© Jay Biggerstaff, USA TODAY
Homegrown Heroes: Missouri's Cook And Burden Headline Tigers' Win Over Louisiana Tech
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Homegrown talent? Homegrown success. That's one way Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz can look at Thursday night's action from Faurot Field.
Quarterback Brady Cook always dreamt of playing for Tigers since his days in the Pop Warner leagues. Receiver Luther Burden, the highest-ranked pass-catcher in the 2022 recruiting cycle, never thought of leaving his home state for college. Both were factors in the Tigers’ 52-24 win over Louisiana Tech.
Drinkwitz, who enters a pivotal third season with the program, knows his roster can be better. It has to be once SEC play begins. At least he has a baseline on offense led by Cook and Burden, who potentially could be one of the more under-the-radar duos in college football.
“When you're complaining after scoring 52 points, that's probably a bad sign," Drinwitz said postgame. "But, things we've got to get corrected in a hurry."
Cook, a St. Louis native, wasn’t asked to do much for the Tigers' offense. Predominantly, the sophomore was tasked with moving the ball on short, accurate passes that would control the time of possession.
In a sense, the mission was accomplished by Cook. He finished 18 of 27 passing for 192 yards and a touchdown. He also tacked on 67 rushing yards, scoring on a 20-yard run in the third quarter.
The Tigers also won the time of possession battle (31:32-28:28) and picked up nine more first downs (28-19).
"I thought he made some really great decisions in the pocket, specifically on third downs," Drinkwitz said of Cook.
Burden, a native of East St. Louis on the border, showed glimpses of his No. 1 receiver potential. His 5-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter sucked the life out of the Bulldogs’ defense just before halftime and gave the Tigers momentum to keep their foot on the gas.
Young players will often make mistakes early in their careers. Burden’s biggest blunder of the night came early in the second quarter when he dropped what would’ve been his first career touchdown. He also was credited with a drop in the third quarter, this one leading to an interception by Bulldogs’ cornerback Maki Carabin.
"I was disappointed with the interception," Drinkwitz said. "There was just too much sauce on the throw."
There were also a handful of plays that made Burden look like a seasoned vet. On the Tigers’ final drive before halftime, he stole what should have been an interception for Louisiana Tech and turned it into a first down. Burden also drew a pass interference call against La. Tech’s Reginald Johnson Jr., putting Mizzou inside the Bulldogs’ 10-yard line.
Burden finished the night with three catches for 17 yards. He also was a factor in the run game, totaling three carries for 26 yards, including scoring on a 1-yard run in the third quarter.
"We've been seeing that all fall camp," Drinkwitz said of Burden.
Drinkwitz will pinpoint the flaws of the roster over the weekend, but there’s potential for his offense to produce promising results. Cook’s interception was a mix of a hard-thrown ball and a rookie drop. Both mistakes are correctable.
The defense also forced three turnovers, a step in the right direction under new coordinator Blake Baker. It also allowed over 300 yards of offense, a cardinal sin in conference play.
Burden and Cook are the headliners due to their status on the roster. One player almost transferred last offseason but elected to battle it out for the title of QB1. The other could have gone anywhere in the country but chose to play in front of the home crowd.
There are more positives than negatives from the Tigers’ 28-point win. The biggest were Burden and Cook, who proved the future has a chance to be bright in Columbia.
The Tigers will hit the road in Week 2 to face former Big 12 foe Kansas State at Bill Snyder Stadium.
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