Three Notable Performers from Missouri Football's big win Over Murray State

Plenty of players played well in their time on the field against the Racers on Thursday night, but a few stood out above the rest. Here are a few standouts from the Thursday night matchup.

Aug 29, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers place kicker Blake Craig (19) kicks a field goal against the Murray State Racers during the second half at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports / Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

In a monstrous 51-0 thrashing of the Murray State Racers, the Tigers shared the wealth with many impressive performances. From sophomore receiver Marquis Johnson's four receptions for 40 yards, to 3 tackles and a sack from junior defensive tackle Chris McClellan, guys stood out all across the board.

In a game where there was not much to learn from, here are three names who stood out, just a little bit more, than the rest.

Corey Flagg Jr., LB

Flagg made his presence felt all across the defensive side of the ball last evening against the Racers. The most notable of them, a tackle for loss with 3:53 left in the second quarter. Flagg started in the middle of the field and made an athletic play to the left side of the backfield to stop Murray State running back Kywon Morgan for a loss of two yards. It appeared as if he had no right making that play, but proceeded to do so anyway.

The preparation was big for Flagg. He knew, based on practice and scouting from the week prior, the exact power-swing toss would be the play they ran. He saw it coming before the ball was snapped and sniffed out it immediately.

"I knew if he did come back across it would take him a minute to come back across," Flagg said. "So i knew he was going to hop around right away and that was the toss we'd been running all week."

On the day, Flagg recorded five total tackles on the day and three on his own, including his tackle for loss in the second quarter. Flagg was a member of a Tiger defense that put up their first shut out in five seasons, coming in a 50-0 win over Southeast Missouri State

Marcus Carroll, RB

Throughout all of fall camp and the preseason, Appalachian State transfer Nate Noel was advertised as a shifty, quick back who was versatile in the receiving game. Carroll was described as a third-down power back who would be an expert in red zone situations. He certainly proved those people wrong today.

Carroll looked fast and explosive, with multiple cuts on multiple plays that looked similar to ones by Noel. Not only that, he still plowed guys over and broke tackles. Outside of the stat sheet, Carroll had one of the most eye-opening performances of the day.

On the stat sheet, he carried the ball six times for 35 yards. He also turned heads in the receiving game, snagging two receptions for 19 yards. Carroll did things people said he couldn't do well tonight, which almost certainly gained him some respect.

Blake Craig, K

Craig is not a sexy pick by any means. That being said, it's not easy to replace a kicker who can drill a 60-yard field goal with seconds dripping off the clock. No one expects Craig to have an identical leg to former kicker Harrison Mevis, but having someone who's consistent won't hurt. He did exactly that against the Racers.

He drilled all three of his field goal attempts with ease, the longest from 39-yards mid way through the third quarter. The other came in the final quarter, one from 22-yards and the other from 27. None of them were remotely close to missing, which should give fans some confidence about their kicker.

The Tigers kick off week two next week against Buffalo at Faurot Field on Thursday, September 7 at 6 p.m.