What You Need To Know About the Missouri Offense
After failing to post a winning record in any of his first three seasons leading the Missouri football program, Missouri Head Coach Eli Drinkwitz entered the 2023 season on an ever-so-mild hot seat. However, a 7-1 start to his fourth season in Columbia that has positioned the Tigers to have a realistic opportunity to claim the SEC Eastern Division title with a strong finish to the season, has removed any lingering doubts about his job status and entrenched him as the Tigers' head coach moving. While the Tiger defense has remained a strong, aggressive unit, it has been the significant leap taken by the Missouri offense in 2023 that is most responsible for the reversal in the program's fortunes.
The 2022 Missouri offense finished near the bottom of the SEC in most major statistical categories, finishing 10th or worse in the league in total offense, yards per play, and scoring offense en route to an underwhelming 6-7 record. In an effort to jumpstart that largely moribund Missouri offense, Drinkwitz - a long-time offensive coordinator who called offensive plays for Missouri in each of his first three seasons on the job - poached Kirby Moore from Fresno State to serve as his new offensive coordinator and promptly relinquished playcalling duties to the former Boise State wide receiver. The dividends of the hire were as immediate as they have been impressive. Under Moore, Missouri is averaging roughly 75 yards more per game (367.6 yards to 443 yards) and is scoring nearly 10 points more per game (24.8 points to 33.9 points).
When attempting to explain Missouri's relative offensive explosion in 2023, one must begin with the quarterback position where incumbent starter Brady Cook, a life-long Missouri fan, managed to fend off multiple challengers for his starting quarterback position in the lead-up to the season. After Cook posted modest numbers in 13 starts in 2022 (209 passing yards per game, 14 touchdowns, 7 interceptions), Drinkwitz opened up the quarterback competition during the offseason. Cook, however, worked diligently to change his release, won the job in fall camp, and has subsequently established himself as one of the top quarterbacks in the SEC. Through eight games, Cook is averaging 282.4 passing yards per game and has already surpassed his touchdown total from the 2022 season. The St. Louis, Missouri native also set an SEC record for consecutive passing attempts without an interception prior to throwing his first interception of the season against LSU in October. Cook's combination of experience, quick release, accuracy, and athleticism have served as the catalyst for Missouri's offensive improvement in 2023.
Missouri QB Brady Cook throws a pass against South Carolina on Oct. 21. Cook has been that catalyst behind a resurgent Missouri offense in 2023.
However, as impressive as Cook has been in 2023, the Missouri offense has been far from a one-man show. Cook's jump in production has been aided significantly by a talented and explosive assemblage of skill players, led by the dynamic Luther Burden III. Burden, a former 5-star receiver out of St. Louis, has exploded in his sophomore season in Columbia as he currently leads the SEC with 61 receptions and is second in the league in receiving with 905 yards. At 5-foot-11, 208 pounds with elite speed, Burden is a lethal weapon out of the slot where he has lined up on 85% of his offensive snaps. He is an explosive, versatile athlete that the Tigers make a concerted effort to get the ball to in space, where he is nearly impossible to deal with.
Complimenting Burden at receiver are Oklahoma transfer Theo Wease, Ohio State transfer Mookie Cooper, and talented freshman Marquis Johnson. At 6-foot-2, Wease is the only one of Missouri's primary quartet of receivers to stand over 6-foot tall and is enjoying a career year at Missouri as he is second on the team in both receptions and receiving yards. Cooper, who is in his second year with the Missouri program after transferring from Ohio State, is another dynamic space player and is enjoying a career year of his own with 359 yards receiving. Johnson has only hauled in 9 passes on the season, but those 9 receptions have gone for a staggering 29.8 yards per reception.
Missouri sophomore WR Luther Burden III has been a breakout star for the Tigers this season, currently ranking first in the SEC in receptions.
But while the Missouri passing game has garnered much of the attention with its explosive production, the Missouri ground attack remains the foundation of the offense that sets up the high-flying antics of the Tiger offense. Under Drinkwitz, Missouri has been a heavy outside zone team and that influence has bled into Moore's play calling. The Tigers use outside zone as a base play that they work a variety of constraints off of. Coming into the season, Missouri featured a two-headed attack at running back with Cody Schrader and Stanford transfer Nathaniel Peat. However, while Peat dealt with injuries at points early in the season, Schrader assumed control of the running back position. The former Truman State star originally came to Missouri as a walk-on, earned his position the hard way, and has been extremely productive for the Tigers. He is averaging 100 rushing yards per game through the first eight games of the season, which ranks him second in the conference, two yards per game behind Kentucky's Ray Davis. The 5-foot-9, 215-pound running back is a physical, one-cut runner who excels getting north and south in Missouri's outside zone scheme.
When Missouri runs outside zone, it tends to favor the left side of its offensive line where it features two multi-year starters in left guard Xavier Delgado and left tackle Javon Foster. 58% of Missouri's handoffs to running backs have gone to the left side of the offensive line. In addition to paving the way for the SEC's second-leading rusher, the Tiger offensive line has only allowed 13 sacks on the season, good for third in the SEC.
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