Missouri’s Brady Cook exits with injury, returns vs. Auburn

Missouri starting quarterback Brady Cook exited in the first quarter of Saturday’s game vs. Auburn with an ankle injury only to unexpectedly return later returned late in the third quarter.

Cook was injured on Missouri’s opening drive of the game and spent much of the next two quarters in the locker room. He was replaced by sophomore Drew Pyne, who completed just 10-of-21 passes for 78 yards.

At halftime, Missouri announced that Cook was “unexpected to return.”

However, Cook re-entered the game late in the third quarter with Missouri trailing 17-6 and immediately completed a 78-yard pass to Mookie Cooper. The play set up a Marcus Carroll 2-yard touchdown run on the first play of the fourth quarter to cut Auburn’s lead to 17-14 after a 2-point conversion.

Cook, a senior, entered Saturday sixth in the SEC with 1,351 passing yards and seven touchdowns to just one interception.

Starting running back Nate Noel also exited in the first half with a foot injury but returned in the third quarter.

Noel was sixth in the SEC with 471 rushing yards and also has two rushing touchdowns.