For the second straight year, the Tigers posted double-digit wins.

This is only the third time in the program’s history.

And on Monday they did it in all areas of the team.

The offense was running early, the defense was late and dominant Blake Craig Hit two field goals of more than 50 yards to give the Tigers a fourth-round lead and a 27-24 win over the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Music City Bowl at Nissan Stadium.

“The story is really about our football team and these guys here and their commitment to finishing the season,” Missouri coach said Eli Drinkwitz said. “So proud of the way they fought.”

The Tigers didn’t get off to a good start in Nashville, as the game’s opening offense stalled and the Iowa offense stormed 70 yards in eight plays through the Tiger defense, mostly through the air, to take a 7-0 lead.

But the Tigers responded on the backs of the seniors Brady Cook And Theo Wease playing in their final game as part of the Tigers.

Cook began the drive by faking a pitch and rolling to the right before firing a dart to the right Marquis Johnson — who later set a career-high with seven catches and 122 as he prepares to move up the depth chart next season — then Cook kept a read option for a first down near midfield.

A sack pushed him back, but Cook recovered a third-and-5 before hitting Johnson again with an 11-yard pass, setting up the first-and-10 from the Iowa 35.

Cook then found Wease for 21 yards before finding him again with a back-shoulder throw as Wease spun behind his defender for a 4-yard touchdown with 2:12 left in the first quarter.

Wease was injured in the first half and did not return in the second half, but finished with five catches and 75 yards.

“Theo Wease, what an incredible job he did in the first half,” said Drinkwitz. “He suffered an injury and was unable to return to the game, he put everything on the line for us.”

The draw didn’t last long Kaden Wetjen returned the ensuing kickoff for a 100-yard touchdown, tying the longest kick return in Music City Bowl history, to put the Hawkeyes back ahead 14-7 with 1:59 left in the first.

But the Tigers maintained their momentum.

Found Cook Jordan Harris for a 14-yard gain before scrambling for another 10 yards. He hit Wease with a 23-yard pass from Johnson and Marcus Carroll needed runs totaling 11 yards to get from the 7 to first-and-goal.

Johnson then ran wide open across the back of the end zone, running under a Cook lob and keeping his body in check to tie the game with 13:28 left before halftime.

“Marquis was a special player,” Drinkwitz said. “I mean, we saw it last year. But what I’m most proud of is that he was always about the team and accepted that role, whatever the team asked of him.”

After a few stalled drives, the Hawkeyes put together a long drive, this time mostly on the ground, and ended with Kamari Moulton He scored a 1-yard score with 49 seconds left in the half, sending the Hawkeyes into halftime up 21-14.

Both offenses lost their spark early in the second half, but Iowa connected on a 38-yard field goal with 5:19 left to extend the lead to 24-14. Then it was all Missouri.

The Tigers gained 75 yards in eight plays, led by a 17-yard pass from Cook to Daniel Blood on a corner route, immediately followed by a Cook deep ball to Johnson for 44 yards.

Josh Manning finished the drive with a 4-yard jet sweep run for a touchdown, cutting the lead to 24-21 with 1:49 left, while Missouri fans got a look at all the young targets they’re likely to have on the field next year will see the playing field.

The Tigers forced Iowa on third-and-3 on the next drive and the Iowa quarterback from the Tiger 47 Brendan Sullivan rolled to his right to shoot a pass Reece Vander Zee along the sideline, but Toriano pride jumped in front for an interception — the game’s only turnover — giving Missouri the ball at its own 46-point point.

Six plays later, the Tigers were sitting on fourth-and-8 from the Iowa 34 and sent Craig out for a 51-yard field goal that he sent right through the middle of the uprights to end the game at 24 yards and set the Music City Bowl record for furthest field goal.

The Tiger defense then forced the game’s first three-pointer to give the Missouri offense the ball back at its own 22 with 7:57 to play.

Cook found Tavorus Jones for a 20-yard completion on the first play of the drive, then moved into Iowa territory when he hit Johnson for a 15-yard completion.

The Tigers didn’t get much further, however, as they sent Craig out again on 4th-and-15 from the Iowa 39 for a 56-yard field goal. Craig also did it by setting his own bowl game record and putting the Tigers ahead for the first time with 4:36 to play.

“We really prepared intensively for these moments,” said Drinkwitz. “We really believe in our elite advantage. We firmly believe that we are faster, stronger and tougher than you in the fourth quarter. I think there’s a lot of faith.”

But with more than four minutes left, the Tiger defense had to do what it was only able to do a handful of times on Monday: get a stop.

For the second drive in a row, the Tigers forced a three-pointer and put the ball back on offense with 3:13 left.

The Tigers were unable to run out the clock, however, and a shot put Iowa at its own 45-minute mark with 1:54 to play.

The Tigers forced Iowa into a fourth-and-1 from the Tiger 46 and Sullivan attempted a quarterback sneak, but Daylan Carnell and a swarm of Tigers penetrated the backfield and thwarted the attempt, ending Iowa’s threat and leaving Cook to kneel in his final game in a Tiger uniform.

“To end the season, the overall number of wins is not important, but the position in the ranking is important,” said Drinkwitz. “To finish, start and finish the season ranked is a huge achievement for the senior class. They should be proud of that. Two consecutive seasons of being ranked is an incredible accomplishment for our program.”