Brady Cook, Luther Burden III lead No. 11 Missouri to season-opening 51-0 rout of Murray State
COLUMBIA, Mo. -- — Brady Cook threw for 218 yards with touchdowns running and throwing, Toriano Pride Jr. returned an interception 25 yards for a score, and No. 11 Missouri routed Murray State 51-0 on Thursday night in the season opener for both teams.Luther Burden III had a touchdown catch and Nate Noel and Marcus Carroll added TD runs, helping the Tigers build a big lead early enough that coach Eli Drinkwitz was able to rest his starters midway through the third quarter.
“Our team wanted to come out and show everybody this is a new team. This is a new thing,” said Drinkwitz, whose Tigers won 11 games and the Cotton Bowl last season. “We're going to have our own identity. I'm really proud of those guys for setting the standard. But like I told them in the locker room, this is just the start. Each game it's going to get a little more challenging and we have to meet those challenges head on.”
Murray State, which was picked to finish last in the Missouri Valley, managed 85 yards of total offense. Jayden Johannsen was 7 of 13 for 27 yards with an interception while getting sacked twice and beaten up most of the night.
Missouri was nearly shut out in the second quarter, eventually scoring on Cook's keeper with a second left. The first half showed how good the Tigers can be when everything is clicking but also how pedestrian they can be when things go awry.
Missouri continues its four-game homestand Sept. 7 against Buffalo, which beat Lafayette 30-13 on Thursday night.
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