC’ and I were talking and we said one of us was going to get one because we were both so close during the game,” Mizzou’s other starting safety Joseph Carlies, who recovered a key fumble earlier in the game, said. “We just knew one of us was going to get one, but when he got it, it was just an exciting moment because we called it.”

Missouri finished with 530 yards of total offense, while Tennessee had just 350 — a good portion of which the Vols didn’t get until Mizzou called off the dogs in the fourth quarter. The Tigers also had possession of the ball for 39 minutes and 56 seconds, while Tennessee had the ball for just 20 minutes and four seconds.

The Tigers also converted 11-of-17 third downs, while the Vols only converted five of their 13 third down chances.

“Our team came out and we wanted to stand on business tonight and we had some unfinished business from last year and we came out and took care of business,” a passionate Drinkwitz said during his postgame interview with CBS. “Great win. Our defense kicked their ass.”

Mizzou is now 8-2 on the season and holders of sole possession of second place in the SEC East with a 4-2 league mark. Tennessee fell to 7-3 overall and 3-3 in the conference.

The Tigers will host another big game, next Saturday, when the Florida Gators come to town. That’ll be Senior Day for Mizzou, with the game itself set to kick off at 6:30 p.m. and be televised live on ESPN.

Scoring summary

QtrTimeScoring PlayTENMIZ
2nd14:16MIZ – Mevis,Harrison 31 yd field goal 20 plays, 72 yards, TOP 10:5503
2nd12:25TEN – Thornton Jr.,Dont’e 46 yd pass from Milton III,Joe (Campbell,Charles kick) 6 plays, 75 yards, TOP 01:5173
2nd10:33MIZ – Schrader,Cody 7 yd run (Mevis,Harrison kick), 5 plays, 75 yards, TOP 01:52710
2nd00:00MIZ – Mevis,Harrison 46 yd field goal 4 plays, 53 yards, TOP 00:20713
3rd10:04MIZ – Cook,Brady 3 yd run ( ), 7 plays, 80 yards, TOP 03:05719
3rd02:38MIZ – Mevis,Harrison 23 yd field goal 9 plays, 59 yards, TOP 05:04722
4th06:21MIZ – Burden,Luther 21 yd pass from Cook,Brady (Mevis,Harrison kick) 6 plays, 66 yards, TOP 04:36729
4th05:50MIZ – Carnell,Daylan 38 yd interception return (Mevis,Harrison kick)736

2023 Missouri Tigers Football Remaining Schedule

DateTimeAtOpponentLocationTV
November 18, 2023 (Saturday)6:30 PMHomeFloridaFaurot Field
November 24, 2023 (Friday)3:00 PMAwayArkansasFayetteville, Ark.CBS