The Missouri Tigers will be back at Faurot Field, Saturday night, to take on Buffalo. (Photo: Terrance Williams)
Mizzou Football – Gameday Info
Game No. 2 – Buffalo Bulls (1-0) at #9 Missouri Tigers (1-0)
Date/Time – September 7, 2024 – 6 pm
Location – Faurot Field — Columbia, MO
Watch – SEC Network+
Listen — Learfield Sports/KTRS 550 AM
Live Stats – Mizzou Stat Broadcast
COLUMBIA, MO — Fresh off of delivering a spectacular 51-0 winning performance in its season opener last week, the University of Missouri football team will be back on the field on Saturday, for its second game of the 2024 season against the University of Buffalo.
Missouri will come into Saturday’s action ranked No. 9 in the country in the Associated Press’s Top 25 poll and ranked No. 10 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. Buffalo is unranked, but did also win its season opener, 30-13, over Lafayette.
The Tigers and Bulls will be meeting for the second time. Their other matchup occurred in 2008, when Mizzou pounded Buffalo 42-21 in a game that was also played at Faurot Field.
Mizzou receiver Daniel Blood signals for a first down after making a catch in last Thursday’s game against Murray State. (Photo: Terrance Williams)
In its win last week, Missouri held Murray State to 85 total yards. They were the only NCAA FBS team in the country to hold its opponent to less than 100 yards of total offense and because of that, the Tigers rank first nationally in total defense.
Buffalo was led by its offense in its win. The Bulls put up 403 total yards and got touchdowns from four different players in a game in which it never trailed.
So it should be a fun matchup when Mizzou’s “Death Row Defense” takes the field against Buffalo’s high-powered offense.
Daylan Carnell (13) and Joe Moore (45) will help lead Mizzou’s “Death Row Defense” on Saturday. (Photo: Terrance Williams)
Players to Watch: Mizzou will be led, as always, by its elite St. Louis QB-WR duo of Brady Cook and Luther Burden. Neither was asked to do a whole bunch in last week’s win.
But Cook did throw for a touchdown and run for another, and that one touchdown toss was a completion to Burden.
The most impressive part of Missouri’s offense last week was its new set of running backs, who all looked good behind the Tigers’ power offensive line.
The 1-2 punch of Nate Noel and Marcus Carroll for 83 rushing yards and 40 receiving yards with both players scoring their first touchdowns as Tigers in the game. Freshman Jamal Roberts also scored his first touchdown for Mizzou.
On defense, linebackers Corey Flagg and Tristan Newson both had five tackles, while another new Tiger, cornerback Toriano Pride, intercepted a pass and ran it back for a touchdown.
Buffalo is led by senior quarterback C.J. Ogbonna. He threw for 195 yards and two touchdowns in last week’s win. Fellow senior running back Jacqez Barksdale rushed for 99 yards on 14 carries and scored the game-clinching touchdown late in the fourth quarter.
On defense, the Bulls were led by grad student linebacker Shaun Dolac, who had 11 tackles (six solo and two for loss), a sack, and an interception. Teammate Kobe Stewart, a transfer from Samford, had three tackles, including two sacks as well.
Probable Starters
Buffalo Offense Buffalo Defense
QB – 7 C.J. Ogbonna – Sr. DE – 0 Kobe Stewart – Jr.
RB – 5 Al-Jay Henderson – Jr. DT – 90 George Wolo – Sr.
WR – 0 Victor Snow – So. DT – 55 Tristan Souza – Jr.
WR – 11 Taji Johnson – Gr. DE – 53 C.J. Bazile – Gr.
WR – 3 Nik McMillan – So. LB – 52 Shaun Dolac – Gr.
LT – 77 Caelan Shepard – Sr. LB – 2 Red Murdock – So.
LG – 79 Trevor Brock – Jr. NICK – 9 Jalen McNair – Sr.
C – 66 Dom Polizzi – Gr. CB – 28 Marquis Cooper – Jr.
RG – 78 Tyler Doty – Sr. S – 7 Solomon Brown – Sr.
RT – 73 Henry Tabansi – Fr. S – 10 Marcus Fuqua – Gr.
TE – 81 Jake Orlando – Gr. CB – 5 Charles McCartherens – So.
PK – 27 Upton Bellenfant – So. P – 95 Ethan Duane – Jr.
Missouri Offense Missouri Defense
QB – 12 Brady Cook – Sr. DE – 9 Zion Young – Jr.
RB – 8 Nate Noel – Sr. DT – 5 Kristian Williams – Gr.
WR – 1 Theo Wease, Jr. – Sr. DT – 7 Chris McClellan – Jr.
WR – 3 Luther Burden III – Gr. DE – 15 Johnny Walker, Jr. – Gr.
WR – 5 Mookie Cooper – Sr. LB – 14 Triston Newson – Gr.
LT – 52 Marcus Bryant – Sr. LB – 30 Chuck Hicks – Gr.
LG – 70 Cayden Green – So. CB – 2 Toriano Pride, Jr. – Jr.
C – 55 Connor Tollison – Jr. S – 1 Marvin Burks, Jr. – So.
RG – 74 Cam’ron Johnson – Gr. S – 13 Daylan Carnell – Jr.
RT – 79 Armand Membou – Jr. S – 28 Joseph Charleston – Gr.
TE – 80 Tyler Stephens – Gr. CB – 12 Dreyden Norwood – Jr.
PK – 19 Blake Craig – Fr. P – 93 Luke Bauer – Gr.
Up Next: Mizzou could likely be facing its first ranked opponent of the season next week. The Tigers will welcome Boston College to Columbia for an 11:45 a.m. game.
The Eagles are coming off a brilliant upset win over then-No. 10 Florida State and found themselves in the “others receiving votes” category of the Top 25 poll.
This weekend, BC will host Duquesne in a game most expect the Eagles to win, and if they should, they could find themselves listed in the Top 25 next week.
MISSOURI TIGERS 2024 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location | TV | Radio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 7, 2024 (Saturday) | 6 PM | Home | Buffalo | Columbia, Mo. / Faurot Field |  | Tiger Radio Network |
| September 14, 2024 (Saturday) | 11:45 AM | Home | Boston College | Columbia, Mo. / Faurot Field |  | Tiger Radio Network |
| September 21, 2024 (Saturday) | TBA | Home | Vanderbilt | Columbia, Mo. / Faurot Field | Tiger Radio Network | |
| October 5, 2024 (Saturday) | 11 AM | Away | Texas A&M | College Station, Texas | Tiger Radio Network | |
| October 12, 2024 (Saturday) | TBA | Away | UMass | Amherst, Mass. | Tiger Radio Network | |
| October 19, 2024 (Saturday) | TBA | Home | Auburn | Columbia, Mo. / Faurot Field | Tiger Radio Network | |
| October 26, 2024 (Saturday) | TBA | Away | #4 Alabama | Tuscaloosa, Ala. | Tiger Radio Network | |
| November 9, 2024 (Saturday) | TBA | Home | #15 Oklahoma | Columbia, Mo. / Faurot Field | Tiger Radio Network | |
| November 16, 2024 (Saturday) | TBA | Away | South Carolina | Columbia, S.C. | Tiger Radio Network | |
| November 23, 2024 (Saturday) | TBA | Away | Mississippi State | Starkville, Miss. | Tiger Radio Network | |
| November 30, 2024 (Saturday) | TBA | Home | Arkansas | Columbia, Mo. / Faurot Field | Tiger Radio Network |