Missouri football’s offense has improved in nearly every measurable category in 2023. The Tigers are currently averaging 32 points and 465 total yards per game in 2023 compared to 22 points and 369 total yards per game in 2022. The vast differences between the two units can be drawn to not only the development of young players, but also the work of first-year offensive coordinator, Kirby Moore. The former Boise State wide-receiver has coached at the collegiate level since 2014 and spent the 2022 season as Fresno State’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

Missouri hired Moore this past offseason when head coach Eli Drinkwitz, who’d been the primary offensive play caller since he arrived at MU in 2020, recognized he could no longer balance offensive game-planning with other head coaching duties. 

“Going back and evaluating what we were doing offensively, it became very clear to me that the requirements of the head coach were causing me to not have full focus on the offense,” Drinkwitz said at Moore’s introductory press conference back in January. “I needed to hire somebody who could come in and understand the vision we have for offensive football, the vision we have for our program and score some more points.”

The early results for Moore’s version of the Missouri offense have been extremely encouraging. The team has especially improved in generating explosive passing plays, which was a problem area in 2022.The Tigers completed just 19 out of 59 (32.2%) passess of 20-plus yards. Now, just halfway through the 2023 season, the Tigers offense is tied for the fourth most in all of college football for completions over 20 yards with 15 on 27 attempts (55.6%). 

These explosive plays have allowed Missouri to consistently get out to fast starts and control the pace of games. In the first two weeks of the season, the Tigers only had one touchdown pass over 15 yards — Nathaniel Peat’s 49-yard touchdown reception against Middle Tennessee State. The next week against Kansas State though, the offense shifted to a new, more explosive gear. 

On the Tigers’ opening drive, junior quarterback Brady Cook rainbowed a 47-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Luther Burden III. The sophomore wide receiver was able to create significant separation not only because of his rare speed, but because of creative play design. Motion from wide receiver Theo Wease Jr. required the Kansas State defense to adjust coverage in the seconds before the snap. Before the Wildcats’ defensive secondary could properly adjust, they were looking at the back of Burden’s jersey as he raced into the end zone. The Tigers offense finished the game with 430 total yards and six plays going for over 20 yards.

“I thought we were very aggressive in attacking,” Drinkwitz said after the win. “I thought Kirby had some really good play calls and designs.”

The next week against Memphis started out in a similar fashion for the Missouri offense. On the Tigers’ third offensive play of the game, Cook soared a 76-yard touchdown pass to speedy freshman wide receiver Marquis Johnson. 

Two weeks later against LSU, Missouri’s opening drive included a 35-yard reception from Burden and a 18-yard touchdown from Wease. 

The explosive starts for the offense have often been an important factor in quickly generating momentum, a result of Moore “having a knack for calling the right plays at the right time,” according to Drinkwitz.

The most productive player in Moore’s offense has been Burden, who currently leads the nation in receiving yards (793) and is second in receptions (54) as well as yards after the catch (484). 

To completely credit Moore for Burden’s success, however, would be as ridiculous as solely crediting a director for an actor’s Oscar-winning performance. While his talent is not something that can be taught, Moore’s offense puts Burden in the best position for him to succeed: the “slot.” Lining up between an offensive tackle and an outside receiver has become far more common for Burden; he’s lined up in the slot on 85% of snaps in 2023 compared to just 13% in 2022. 

“I think it’s been a good transition for Luther moving into the slot,” Moore said. “There’s some really good matchups there for him. He’s done a really good job in terms of his route running.”

The slot receiver frequently runs quick routes over the middle of the field, giving the shifty Burden plenty of opportunities to gain yards after the catch. His elusiveness allows him to cut through defenses, juking through to create space.

“With the slot move, it [gives us] the ability to get the ball to him faster,” wide receiver coach Jacob Peeler said of Burden’s role adjustment.“You look at his explosive plays from last year, a lot of them were quick easy throws. He turns into a running back after the catch.”

Along with being Missouri’s play caller and offensive coordinator, Moore is also Missouri’s quarterbacks coach. His main student, Cook, is currently in the top five in the SEC for each of the following stats: Cook is No. 3 in passing yards (1,879), No. 3 in completions (135) and No. 2 in passing touchdowns (13). Additionally, Cook has only thrown two interceptions this year, the lowest in the conference, and had a streak of 366 consecutive passes without an interception until last week, which was an SEC record.

Moore, like any coach, isn’t completely responsible for Missouri’s offensive growth, but he has undeniably played a significant role. The combination of Moore’s aggressive play-design/calling and coaching along with his players’ talents shining have resulted in an offensive renaissance for Missouri.

Edited by Quentin Corpuel | qcorpuel@themaneater.com 

Copy Edited by Sterling Sewell | ssewell@themaneater.com