Missouri Routs Texas A&M 27-6, Wearing "DJ" Heart Decals for Freshman After Heart Transplant
No. 14 Missouri routed Texas A&M 27-6 on Saturday in Columbia, improving to 5-1 (2-1 SEC) and staying firmly in the College Football Playoff hunt.
The second half belonged to the Tigers. Running back Jamal Roberts piled up 222 rushing yards and sealed the win with a 56-yard touchdown scamper with just over three minutes left; on a 76-yard, 12-play scoring drive in the third quarter, he carried eight times for 58 yards. Quarterback Austin Simmons went 14-of-28 for 147 yards with a touchdown and an interception, including a 32-yard scoring strike in the second quarter, and kicker Blake Craig drilled field goals from 50 and 52 yards.
Texas A&M's offense was smothered: quarterback Marcel Reed went 16-of-31 for just 126 yards with two interceptions, the Aggies managed only two first downs on their first 10 drives, and they entered the fourth quarter with a mere 74 yards of total offense. A&M fell to 3-3 (1-3 SEC) and returns home to host The Citadel next week.
More moving than the win was the story on the sideline: every Tiger wore a helmet decal of a heart reading "DJ" in honor of 18-year-old freshman offensive tackle Johnnie "DJ" Jones. A heart problem discovered during freshman intake sent Jones to Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, for a second opinion, which confirmed he needed a heart transplant. From Wednesday night into Thursday morning, Jones underwent successful transplant surgery and is now recovering.
"It's tough right now," coach Eli Drinkwitz said earlier in the week. "Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family... an 18-year-old with everything in front of him, and you're just not prepared for that kind of news." He added that Jones FaceTimed the staff Tuesday night to tell them a donor heart had been found — "unbelievable joy." A donation page has been set up for Jones and his family. Missouri next travels to Ole Miss on Oct. 17 in what could be a top-15 showdown.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：密苏里大学福罗特球场内景。摄影：Clare Murphy／KOMU，CC BY 2.0，来源：Wikimedia Commons
