Missouri dominated the first half and held on through some uneven play after halftime to win Saturday’s homecoming football game at Memorial Stadium in Columbia, 48-35 over the North Texas Mean Green.
Tyler Badie ran for a career-high 217 yards and scored three touchdowns for the Tigers (3-3), who led 31-7 at halftime before MU’s faulty defense allowed UNT (1-4) to hit a number of long passing plays in the second half to make the final score more competitive.
Connor Bazelak completed 21 of 32 passes for 160 yards and a pair of touchdowns for Mizzou, including a 41-yard strike to J.J. Hester. Dawson Downing added a game-clinching 60 yard touchdown run in the final quarter.
For North Texas, quarterback Austin Aune had 16 of 26 passing accuracy for 305 yards and four touchdowns. UNT was a thorn in the Tigers side, amassing 493 yards to Missouri’s 474, but three turnovers, including a 40-yard “Pick 6” for MU’s Mekhi Wingo, doomed the Mean Green to defeat.
On Friday, Missouri learned that transfer linebacker Chuck Hicks has been ruled eligible to play by the NCAA, with Hicks, a former Wyoming Cowboy, announcing the news via Twitter.
Hicks departed Wyoming on August 23rd and quickly committed to Missouri days later. In 17 games with Wyoming, HIcks had 31 tackles, 2 sacks, and an interception. He redshirted the 2018 season in Laramie, but was expected to be the Cowboys starting linebacker in 2021 before his transfer out.
Missouri returns to Southeastern Conference play this Saturday morning, hosting the Texas A&M Aggies at 11 o’clock on the SEC Network and KTTN FM 92.3. Pregame hits the air on the Central Bank Radio Network at 9 o’clock, with KTTN joining the pregame after coverage of the Missouri Day Festival Parade on Saturday morning.
Photo credit – Wikimedia Commons / Columbia, MO
