No. 9 Mizzou improves to 2-0, as defense pitches second-straight shutout
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The No. 9 Mizzou football team remained unbeaten to start the 2024 season with a 38-0 win over Buffalo, in front of a sellout crowd at Faurot Field, on Saturday night.
The Tiger offense got off to a bit of a slow start in the win, as the only points in the first quarter came from a 51-yard field goal off the foot of kicker Blake Craig. However, head coach Eli Drinkwitz's guys turned it on in the second quarter.
All three first half touchdowns came on the ground. MU star Luther Burden found end zone first, as he rushed in for three yards to go up 10-0 over the Bulls. About six minutes after that, quarterback Brady Cook made it 17-0 with a three-yard touchdown run of his own.
The highlight of the half came from Cook, as well. He evaded multiple Buffalo defenders and flipped his way into the end zone just before halftime to send Mizzou into the locker room with a 24-0 lead.
After the break, Cook didn't open up the second half as nicely as he ended the first. On the first drive of the third quarter, the St. Louis native threw his first interception of the season. Luckily for the Tigers, though, that interception did not lead to points on the board for the Bulls.
It took most of the third quarter to get back into the end zone, but with a minute left until the start of the fourth quarter, running back Nate Noel put more cushion on his team's lead with a four-yard rush for a touchdown.
With less than a minute left in the ball game, running back Jamal Roberts ran in for Mizzou's fifth rushing touchdown of the ball game to give MU to the 38-0 lead.
Cook finished the night 28-36 for 228 yards, rushing for two touchdowns and throwing one interception. His top target was wide receiver Theo Wease Jr., who became one of five SEC players since 2014 to record 10 catches for more than 100 yards in just the first half. He ended the night with a career-high 13 receptions for 149 yards.
The Tiger defense put up another strong performance under first-year defensive coordinator Corey Batoon, as his unit has yet to allow any points in 2024. It is the first time since 1935 that the Tiger defense has pitched two-straight shutouts to start the season.
Miami-transfer Corey Flagg Jr. led the charge for the second-straight game, with a team-high six tackles and one tackle for loss. His teammates faired pretty well, too. Marvin Burks Jr. grabbed his first-career interception in the first quarter and Jahkai Lang, Chris McClellan and Johnny Walker Jr. all got in on sacks on Saturday night.
Buffalo was limited to just 169 of total offense, in comparison to Mizzou's 518 total yards of offense.
Up next - Mizzou will continue the home stand and host Boston College on Saturday, Sept. 14. Kickoff is slated for 11:45 a.m.
