Missouri Hosts LA Tech in Season Opener

The Missouri Tigers kick off their season with a matchup against Louisiana Tech Thursday night at Faurot Field. This is the first ever matchup between the two teams.

The Tigers

Missouri’s 2021 season ended with a record of 6-7.  In their last game of the season, the Tigers suffered a devastating 24-22 loss against Army on a last-second field goal.

Historically, the Tigers have not had much success with weekday games.  They are 0-3 in weekday games losing to Nebraska in 2009, Arizona State in 2011 and Mississippi State in 2015.  Head coach Eliah Drinkwitz said the team can’t take the Bulldogs too lightly.

QB1

After three seasons with the Tigers, Connor Bazelak transferred to Indiana University in January.  Since then, one question has been looming over Tigers’ fans heads:  Who is going to be the starting quarterback this season?

With redshirt freshman Tyler Macon, graduate transfer Jack Abraham, freshman Sam Horn and redshirt sophomore Brady Cook battling for the spot, Drinkwitz announced that he had settled on Cook.

https://twitter.com/MizzouFootball/status/1557162626945167360

Although Cook played behind Bazelak last season, he was Missouri’s most accurate passer.  Cook completed 46 of 58 passes for 345 yards and two touchdowns.

New Additions

The Tigers have added new talent to their roster including Luther Burden, a five-star wide receiver.  The No. 1 ranked receiver in the class of 2022 according to ESPN originally committed to Oklahoma but decommitted in August.  He narrowed his focus to Georgia, Alabama and Missouri, but ultimately decided on joining the Tigers.  The receiver is Missouri’s highest-ranked commitment since defensive tackle Terry Beckner in 2015.

Four-star quarterback Sam Horn will also be joining the Tigers this season.  Horn was a two-sport athlete in high school, and there was buzz that he would be drafted to the MLB.  In his 2020 season, Horn threw for 3,910 yards with 41 touchdowns at Collins Hill High School in Suwanee, Georgia.

New Beginnings for the Bulldogs

After finishing 3-9 last year, the Bulldogs replaced their long-time coach Skip Holtz with former Texas Tech quarterback, Sonny Cumbie.  They’re hoping this new addition will lead the Bulldogs to new beginnings. Last season, the Bulldogs competed in close games but couldn’t execute.  Four of their games ended in losses of three points or less.

Key Players

Safety BeeJay Williamson was named to the Reese’s Senior Bowl Watch List.  Williamson is a two-time All-Conference USA and All-Louisiana selection and has had 25 career starts as a Bulldog. In his 2021 season,  he led the team with three interceptions and 52 total tackles, the third-most among all Bulldogs.

Matthew Downing is entering his first season after transferring from TCU, and he’s earned the spot as starting quarterback.  Downing has previously played under Cumbie at TCU in 2020 when he was the offensive coordinator and quarterback coach.

The Matchup

This first ever matchup between the Tigers and Bulldogs will kickoff on Faurot Field at 7 p.m.