COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Brady Cook threw for 218 yards with touchdowns running and throwing, Toriano Pride Jr. returned an interception 25 yards for a score, and No. 11 Missouri routed Murray State 51-0 on Thursday night in the season opener for both teams.
Luther Burden III had a touchdown catch and Nate Noel and Marcus Carroll added TD runs, helping the Tigers build a big lead early enough that coach Eli Drinkwitz was able to rest his starters midway through the third quarter.
“Our team wanted to come out and show everybody this is a new team. This is a new thing,” said Drinkwitz, whose Tigers won 11 games and the Cotton Bowl last season. “We're going to have our own identity. I'm really proud of those guys for setting the standard. But like I told them in the locker room, this is just the start. Each game it's going to get a little more challenging and we have to meet those challenges head on.”
Murray State, which was picked to finish last in the Missouri Valley, managed 85 yards of total offense. Jayden Johannsen was 7 of 13 for 27 yards with an interception while getting sacked twice and beaten up most of the night.
Noel and Carroll answered any questions about whether Missouri would be OK without Cody Schrader, the SEC's rushing leader last season. Noel, who transferred from Appalachian State, carried 11 times for 48 yards while Carroll, who arrived from Georgia State, bulldozed his way six times for 35 yards. In all, the Tigers ran 37 times for 189 yards and four touchdowns.
Missouri lost several defensive standouts to the NFL draft, including pass rusher Darius Robinson and defensive backs Jaylon Carlies, Ennis Rakestraw Jr. and Kris Abrams-Drain. They also lost coordinator Blake Baker to LSU. But with Corey Batoon calling the defense, the Tigers did not allow Murray State to cross midfield until the fourth quarter.
Transfer quarterback Drew Pyne, who played three seasons at Notre Dame and spent last year at Arizona State, was efficient after Cook left the game, going 10 of 11 for 82 yards. Freshman running back Kewan Lacy had five carries for 42 yards.
Murray State needed everything to go right and very little did. The Racers gave Missouri a short field with a failed onside kick to start the game, got stuffed on fourth-and-inches on the next series, and trailed 28-0 by the end of the first quarter.
Missouri was nearly shut out in the second quarter, eventually scoring on Cook's keeper with a second left. The first half showed how good the Tigers can be when everything is clicking but also how pedestrian they can be when things go awry.
Murray State returns home Sept. 7 to play Butler, which also plays at the Football Championship Subdivision level.
Missouri continues its four-game homestand Sept. 7 against Buffalo, which beat Lafayette 30-13 on Thursday night.
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