FanPost

Play of the Week: Breaking down Markus Golden's pick-six

Markus Golden's interception return for a touchdown against Toledo was obviously one of the most exciting moments in the 38-23 victory over the Rockets. Not only did it extend Missouri's small lead, but it drastically shifted the momentum in the Tigers' favor. Because this was such a pivotal play, we here at the Rock M Science Labs have decided to break it down frame by frame.

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Let's start by taking a look at what forced Toledo QB Terrance Owens to fumble the ball. Owens handles the snap just like any other play, but this time when he looks up from the ball, it isn't open field that he sees. Instead, he looks up to find a 6'3'', 260 lb. behemoth charging at him unblocked. Owens panics, like any normal human would, and flips the ball three feet in the air. This is where things start to get messy.

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At this point, Golden has already come down with the ball Owens fumbled in fear. The flabbergasted Toledo QB attempts to regain his balance, and backs right into a stray banana left on the field from a previous lap. Just a terrible, horrible, no good, really bad play for poor Terrance Owens.

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By the time Owens is able to get back on his feat, Golden is already three yards past him. Unfortunately for Toledo fans, their QB just doesn't have the acceleration to regain first place after a slip like that. Golden wins the race, and picks up an important six points for the Tigers.

Plays like this one can decide games. In order to capitalize on them, players must be aware of where items such as bananas and shells are on the field. Markus Golden did this expertly, and it earned him SEC DL of the Week honors.

If the Tigers can continue to improve upon their banana placement, they have the potential to surprise some people in SEC play.

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