WEB EXTRA: SEC Network’s Peter Burns previews No. 21 Mizzou’s road test at No. 15 Alabama
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The last time the No. 21 Mizzou football team hit the road for an environment up to the level of Bryant-Denny Stadium, it did not go the way they would have hoped. A little more than two weeks ago, Tiger football got trounced by Texas A&M in College Station, 41-10. However, on Saturday, head coach Eli Drinkwitz and company will look for some redemption in the group's first real road tests since then.
SEC Network anchor Peter Burns sat down with ABC 17 Sports Director Nathalie Jones to preview the matchup, on Tuesday.
Burns said, for Mizzou's College Football Playoff hopes, this is a must-win football game in Tuscaloosa.
"This game from Missouri is everything. It's the entire season. I look at Missouri football right now with already one loss and I would say their schedule is not as respected as some other teams that have a loss," he said. "I don't believe that they can afford two losses and still be in contention for the College Football Playoff. So, for me, I look at it as like this is the same way we would look at March Madness, where it's survive and advance, every single game. It doesn't have to be pretty, but you cannot afford a loss and if you do lose, you're going to be out on the outside looking in."
You can watch the full interview with Burns in the video player below.
Burns added that the key to the game between the Crimson Tide and Tigers will be the turnover battle, even if it sounds cliche. It's an area that Alabama has been inconsistent in all season long. Quarterback Jalen Milroe puts up gamebreaking stats week-after-week for the Tide, but he's also thrown six interceptions, so far, in 2024.
In addition to that turnover problem, Coach DeBoer's unit is the one of the most penalized teams in college football. The Tide have 62 penalties for 548 yards in 2024, as the team averages nearly 82 yards in penalties per game. Burns said the key will be for MU to capitalize on those missteps.
"You need Missouri to have less penalties and less turnovers and the rest of it kind of takes care of itself," he said. "Alabama's been one of the most penalized teams in college football. I don't know how you can change that overnight."
Coach Drink and company will have a lot of playmakers to contend with at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday, but one 17-year-old has turned heads all season.
Through six games, true freshman wide receiver Ryan Williams already has 567 yards on 28 receptions and six touchdowns. He's quickly become a go-to option for Milroe, as he was targeted more than 20 times in Alabama's Week 8 matchup with Tennessee.
Coach Eli had high praise for the 17-year-old and so did Burns, on Tuesday.
"You talk about how the SEC has some of the greatest athletes and some of the greatest future NFL draft picks and we're talking about a kid that should be in high school is arguably the most gifted wide receiver. I mean, you know, you see guys like LeBron James that were phenoms. Bryce Harper was phenom, Tiger Woods...Ryan Williams traditionally fits that mold of a guy that just does stuff that everybody looks at and goes, 'how in the world is this possible?'" Burns said.
When asked what he would make of this Mizzou team through seven games, Burns said that word that came to mind was puzzling. Although the team is 6-1, he said he still feels like he hasn't seen it all come together yet, where the Tigers play complimentary football. Despite that, they are still in the College Football Playoff fight.
Quarterback Brady Cook has been a major contributor to Mizzou's presence in that fight this season. The graduate student has completed about 63 percents of his passes for 1,545 yards, seven touchdowns and just one interception in the first seven games.
Last time out, Cook grabbed the attention of the nation, after he went out of the game against Auburn with an injury, went to the hospital, then returned to the game and led Mizzou on two touchdown drives to win the ball game. Burns said it's a story made for the big screen.
"I mean, that story was made for Disney," he said. "Him being in the hospital and saying, 'hey, get me out there. I've only got a couple more games to play in that Missouri uniform.' If that doesn't fire you up, I don't know. As a Mizzou fan, I don't know what I could do for you. I'm a Brady Cook fan right now, and I didn't even go to Missouri."
The starting quarterback's availability is still up in the air against Alabama following that injury, though. That's a storyline to watch, one which Burns said could be game-changing.
"Drew is a fantastic quarterback in his own right, but trust me, if you ask a defensive coordinator at Alabama which quarterback he would rather see - Drew Pyne or Brady Cook - they're going to say they don't want to see the heart of Brady Cook. Just because there's something special about that young man going back to last year," Burns said.
Mizzou and Alabama will kick off at 2:30 p.m. central time on KMIZ on Saturday, Oct. 26. Burns concluded by saying that if MU can get the upset done, it would earn them a whole lot of credibility.
"Everybody in the country right now, outside of Alabama fans, are pulling for the Missouri Tigers to win this game because there's kind of this crimson blood in the water right now because Alabama was so dominant for 20 years under Nick Saban that everybody likes to see them lose," Burns said. "That's a credit because they've been on top of the game for so long. So, there will be a lot of credit given because, at some point, the dynasty that Nick Saban had in Alabama, had as a program is going to be over. Missouri has a chance to put the final nail in the coffin coming up this Saturday. That's why this game is so big, especially to be able to do it on the road. Everybody is going to finally respect Missouri football if they're able to get that done."
