Three takeaways from Missouri’s offensively dominant win in “The Lou”

Two undefeated tiger teams faced off in a neutral site game in St. Louis, and both teams were ready to make a statement. Missouri was there to prove that the win over Kansas State was for real and that the team was here to compete. Memphis was ready to prove that they belonged against not only power five teams but an undefeated SEC team. Both offenses would light up the scoreboard in this game, but what can we take away from the clash of the tigers?

Brady Cook

It may be hard to believe that this is the same quarterback that was met by a flurry of boos when taking the field just two weeks ago. Maybe that was inspiration for Brady Cook as he took down then ranked No. 15 Kansas State. Returning to his hometown of St. Louis, Cook was given the ability to put on an encore in his week three performance. 

Cook has found the ability to create quick rhythm in the passing games early. Brady is an impressive No. 18 in college football for completion percentage and fourth in the SEC, but what may be even more impressive is his ability to find completions early. So far this season through Cook’s first 10 passes of a game, he has a completion percentage of 87.5%. The early rhythm of the passing game has allowed for Kirby Moore to mix up the quick pass with the run game to keep defenses off balance.

While the efficiency of Cook has been on display since week one, there has been criticism of Cook’s ability to push the ball downfield and create large plays through the air. These criticisms have been mute to Cook, who is first in the SEC (min 85 att.) in yards per completion. With 7 completions of 20 yards or more against Memphis, not including a 19-yard touchdown to Theo Wease Jr, Cook has made it clear that this offense is more than quick game and checkdowns, all while not throwing an interception since week seven of last year. 

Missouri Quarterback Brady Cook lines up before a play on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023 at The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis. Cook would lead the game in passing yards and currently second in the SEC in quarterback rating. (Photo by Reagan Manis)

Luther Burden III

“Electric” wouldn’t do justice to a performance that saw Burden shaking off would-be tacklers and grabbing any pass that came his way, en route to a statline of 177 yards on 10 catches. This return home to Burden was what he called “a dream come true,” and that was before the game had started. 

What may be impressive about Burden is his ability to create positive yardgage , which became very important down the stretch. 129 of Burden’s yards in this game would come after the catch, and a chunk of these yards came on plays that Burden had no business making happen. As defenses face wear and tear through the season, the athleticism of Burden could pay dividends for a Missouri team that wants to create explosive plays, as Burden said in his postgame interview after the win Saturday. Burden left the game Saturday with cramps, so the Tigers will need to pay close attention to Burden’s health to create opportunities for more Missouri victories in the future. 

Since last year, Burden has become a leader on this Missouri team both on the field and off the field. Making strategic plays on the field and praising teammates in press conferences, Burden is showing to be a strong player and leader on this team. 

Sophomore wide receiver Luther Burden III points to the crowd during warmups before the Missouri-Memphis game on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023 at The Dome at America’s Center in St. Louis. Burden would average 17.7 yards per reception, leading the game (Photo by Reagan Manis)

Late Downs Matter More

This game was as close, due to the Memphis Tigers’ ability to win plays on crucial late downs. Going 3-4 on fourth down and 7-18 on third down, Memphis extended drives and won the time of possession battle in this game by over five minutes. Memphis scored 13 points, including 10 in the first quarter, on drives where they converted on fourth downs, including a touchdown pass on fourth-and-goal. Memphis would add another touchdown on a third-and-3, allowing Memphis to pull the game back to a single score. 

Missouri would find themselves reliant on early downs and chunk plays in this game, going 0-8 on third down the entire game and 1-2 on fourth down. Missouri would only have two 3-and-outs even with the inability to move the chains on third down, but that can’t be expected against tougher defenses in conference play. Missouri needs to move the ball early in the downs to create more favorable third down situations as the Tigers average third down distance was 10 yards. 

Missouri managed to walk out of St. Louis with a win this week, but the team shouldn’t expect to win games without creating stops late in drives or at the very least converting some of their own. Missouri will start SEC play next week at Vanderbilt and should address these issues immediately if they want to remain undefeated for long. 

Edited by Chase Gemes | cgemes@themaneater.com

Copy Edited by Sterling Sewell | ssewell@themaneater.com 

Edited by Sophie Rentschler | srentschler@themaneater.com