Mizzou’s Luther Burden III breaks free and scores his first touchdown of the season in Thursday’s NCAA football opener at Faurot Field against Murray State. (Photo: Terrance Williams)

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Murray State (0-1)00000
#11 Missouri (1-0)28710651

COLUMBIA, MO — The 2024 NCAA football season began with a bang for the squad from the University of Missouri.

The No. 11-ranked Tigers set a record for scoring 21 points faster than any other team in program history ever had.

And with that early momentum, Missouri rode the wave through the night and cruised to a 51-0 win over Murray State, in front of a sold out crowd at Faurot Field.

“Just want to say how remarkable the crowd was today,” Mizzou head coach Eli 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.”

It was the sixth sellout in a row for Mizzou football and the sixth-largest attendance for a home opener.

And the team didn’t disappoint. The Tigers went right down the field on their first two drives and scored touchdowns.

Preseason All-American wide receiver Luther Burden III got the first one, on a 16-yard catch & run that reminded everyone why he’s one of the best in the country. Then new Tiger, Nate Noel, who was making his first start at running back for Mizzou, scored on a 9-yard run that made the score 14-0.

Perhaps the most exciting play of the night came just moments later, when another new Tiger, Toriano Pride, Jr., picked off a Murray State pass and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown. The entire stadium went into a frenzy and even though the game was barely five minutes old, Mizzou was up 21-0.

Mizzou’s Toriano Pride intercepts a pass and breaks free for a touchdown in Thursday’s NCAA Football opener against Murray State. (Photo: Terrance Williams)

“Oh, man. TP set the tone with that,” Mizzou linebacker Corey Flagg said. “We knew somebody was gonna get a takeaway, but a pick six? I mean, that’s classic.”

After forcing a punt on Murray State’s next drive, Missouri scored again on a short touchdown run by the team’s other new running back, Marcus Carroll.

“We’ve been saying, those two are going to be great together,” Drinkwitz said. “We’re excited about them both. They do different things and they both do different things well. It’s going to be a great combination.”

Another new face in the backfield, redshirt freshman Jamal Roberts scored a touchdown in the third quarter that helped Mizzou go up 45-0 before Murray State had even crossed the 50-yard line on any of its possessions.

“The standard is the standard,” Drinkwitz said. “And we’ve got to uphold the standard.”

That was especially true for the Mizzou defense, which had nearly every eligible player get on the field at some point. And all of them contributed.

There were 28 players from the Mizzou defense that recorded a game stat at some point. Some had tackles, others had quarterback sacks and pressures, but all seemed to make some sort of positive play on the ball and Drinkwitz was impressed.

“Got a lot of different people in the game,” Drinkwitz 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.”

Quarterback Brady Cook wasn’t asked to do a whole lot, but he looked pretty good doing what he was asked to do. The senior completed 19 passes for 218 yards, with the touchdown throw to Burden and a touchdown run of his own right before halftime.

Mizzou QB Brady Cook celebrates scoring a touchdown in Thursday’s NCAA Football opener at Faurot Field. (Photo: Terrance Williams)

The Mizzou defense was led by Flagg and fellow stud linebacker Triston Newson. Both players had a team-high five tackles. Teammate Marvin Burks, Jr., had four tackles and knocked away two Murray State pass attempts.

“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.”

The Tigers will be back in action next Saturday, September 7, when they’ll host another non-conference game against the University of Buffalo. Kickoff at Faurot Field that evening is set for 6 p.m., and the game will be streamed live on SEC Network+.

SCORING SUMMARY

QtrTimeScoring PlayMSUMIZ
1st12:42MIZ – Burden, Luther 16 yd pass from Cook, Brady (Craig, Blake kick) 6 plays, 42 yards, TOP 02:1507
1st09:48MIZ – Noel, Nate 9 yd run (Craig, Blake kick), 3 plays, 34 yards, TOP 01:12014
1st09:41MIZ – Pride Jr., Toriano 25 yd interception (Craig, Blake kick)021
1st03:38MIZ – Carroll, Marcus 1 yd run (Craig, Blake kick), 6 plays, 70 yards, TOP 02:03028
2nd00:01MIZ – Cook, Brady 3 yd run (Craig, Blake kick), 14 plays, 68 yards, TOP 03:02035
3rd08:50MIZ – Craig, Blake 39 yd field goal 9 plays, 76 yards, TOP 04:21038
3rd07:09MIZ – Roberts, Jamal 2 yd run (Craig, Blake kick), 2 plays, 10 yards, TOP 00:49045
4th13:34MIZ – Craig, Blake 22 yd field goal 14 plays, 76 yards, TOP 07:04048
4th01:57MIZ – Craig, Blake 27 yd field goal 12 plays, 84 yards, TOP 06:32051

MISSOURI TIGERS 2024 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

DateTimeAtOpponentLocationTVRadio
September 7, 2024 (Saturday)6 PMHomeBuffaloColumbia, Mo. / Faurot FieldSECN+ / ESPN+Tiger Radio Network
September 14, 2024 (Saturday)11:45 AMHomeBoston CollegeColumbia, Mo. / Faurot FieldSEC NetworkTiger Radio Network
September 21, 2024 (Saturday)TBAHomeVanderbiltColumbia, Mo. / Faurot FieldTiger Radio Network
October 5, 2024 (Saturday)11 AMAway#20 Texas A&MCollege Station, TexasTiger Radio Network
October 12, 2024 (Saturday)TBAAwayUMassAmherst, Mass.Tiger Radio Network
October 19, 2024 (Saturday)TBAHomeAuburnColumbia, Mo. / Faurot FieldTiger Radio Network
October 26, 2024 (Saturday)TBAAway#5 AlabamaTuscaloosa, Ala.Tiger Radio Network
November 9, 2024 (Saturday)TBAHome#16 OklahomaColumbia, Mo. / Faurot FieldTiger Radio Network
November 16, 2024 (Saturday)TBAAwaySouth CarolinaColumbia, S.C.Tiger Radio Network
November 23, 2024 (Saturday)TBAAwayMississippi StateStarkville, Miss.Tiger Radio Network
November 30, 2024 (Saturday)TBAHomeArkansasColumbia, Mo. / Faurot FieldTiger Radio Network