Players to Watch in Missouri's Week Two Matchup

Four names to keep note of on Saturday night when the Tigers face the Buffalo Bulls.

Oct 7, 2023; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers tight end Tyler Stephens (80) celebrates after a play against the LSU Tigers during the first half at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images / Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Week two of college football is upon the city of Columbia, Mo. and a week two matchup against the Buffalo Bulls is set up for 6 p.m. on a Saturday night for Missouri football.

The Tigers now have a performance baseline after a week one blowout, but the Bulls should prove to be more of a challenge. Plenty of guys played solid in limited snaps. Majority of the skill-position starters didn't play at all in the second half, making it hard to judge how well they truly played.

Buffalo should be a matchup the Tigers can handle which might limit the amount of time the starters play. With a few minor injuries last week, as well as some players who didn't quite play as well as they could have, here are four players to take note of on Saturday night.

QB, Brady Cook

There are no doubts that Cook will play to his potential as the season progresses, but some missed deep balls and other throws in general may have left a bad taste in some peoples mouths. He went 19-of-30 against Murray State, with 228 passing yards and a touchdown.

His accuracy wasn't necessarily an issue, only missing a few debatably-bad throws. These are throws he is capable of making. Those mistakes were likely nothing more than early-season miscues, ones that can be fixed with more reps in practice and more deep shots in game.

Head coach Eli Drinkwitz was not thrilled with the passing core as a whole against the Racers, receivers included. Some general inconsistencies that were displayed were ones that needed to get ironed out in practice.

“Fundamentals. It starts with fundamentals, route depth, timing, the quarterback setting his feet when he makes throws," Drinkwitz said.

This time last season, Cook was not a set starter. He was splitting game-reps with sophomore quarterback Sam Horn, but won the position battle. Now, he is a consensus starter with room for error. The deep ball is something he needs to improve on by the time the Tigers make it to conference play, but should be an area he shows growth in in the early part of the season. Expect Cook to fall back on the deep ball again against Buffalo where he has room to make mistakes and teammates to fall back on.

TE, Tyler Stephens/Jordon Harris

Starting tight end Brett Norfleet was ruled out against Buffalo earlier in the week, according to ESPN reporter Pete Thamel. With Norfleet out, the reigns get passed down to backups Tyler Stephens and Jordon Harris.

READ: Key Offensive Playmaker to Miss Missouri's Week 2 Game with Injury

Stephens will play against his alma mater for the first time in his career on Saturday night. He was the only other tight end to record a reception last season outside of Norfleet, recording five receptions for 49 yards. He was questionable last week in limited snaps, splitting targets with Harris. It is not clear who will be the starter between the two, but both of them should see the field.

Harris did not record any receptions last week, but was listed as the second string ahead of Stephens. He has not recorded a single reception in his career as a Tiger, but he gives Cook, or whoever is at quarterback, a large and athletic target. He is not as experienced as Stephens, but Cook does like to dump it down to his tight ends. Harris also plays an important pass and run blocking role, giving him another reason to see the field.

EDGE, Zion Young Jr.

Young did not put any numbers on the stat sheet this week, but that is likely to change. He had an impressive quarterback pressure last week that resulted in Murray State quarterback Jayden Johannsen throwing a pick-six to Tiger cornerback Toriano Pride Jr. Young displayed power and bend to get to the quarterback.

It's only a matter of time before Young records a sack or tackle for loss with the moves he put on display against the Racers. The entire Tiger defensive line really stood out, with defensive tackles Chris McClellan and Kristian Williams also putting pressure on the quarterback and getting in the stat books.

Young never posted incredible numbers with the Michigan State Spartans, his former team, with a career high of 26 total tackles and a sack-and-a-half in his 2023 campaign. He showed the same flashes last week that he did all of last season with the Spartans. He has more freedom to show off his pass rush moves in the Tiger defense and in the right situation, his moves could stand out above the rest.

Read more Missouri Tigers news:

Everything to Know About Missouri vs. Buffalo

WATCH: All Things Mizzou Podcast: Tigers Handle Business in Week 1, Buffalo Preview

'We Don't See A Drop Off': Depth, Versatility Bolster Missouri's Defensive Line