AMHERST, Mass. – Luther Burden III set the tone, scoring on a 61-yard run on the game’s second play Saturday, and the No. 21 Missouri Tigers rolled to a 45-3 victory over the Massachusetts Minutemen on a blustery day at McGuirk Alumni Stadium.
It was Mizzou’s 10th straight regular-season win over nonconference opponents and first non-league regular-season road win since 2018. The Tigers improved to 5-1 heading into next Saturday’s Homecoming game against Auburn.
On Burden’s early score, he took a handoff to the left on a jet sweep and weaved his way through the UMass defense for the touchdown. It was the longest rush and scoring play of his career. Burden played just over a half and caught five passes for 59 yards and ran twice for 68 yards.
Mizzou running back Marcus Carroll rushed for three touchdowns, two on short runs in the first half capping consecutive 80-yard drives, and one on a 35-yard jaunt in the third quarter. For the game, he carried 15 times for 91 yards. Carroll got the start and the bulk of the carries as usual starter Nate Noel sat out while nursing back stiffness.
Brady Cook threw two touchdown passes in the third quarter. Less than two minutes after Carroll’s third TD, Joshua Manning took a short pass from Cook and sped 63 yards down the right sideline for a touchdown – his first career score – to up the MU advantage to 38-3. It was MU’s longest pass play of the season.
Tight end Brett Norfleet scored his first touchdown of the season on Mizzou’s next possession on an 8-yard reception, one play after he snagged a 36-yard pass over the middle from Cook.
In three quarters, Cook completed 14 of 19 passes for 219 yards and two touchdowns before giving way to Drew Pyne.
Just before halftime, linebacker Corey Flagg Jr. intercepted a Taisun Phommachanh pass at the 5-yard line and returned it 80 yards to set up Blake Craig for a 42-yard field goal on the half’s final play to give MU a 24-3 lead. For the Miami (Fla.) transfer, it was Flagg’s first interception at Mizzou and the second of his career.
The Tigers’ balanced offensive attack put up 231 yards on the ground and 230 through the air. The Minutemen (1-6) had 142 passing and 95 rushing.
The Missouri defense held UMass to 62 total yards in the second half and 0 for 6 on third down. Freshman linebacker Nicholas Rodriguez was MU’s leading tackler with nine, including three solos.
Massachusetts’ only points came on a 28-yard field goal by Jacob Lurie in the second quarter. For the third time this season, the Tigers held the opposing offense out of the end zone, following shutout victories over Murray State and Buffalo. It’s the first time Mizzou’s defense has not allowed an offensive touchdown in three games in a single season since 2011. The Tigers forced two takeaways and allowed UMass to convert just 2 of 13 third-down conversions, adding a recovered fumble in the fourth quarter, caused by safety Caleb Flagg, Corey’s brother.
UP NEXT
The Tigers return home next Saturday to host the Auburn Tigers in Mizzou’s 113th Homecoming game. Game time at Memorial Stadium is set for 11 a.m. and will be televised by ESPN.
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A limited number of reserved single-game tickets remain available for the Nov. 30 regular-season finale against Arkansas. Reserved season tickets have sold out as well as single-game reserved tickets for games against Auburn and Oklahoma.
Purchase single-game tickets now by calling 1-800-CAT-PAWS or buying online.
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