Mizzou vs. ACU Notebook: Burden & Lovett Dominate, Defensive Concerns?

The Missouri Tigers move to 2-1 after Saturday's win over Abilene Christian. Let's look at a few takeaways from the victory.

The Missouri Tigers head into SEC play with a 2-1 record after defeating the Abilene  Christian Wildcats 34-17 in Columbia on Saturday. 

The Tigers were able to bounce back with a win after last week's 40-12 blowout loss at the hands of the Kansas State Wildcats. 

Let's take a look at some of the major takeaways from the win. 

Dominic Lovett WR1?

Much of the attention through the first three games was on Burden, but it's Lovett who has been a no-doubter as a top receiving option for the Tigers ahead of receivers like Barrett Banister, Tauskie Dove, and even Burden. 

He exploded with a team-high in seven catches, 132 yards and two touchdowns against ACU Saturday, which included a huge 79-yard touchdown pass from Cook in the first quarter. 

Lovett also added another score in the third, darting through the middle and showing strength with an extension over the goal line for a 13-yard touchdown.

While Burden is Mizzou's versatile play-maker on offense, Lovett has established him as a clear alpha in a WR1 role through three games.

Mizzou defensive had early and late struggles, played strong in between

ACU had a handful of 20-yard gains on offense in the first half through the air and on the ground. In the first quarter, Wildcats running back Jermiah Dobbins had two 20-yard runs on ACU's only offensive scoring drive.

The rest of the game second and third quarter saw the Mizzou defense consistently hold strong against the Wildcats, forcing two ACU turnovers. 

But the defense allowed a huge 49-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter that soiled what was fixing to be an overall dominant second half from coordinator Blake Baker's group. 

This might be a big harsh despite the win, but the Tigers needed to blow this game out of the water from start to finish to show they're ready for SEC play next week against the Auburn Tigers. They didn't exactly do that and will need to show some major improvements throughout the week. 

Luther Burden leads Tiger skill players in TDs through three games

It's been three touchdowns in three different ways for No. 3 through three games. Quite the trifecta. 

Burden wasted little time Saturday reminding everyone how explosive he can be after a forgettable performance of just two touches for nine yards against Kansas State last week. 

He took the first ACU punt of the game 78 yards to the house, showing he can be a consistent weapon in that role from here on out. 

While also taking more snaps at the wildcat in Saturday's win, Burden posted his best receiving game as a Tiger, catching all six of his targets for 58 yards. 

We already knew the versatility was there. Now, Burden is slowing coming into his own as a purely skilled receiver as well. 

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You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7

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