Missouri Tigers’ top QBs each play a half in season-opening rout of South Dakota

If not dazzling, it was enough.

The Missouri Tigers football team kicked off its season with a comfortable 35-10 win over South Dakota on Thursday at Memorial Stadium, never needing to turn on the jets against its overmatched FCS opposition.

“Man, what a great crowd of the student section,” MU coach Eli Drinkwitz said. “It was unbelievable. Especially in the first half, I loved looking up at them on the rocky and grassy hill. It was just a great atmosphere.”

Here are three takeaways from the Tigers’ season-opening win:

QBs get a half each

Going into this game, Drinkwitz said he had a plan for the quarterback rotation. That plan: One half each.

Brady Cook put the game to bed with a weaving QB keeper from 15 yards near the end of the first half, capping a successful two-minute drill and handing the Tigers a 28-3 lead.

That followed a stunning 30-yard strike to Luther Burden III on a fly route, a pattern on which Burden split two defensive backs.

“I thought the offense had its ups and limited mistakes in the first half,” Cook said. “There is a lot to correct. The offense as a whole looked good. I think we played to our strengths.”

The incumbent starting quarterback finished 17-of-21 with 172 yards and a touchdown. He added 17 yards on the ground.

“I thought Brady played really well and maximized his opportunities,” Drinkwitz said.

Sam Horn took over for the second half with the game essentially in hand. But he didn’t get a snap until there was 6:35 left in the third quarter as the Coyotes chewed clock.

On his second drive, he hit Mekhi Miller low, but the ball bounced out of the receiver’s hands and into opposition’s for a pick. Miller, the sophomore from Blue Valley North, scored MU’s first touchdown of the game on a pass from Cook.

“Obviously, there are a lot of things that need to be cleaned up,” Drinkwitz said. “Disappointed that we left some points out there with missing kicks and opportunities, but at the end of the day we are 1-0.”

Horn’s final action of the night was finding Burden, who dodged his way into the end zone from 15 yards.

The redshirt freshman QB mostly handed the ball off in his longest collegiate appearance, finishing 3 of 5 with 54 yards, one touchdown and an in-name-only pick.

Moore conservative in debut

New Mizzou offensive coordinator Kirby Moore did not swing for the fences on his opening drive, and that resulted in sparse boos from the Memorial crowd after opting not to chance an early fourth-and-1.

But four of the next five possessions struck gold.

A six-play drive culminating in Cook finding Miller in the slot from 18 yards opened the scoring. The next three first-half scores all finished on running plays.

The Tigers created opportunities by pounding the ground. Senior running back Cody Schrader finished with 18 carries for 138 yards and a touchdown, plus three catches for 13 yards.

“I just try to run downhill,” Schrader said. “I’m a north and south guy. That has always been my strong suit.”

Moore showed some of what his new scheme, constantly putting his receivers in motion and his running backs out wide, but stuck mostly to the Tigers’ tried and true.

The Tigers finished with 447 yards of offense, including 226 on the ground.

Defense starts strong

Missouri’s defense came out with a bang, as South Dakota failed to get a first down in all but one of its five first-half drives.

Defensive coordinator Blake Baker’s unit had a rare blip at the beginning of the second quarter, but facing a first and goal Missouri quickly made amends.

Linebacker Chuck Hicks tracked down a rush left for no gain; Kristian Williams forced a fumble 14 yards further back; Johnny Walker Jr. stuffed a QB keeper; and South Dakota settled for three.

And so went the night.

Missouri flexed 19 different players with at least one tackle, holding the Coyotes to 194 yards of total offense.

“We all love each other,” Walker said. “We all trust each other. We all know what assignments need to be done, so I feel like it’s a brotherhood. The whole team is just all trust.”

The Star has partnered with the Columbia Daily Tribune for coverage of Missouri Tigers athletics.