Scouting the Missouri Tigers: Five questions answered by Mizzou Sports Talk

Here are five questions answered by Matt Galatzan of Mizzou Sports Talk.

The Auburn Tigers will host the Missouri Tigers for the SEC opener this Saturday inside Jordan Hare Stadium. 

After a hectic week on the Plains, we finally find our way back to football after Auburn looked horrible to a Penn State Nittany Lions team at home a week ago. 

Missouri is certainly a beatable opponent but Auburn is dealing with even more questions at the quarterback position after reports that TJ Finley will miss at least this week and Zach Calzada is expected to miss the rest of the season after electing to get a procedure and pursue a medical red shirt. 

We spoke with Matt Galatzan, the Publisher of Mizzou Sports Talk, about Saturday's contest. 

What is the biggest storyline for Mizzou heading into their game against Auburn?

© Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

Missouri needs to prove that they can compete against a Power 5 team. They have looked fine, albeit very flawed in their games against Abilene Christian and Louisiana Tech. But against Kansas State, they seemed absolutely lost on both sides of the ball, and got blown out as a result. So in the first SEC matchup of the season, the fans are going to want to see the adjustments that have been made since that embarrassment. If they play the same way against Auburn, it is going to be a long season for Eli Drinkwitz. 

Auburn's pass rush took a step back against Penn State. Who do yu see the Mizzou offensive line performing against them?

Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Missouri’s offensive line has been very hit or miss, and they will not present the same challenge that Penn State did for Auburn. I expect Auburn to be able to get pressure on Brady Cook in the passing game, as well as hold the Mizzou run game in check. Missouri is going to have to find a way to get the ball into the hands of their playmakers at receiver quickly, to avoid negative plays.

How do you think QB Brady Cook has been so far this season?

AP Photo/Michael Woods

Brady Cook has been… fine? He knows the system and he has been efficient in Week 1 and Week 3. In Week 2 against a Power 5 opponent, he was not. A lot of that had to do with the pressure that Kansas State put on him, but he also struggled a bit with the speed of the Wildcats defense. Personally, I think it is inevitable that true freshman Sam Horn gets a shot at some point this season. He has the best arm talent on the team and is the future of the program. Given the state of the offense, there is no reason not to give him a shot.

How do you think Auburn will gameplan for Luther Burden?

© Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Luther Burden is a tremendous talent. Fortunately for Auburn, Missouri seems to have no idea how to get him the ball. Through three games, he has 10 catches — six of which came against Abilene Christian. He had one catch against Kansas State, and three for just 17 yards against Louisiana Tech. Yes, they have gotten him involved in the running game a bit (seven rushes for 40 yards in three games). He has also gotten involved in the punt return game as of last week, though that was almost a disaster with his injury scare. None of this is Burden’s fault, either, he is just playing his part in a poorly called offense. Anyway, I think all Auburn will need to do is get after Brady Cook, and be physical with Burden at the line of scrimmage to throw of their timing. If they do that, like Kansas State did, they should be just fine. 

How should Auburn best attack the Missouri defense?

Eric Starling/Auburn Daily

I think Auburn should utilize their strengths and just run right at the Mizzou defense with Tank Bigsby. That is exactly what Kansas State did with Deuce Vaughan and Adrian Martinez and it worked tremendously. Auburn has the same type of personnel to be successful against Missouri. No need for Bryan Harsin to get fancy with it. 

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