On October 14, the Missouri Tigers fell to 1-5 after their 58-23 loss to the Georgia Bulldogs. Things looked bleak to say the least, but somehow, someway, the Tigers have fought to a 7-5 record on the season. They earned their sixth-straight win on Friday afternoon, as they dispelled the Arkansas Razorbacks, 48-45.

Drew Lock (more on him later) and his arm were the primary culprits of this case. Lock threw for five touchdowns and 448 yards on just 42 attempts. He was picked off twice by Henre' Tolliver, but that wound up being negligible. J'Mon Moore, Albert Okwuegbunam and Emanuel Hall caught Lock’s five touchdown passes, with Okwuegbunam and Hall hauling in two each.

Arkansas’ rushing attack ended the season on a high-ish note, rushing for 133 yards on 31 carries. David Williams and Devwah Whaley combined for 130 of those 33 rushing yards. But, in the end, it’s futility for the Hogs, who will now be looking for a new head coach.

WHAT WE LEARNED

Arkansas will need a new head coach

The Tigers have now had a hand in causing coaching searches for two teams now, as Arkansas fired Bret Bielema immediately. While Bielema’s competition was incredibly stiff, his record against conference opponents was abysmal. They were 11-29 against SEC foes, with an 0-8 and 1-7 record to bookend his five years in the conference. That just won’t cut it, and so Arkansas will have someone new patrolling the sidelines next year.

Drew Lock holds the SEC single-season passing TD record

As we were saying, Lock was a figurehead in this game. Why? He became a record-holder. Lock now owns the record for most passing TDs in a season (41). That record has a chance to widen when the Tigers play in their bowl game, but this is certainly a phenomenal feat to marinate in now.

Mizzou did the impossible

Yes, the opponents were weak. Yes, it should be noted that a few teams went through coaching changes. But still, you have to give credit to the Tigers for having resolve. Mizzou could’ve easily rolled over and died (and sometimes, it looked like they actually did that while they were going through their woes). But they didn’t, and now, Mizzou can celebrate a winning season and hopefully a step forward.