Mizzou's defense carries team to lopsided win over LA Tech

The Tigers defense carried Missouri to a 52-24 win over Louisiana Tech on Thursday. That isn't something anyone could say last season. The Tigers were 124th in run defense last season and 105th in total defense. But in the season opener you could tell this was a new group. They held the Bulldogs to 11 rushing yards and forced three turnovers.

All three levels of the defense played well, and it appeared that just about every player on defense made a play throughout the game.

“Wow, what a year a difference makes. To hold a team like that to 11 yards rushing is impressive. Three forced turnovers in the first half and a defensive touchdown 一 I can’t say enough about the effort those guys had,” head coach Eli Drinkwitz said. “What a great job creating turnovers and stopping the run.”

Drinkwitz brought in a number of defensive transfers on all three levels of the defense and they showed up.

When Florida transfer Ty’Ron Hopper came to Columbia it was unknown if he could repeat his success from week 11 when he had 11 tackles against Missouri. He clearly showed that he is capable of repeating that success. He was arguably the player of the game for Missouri because he was making play after play. He finished the game with six tackles, a tackle for loss, a sack and an interception.

While the first two interceptions the Tigers got were off of tipped passes, Hopper’s interception was just him reading the quarterback’s eyes and making a play on the ball. That is a plus when your weakside linebacker can make those types of plays instinctually.

Clemson safety transfer Joseph Charleston had four tackles and an interception returned for a touchdown (he actually had another interception but there was defensive pass interference). He was manning the deep-safety spot much more comfortably than Martez Manuel did last season. This is what the Tigers needed when they moved Manuel to be closer to the line of scrimmage and play the STAR.

Oregon defensive tackle transfer Kristian Williams’ stat line isn’t going to jump out at you being a defensive lineman but he was pushing the pocket just as much as anyone and had a tackle, a pass deflection and a quarterback hit. Oklahoma State transfer defensive tackle Jayden Jernigan, who got the start, had two tackles, a tackle for loss and got a sack. The pressure from the interior was something Missouri didn’t really have last year but it was seen on multiple plays throughout every series.

“The defensive line is really good at getting pressure on the quarterback. Definitely makes it (the defensive backs job in coverage) a lot easier because you don’t have to cover as long. It helps us out a lot and lets us play with more vision,” Charleston said.

It wasn’t just the transfers though. Some veterans from last season were showing up and showing out as well. There were a number of plays where we saw defensive ends Isaiah McGuire and Trajan Jeffcoat drop back in coverage and covered the flats. In the first quarter, McGuire tipped a pass into the air leading to a Jaylon Carlies interception. McGuire also had a sack and a tackle for loss.

Carlies was second on the team in tackles with five to go along with his interception. He has the makings of an NFL player. He’s instinctual and he plays with purpose.

“He’s a really special player with that size, speed and ball skills. Coach (Blake) Baker has done a good job and continues to develop him and that safety position,” Drinkwitz said.

Luther Burden III is the truth

While Missouri played well on both sides of the ball it has to be noted that they were playing Louisana Tech. A team that went 3-7 a season ago. So, everything that happened tonight should be taken with a grain of salt 一 except maybe Luther Burden III’s play.

There is no need to wait until the Tigers play Kansas State in week two or Auburn in week four to say that Burden is that guy. He has an “it” factor befitting of a five-star player.

In his first game, Burden recorded three receptions for 17 yards and a touchdown plus three rushes for 26 yards and a touchdown. His lone glaring mistake was letting a ball bounce off his hands which resulted in an interception. Part of it was on quarterback Brady Cook for probably throwing it too hard when Burden was five yards away from him wide open, but it hit Burden right in the hands.

Last season, it was Tyler Badie. This season it needs to be Burden who is getting the touches and the looks. He only had five targets but the way he played showed that he needs more than that.

Drinkwitz said that he wasn’t surprised by Burden’s performance because he’s seen it all offseason but he didn’t want to add on to the hype. But it doesn’t really bother Burden anyway.

“It’s a lot of outsiders (that are) just going to say whatever, so I just put that to the side and lock in with my teammates and just try to win,” Burden said.

Running back position is a “great problem” to have

When Badie was toting the rock for 75% of the carries last season it was good because he broke the school’s all-time single-season rushing record but it became a bit predictable. On Thursday, the Tigers were running back by committee and that committee put up 328 yards and six touchdowns. Most of the work was done by Truman State transfer Cody Schrader and Stanford transfer Nathaniel Peat.

Schrader got the start and led the team in carries with 17 to go with 70 yards and a touchdown.

Peat, who was said to have had a “soft tissue” injury (hamstring) through most of fall camp, clearly showed it was a non-factor. He rushed eight times for 72 yards and a touchdown and looked elusive and spry in his reps. It’s unknown if he’s 100% but when he is he probably is going to be the starter.

When Drinkwitz was asked about how he would assess the running back situation he said it was a favorable problem to have.

“That’s a great problem to have,” Drinkwitz said. “I mean we have three really great players and hopefully we can mix it in. …I’ll be honest I think Cody and Nate created a lot on their own with yards after contact.

Expect to probably see Schrader’s carries decrease a little while Peat’s increases.

Brady Cook was good, not great

Cook played a good game. He did everything the team needed him to do which was to limit turnovers and get the ball to the playmakers. He finished the game 17 of 26 for 196 yards and an interception. He also rushed the ball seven times for 61 yards and a touchdown.

No one wants to be labeled a game manager and Cook isn’t going to be slapped with that designation 一 yet. He moved the ball effectively and got the ball to eight different receivers. The rushing touchdown he had was impressive because he realized that the pocket was collapsing and he’s agile enough to make something out of nothing.

“Yeah, I thought Brady made some really great decisions in the pocket. Specifically, on third down pulling it down and running (for the touchdown). There’s some game management things that we need to correct,” Drinkwitz said.

Where he struggled was he threw some balls behind receivers, he had a couple of passes that could’ve been intercepted (Burden ripped away an interception from a defender to save a turnover) and on some of his completed passes he threw them a second or two late and nullified more yards after the catch.

Overall, Cook did what he needed to do for the win but Missouri shouldn’t be counting on him to win them games. He just can’t be the reason why they lose them.