The first half of Missouri TigersThe game against Oklahoma went exactly as many expected it to go. Neither team scored a touchdown, and Missouri’s offense struggled mightily.

The second half, however, turned into a thriller at Faurot Field. With four touchdowns between both teams scored in the game’s final three minutes, the score went up like no one could have predicted in the old Big 12 rivalry game. Missouri’s offense found life with a new quarterback at the helm, and the defense forced too many big stops to count.

Missouri’s defense didn’t even waver until the end of the game, allowing a trick-play touchdown in the closing stages of the fourth quarter. Late mistakes from the Tigers

Here are four takeaways from the emotional rollercoaster that was Missouri vs. Oklahoma:

It’s pretty self-explanatory. With Drew Pyne at quarterback, the Tigers didn’t have much movement on offense in the first half, and even with all of its running backs available, none of the three could muster a lot of yards.

The inability to push the ball into scoring territory, even without starting quarterback Brady Cook, is somewhat puzzling. The Tigers have all the weapons in the world at receiver, back and tight end, but still, with someone different at quarterback, the offense is completely different.

Pyne went 14 for 27 on the night with 147 yards and three touchdowns to show for it. Pyne threw his first touchdown on a screen pass in the red zone, a welcome sight for the Tiger offense.

Even with Pyne’s score and the drive itself, the Tigers left too many points on the board by not being able to drive down the field. On several occasions, they were placed in great field positions without being able to score.

Despite the first-half performance, Pyne deserves all the credit in the world for the Tigers’ victory. He delivered big play after big play when it mattered, especially when a lot of people doubted him.

The Tigers allowed just nine runs in the first half, but 23 in the entire game. Time after time, Missouri’s defense would secure stops. In almost all cases, no points were added to the scoreboard.

In one of Missouri’s best field position and scoring chances of the day, the Tigers settled for a field goal. Late in the second quarter, the Tigers cleaned up on special teams and recovered a fumble. This gave them the ball at the 28-yard line, Missouri’s best field position of the game. Pyne completed an 18-yard pass to wide receiver Theo Wease Jr., but the Tigers couldn’t muster any offense after that.

Pyne was able to string together some positive yardage plays in the third quarter, finding Luther Burden III twice in the end zone, both of which were good throws. Pyne hit a touchdown pass to Wease for the game’s first score, capitalizing on good defense for the first time on the night. If it weren’t for the Pyne to Wease connection, Missouri’s offense wouldn’t have much life.

The outlook for Pyne’s performance improved as the game progressed. He threw his second touchdown midway through the fourth quarter and strung two runs together in the lead. This was Pyne’s best performance to date, a much needed one for the attack.

They may not have been able to capitalize in the first half, but Pyne channeled some energy in the second half to rack up three touchdowns for the Tigers. He provided some incredible throws to keep the Tigers in the game, many of which were unexpected.

Despite Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold rushing for 19 yards, he was never really comfortable. Arnold and the Sooners quarterback room are the most sacked and pressured team in the country, and it’s clear the Tigers have made landing Arnold a priority.

Missouri picked up two sacks in the first half, one belonging to linebacker Chuck Hicks and the other split between defensive ends Johnny Walker Jr. and Zion Young. Outside of those two sacks, Arnold was forced to roll out of the pocket on multiple occasions, either throwing an incomplete pass or throwing it.

In addition to the pressure on Arnold, the running game earlier never really took off. Xavier Robinson was the leading rusher for the Sooners with 56 yards, the longest run of the game lasting just ten. The other Sooner running backs, Taylor Tatum and Sam Franklin, never found anything consistent.

Missouri’s consistent ability to shut down the quarterback and not allow big plays was its saving grace despite the trick play that secured Oklahoma’s first score. Without the integrity of the defense allowing those big plays now, the outcome could have been much different.

Even when the offense wasn’t clicking and the defense was getting stops, the Tigers weren’t making mistakes that backfired on them like they did late in the fourth quarter.

After Pyne threw his second touchdown pass of the game, the Sooners drove right down the field and put themselves in scoring position. On third-and-four, with the Sooners staring down a challenging fourth-down conversion, Oklahoma executed a reverse pass from Tatum to Arnold to perfection, tying the game. A few plays later, Missouri linebacker Jamal Roberts fumbled and Oklahoma safety Billy Bowman returned to take over.

That appeared to be the end of the Tigers’ game, but it wasn’t. Pyne led the Tigers down the field for a score and the Missouri defense forced a fumble for a score to take the lead. Missouri was fortunate to have such good plays and without them, they could have pulled off a massive upset.