No. 11 Mizzou shows dominance, depth in 51-0 win over Murray State (2024)

COLUMBIA, Mo. — As halftime of Missouri's season-opening win over Murray State on Thursday drew to a close, a number of students in attendance began their gameday pilgrimage from the Memorial Stadium gates to downtown bars.

By that stage, the No. 11 Tigers were ahead by 35 points and well on their way to a 51-0 blowout of the Football Championship Subdivision Racers. Tucked inside the opposite end of the stadium, Mizzou coach Eli Drinkwitz was talking to a motivated locker room aboutthebar — not for drinking but for clearing.

"The standard is the standard, and we got to uphold the standard," was his halftime message, according to linebacker Corey Flagg Jr. And that was the consistent theme of MU's win.

First-quarter dominance allowed the deployment of second-half depth as starters yielded playing time to their counterparts who are just starting their careers.

As expected in that kind of lopsided game, nearly every eligible player touched the field at some point. There were 28 defensive players who recorded a stat in some capacity, be it a tackle, quarterback pressure or play on the ball. On offense, 11 different players caught a pass while eight ran the ball.

On one drive near the end of the game, Missouri trotted a defense onto the field that featured 10 freshmen, by Drinkwitz's estimation.

"Got a lot of different people in the game," he said. "Man, that is going to be one heck of a defense in the future. Really proud of those guys and thought they came in and played to a standard."

Getting to that stage of player usage was the byproduct of a record-setting quick start to the game from Mizzou's offense. The Tigers scored 21 points in their quickest-ever fashion.

Preseason All-American wideout Luther Burden III opened the scoring by shaking a defender in the flat to high-step into the end zone from 16 yards away.

Running back Nate Noel, making his debut in black and gold, provided the next punch by taking control of a drive ahead of a 9-yard score.

Voltage sizzled to its maximum on the first play of Murray State's resulting drive, when cornerback Toriano Pride Jr. — also debuting — stepped in front of a pass to the sideline and secured the requisite separation to score.

"Oh, man. TP set the tone with that," Flagg said. "We knew somebody was gonna get a takeaway, but a pick six? I mean, that's classic."

The 10 seconds between Noel and Pride's touchdowns tied for the fourth-shortest duration between MU scores since 1968, according to statistician Tom Orf's records. The only times consecutive touchdowns have happened more quickly were a two-second span in a 1979 game against San Diego State, seven seconds in a 1969 game against Oklahoma and eight seconds in a 1979 game against Nebraska.

Mizzou's quick start offset any pregame concerns that difficult preparation for Murray State, which had a new coaching staff and more than 60 new players. The Tigers made quick work of figuring out the Racers.

"It took us four plays," Drinkwitz said.

He credited a sellout crowd for boosting Missouri's energy early on.

The sellout was both Mizzou's sixth in a row and the sixth-largest attendance for a home opener.

"Just want to say how remarkable the crowd was today," Drinkwitz said. "I mean, unbelievable from the start of the game, the students being out there and being loud and then everybody being in their seats when we kicked off. It reminded me of what it was last year, so it was an awesome job by the crowd. You could just tell our players, with that fast start, fed off the energy of the crowd."

Noel, who joined MU from Appalachian State, was among those who noticed the uptick in enthusiasm emanating from the stands.

"It was different," he said. "I’ve played in big crowds, but today was different. … It was lit."

Aside from a lopsided score, a couple of injuries influenced the addition of depth players to the game. Tight end Brett Norfleet left the game in the second quarter after taking a tackle straight-on in space, stopping briefly in the sideline medical tent before heading back to the locker room. Wideout Theo Wease Jr. also returned to the locker room before halftime, though what sent him there was unclear.

Norfleet didn't appear to be on the sideline during the second half, while Wease remained on the sideline without a helmet.

"We were just gonna be smart with them in the second half, so I think they'll be fine," Drinkwitz said. "Wasn't alarmed by anything afterwards."

Among the young players to see the field in the second half were five-star freshman Williams Nwaneri, running back Kewan Lacy and wideouts Courtney Crutchfield and James Madison II. Second-year wide receivers Joshua Manning and Daniel Blood both saw expanded roles from their freshman seasons, as did second-year running back Jamal Roberts.

Attempting collegiate kicks for the first time in a game, kicker Blake Craig — a second-year player himself — was a perfect 3 for 3 on field goals and made all six of his extra points.

Blowing out and shutting out a team like Murray State won't singlehandedly improve Missouri's chances at making the College Football Playoff in a few months' time, but it does convey some confidence in the firepower that the Tigers have.

"Our team wanted to come out and show everybody that this is a new team and this is a new thing," Drinkwitz said. "We’re gonna have our own identity. 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 bit more challenging, so we got to meet those challenges head-on with improvement."