Last week, I graduated from Mizzou with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a minor in history.
As my time in college wound down, I tried to put my college experience into words. I thought that four years of being at the world’s first and finest journalism school would make this task a lot easier, but it didn’t.
College is a fascinating mix of still being a kid while also getting a taste of professional life. It’s the last period of time where true adolescence still exists. Students can excel in their desired field of work, but they’re still kids. Getting back from covering the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, at 4 a.m. and immediately going to Waffle House with my friends, for example, was totally acceptable. Visiting Ellis Library and Harpo’s on the same day is also acceptable. Running naked through the columns and jumping in a fountain were not only acceptable, but have been Mizzou traditions for a long time. I think that rocks.
Graduation was tough, but it was there I made a realization. In many cases, the people you graduated high school with were the people you grew up with. You knew that group of kids and the town or city you lived in for most of your life.
College is much different. Friendships and relationships may have been stronger. You get to know the university and town so well. Certain places besides your dorm or apartment feel like second homes. I also found that there’s a strong sense of optimism among college students. In this cocoon that shields the real world, there always felt like there was something to look forward to. The first day of school. Homecoming weekend. A football game. A house party. A bar crawl. A weekend trip. Plus, all of your closest friends live near each other. At a certain point, everything around you seems happily familiar.
But this unique way of life only lasts a few years. The ending feels more abrupt than palatable. Graduation turns that optimism into a whirlwind of emotions (which can also include optimism). The cocoon breaks. Just as you find a groove, the real world is suddenly, and scarily, upon you. That familiarity is gone. Your friends move to different places. When I walked to a friend’s graduation from downtown Columbia to Mizzou Arena, I got a little sad knowing that this walk I’d made countless times as a student would be the last before I left Columbia. That optimism I’d had so often walking down Tiger Avenue toward Champions Drive wasn’t there as much this time around.
Speaking of Mizzou Arena, that’s partially why I wanted to write something in the first place. A major part of my time at Mizzou involved covering MU athletics. My college experience, along with many others my age, changed a lot because plenty of Mizzou teams were good when we were in school, which wasn’t the case when we got to Mizzou.
The football team was nationally relevant for three straight years. The men’s basketball team made the NCAA Tournament in three of four seasons, even though each of their losses in the Big Dance could be considered disappointing. We experienced a field storm and a court storm in the span of less than 16 months. The volleyball team went from being treacherous to being in the Sweet 16 in two years. The gymnastics team was consistently great. The softball team was oh-so close to making the Women’s College World Series in 2024.
All of this happening within four years felt extremely rare compared to every other four-year stretch of Mizzou history, and for that, I feel spoiled. Additionally, I felt compelled to write one final piece for the website that’s given me and many others some amazing experiences and opportunities.
In the spirit of graduation, I handed out senior superlatives to certain Mizzou moments and games during my time at the university. For reference, I was a Mizzou student from Aug. 2022 until last Friday, so any MU sporting events that happened outside that timeframe won’t be considered.
Favorite game in a vacuum: Men’s hoops defeats Kansas (Dec. 9, 2024)
Having followed college sports growing up, I knew that Mizzou and Kansas were rivals, but I didn’t know how hot the hatred was until I got to campus. During Summer Welcome, when the chorus of “Mr. Brightside” finished, everyone shouting “FUCK KU” over and over again caught me off guard. Thankfully, a few years of research, a couple of history classes and simply living in Missouri helped me learn exactly why the hatred exists.
Unless there’s another Civil War that pits American states against one another, I believe the roots of the Border War are the most unique of any collegiate sports rivalry.
Which brings me to one of the best sporting events I’ve ever attended. The Jayhawks entered Columbia ranked No. 1 in the nation, although they’d suffered their first loss of the season a few days prior to Creighton on the road. The Tigers were unranked, but they were 7-1 and less than a week removed from a massive comeback win over California at home.
Kids rushed to the student section like it was Black Friday. My friend Annie, sitting right above the media in Section 117, yelled down to me a few minutes before tip-off, asking if I thought Mizzou would win. I said no.
I didn’t mind being wrong.
Missouri forward Mark Mitchell (25) celebrates defeating Kansas in the Border War game against Kansas on Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024, at Mizzou Arena. (CAL TOBIAS/ROCK M NATION)
Mizzou’s defense flustered Kansas for most of the afternoon. Tamar Bates and Anthony Robinson II had five steals apiece, and the Jayhawks committed 22 turnovers. Bates masterfully created his own shots, dropping a game-high 29 points. The Jayhawks couldn’t do much about Josh Gray and Mark Mitchell near the basket. Mizzou led by as many as 24 points. It was ridiculously fun to watch.
The Tigers almost blew it, as the Jayhawks brought the game back within one possession multiple times late in the second half. But Mitchell canned a clutch corner triple, and Mizzou pulled away in the final two minutes.
The lead-up to the court storm was pretty epic. I saw one of my friends making their way down the aisle toward me. They told me they drove “about 100 miles an hour” from work in St. Louis to catch the end of the game. Fellow Rock M’er Matthew Gustafson also made a beeline for Mizzou Arena, as he and some friends had driven back from MU volleyball’s Sweet 16 loss to Kentucky in Dallas. Luckily, they made it inside just in time to join the mosh pit on the court.
Mr. Brightside was bellowed a little louder that day. Gray put on a horse head and paraded through the crowd with his hands in the air. Kansas turned out to be not-so-great, capturing a No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament and losing to Arkansas in the Round of 64. But on this day, no one seemed to care about the future, which is ok when you’re in college.
I remember watching a lot of Mizzou basketball the summer before I got to campus as a freshman. One of the first highlights was Marcus Denmon’s heat check against Kansas in 2012. I remember saying to myself that I wanted to experience that kind of atmosphere as a student.
That December day was a gift. I guess that’s why they call it the present.
Favorite game in the big picture: Football defeats Kansas State (Sept. 16, 2023)
This was the game that changed the trajectory of Mizzou football.
Brady Cook, who had a rocky first season and change as the starting quarterback, started the day getting booed and ended it having put together one of the better performances by a Tiger signal-caller this decade. Luther Burden III was electric. The defense made a few big-time plays.
And most notably, Harrison Mevis kicked a 61-yard game-winning, buzzer-beating, stadium-shaking, student section-emptying field goal that marked my favorite Mizzou football moment as a student. It’s the loudest I heard Memorial Stadium get in my four years of school. It’s also the first field storm I ever witnessed.
The win blew the top off of what many thought was possible for the Tigers that season. An offense that was stagnant the year prior looked completely different with a new offensive coordinator. A team that’d lost four one-possession games the year prior found a way to pull off what was considered an upset at the time. And the way they won couldn’t have been more exciting.
Worst game in a vacuum: Football loses vs. Auburn (Sept. 24, 2022)
Akin to professional athletes having a “welcome to the league” moment, this was my “welcome to Mizzou” moment. I knew that an unfortunate part of Mizzou’s foundation was made up of catastrophic defeats, but having one happen as a student was an entirely different experience.
This game was unbelievably boring. Mizzou and Auburn entered halftime tied at 14, but the second half felt less like an SEC game in September and more like a Big Ten game in November, as Mizzou and Auburn punted on 12 consecutive drives across the third and fourth quarters.
But MU finally found life late in the fourth quarter. After the defense forced a turnover on downs, Cook completed a huge pass to Dominic Lovett to put Mizzou inside the Auburn 5-yard line. MU knelt out the clock for Mevis, who had a chip shot field goal attempt for the win.
I remember the moment vividly. I was sitting in KCOU, Mizzou’s student-run radio station, listening to Ben Greenberger and Jack McGrath, both of whom are excellent, who were on the call from Jordan-Hare Stadium. Their radio broadcast was ahead of the studio’s television, so we’d hear what was happening before we saw it. Greenberger initially called the kick good because he was looking at Mizzou’s sideline, which started celebrating because they thought the kick was good. Thus, we thought MU had won.
But then, both broadcasters looked at the referees — the ones who actually had the authority to make the call — who signaled the kick was no good. It was an honest, yet gutting mishap. We saw Mevis’ miss on the TV moments later.
As if the state of affairs couldn’t get any worse, that’s exactly what happened.
I still can’t believe this happened. This was a microcosm of many years of Mizzou athletics: getting so close to success, only to (literally) fumble it away.
The postgame show felt like an eternity. We all sounded paralyzed by sudden and unexpected defeat. To make matters worse, I was simultaneously watching Miami (Fla.), the college I grew up rooting for, getting shellacked by Middle Tennessee State at home.
Mizzou fans weren’t done getting punched in the gut during that school year.
Worst game in the big picture: Men’s hoops loses to Princeton (March 16, 2023)
One of my first memories of anything Mizzou-related was the Tigers losing to Norfolk State in the 2012 NCAA Tournament.
For some reason, I watched this game in The Shack. I sat among a mix of adults and students, where we witnessed Princeton raining 3-pointers and snatching rebounds for much of the first half.
The game’s vibes were summed up, funnily enough, during an ad for Jack Link’s Beef Jerky. A guy walks up to a urinal with a pack of beef jerky (?) and takes a bite (??), which causes the Sasquatch, the Jack Link’s mascot, to magically grow out of the guy’s back (???). The Sasquatch then shoots a fire hose of piss at the urinal on the other side of the bathroom while moaning in relief. My favorite part of this ad is a guy at another urinal who looks utterly bewildered at the events unfolding in front of him because that’s just about the only normal part of this ad.
There was a guy in The Shack who thought this was the funniest thing he’d ever laid his eyes upon. His laugh sounded like he hadn’t laughed in years. The only issue was that no one else laughed with him. Everyone else was silent because they were watching their favorite team getting pulverized by a No. 15 seed.
I went back to my dorm for the second half. Nothing about the game seemed to change.
It wasn’t just that Mizzou became the second team to ever lose to a No. 15 seed in the NCAA Tournament twice (the other was Arizona, which Princeton beat in the Round of 64). It was also the path ahead that made the loss hurt more.
Mizzou would’ve faced No. 6 seed Creighton in the Sweet 16, then No. 5 San Diego State in the Elite Eight, then No. 9 seed Florida Atlantic in the Final Four. The Blue Jays had a few future NBA players and were an above-average team on the glass. The Aztecs had a stingy defense and would’ve been fresh off a win over Alabama, which beat Mizzou twice by double-digits that season. The Owls’ top four scorers — Johnell Davis, Alijah Martin, Vladislav Goldin and Nick Boyd — all transferred to (and succeeded at) power conference schools after the season. The path to a national title game would’ve been difficult, but more manageable than other paths there.
Mizzou would’ve faced No. 4 seed UConn in the national title game, where I think the Tigers would’ve gotten annihilated. The Huskies were a No. 1 seed in disguise who dominated everyone else they’d played in the tournament. Adama Sanogo and Donovan Clingan might’ve combined for 40 rebounds.
Most heroic performance: Laurin Krings vs. Omaha (May 19, 2024)/Brady Cook vs. Auburn (Oct. 19, 2024)
In May 2024, Laurin Krings, one of the best pitchers Mizzou softball has ever had, delivered an all-time performance when her team needed one the most. In a 1-0 nine-inning win over Omaha that sent the Tigers to Super Regionals, Krings pitched a complete-game shutout, allowing just four hits and one walk while tallying 15 freakin’ strikeouts.
Exactly five months later, Brady Cook rolled his ankle early in Mizzou’s Homecoming game against Auburn. He went to University Hospital, came back to Memorial Stadium and led a double-digit comeback win, which included this game-saving connection with Luther Burden III on fourth down.
Cook was far from a perfect quarterback, but he was incredibly tough and monumentally clutch. Whenever Mizzou needed him to make a huge throw, he seemed to deliver every time.
I tried to avoid ties as best as I could, but I believe this is an acceptable one.
Jermaine Kearse Moment: Luther Burden III’s one-handed go-ahead touchdown at South Carolina (Nov. 16, 2024)
Cook and Burden III connected for a few big-time completions at Mizzou. This might’ve been their finest work.
Fourth-and-five, trailing by five points on the road late in the fourth quarter with your team’s College Football Playoff hopes hanging by a thread, and you do this? Unreal.
Unfortunately, South Carolina drove right down the field and scored the eventual game-winning touchdown with 15 seconds left in regulation, relegating Cook and Burden’s heroics to a footnote in Mizzou football lore.
A question I’d considered after the game is whether the Tigers could’ve made the College Football Playoff if they’d beaten South Carolina and won their final two regular-season games (which they did in real life). They still probably wouldn’t have made it, as they likely would’ve competed with 9-3 Alabama for the last at-large spot. The Crimson Tide’s 34-0 win over Mizzou in October likely would’ve triumphed.
Biggest what-if moment: What if Brady Cook doesn’t throw an interception against Georgia? (Nov. 4, 2023)
Mizzou was hanging with No. 2 Georgia for most of this afternoon.
Had Mizzou won in Athens, its season would’ve looked completely different.
Assuming the rest of the real-life regular season results held steady in this hypothetical, Mizzou and Georgia would’ve both finished the regular season tied atop the SEC’s West Division at 11-1 overall and 7-1 in the SEC. The Tigers would’ve won the head-to-head tiebreaker and played Alabama in the SEC Championship for a spot in the College Football Playoff. The fact that this was even a thought was indicative of a massive shift in expectation.
Biggest what-if game: Football loses to Georgia (Oct. 1, 2022)
Across the 2021 and 2022 seasons, there were only four teams that were within at least one possession of Georgia in the fourth quarter: Clemson, Alabama (twice), Ohio State and Mizzou. The former three teams each won double-digit games across the ‘21 and ‘22 seasons, while the Tigers combined for just 12 wins.
But for one almost-magical night at Memorial Stadium in 2022, Mizzou had the eventual back-to-back national champions on the ropes.
Tyler Stephens made a one-handed catch for his only collegiate touchdown. One week after the Auburn debacle, Mevis made all five field goals he attempted, his last two being from at least 50 yards away. This would’ve been one of the greatest nights in the history of Columbia.
The game’s turning point came late in the second quarter when Cody Schrader ran 63 yards all the way down to Georgia’s 1-yard line. But a false start on MU right tackle Mitch Walters pushed the Tigers back five yards, and they settled for a field goal to go up 16-3.
Late in the second half, Mizzou’s stagnant offense kept sputtering in scoring position, and the defense couldn’t keep the dam closed for long enough. Georgia did just enough to escape Columbia with a 26-22 win.
For all that went wrong in 2022, I truly think Mizzou could’ve won eight or nine games that season. The only two contests the Tigers weren’t competitive in were road losses to Kansas State and Tennessee by a combined 70 points. Even so, the Tigers only trailed the Vols by four points early in the third quarter.
Team that deserved more: 2025 Mizzou football
Missouri junior wide receiver Marquis Johnson brings the war drum to the Missouri student section after the Tigers won the Border Showdown on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025, at Faurot Field in Columbia. Hannah Henderson/Rock M Nation
The defense, which had future pros at all three levels, was one of the best in the nation. Mizzou had arguably the best running back duo in the FBS. The offensive line, which had future pros at both tackle spots and a four-year starter at center, was rock-solid. The wide receiver room had a future pro (Kevin Coleman Jr.) and a burgeoning star (Donovan Olugbode).
And yet, this team finished 8-4. They had electric wins over Kansas and Auburn, but they came up agonizingly short against more difficult opponents in Alabama and Vanderbilt. They trailed Texas A&M by a touchdown with two minutes left in the first half, but the game quickly got away from them by the early portion of the third quarter. Oklahoma only scored 17 points on the Tigers. Mizzou’s defense constantly kept the team within striking distance, but the offense fell short on numerous occasions. Quarterback play and untimely misses by backup kicker Robert Meyer were arguably the biggest reasons why MU’s record wasn’t better this past season.
Favorite stat: Mizzou football being 11-1 in one-possession games across the 2023 and 2024 seasons
After Mizzou beat Oklahoma in 2024 — a game that featured four touchdowns in the final three-and-a-half minutes and a game-winning scoop-and-score from Zion Young — Theo Wease Jr. said that he was starting to believe that there was magic in Faurot Field.
Do you know how f’ing crazy that is to say considering Mizzou’s history? So many terrible things have happened to the Tigers in that stadium, especially the north end zone. But a major part of Mizzou’s rise to prominence included finding all sorts of ways to win, a complete reversal from most years past.
Other games from that stretch that haven’t been mentioned include …
Cook completing a game-saving pass to Burden III against Florida on 4th-and-17 that helped set up Mevis’ game-winning kick in Nov. 2023. Both plays preserved Mizzou’s hopes of playing in a New Year’s Six bowl. Vanderbilt’s almost-automatic kicker shanking a 31-yard field goal wide left in double overtime to seal a Mizzou win the following SeptemberMizzou beating Arkansas in the snow and iceCorey Flagg Jr. pulling a Troy Polamalu to assist a game-sealing fourth-down stop against Iowa in the 2024 Music City Bowl
This kind of stuff almost always went against Mizzou. I’m glad I was there to witness a changing of the times.
Least favorite stat: Mizzou baseball ain’t great
Margo Jenkins
Since 2023, all but one SEC school has made the NCAA Baseball Tournament at least once. Texas and Oklahoma will have each made the tournament in their first two years as members of the SEC.
I bet you can guess who that one tournament-less SEC team is.
In a conference that’s defined by beer showers, iconic chants and high-level college baseball, Mizzou did not (and does not) have any of those things.
But not all of the baseball team’s past, present and future is doom and gloom. They’re still one of only two teams at Mizzou with a national championship. The program has produced a handful of quality MLB players. Going forward, more resources are likely to be invested into the program. Plus, the Tigers won their first SEC Tournament game since 2017 on Tuesday, upsetting Ole Miss 10-8.
I believe that better days are ahead.
Best butt-kicking: Football defeats Tennessee (Nov. 11, 2023)
The final score of 36-7 does all the talking. After Joe Milton hit Dont’e Thornton for an early touchdown on a star-scraping moonshot of a throw, Mizzou ended this nationally-televised game on a 33-0 scoring run, one that was punctuated by a pick-six from Daylan Carnell. Oh, and Schrader had 321 all-purpose yards. That guy ruled.
Worst butt-kicking: Football loses to Texas A&M (Oct. 5, 2024)
This was not a loss. This was a humiliation. Mizzou has lost by much greater margins than 31 points before, but it felt like the Tigers lost by more that day.
Coolest gameday experience: Cotton Bowl
Cal Tobias/Rock M Nation
I will always be a proponent of playing as many games on campuses as possible, but one advantage that neutral sites have over campuses is that they can make games feel a little bigger. It’s like seeing your friend at a wedding or a bar/bat mitzvah: this person you’ve known for a long time is on a much bigger stage with lots of people watching because they’ve done something extraordinary, and that’s really neat.
Ohio State fans will often tell you that this game didn’t count because the Buckeyes were missing a few key starters who opted out of the contest. However, Mizzou was also missing some key players on defense, so this matchup was more even on paper than some might say it was. On the field, both defenses were dominant, but the Tigers did just enough late in the second half to pull away, with the cherries on top being a bullet from Cook to Burden III for a touchdown and a strip-sack from Carnell on the ensuing OSU possession.
Other moments I’d like to shout out
How have I not mentioned DeAndre Gholston? He hit two buzzer-beaters in his lone season with Mizzou, including an answered prayer against a top-ten Tennessee squad on the road. That was a fun one to watch in my dorm.Speaking of two buzzer-beaters, I still can’t believe Mitchell and Trent Pierce each hit one against Oklahoma this past season. In retrospect, their heroics might’ve saved MU’s NCAA Tournament hopes. The women’s basketball team was never great while I was in school, but they gave me one of my favorite journalism moments when Grace Slaughter made a buzzer-beating hook shot to beat Mississippi State in January. I was doing play-by-play for KCOU, and that’s the only buzzer-beater I’ve ever called. Speaking of game-winners against Mississippi State, Nick Honor sunk a gnarly stepback 3-pointer to beat the Bulldogs in Jan. 2023I wish I had attended Braggin’ Rights in 2022, when Mizzou beat Illinois by 22. Kobe Brown and D’Moi Hodge were sensational.One of the most fun games I covered at Mizzou was when the men’s hoops team hung 110 points on Alabama in Jan. 2025. Mizzou Arena was jumping. It’s a shame that the season ended with such a dud against Drake in the NCAA Tournament. That Mizzou team was so fun to watch, which was even cooler considering how awful the season before was. The Tigers looked like a shell of themselves against the Bulldogs. While Mizzou softball likely would’ve made the NCAA Tournament in 2023 anyhow, Kara Daly hitting back-to-back walk-off home runs in the final two regular-season games against Arkansas was incredible. I’ll never forget the folks from Arkansas Communications angrily walking out of the press box after the second home run.
I’d also like to shout out Mizzou and the J-School for giving me the chance to explore the Midwest and the South, which I hadn’t done much of before getting to MU. Some takeaways: Chicago is a fantastic city. Busch Stadium is one of the coolest ballparks in the MLB. Sunsets in Oklahoma are awesome. Texas barbecue is life-changing. Arkansas and northern Alabama are beautiful. Notre Dame is the prettiest college campus I’ve ever visited. There’s a lot going on in Nashville, while there’s not much going on in Kansas. Country music is neat. I’m still an East Coaster at heart, but I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the Midwest and could absolutely see myself living there one day.
This university was fun to learn about and be a part of. Mizzou is far from perfect, but I’ll always be thankful to my past self for choosing MU. I’d love to hear some of your favorite college memories, whether it was at Mizzou or somewhere else.
Finally, I’d like to say thank you to everyone at Rock M Nation, both the content creators and consumers, for the past few years. I definitely made mistakes, and I look back at some of my work knowing that I could’ve done a little better. But writing for this website allowed me to grow quite a bit, and some of my favorite college memories were made possible by Rock M Nation.
I’m unsure if I’ll ever cover Mizzou again, but I’d love to get back to Columbia sometime in the near future. If you want to continue reading my stuff, I’ll be working for the Baltimore Ravens until next May, writing and editing content for their team website.
Covering Mizzou was a privilege. Thank you all for everything.
Missouri players have a snow fight after the end of a game against Arkansas on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, at Faurot Field. (CAL TOBIAS/ROCK M NATION)