Missouri Tigers vs. Louisiana Tech Bulldogs: Five things to know about the season opener
Football season No. 132 for Missouri begins Thursday at home against Louisiana Tech. It’s the first Thursday night game for the Tigers since 2015 and it feels ... odd.
“It’s just different,” defensive tackle Darius Robinson said. “The schedule’s fast forwarded.”
If the Tigers take care of business as nearly three-touchdown favorite, the game time won’t matter and the Tigers will enjoy a couple of additional days off while most of the rest of college football gets cranking. And extra time to prep for the next opponent, at Kansas State on Sept. 10, won’t hurt.
For Missouri, the Thursday home game is better than the originally scheduled game, at Middle Tennessee State. That would have given Mizzou three road games in four to begin the season..
The details
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Thursday
Where: Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium, Columbia
TV: ESPNU
Radio: KMBZ (98.1 FM and 980 AM in Kansas City)
Betting line: Missouri by 19
Five things to know
1. It’s an important season for Eli Drinkwitz: Over the past two season, Mizzou has enjoyed some highs and lows, but mostly they’ve been even keel as the record suggests: 5-5 in 2020, Drinkwitz’s first season and 6-7 last year with the bowl loss to Army. Time to take the next step and show the program is moving in a positive direction.
2. Brady Cook, the keys are yours: Cook becomes the fifth quarterback to start the opening game in five years. But Cook isn’t a stranger to the office. It’s his third year in the program and he played well in his only previous start in last year’s bowl game. He beat out three other candidates for the job and now he must play well enough to keep it.
3. Luther Burden’s time is now: The nation’s top-ranked wide receiver prospect picked Missouri, and all eyes will be on No. 3. Burden may lead the Tigers in receptions but this is a deep group with Tauskie Dove, Mookie Cooper, Chance Luper, Barrett Banister and Dominic Lovett. Also, look for Burden to return punts.
4. The defense can’t start any worse than last season, can it?: The Tigers won last years’ opener over Central Michigan but gave up 475 total yards. Things didn’t get much better over the next few weeks. Blake Baker is the program’s third defensive coordinator in three years but has eight players returning who have previously been starters.
5. Louisiana Tech breaks in new quarterback, coach: Matthew Downing started his career at Georgia, transferred to TCU and at Louisiana Tech will start a game for the second time in his career. He’s reunited with Sonny Cumbie, who was TCU’s offensive coordinator while Downing was there. Louisiana Tech is coming off a 3-9 season.
This story was originally published August 29, 2022 at 3:19 PM.