What should we make of Missouri football’s offense in Week 1? Three takeaways

Mark the opener down as a success.

The Tigers’ reserves and freshmen were in the game midway through the third quarter of Missouri football’s 51-0 shutout of Murray State to open its season Thursday on Faurot Field, just as MU ideally would have drawn it up.

The sellout crowd needed just 5 minutes, 19 seconds to watch the Tigers open up a three-score lead. The defense was dominant all night long. If you stayed tuned in through the end of the game, you saw more than 70 Missouri players play a snap.

If the MU faithful wasn’t excited before, you can bet they are now.

But what should we make of the offensive showing?

Here are three reactions — perhaps overreactions — from the 51-point opening night from coach Eli Drinkwitz and offensive coordinator Kirby Moore’s group:

More: Why dominant day for Missouri football defense, even vs. Murray State, bodes well for success

More: Grading Missouri football after shutting out Murray State in 2024 opening game

Missouri football’s offensive line is already ready

Watch the Luther Burden III touchdown that opened the scoring again.

Brady Cook released quickly to the receiver on the wide side of the field, and Burden did as Burden often does.

But the quarterback, if needed, could have taken his sweet time. It’s quite possible the Racers’ rushing field end was never going to shrug off left tackle Marcus Bryant.

The pitch to running back Nate Noel for TD No. 2? Right tackle Armand Membou pancaked a guy to create that gap.

That was the tale of opening night for the offensive line. Cook — and backup Drew Pyne in the second half — were very seldom on the run. Murray State only made two hits behind the line of scrimmage.

The Tigers will play better opponents, but Missouri’s three returners from center to right tackle looked every bit as dominant as last season. The two newcomers, Bryant and Cayden Green, slotted in seamlessly. That’s a really good indicator for sustained success in Columbia.

“Overall, I thought those guys played pretty well,” Drinkwitz said. … “You know, we had a couple of penalties there, but for the most part I thought they did what we expected.”

Replacing Schrader’s 1,627 rushing yards looks attainable

Speaking of the O-Line’s dominance …

You could have rolled Big Mo’ through some of the holes they were opening.

Good news for the Tigers, they just need Noel, Marcus Carroll and the rest of the supporting cast at tailback to trot on through.

Noel, in from Appalachian State, showed his promised speed and shiftiness, going for 48 yards and a debut score. He was a useful option in the flat in the passing game, and showed an ability to drop the shoulder and get some yards after contact.

Carroll knows all about that. Granted, he didn’t need to brush off a fingertip as he skipped in on his goal-line touchdown run, but his ability to absorb — even invite — would-be tacklers was immediately evident as he ran for 35 yards on six carries.

When the reserves came in for the second half, Jamal Roberts got the space to score his first career touchdown. Freshman Kewan Lacy went for 8.4 yards a carry over five handoffs late in the game.

All told, MU ran for 189 yards and four TDs versus Murray State. It may not all come from one person, a la Cody Schrader in 2023, but the ground game appears to be in good hands.

“Exactly what I kind of expected with Marcus Carroll. He's going to be really tough to tackle. When he gets his pads downhill, it's going to be a tough out, and you're going to have to really bring a sack lunch to keep hitting him,” Drinkwitz said postgame. “I thought Nate Noel had some really good cuts. He's got some quickness, … for the most part, I thought those guys played well off of each other.”

Deep ball missteps a rare concern

From midfield, Marquis Johnson used his trademark speed to break free in the first quarter with the Tigers already up 21-0. Cook overthrew him, although that toss came with a finger-length of sending Memorial Stadium into delirium.

In the next series from nine yards inside the Mizzou half, Burden broke more than a few steps free of his closest coverage. Cook took another shot up the middle and over the top, but that ball dropped harmlessly in front of the star.

Three plays later, Burden fumbled on a unique jet-sweep handoff, and the chance to make it five straight possessions with a touchdown to open the season ended. That stopped a streak of three straight series with offensive touchdowns and started another of three without a score. If the deep shot connected, who knows what unsightly numbers the Tigers might have put up

That, obviously, didn’t hurt versus Murray State.

Later this year, it could.

It’s Week 1. Brady Cook and the Tigers took some shots, and those didn’t hit. That happens.

Now, the mission is to make sure it doesn’t happen on a consistent basis.

Mizzou can change games with its long list of playmakers at wide receiver. The Tigers had one passing play go more than 20 yards Thursday — a 49-yard catch-and-run from Mookie Cooper.

Cook waltzed to a 218-yard night over two-and-a-half quarters by doing what he needed to well. But MU’s pass-catching crew has a lot more in the tank.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: What should we make of Missouri football’s offense in Week 1? Three takeaways