Mizzou responds to first loss with 42-point rout of Massachusetts
AMHERST, Mass. (KMIZ)
Following No. 21 Mizzou's first loss of the season to Texas A&M, head coach Eli Drinkwitz challenged his group to positively respond to it in Week 7. The Tigers delivered the response Drinkwitz was looking for.
MU cruised past Massachusetts 45-3 to get them back in the win column, propelled by a balanced effort throwing and running the football. Mizzou (5-1) finished the game with 461 total yards of offense, including 230 yards through the air and 231 yards on the ground.
It took the Tigers just two offensive plays to find the end zone on Saturday afternoon. Luther Burden III scored a 61-yard touchdown off a jet sweep before the game's first minute ticked off the clock. From there, Mizzou scored two more touchdowns against Massachusetts (1-6) in the first half, both courtesy of short-yardage carries from running back Marcus Carroll. The Georgia State transfer ended the game with three rushing touchdowns.
Overall, Carroll led MU's rushing attack with 91 yards on 15 attempts. Carroll and Lacy handled the bulk of the carries in a contest where fellow running back Nate Noel did not play. A team spokesperson said the Appalachian State transfer missed the game due to back tightness.
Burden III also had to exit this game early after taking a big hit while trying to catch a slant from Brady Cook. When asked about Burden's status on the ESPN broadcast, Drinkwitz did tell the sideline reporter, "he will be just fine."
After taking a 24-3 lead into the locker room, MU supplied three more scores in the second half. First, Carroll broke free for a 35-yard rushing touchdown. Then, the Tigers scored twice through the air. Joshua Manning scored the first touchdown of his college career on a 63-yard pass from Cook to make it a 35-point lead for Mizzou, and Brett Norfleet caught his first touchdown pass of the 2024 season in the closing minutes of the third quarter to extend his team's lead to 45-3.
Cook was efficient in Saturday's bounce back win, completing about 73% of his throws for 219 passing yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed three times for 16 yards on the ground.
Up next - MU returns to Faurot Field for homecoming. Coach Drinkwitz and his Tigers will welcome Auburn to Columbia on Saturday, Oct. 19. Kickoff time for that contest will be at 11 a.m. or 11:45 a.m.
