TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — You wouldn’t blame Drew Pyne if he wanted to hide.

And you certainly wouldn’t grumble if the backup Missouri football quarterback wanted nothing to do with cameras or questions after his brutal day Saturday in Bryant-Denny Stadium.

But Pyne didn’t hide as the scope of Mizzou’s season changed. After a three-interception day in relief of an again-injured Brady Cook that made a once-close and scrappy contest anything but, he faced it — is facing it — all head on.

“At this point, I have two options as a man: curl up in the ball and (say) whatever or grind as hard as I can and get better,” Pyne said postgame. “You know, I love these guys in this locker room, and I'm gonna do everything I can.”

That was about where the Tigers all were immediately postgame.

Missouri football was shut out for the first time in the Eli Drinkwitz era in a 34-0 loss to Alabama on Saban Field. The Tigers weren’t exactly knocking on the end zone’s door with their banged-up starter, Cook, in the game, but after he left for evaluation to the locker room in the second quarter and never was able to return, Missouri’s chances of keeping it competitive nosedived.

And with the blowout, all but certainly, go Missouri’s College Football Playoff chances.

More: Missouri football score: Tide roll Tigers after Brady Cook leaves game injured

More: Missouri football report card: Does Mizzou get Fs across the board for ’Bama beatdown?

Pyne answered questions after his three-interception day, the first of which came just four plays after Cook left to the locker room, where his day was declared done. There weren’t many positives from the backup QB’s second significant appearance in Mizzou uniform, the first coming the previous week in a stagnant but not-quite-disastrous day against Auburn.

The former Notre Dame and Arizona State man completed six passes to Missouri players on 12 attempts. Three more went incomplete.

The other three went to players in crimson and white, which the Tide turned into 14 quickfire points and an untouchable lead.

It was 6-0 when Pyne entered the contest. There wasn’t much hope of it being a one-score game at any other point after.

“Gonna have to look at this game, be tough with yourself and really learn from it,” Pyne said. “We practice really hard, and it's just part of football. It’s coming back the next day, looking at it and practicing the following day. So, you know, whatever it takes.”

Cook left with an upper body injury, which is especially notable because it is not the injury that gave him a “game-time decision” designation entering Saturday’s contest. Cook sustained a high-ankle sprain and during his five drives was clearly still feeling the effects as Mizzou mostly turned to the run and quick passing game.

There’s currently no reason to believe Cook won’t emerge from the other end of the upcoming idle week and resume the starting role. But what if he doesn’t?

Two injuries in two weeks is a lot, even for the QB who turned a midgame hospital visit into an SEC win a week earlier.

If it’s Pyne’s offense, the outlook for the season changes even more drastically.

The Tigers now head into their second idle week of the season and then have home SEC games against Oklahoma and Arkansas and road contests at South Carolina and Mississippi State.

Before the Auburn game last Saturday, Drinkwitz was shown telling the team that everything it wanted this season was on the other side of that game.

That, of course, means the CFP. That dream is likely now done.

The key is to make sure the season doesn't fall off a cliff edge.

There was a generally resilient tone presented by Missouri representatives after the game.

The coach took issue with a question asking if Drinkwitz saw any similarities between the Tigers’ loss Saturday to their one at Texas A&M.

“No, I didn't see any similarities,” Drinkwitz said. “I saw three turnovers. I saw a bunch of guys … that went out there and fought their butt off. It wasn't anything similar to the Texas A&M at all. It's 13-0 at halftime because of an interception. We fought our butt off, and any other conversation outside of that’s ridiculous.”

Missouri defensive end Johnny Walker Jr. almost immediately looked ahead.

“Our season’s not over,” the defensive end said. “Four or five games lef, … depending on what happens, playoffs or just try to get a good bowl game.”

And the coach made sure to remind this reporter that double-digit wins are still on the table.

Missouri has six wins, so is already postseason eligible. The playoff may be off the cards.

But a mature team presented itself as that dream went down.

Pyne, who had more reason for it than anyone, hasn’t lost hope.

“College football is crazy these days with the playoffs,” he said. “You know, we have two losses, and we still have a lot ahead of us. We have everything we want ahead of us. So, I guarantee you every single guy in that locker room is going to hold their head high and come to practice next week to give everything they can. Coach Drink really does that for us. He really puts us in that mentality.

“We're going to come back swinging.”

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Missouri football’s season changed in blowout 'Bama loss, but didn’t end