Technically, this game wasn’t over before it started.
As Missouri’s Tucker McCann kicked the ball into the waiting arms of Alabama’s Josh Jacobs to begin the game, the scoreboard still read 0-0. It didn’t take long for the Crimson Tide’s Heisman-favorite quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, to change that.
After Christian Holmes forced a rare incompletion from Tagovailoa to open the drive, Tagovailoa found Jerry Jeudy three steps ahead of Cam Hilton on the next play for an 81-yard touchdown. Just two snaps later, Saivion Smith picked off a Drew Lock pass to Albert Okwuegbunam, and Alabama took a 10-0 lead in under two minutes after a field goal.