Mizzou Takes Care of Business on the Road, Beats UMass 45-3

Missouri football did exactly what they were supposed to do against the UMass Minutemen, controlling the game on both sides of the ball.

Oct 12, 2024; Amherst, Massachusetts, USA; Missouri Tigers running back Marcus Carroll (9) dives for a touchdown against the Massachusetts Minutemen during the first half at Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images / Eric Canha-Imagn Images

To say the No. 21 Missouri Tigers took care of business on the road against UMass is an understatement. 

In a game where a win appeared likely and was vital to their season, the Tigers walked into McGuirk Alumni Stadium and easily defeated the Minutemen. In a group effort, from quarterback Brady Cook to a variety of defensive players, there was never much doubt about the Tigers eventual 45-3 victory

The Tiger offense was electric from the jump. On just the second play of the entire game, receiver Luther Burden took a jet sweep to the house from 61 yards for the first score of the game. That set the tone for the Tigers early. This was an excellent tone-setting start to the game for head coach Eli Drinkwitz' offense.

"He set the tone," Drinkwitz said. "Could have been an easy way for us to not really respond."

After forcing a quick three-and-out, the next Tiger offensive drive was completely different than the first. Taking 15 plays to move down the field, running back Marcus Carroll eventually punched in a three-yard run to make the score 14-0. 

Carroll received most of the touches at the running back spot in the first half, alongside Jamal Roberts and true freshman Kewan Lacy. Missouri's leading rusher, Nate Noel, was dealing with back tightness and did not see a single snap.

Regardless, the trio of rushers did their job. Carroll finished with 91 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries, with Roberts and Lacy chipping in with 7 and 16 yards apiece. Tavorus Jones got in the game in the fourth quarter and recorded 41 yards on six carries.

"Marcus Carroll did exactly what we needed him to do and Jamal Roberts," Drinkwitz said. "So proud of those guys for stepping up."

Carroll punched in a third score of the game from four yards out with 11:05 to play in the second quarter, but a swing of momentum took the Tiger defense by surprise. UMass quarterback Taisun Phommachanh and receiver Jakobie Keeney-James started a drive down the field, with two receptions of 18 yards leading them down the field. 

That drive only resulted in three points on a field goal attempt from Jacob Lurie, but promise from the Minutemen offense was there. After forcing a punt, they began a drive down the field again. A fake punt run from Te'Rai Powell took the Minutemen offense 39 yards down the field and ignited their fans, with Phommachanh knocking on the door of seven points.

That excitement was quickly diminished, as Phommachanh's red zone pass was read perfectly by Tiger linebacker Corey Flagg Jr. Flagg returned it for 80 yards to the opposite side of the field with only eight seconds left in the first half. That resulted in a 42-yard field goal from Blake Craig to make the lead 24-3. Flagg's interception was a momentum shifter, preventing the Minutemen from clawing back into the game.

"Any takeaway is going to flip the momentum," Flagg said. "So I feel like it did flip the momentum and made sure we finished the game the way we supposed to finish."

The beginning of the second half didn't show much promise offensively for the Tigers, but on a second down run, Carroll bobbed and weaved his way into the endzone from 35-yards out to increase the score for the third time. 

On the play before that, Cook missed Burden on the high side on a slant route and at the same time, Burden was hit hard and fell awkwardly on his left shoulder. Burden did not see the field again after his presumed injury. Head coach Eli Drinkwitz told a reporter during the game that Burden would be "just fine".

Even without Burden, the Tiger offense stayed hot. After a quick three and out for UMass the series after, the Tigers were able to strike quick. On a play action sweep on the first play of the drive, Cook found sophomore receiver Joshua Manning for a 63-yard touchdown. This marked Manning's first career touchdown and only his seventh reception of the season. 

The Tigers never once blinked on defense, collecting stop after stop and not allowing any scores in the third quarter. Former 5-star defensive end Williams Nwaneri got some field time and was effective with it, recording a sack on Phommachanh. 

Cook connected with Norfleet on two consecutive throws on their next offensive drive, one for 36 yards into the redzone and the other to cap off the drive with a touchdown. This was Norfleet's first score of the season and only his ninth reception. Cook's deep ball and activity from Norfleet in the sequence were both positive signs. 

The connection between Cook, Manning and Norfleet was a pleasant spark to the Tiger offense and one that should be a confidence builder.

"We threw it to Joshua Manning on the first one. He just took it 70. So that was pretty awesome," Drinkwitz said. "So the second drive, we just want to do the same thing and Brett happened to be the recipient of those open throws."

At the start of the fourth quarter, backup quarterback Drew Pyne stepped in at the helm of the offense. He was one of many depth pieces for the Tigers that got playing time. Tavorus Jones saw snaps at the running back spot and even the offensive line unit saw changes. The Tigers were ahead 45-3 at the start of the final quarter, the game far out of reach for UMass. 

As the Tiger defense continued to stack up stops, Pyne's performance at quarterback took the spotlight. He went 3-for-5 in his limited play time, with only 11 yards in the air. 

True freshman Nicholas Rodriguez led the way defensively for the Tigers, finishing with nine tackles, the best of his young career. Safeties Joseph Charleston and Sidney Williams were behind him on that list, with Charleston posting six tackles and Williams with five. 

This blowout victory was exactly what the Tigers needed to bounce back after their 41-10 blowout defeat the week prior. They bounced back almost as well as they could have and many of the glaring issues that were amplified  against the Aggies looked much more sound against UMass.

"I think it's just a springboard for our confidence," quarterback Brady Cook said. "Moving into Auburn, we needed it. We needed to get some good plays on tape."

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