‘Give Lou the Heisman’: Can Luther Burden III keep up fast start as Mizzou football’s schedule toughens?
Theo Wease Jr. is having to reconsider his stance.
In August, the Columbia Daily Tribune asked the Mizzou football wide receiver where his new teammate Luther Burden III ranked among the best receivers he has ever played with.
Wease’s answer in the midst of fall camp: His former teammate at Oklahoma, CeeDee Lamb, who is now a two-time Pro Bowler with the Dallas Cowboys. At that point, Wease said Burden was a close second.
As of Tuesday, he reckons it is getting close to the time for some reordering.
“I said CeeDee Lamb is the best I’ve played with. Lou (is) making a real case for my best teammate I’ve played with,” Wease said. “He’s just super electric. He's always gonna do something with the ball, and he's just a dog. He works hard for it, so I'm not surprised seeing the success he’s had.”
Ahead of Missouri’s home matchup this Saturday against No. 23-ranked LSU (3-2, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) in Columbia, where offensive playmakers on a field slated to be full of them could prove to be the difference in a game between two hot offenses, that seems like a good weapon for No. 21 Mizzou (5-0, 1-0) to have.
It’s been a tremendous start to the year weeks for Burden.
Is it a Heisman Trophy discussion kind of tremendous?
“Yeah, he should be,” Wease said, “Give Lou the Heisman. He’s him.”
Consider Burden's numbers.
He leads all receivers in the FBS with 644 yards — 19 clear of a player who will also take the field Saturday, LSU’s Malik Nabers.
The Missouri sophomore out of East St. Louis has five touchdowns on 43 catches.
On Thursday, Burden was added to the Biletnikoff Award watch list.
And while it might not win him awards, the name, image and likeness business is booming for Burden, too. He’s got a second flavor of Old Vienna potato chips — Ranch Honey BBQ Red Hot Riplets — hitting the shelves this week across the state, sporting his visage on the bag.
The last wide receiver to win the Heisman Trophy was Alabama’s DeVonta Smith, now with the Philadelphia Eagles, in 2020, when he broke a 29-year duck since Desmond Howard won the award with Michigan.
Voting closed on Dec. 20, 2020, after Alabama had played 11 games in the COVID-abridged season. To that point, he averaged 137.4 yards per game, recorded 17 receiving touchdowns and added another on a punt return.
After lifting college football’s top individual award, Smith upped all of those averages with electric outings against Notre Dame and Ohio State in the College Football Playoffs to lead the Tide to an unbeaten season and the national title.
Burden, as it stands, is on pace for 128.8 yards per game and 12 total touchdowns through Missouri’s regular season.
For what it’s worth, Howard averaged less than 100 yards per game but a hair less than two all-purpose touchdowns per game in 1991.
Not bad company, eh?
Burden has shown a dramatic uptick from his true freshman season. Moving to the slot has made him quarterback Brady Cook’s No. 1 target every time Missouri takes the field.
That’s been a concerted effort across the board, according to MU head coach Eli Drinkwitz.
From mindset to tasting the rainbow.
“We talked to him a lot about when you mature off the field, the product on the field becomes much better,” Drinkwitz said Tuesday. “And not that there was a whole lot of different things, but just as eating habits, he doesn't sit around eating Skittles all day. I mean, he's focused on what he's putting into his body.”
Drinkwitz has noticed the extra hours Burden has put in with Missouri Director of Athletic Performance Ryan Russell and director of football sports Medicine Zach Parker.
Even on a dodgy ankle that drew a questionable injury status for Missouri’s game against Vanderbilt, the head coach was impressed with “his competitive spirit.”
“I think that's just a tribute to how much time he spent to get himself back right,” Drinkwitz said.
Maybe above all, he’s more ready for the college game as a sophomore.
“His mental prep, you know, there's not nearly as many busted assignments,” the head coach said. “He knows exactly where the plays are going. He could probably tell you — you know, in the past it was just about what he could, what his job was — I think he can tell you all the wide receivers’ (jobs).”
So far, it’s all working.
That task gets significantly tougher starting Saturday. Mizzou is unbeaten through five games for the first time in Drinkwitz’s tenure and the first time since 2013, and Burden is a big reason why.
LSU is on deck. The biggest tests in the SEC East follow.
Burden figures to be the cornerstone in any continued success Missouri might have.
But any potential acclaim that might come hasn’t entered Burden’s mind, he said after the Tigers took down Vanderbilt.
“I just go out there and just play my game and try to get a win each and every week,” Burden said, “and the rest will take care of itself.”
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: ‘Give Lou the Heisman’: Can Luther Burden III keep up fast start as MU's schedule toughens?
