Missouri 35 | South Dakota 10

Final

First Quarter Notes

• The Tigers won the toss, and they want the ball first.
• Nathaniel Peat and Kris Abrams-Draine start out as kick returners.
• If you had Cody Schrader as the first Tiger to catch a pass on your bingo card, congrats!
• Tigers are stopped on a 3rd and 6, forced to punt from their own territory after picking up a first down.
• Senior Riley Williams starts out handling punting duties.
• Tre’Vez Johnson starting at safety in place of the injured Jaylon Carlies, and Dameon Wilson is starting in place of Chad Bailey.
• Brady Cook taking the first two drives for Mizzou.
• 9:19: Theo Wease with his first reception as a Tiger, but Schrader has four touches to lead the way thus far. Burden also gets into the mix on a pop pass.
• Offensive holding its own right now. Schrader hasn’t been touched in the backfield yet. Also, definitely noticing the amount of motion that happens within Kirby Moore’s offense.
• Mekhi Miller with the first touchdown of the season on a 23-yard strike from Brady Cook down the middle of the field. Tigers show a 2-point look with Cook at QB, but collapse into a regular extra point with the quarterback holding the snap.
• Coyotes have yet to really test either Abrams-Draine or Rakestraw as of yet. SD set to punt again from their own 31-yard line.
• Plenty of touches for Luther Burden on this drive, as Moore has gotten him the ball on sweeps and screen passes so far.
• Freshman tight end Brett Norfleet in on this drive.
• Brady Cook has yet to keep it on a read option as of yet. Be on the lookout for him to try to take advantage of South Dakota keying in on the running backs later in the game.
• 3:19: Nathaniel Peat punches it in from 1-yard out to extend the Tiger lead. A methodical drive ends with points.
• Johnny Walker Jr. and Nyles Gaddy combine for a sack. A promising play from two guys who need to step up off the edge.
• South Dakota goes without crossing midfield in the first quarter, only registered six yards. Exactly what you would expect from the Mizzou defense.

Second Quarter Notes

• Cook has generally kept things around the line of scrimmage, but he has started out 11-for-11 before an overthrow to Theo Wease.
• Harrison Mevis has a 47-yard attempt partially blocked.
• 9:10: Coyotes pick up their first 1st down of the game on a chunk run. Coyotes are driving inside the Tiger 10-yard line.
• Johnny Walker again gets into the backfield, this time forcing a fumble that SD recovers. It’s Walker’s world on the edge this season, and he is taking advantage. Coyotes forced to settle for a field goal after being inside the 10-yard line.
• Former Mizzou basketball player and current Los Angeles Laker D’Moi Hodge is in attendance, as well as current Los Angeles Clipper Kobe Brown. Each of them received a well-deserved roar from the crowd.
• Cook with his first rush attempt of the year. Waited until he went through all of his progressions then sliced through the defense for eight yards.
• 4:54: O-line is beginning to impose its will upon the SD defense. Schrader with a couple of chunk runs on this drive without being touched by the line of scrimmage.
• Cook places a ball perfectly on a post route to Burden, who eats a shot and holds on to the ball. Impressive throw from Cook, his second deeper completion down the middle of the field.
• Schrader is showing why he won the starting job last season. He’s sneaky shifty, has great vision and always falls forward when tackled. He punches in a touchdown to cap off another scoring drive.
• Tigers looking to get the ball back, calling a timeout after each of SD’s plays. The gap coverage from the D-line has been superb all night long.
• Cook finds Burden streaking down the sideline, and the receiver makes a nice adjustment to wrangle in a 30-yard reception.
• A sack on first down pushes the Tigers closer to midfield and further away from the end zone and Mevis range and time winds down. Cook responds with a complete to Peat, and Miller draws a holding call on the next play to set Mizzou right back up in the red zone.
• Cook jukes a defender on the way to a 20-yard touchdown run, tucking the ball down when he didn’t have anything in the air.

Third Quarter Notes

• Johnny Walker Jr. is having himself a NIGHT! Another tackle for loss as he steals the show off the edge.
• And then he rips down a runner on the perimeter. Make that four tackles, a tackle for loss and half a sack. The concerns at defensive end may have been answered tonight.
• Cleveland Browns defensive end Isaiah McGuire in attendance.
• South Dakota managing to stay alive on this drive with a pair of fourth-and-1 conversions.
• Rakestraw attempted to reel in an interception with one-hand, but still forces an incompletion on third down. On the ensuing fourth down, former 4-star recruit Marvin Burks Jr. makes his first big play as a Tiger, catching Aidan Bouman from his blind side on a sack.
• Sam Horn has entered the game for Mizzou at quarterback. After Cook played the first half, Horn may get to lead the offense in the second. His first throw? A strike to Mekhi Miller over the middle of the field for 31 yards.
• 3:15: The offense stalls, and Mevis misses a 34-yard kick.
• Johnny Walker Jr. with yet another pressure to force a fourth down.

Fourth Quarter Notes

• Sam Horn tosses an interception that was intended for Miller. South Dakota makes Mizzou pay with its first touchdown of the game.
• Attendance is at 50,543, which is the largest crowd for a home opener since 2019.
• Another holding call, the Tigers’ third of the night.
• Schrader with a nice 42-yard scamper to get the Tigers into scoring position. He’s now over 100 yards on the day.
• Luther Burden puts the Tigers on the board yet again with a tough run through defenders after a screen pass from Horn. The guy just makes things happen in the open field, and he’s now at 96 receiving yards on the night.

Pregame Updates

Game Info

Time: 7:00 CST

Date: Thursday, August 31

Location: Faurot Field, Columbia, Mo.

TV: SEC Network

Fan Questions:

1. Who will be the surprise star of the day?
2. How many catches will Luther Burden have?
3. How many total yards will Brady Cook have in this game?
4. Who will force a turnover?
5. Who will lead the team in total tackles?

Lastly, give us your score predictions and MVP for the game in the comments below!