St. Louis native's journey comes full circle with Mizzou win at The Dome

What was a sweet win in St. Louis for the Missouri Tigers was also the completion of a long journey for running back Cody Schrader.

"Just looking at my journey, I never expected that I'd get this opportunity playing in the city that I'm from," Schader said.

Schrader rushed for 123 yards, including a 37-yard touchdown, on 14 carries during Mizzou's 34-27 win over Memphis at The Dome in America's Center in St. Louis on Saturday, Sept. 23. The graduate student played high school ball at Lutheran South and was one of the top Division II running backs at Truman State in Kirksville from 2018-21. He transferred to Mizzou, made the team as a walk-on last year, and became the Tigers' leading rusher with 745 yards and nine touchdowns. Four games into the season, he is averaging 100.7 yards on 16.3 carries.

"I'm just filled with excitement and joy," Schader said. "You watch and hear growing up about "The Greatest Show on Turf" and everything that's going on at The Dome. To be able to do that in front of your city, in front of your family and friends is something I'll remember forever, and definitely have a story to tell my kids one day."

His touchdown came at the final scoring drive of the night for the Tigers, giving Mizzou a 14-point lead with 2:46 remaining in the fourth quarter. His night had a triumphant ending but not a good beginning. The Tigers' second offensive drive ended with Schrader fumbling the ball and losing possession to Memphis, which shortly led to them trailing 10-7 after the first quarter.

Instead of scorn, he was met with support and encouragement, pushing him to continue until the end.

"You really find out who you are in the face of adversity, and you really find out who your teammates are," Schader said. "I think it's a testament to what type of brotherhood we have when the coaches still believe in you. Even though I did fumble, they didn't take me out of the game. They trusted me and put me right back in there and then trusted me at the end of the game to get it done."

Despite being 0-for-8 in third down conversions, the Tigers gained a total of 542 yards, including 201 on the ground and an average of 5.6 yards per attempt. Schader credited "the toughness" of an offensive line that features Jackson alum Connor Tollison at the center of it.

"We had to lean on the offensive line to get the job done," Schrader said, "and that's kind of what we did in the second half."

Mizzou begins SEC play with a road game against Vanderbilt on Saturday in Nashville, Tennessee.