Missouri receiver Luther Burden scored a 61-yard touchdown on a jet sweep just under a minute into the game, helping the 21st-ranked Tigers defeat Massachusetts 45-3 on Saturday.
“The first play Luther scored on I thought set the tone,” Missouri coach Eliah Drinkwitz said. “Luther set the tone as a guy everybody looks up to to make that play.”
Missouri (5-1) bounced back from their 41-10 loss to Texas A&M last week with this strong win over the independent team, UMass (1-6), which has now lost three games in a row.
“I talked all week about responding and there were a lot of ways this could have gone,” Drinkwitz said. “They fought back and responded, and I thought they played team football today. We have got to be a team that dominates nonconference competition.”
Brady Cook completed 14 of 19 passes for 219 yards and two touchdowns in three quarters before Drew Pyne took over to start the fourth. Marcus Carroll rushed for 91 yards on 13 carries, scoring three touchdowns.
“Marcus Carroll did exactly what he needed to do,” Drinkwitz said.
The Tigers, ranked 15th nationally in total defense, held UMass to just 237 yards and 13 first downs.
Burden’s long touchdown was his second rushing score of the season, but he missed most of the second half due to a shoulder injury. Carroll added touchdowns with runs of 3 and 4 yards, giving Missouri a 21-0 lead early in the second quarter.
“I almost think the speed of the game surprised us a little bit,” UMass coach Don Brown said.
UMass scored with a 28-yard field goal from Jacob Lurie. They had a chance to score late in the first half when Te’Rai Powell ran 39 yards on a fake punt, keeping the drive alive and reaching the Missouri 7.
However, linebacker Corey Flagg Jr. intercepted Taisun Phommachanh’s pass, and the Tigers went up 24-3 with a 43-yard field goal from Blake Craig on the last play of the half.
“I did think we settled down in the middle of the second quarter moving into the late second quarter, then took a shot with that fake punt and we hit it,” Brown said.
“I thought that obviously gave us some juice, then we give it right back to them. That was disappointing for sure.”
