No. 19 Missouri QB Brady Cook returns late in third quarter after ankle injury on first drive vs. Auburn

Missouri quarterback Brady Cook left Saturday’s game vs. Auburn on the first drive with a non-contact injury.

Cook ran backward to avoid pressure on a second-down play and fell to the ground as rushers approached. He immediately got up and hobbled off the field before heading to the locker room a play later.

On this clip from the end zone, you can see Cook just fall to the ground with no one around him.

Earlier in the drive, Cook grimaced after he was tackled around the ankles on a quarterback run. Per a report from the ESPN broadcast, Cook suffered an ankle injury. He didn’t return before halftime, and ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported that Cook was “unlikely” to return in the second half along with starting running back Nate Noel. However, both players returned in the third quarter as Cook took the field with Missouri trailing 17-6.

After leaving the game, Cook was replaced by former Arizona State and Notre Dame quarterback Drew Pyne.

The No. 19 Tigers are 5-1 and still harbor hopes of the College Football Playoff after a blowout loss to Texas A&M in Week 6. Cook’s leap in 2023 was a big reason why Missouri went 11-2 and entered the 2024 season as a playoff contender.

Cook was 244-of-369 passing for 3,317 yards and 21 passing TDs a season ago. He also had eight rushing touchdowns. His numbers are down in 2024 as Missouri’s deep passing game hasn’t clicked like it did a year ago. Entering the game vs. Auburn, Cook was 119-of-184 passing for 1,351 yards, seven touchdowns and an interception.