Missouri’s 38-33 Liberty Bowl loss to Oklahoma State sad ending to Drew Lock’s career

Drew Lock’s final play in a Missouri uniform wasn’t the play fans have come to expect from him.

The 6-foot-4 senior quarterback with a knack for hitting receivers downfield came a foot short on a fourth-down keeper that could have cemented No. 23 Missouri’s (8-5) comeback in a 38-33 loss to Oklahoma State (7-6) in the Autozone Liberty Bowl.

But Lock’s actions in the postgame news conference were exactly what one would expect out of the four-year starter, given how much he invested into the only university he ever wanted to attend.

The projected first-round pick cut off the moderator after the last question and thanked fans for all their support over the years. He acknowledged fans’ likely disappointment and encouraged them to keep cheering for the team despite the result.

“I know it wasn’t the smoothest ride, but thank you for sticking by us,” Lock said. “Keep pressing this team.”

Lock’s comments came 15 minutes after Lock told MU coach Barry Odom not to answer a question about his contribution to the program; that preferred his coach talk about other players.

Unlike Missouri’s 2017 bowl game where MU scored just 13 points in a Texas Bowl loss to Texas, Lock wasn’t part of the reason MU lost on Monday. He threw for 373 yards and three touchdowns while completing 60 percent of his passes and nearly erased a 16-point deficit in the fourth quarter.

The Lee’s Summit native lost top receiver Emanuel Hall to a aggravated groin injury early in the game. And freshman receivers Dominic Gicinto and Jalen Knox were both rocked by hard hits, resulting in two targeting calls against OSU. Starting tailback Damarea Crockett also missed the game with an ankle injury he suffered against Tennessee on Nov. 17.

“He didn’t feel like he could come back at the speed he needed to to help us,” Odom said of Hall’s injury.

It wasn’t the sendoff Lock deserved after returning to the MU instead of heading to the NFL, and it would be a shame if it’s what he’s remembered for.

“That’s our best player,” said tight end Kendall Blanton. “That’s whose hands you want the ball in.”

Without Hall or star tight end Albert Okwuegbunam, who missed the game with a shoulder injury, Lock sent Missouri into halftime up 16-14 after finding Gicinto and Blanton for a pair of first-half touchdowns. Blanton’s touchdown came off a perfect play-fake from Lock and ended with the 6-foot-6 senior making a diving catch in the end zone.

But the wheels came off for Missouri in the third quarter. Oklahoma State star wideout Tylan Wallace burned Missouri’s secondary for 51 yards on four catches, including a nine-yard touchdown, to give OSU a 21-16 lead. The Cowboys added another touchdown 90 seconds later after a Knox fumble in Missouri territory handed OSU great field position.

Lock led Missouri 67 yards downfield after finding walk-on Barrett Bannister, his favorite third-down target, for a 30-yard gain and Johnathon Johnson for 20 on a scramble two plays later. Lock’s throw to Johnson was one of the best of his career, hitting him under pressure on a crossing route. The Tigers got as close as the 8-yard line but had to settle for a field goal.

After safety Cam Hilton, Lock’s roommate during his freshman year, picked off Oklahoma State quarterback Taylor Cornelius, MU’s quarterback took advantage of the momentum. He found Johnson, a Memphis native, on the following play for an 86-yard touchdown to cut the score to single digits.

Hilton picked off Cornelius on the following drive, and it took MU just four plays to score, with Larry Rountree rushing for a 55-yard touchdown. Rountree rushed for a career-high 204 yards on 27 carries Monday.

On Missouri’s final drive, Lock led the Tigers downfield after starting at the MU 9-yard line. On third and short from OSU’s 35-yard line, he scrambled for three yards to move the chains. He rushed for seven more yards shortly after and found Johnson on fourth down to extend the game.

Lock’s final run fell short, but none of his teammates were upset with the play call.

“He’s the guy that got us to this point,” Pendleton said. “It didn’t work out. You can’t blame him for that.”

Time will tell how Lock is remembered. Whether he enjoys NFL success, and what Odom does in the coming years without him, will likely go a long way toward defining his perception, for better or worse.

After Lock’s words to the Tigers’ fan base in the news conference, he rose out of his chair and embraced Odom before walking through the back curtain.

This story was originally published December 31, 2018 at 6:58 PM.