Disclaimer: There were no official stats for this game. I happen to have some stats because I was in the press box with someone who was helping the SEC Network. So, the handful of stats I have were ones that I was told but there isn't a stat sheet I can refer to. So, keep that in mind.
1. Brady Cook's first half of play.
Much like the first game of the 2023 season, Brady Cook only saw first-half reps on the Black squad Saturday.
The third-year starter completed 13-of-22 for 130 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He also added seven carries for 18 yards.
Also, the Black squad went 6-of-10 on third downs in the first half.
Unlike last spring, Cook's position as QB1 is solidified after having a breakout junior season, which saw him complete 66% of his passes for 3,317 yards, 21 touchdowns and six interceptions.
It wasn't a game the Tigers expected Cook to do much in. After all, he didn't have Theo Wease, Mookie Cooper or Luther Burden III, who were all on the Gold team. Also, Mekhi Miller wasn't available for the game so Cook's top receivers were Speedy Johnson, Daniel Blood and Joshua Manning.
2. The wide receiver room had a good day.
Again, Cook was without his top three weapons but the ones he had did well.
Johnson had a couple of receptions but Blood and Manning did most of the work.
Blood had five receptions for 49 yards while Manning had three receptions for 62 yards and a touchdown en route to Offensive MVP honors.
With Burden, Wease, Cooper, Johnson and Miller back in the fold it may be hard for either of the latter two to get reps in the fall. But Saturday may have provided a tiny sample size of solid contributors in 2025 when Wease, Cooper and (probably) Burden depart after this season.
Speaking of Burden, he was limited and didn't receive a target. He probably played two or three series in the first quarter before he shut it down after the day. I wouldn't worry too much about him because after the game the team held a 25-minute autograph session for fans, and I saw Burden running and jumping to the tables just like the fans storming the field.
Wease had two or three catches but Cooper had himself a day, with five receptions for 132 yards and a touchdown.
Cooper's touchdown came off a pass from Wease on a wide receiver pass that went 82 yards. Had this been a real game that would've been Cooper's first touchdown since 2021 and Wease's first career touchdown pass.
The depth at this position is great and will likely be the leading force behind what the Tigers hope is a College Football Playoff berth.
3. Overall, the defense did well.
In a 10-9 game, with 11 punts, it's safe to say it was a defensive game. Of course, the splitting of starters and an 18 mph wind throughout the game limited some of what the offense could do but the defense on both teams was good nonetheless.
The defensive backs weren't too shabby. Toriano Pride, the Clemson transfer, looks pretty big for a cornerback. He looks more like a safety if anything. He had an interception on an underthrown fade to Manning.
Walk-on Caleb Flagg intercepted three-star signee Aidan Glover on the latter's first pass attempt in the fourth quarter en route to Defensive MVP honors.
The defensive line on both sides was pretty stout. Through three quarters, the Black team had four sacks for a loss of 29 yards.
The game was essentially two-hand touch. So, for the running backs, they were handicapped.
Marcus Carroll, a bruiser-like back, probably isn't as easy to stop as he was on Saturday. But even then, I felt the offensive line opened up some holes on some of the outside zones and they were quickly plugged up anyway.
I saw linebacker Brayshawn Littlejohn show his athleticism and make a couple of plays out there. All in all, it was a solid showing from the defense.
4. Punting battle.
One of the few position battles the Tigers have going into the offseason is at punter among walk-on Luke Bauer, Murray State transfer Orion Phillips and freshman Will Safris.
Punting has been an issue for the Tigers for a while, and it wasn't any different last season, as Bauer knows. He averaged 42.1 yards per punt on 22 attempts in eight games and was in and out of the lineup last year due to inconsistency.
For the most part, he had a better day on Saturday with an average of 47.6 on three punts.
Philips averaged 43 yards per punt on seven attempts and Safris had one punt go 41 yards.
For now, it seems like Bauer is the first-string punter but this is likely a position battle that will last until Week 1 like it did last year.
5. Chris Kreh being named a team captain for this game.
You may not know his name, but Chris Kreh is one of the most respected players in the Missouri locker room.
The walk-on running back was one of six team captains for the spring game alongside Cook, Wease, Cooper, Chuck Hicks and Johnny Walker. You might think he'd feel out of place about being a leader among some of the most productive players on the roster, but he wasn't.
Being in a leadership role isn't exactly foreign to Kreh.
"Cody Schrader was not the leader of the running back room last year, Chris Kreh was," running backs coach Curtis Luper said. "Chris was the person who made sure everyone was in meetings on time. We have rules at practice 一 no jewelry, and you've got to have thigh pads on. Guys like to wear their necklaces out and Chris was the jewelry police for me. He did it all. I didn't want Cody to have that responsibility. Cody would've done it but I wanted Cody just to focus on what he had to do. So, Chris was the leader."
"Cody's an amazing running back," Kreh said. "(I) don't want him to have to worry about people being late. People doing the wrong thing, stuff like that. So, I feel like I stepped up in that role, kind of in the weight room, sidelines, getting everybody where they needed to be when they needed to be with everything."
Kreh is a St. Louis native, having played football at Marquette and was an all-state selection in 2019 and 2020. He had a couple of Division II offers but decided to walk on at Mizzou in 2021.
He hasn't logged a carry in his 28 appearances since joining the Tigers, mostly on special teams, and has two tackles to his name.
He had two carries for five yards on Saturday but he knows what his true role on this team is, and the way he sees it, he gets more out of embracing what his role is as opposed to complaining about what it should be.
"Really it just comes to accepting your role on this team," Kreh said. I might not be the greatest football player but I know I can motivate people. I learned that through being here in the weight room, summer workouts, during the game and stuff like that. I try to do my best on special teams and stuff like that. But I think just kind of accepting your role along the football team really helped me just kind of say like, 'I'm going to be my best in motivating and leading people."
Kreh's roles as a fixture on special teams or constant leader in the weight room or at practice will never be talked about enough, especially when you add walk-on to that. But when he talks people listen, whether they're at the bottom of the depth chart or the top.
He's not going to win many awards for his play on the field, but what he did for an 11-2 team last year and what he is doing for a team with College Football Playoff aspirations this season are priceless.
"Chris is a guy that 一 he's a connector of people," Cook said. "He's a connector in the locker room. He's a leader. He's a leader of the running back room. He will be this year, too. So, (I'm) just blessed to have guys like that on the team."
"Chris Kreh is a dog," linebackers coach D.J. Smith said. "He's an absolute man's man. And he is a phenomenal leader. He's a local guy out of St. Louis. He's got the heart of a lion. Chris Kreh is the first guy in the building and the last guy out. I mean, you're talking about elite edge that is Chris Kreh."
"Honestly, just to put it in perspective, I think he works, not harder but just as hard as Cody did last year, on a day-to-day basis," Wease said. "That's who Chris is for sure, every day. Same person every day. Always bringing energy (and) always got good emotions. And you can tell he's about the brotherhood."
Mizzou has a couple of closed practices next week, but for all intents and purposes, have finished up spring ball.
1. Brady Cook's first half of play.
Much like the first game of the 2023 season, Brady Cook only saw first-half reps on the Black squad Saturday.
The third-year starter completed 13-of-22 for 130 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He also added seven carries for 18 yards.
Also, the Black squad went 6-of-10 on third downs in the first half.
Unlike last spring, Cook's position as QB1 is solidified after having a breakout junior season, which saw him complete 66% of his passes for 3,317 yards, 21 touchdowns and six interceptions.
It wasn't a game the Tigers expected Cook to do much in. After all, he didn't have Theo Wease, Mookie Cooper or Luther Burden III, who were all on the Gold team. Also, Mekhi Miller wasn't available for the game so Cook's top receivers were Speedy Johnson, Daniel Blood and Joshua Manning.
2. The wide receiver room had a good day.
Again, Cook was without his top three weapons but the ones he had did well.
Johnson had a couple of receptions but Blood and Manning did most of the work.
Blood had five receptions for 49 yards while Manning had three receptions for 62 yards and a touchdown en route to Offensive MVP honors.
With Burden, Wease, Cooper, Johnson and Miller back in the fold it may be hard for either of the latter two to get reps in the fall. But Saturday may have provided a tiny sample size of solid contributors in 2025 when Wease, Cooper and (probably) Burden depart after this season.
Speaking of Burden, he was limited and didn't receive a target. He probably played two or three series in the first quarter before he shut it down after the day. I wouldn't worry too much about him because after the game the team held a 25-minute autograph session for fans, and I saw Burden running and jumping to the tables just like the fans storming the field.
Wease had two or three catches but Cooper had himself a day, with five receptions for 132 yards and a touchdown.
Cooper's touchdown came off a pass from Wease on a wide receiver pass that went 82 yards. Had this been a real game that would've been Cooper's first touchdown since 2021 and Wease's first career touchdown pass.
The depth at this position is great and will likely be the leading force behind what the Tigers hope is a College Football Playoff berth.
3. Overall, the defense did well.
In a 10-9 game, with 11 punts, it's safe to say it was a defensive game. Of course, the splitting of starters and an 18 mph wind throughout the game limited some of what the offense could do but the defense on both teams was good nonetheless.
The defensive backs weren't too shabby. Toriano Pride, the Clemson transfer, looks pretty big for a cornerback. He looks more like a safety if anything. He had an interception on an underthrown fade to Manning.
Walk-on Caleb Flagg intercepted three-star signee Aidan Glover on the latter's first pass attempt in the fourth quarter en route to Defensive MVP honors.
The defensive line on both sides was pretty stout. Through three quarters, the Black team had four sacks for a loss of 29 yards.
The game was essentially two-hand touch. So, for the running backs, they were handicapped.
Marcus Carroll, a bruiser-like back, probably isn't as easy to stop as he was on Saturday. But even then, I felt the offensive line opened up some holes on some of the outside zones and they were quickly plugged up anyway.
I saw linebacker Brayshawn Littlejohn show his athleticism and make a couple of plays out there. All in all, it was a solid showing from the defense.
4. Punting battle.
One of the few position battles the Tigers have going into the offseason is at punter among walk-on Luke Bauer, Murray State transfer Orion Phillips and freshman Will Safris.
Punting has been an issue for the Tigers for a while, and it wasn't any different last season, as Bauer knows. He averaged 42.1 yards per punt on 22 attempts in eight games and was in and out of the lineup last year due to inconsistency.
For the most part, he had a better day on Saturday with an average of 47.6 on three punts.
Philips averaged 43 yards per punt on seven attempts and Safris had one punt go 41 yards.
For now, it seems like Bauer is the first-string punter but this is likely a position battle that will last until Week 1 like it did last year.
5. Chris Kreh being named a team captain for this game.
You may not know his name, but Chris Kreh is one of the most respected players in the Missouri locker room.
The walk-on running back was one of six team captains for the spring game alongside Cook, Wease, Cooper, Chuck Hicks and Johnny Walker. You might think he'd feel out of place about being a leader among some of the most productive players on the roster, but he wasn't.
Being in a leadership role isn't exactly foreign to Kreh.
"Cody Schrader was not the leader of the running back room last year, Chris Kreh was," running backs coach Curtis Luper said. "Chris was the person who made sure everyone was in meetings on time. We have rules at practice 一 no jewelry, and you've got to have thigh pads on. Guys like to wear their necklaces out and Chris was the jewelry police for me. He did it all. I didn't want Cody to have that responsibility. Cody would've done it but I wanted Cody just to focus on what he had to do. So, Chris was the leader."
"Cody's an amazing running back," Kreh said. "(I) don't want him to have to worry about people being late. People doing the wrong thing, stuff like that. So, I feel like I stepped up in that role, kind of in the weight room, sidelines, getting everybody where they needed to be when they needed to be with everything."
Kreh is a St. Louis native, having played football at Marquette and was an all-state selection in 2019 and 2020. He had a couple of Division II offers but decided to walk on at Mizzou in 2021.
He hasn't logged a carry in his 28 appearances since joining the Tigers, mostly on special teams, and has two tackles to his name.
He had two carries for five yards on Saturday but he knows what his true role on this team is, and the way he sees it, he gets more out of embracing what his role is as opposed to complaining about what it should be.
"Really it just comes to accepting your role on this team," Kreh said. I might not be the greatest football player but I know I can motivate people. I learned that through being here in the weight room, summer workouts, during the game and stuff like that. I try to do my best on special teams and stuff like that. But I think just kind of accepting your role along the football team really helped me just kind of say like, 'I'm going to be my best in motivating and leading people."
Kreh's roles as a fixture on special teams or constant leader in the weight room or at practice will never be talked about enough, especially when you add walk-on to that. But when he talks people listen, whether they're at the bottom of the depth chart or the top.
He's not going to win many awards for his play on the field, but what he did for an 11-2 team last year and what he is doing for a team with College Football Playoff aspirations this season are priceless.
"Chris is a guy that 一 he's a connector of people," Cook said. "He's a connector in the locker room. He's a leader. He's a leader of the running back room. He will be this year, too. So, (I'm) just blessed to have guys like that on the team."
"Chris Kreh is a dog," linebackers coach D.J. Smith said. "He's an absolute man's man. And he is a phenomenal leader. He's a local guy out of St. Louis. He's got the heart of a lion. Chris Kreh is the first guy in the building and the last guy out. I mean, you're talking about elite edge that is Chris Kreh."
"Honestly, just to put it in perspective, I think he works, not harder but just as hard as Cody did last year, on a day-to-day basis," Wease said. "That's who Chris is for sure, every day. Same person every day. Always bringing energy (and) always got good emotions. And you can tell he's about the brotherhood."
Mizzou has a couple of closed practices next week, but for all intents and purposes, have finished up spring ball.
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