Three takeaways from Missouri's opening-night win against Louisiana Tech
Missouri football did what it was supposed to do on Thursday night at Faurot Field.
The Tigers won their season opener against Louisiana Tech 52-24.
Missouri will move on to face a much more difficult opponent next week in Kansas State. Before that, here are three takeaways from the opening-night victory.
The offense
It was a new-look Missouri offense that took the field for the first game of the season. Quarterback Brady Cook had the keys in his first home start, and 2021’s leading rusher in the SEC, Tyler Badie, was gone to the NFL.
The Tigers' offense didn’t blow any doors off, but it looked OK. Luther Burden was as good as advertised. Barrett Banister was also up to his usual tricks, making a big first-quarter catch on third down to convert.
The transfer portal made a major impact on the Missouri offense. Cody Schrader joined the Tigers from Truman State in January, earned the start on Thursday and scored the first MU touchdown of the day on a 10-yard carry.
More: How Missouri's newcomers carried the torch in opening night victory over Louisiana Tech
Schrader, Nathaniel Peat and Elijah Young all played in the running back spot, with none of them making a huge move to separate themselves from the pack in the first half. In the second, Peat scored a long touchdown, but Schrader also kept contributing.
Cook wasn't asked for much by Drinkwitz, but was largely accurate with his passes, finishing the game 18 of 27 for 195 yards. He also made moves with his legs, making tacklers miss and helping wrap up the game up in the final moments of the third quarter with a 20-yard scoring run.
The defense
Entering Thursday's game, one of the major questions of the season was how the defense would look. Blake Baker was Drinkwitz’s third defensive coordinator in as many seasons, and last year’s team was plagued with issues, especially early on in the season.
Some of those doubts were assuaged in the first half against Louisiana Tech. The Tigers intercepted three passes and had another pick negated by a defensive pass interference call.
Linebacker Ty’Ron Hopper made a huge impact on the game, particularly in the first half. Hopper grabbed one of the interceptions and seemed to be all over the field, making several big tackles on run plays and a sack in the first two quarters.
The Tigers did give up a few big plays, but compared to last season, the unit seemed much improved, at least against a Conference USA opponent.
The debut
It took until the second drive of the game, but the most-hyped player on Missouri’s roster got his first touch as a Tiger in the first quarter of Thursday’s game. Burden lined up behind the center in the shotgun formation, ran to his left, then scampered 17 yards for a first down.
He dropped what could have been his first touchdown reception, but later in the second quarter, he stole what would have been an interception from Louisiana Tech and then made a move to get a first down. On that same drive, he made a veteran move to draw pass interference deep in Bulldog territory.
Later in the second, Burden recorded his initial collegiate touchdown after taking a screen pass five yards to the house. In doing so, he broke three Bulldog tackles, thrilling the Missouri faithful.
He scored his second touchdown in the third quarter, taking the direct snap once again and running for a 1-yard score.
At times, Burden clearly appeared to be the best player on the field, stepping up to the expectations set for him by fans and his star rating out of high school. Still, he made several freshman mistakes, including a drop in the third quarter that caused an interception and a holding penalty.
Overall, a solid performance from the five-star.
Matt Stahl is the Missouri athletics beat reporter for the Columbia Daily Tribune. Follow him on Twitter @mattstahl97.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Missouri football: three takeaways from Louisiana Tech game
