1) The defense was better than I thought. That doesn't mean I'm ready to revamp my expectations of the season or predict that they're going to be top 25 or anything like that. But they were better than I expected. Maybe it's PTSD from last year. They were where they were supposed to be. They were fast. They attacked. They made plays. I've been hesitant to blame everything on Steve Wilks and say it's all fixed because he's gone. If they do that 11 more times, I'll change my mind.
2) Ty'Ron Hopper was the best player on the field. When I looked at his production from last year, so much of it was in the Missouri game I thought maybe we had a slanted view of him. Man did he look good tonight. When I asked Drinkwitz about him he said "I've been trying to tell people." He played like an NFL linebacker tonight.
3) I looked at Kristian Williams as a late "what the hell we have a spot might as well take a chance" guy. He was Missouri's most impactful defensive tackle tonight. He made plays. That's not to downplay anything anyone else did, but I just thought he was the guy who flashed the most on the interior.
4) The key to the defense remains what I thought it was coming in: If you can get 2020 Trajan Jeffcoat and 2021 Isaiah McGuire, you've really got something. Missouri got that tonight. Again, it's just one game. But it's a start.
5) Eli Drinkwitz said after the game that Chance Luper got ill this morning and is going to be out six to eight weeks. We don't know any more than that and probably don't need to know any more. The way Drink talked about it made it sound somewhat serious, but at the same time, if they can put a timetable on it, at least that means they know what's wrong. Tough break for the kid who had earned a starting spot. The wide receivers were good without him, but I've got to wonder if this ends up pressing Mekhi Miller into action. I haven't looked at the participation report yet, but Miller and Burden were the only two true freshmen I know I saw on the field.
6) Nate Peat is Missouri's best running back. There's really no doubt in my mind. He averaged nine yards a carry tonight. He's got speed and wiggle and he doesn't lack power. Cody Schrader is a great story. He had some nice runs tonight. But Schrader had 17 carries and Peat had eight. That number has to flip next week against Kansas State. Peat is the lead guy. I still think Elijah Young shows a lot of good flashes when he gets a chance, but he sure doesn't seem to get a chance much. And BJ Harris appears to be fourth-string, relegated to mop up duty unless there's an injury.
7) The quarterback depth became clear and it was what we thought it was. Brady Cook is 1, Jack Abraham is 2. Hopefully you don't get past that. Everything I heard out of camp is that Sam Horn has the tools, but he isn't ready yet. If Abraham is No. 2, get him some reps in situations like tonight where the game is over and he can get the feel back for playing. Drinkwitz was pretty excited about what he saw. There's no question who the starter is, but I really think other than mop up duty, we're waiting until next year to really see Sam Horn. At least next year.
8) As far as Cook goes, he was solid. He wasn't great. He did what needed to be done. His legs add a dimension this team didn't have. I thought the pick was on Burden because if it hits you in the hands you should catch it, but Cook also threw it too hard. He nearly got Nate Peat killed and he also underthrew a TD to Burden. He wasn't perfect. I don't ask for perfect. I don't think Missouri is going to lean on Cook and ask him to win games. I thought the playcalling at the beginning of the game looked like a coach that wasn't sure if he trusted his quarterback. I think he'll gain that trust as he goes along. But I don't think Missouri is going to very often ask Brady Cook to go win a game by himself. I thought he did exactly what Missouri asked him to do tonight. It wasn't an A effort, but it was above average. Don't forget it's his second career start.
9) Luther Burden is special. I've tried to tamp down expectations. And I don't know what the numbers will look like. But damn. The five-yard touchdown was silly. The 17-yard wildcat run, there were three guys there and he just outran them to the sideline. He's one of the shiftiest players I've seen. I had two former players text me during the game tonight "He's the next J-Mac." Overall, this wasn't a really memorable game. But what you're going to remember is Burden. The stat line wasn't really all that impressive. That'll come. For his first college game, that was special.
10) Overall, Missouri won 52-24. And that's with two red zone turnovers and a failed 4th and 1. Louisiana Tech basically made two plays all night (the garbage time TD doesn't even count). This team came out of the gate ready to play. The good news is there are things it can do better. The better news is they won by 28 and didn't play an A game. First huge game of the year lies nine days away. Gonna be a big week.
*Just want to wrap up shouting out @JHamilton23 who's finishing up his notebook from tonight's game and will have a grade card in the morning. First game day, handled it like a pro. Got thoughts posted after every quarter, did the presser, did a podcast and he's still going. He's gonna be fine around here. We'll have grades in the morning and after I wake up and do some radio I'll get snap counts and the chamber put together. 1-0 is always good. Appreciate you all following along.
2) Ty'Ron Hopper was the best player on the field. When I looked at his production from last year, so much of it was in the Missouri game I thought maybe we had a slanted view of him. Man did he look good tonight. When I asked Drinkwitz about him he said "I've been trying to tell people." He played like an NFL linebacker tonight.
3) I looked at Kristian Williams as a late "what the hell we have a spot might as well take a chance" guy. He was Missouri's most impactful defensive tackle tonight. He made plays. That's not to downplay anything anyone else did, but I just thought he was the guy who flashed the most on the interior.
4) The key to the defense remains what I thought it was coming in: If you can get 2020 Trajan Jeffcoat and 2021 Isaiah McGuire, you've really got something. Missouri got that tonight. Again, it's just one game. But it's a start.
5) Eli Drinkwitz said after the game that Chance Luper got ill this morning and is going to be out six to eight weeks. We don't know any more than that and probably don't need to know any more. The way Drink talked about it made it sound somewhat serious, but at the same time, if they can put a timetable on it, at least that means they know what's wrong. Tough break for the kid who had earned a starting spot. The wide receivers were good without him, but I've got to wonder if this ends up pressing Mekhi Miller into action. I haven't looked at the participation report yet, but Miller and Burden were the only two true freshmen I know I saw on the field.
6) Nate Peat is Missouri's best running back. There's really no doubt in my mind. He averaged nine yards a carry tonight. He's got speed and wiggle and he doesn't lack power. Cody Schrader is a great story. He had some nice runs tonight. But Schrader had 17 carries and Peat had eight. That number has to flip next week against Kansas State. Peat is the lead guy. I still think Elijah Young shows a lot of good flashes when he gets a chance, but he sure doesn't seem to get a chance much. And BJ Harris appears to be fourth-string, relegated to mop up duty unless there's an injury.
7) The quarterback depth became clear and it was what we thought it was. Brady Cook is 1, Jack Abraham is 2. Hopefully you don't get past that. Everything I heard out of camp is that Sam Horn has the tools, but he isn't ready yet. If Abraham is No. 2, get him some reps in situations like tonight where the game is over and he can get the feel back for playing. Drinkwitz was pretty excited about what he saw. There's no question who the starter is, but I really think other than mop up duty, we're waiting until next year to really see Sam Horn. At least next year.
8) As far as Cook goes, he was solid. He wasn't great. He did what needed to be done. His legs add a dimension this team didn't have. I thought the pick was on Burden because if it hits you in the hands you should catch it, but Cook also threw it too hard. He nearly got Nate Peat killed and he also underthrew a TD to Burden. He wasn't perfect. I don't ask for perfect. I don't think Missouri is going to lean on Cook and ask him to win games. I thought the playcalling at the beginning of the game looked like a coach that wasn't sure if he trusted his quarterback. I think he'll gain that trust as he goes along. But I don't think Missouri is going to very often ask Brady Cook to go win a game by himself. I thought he did exactly what Missouri asked him to do tonight. It wasn't an A effort, but it was above average. Don't forget it's his second career start.
9) Luther Burden is special. I've tried to tamp down expectations. And I don't know what the numbers will look like. But damn. The five-yard touchdown was silly. The 17-yard wildcat run, there were three guys there and he just outran them to the sideline. He's one of the shiftiest players I've seen. I had two former players text me during the game tonight "He's the next J-Mac." Overall, this wasn't a really memorable game. But what you're going to remember is Burden. The stat line wasn't really all that impressive. That'll come. For his first college game, that was special.
10) Overall, Missouri won 52-24. And that's with two red zone turnovers and a failed 4th and 1. Louisiana Tech basically made two plays all night (the garbage time TD doesn't even count). This team came out of the gate ready to play. The good news is there are things it can do better. The better news is they won by 28 and didn't play an A game. First huge game of the year lies nine days away. Gonna be a big week.
*Just want to wrap up shouting out @JHamilton23 who's finishing up his notebook from tonight's game and will have a grade card in the morning. First game day, handled it like a pro. Got thoughts posted after every quarter, did the presser, did a podcast and he's still going. He's gonna be fine around here. We'll have grades in the morning and after I wake up and do some radio I'll get snap counts and the chamber put together. 1-0 is always good. Appreciate you all following along.
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