With John Elway watching, Drew Lock dazzles in Faurot finale, a 38-0 win over Arkansas
With the biggest names in the NFL watching, Drew Lock did not disappoint in his final home game as a Missouri Tiger.
The Lee’s Summit native went 16-for 25 for 221 yards and ran for a career-high two touchdowns while throwing for two more in a 38-0 blowout win over Arkansas in the Battle Line Rivalry. The win was Missouri’s first shutout in conference play since 2010.
Lock’s performance came in front of top Denver Broncos and Dallas Cowboys executives John Elway and Jerry Jones. Jones is an Arkansas graduate and his grandson plays for his alma mater. Missouri finished the regular season at 8-4 and will learn its bowl destination on Dec. 2.
After receiving the opening kickoff, Missouri dominated from the line of scrimmage and didn’t look back. Sophomore tailback Larry Rountree got eight touches on MU’s 11-play opening drive, which culminated with a nine-yard rushing touchdown from Lock. Rountree accounted for 49 of the drive’s 75 yards.
With heavy rains at kickoff, Missouri kept the play-calling on the ground and tried to be careful given the conditions. Missouri’s defense came to play, holding Arkansas to 41 yards of offense with four sacks in the first half. Rountree took the bulk of the carries, a career-high 27, with junior tailback Damarea Crockett out with an ankle injury. He finished with 115 yards rushing and crossed the 1,000-yard mark for the season halfway through the third quarter.
Missouri capitalized on an interception by senior linebacker Terez Hall late in the first quarter, which gave MU the ball at Arkansas’ 35-yard line. Lock found senior wideout Emanuel Hall early in the drive for 19 yards to get to the Hogs’ 8-yard line. The 6-foot-4 quarterback ran in his second touchdown of the day shortly after to extend Missouri’s lead to 14-0 with 13:11 left in the first half.
The Tigers’ next score came 38 seconds later after defensive tackle Jordan Elliott sacked Arkansas quarterback Ty Storey and knocked loose the ball, which was recovered in the end zone by MU’s Akial Byers. It was the first time MU recovered a fumble in the end zone since 2007, when Lorenzo Williams did it against Iowa State. Elliott had three sacks for MU on Friday.
Hall added to Missouri’s lead shortly before halftime on a six-yard slant to make it 28-0. An Arkansas punt from its own end zone gave MU a short field, with the Tigers’ final drive of the half starting at the Hogs’ 43-yard line. Freshman tailback Tyler Badie ran for a 32-yard first down to the UA’s 11-yard line and Lock found Hall five plays later.
Lock and Hall connected again halfway through the third quarter for a 67-yard touchdown on a free play to extend Missouri’s lead to 35-0. Hall had six catches for 153 yards and two touchdowns in his Faurot Field finale.
Missouri added to its lead with a 42-yard field goal by Tucker McCann in the third quarter to make the score 38-0. Arkansas completed just nine passes on Friday and mustered just 187 yards of offense.
Coach Barry Odom pulled Lock and his other seniors with 9:25 left in the fourth quarter to a standing ovation. Lock hugged every MU offensive player on the field. He gave a quick point to the crowd on his way off.
The team now awaits its bowl destination, which will be announced on Dec. 2 after the conference championship games are played. Mizzou is in the mix for the Music City Bowl in Nashville, Tenn., the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Fla., and the Outback Bowl in Tampa, among others.
Alex Schiffer
Alex Schiffer covers University of Missouri athletics for The Star.
This story was originally published November 23, 2018 at 5:01 PM.