Coming out of shell, WR Dominic Lovett comes up big for Mizzou vs. Abilene Christian
Freshman Luther Burden has received the bulk of the attention among this season’s Missouri Tigers football players, especially the wide receivers.
His first touch in the Tigers’ 34-17 victory over Abilene Christian on Saturday demonstrated why.
Burden fielded a punt on a hop and returned it 78 yards for a touchdown less than 90 seconds into the game. But it turned out that this wasn’t MU’s most explosive play of the game, or even the quarter. That’s why it’s important to not lose sight of his fellow East St. Louis teammate.
Later in the first quarter, sophomore wide receiver Dominic Lovett ran under Brady Cook’s heave and angled to the end zone to complete a 79-yard score, his first receiving touchdown as a college player.
Lovett’s second TD came in the third quarter on a 13-yard strike.
“It felt good,” Lovett said. “We just have to keep rolling with this momentum, keep the positivity rolling.”
Before the five-star Burden signed with Missouri, Lovett, a four-star prospect, was the highest rated wide receiver signed by Mizzou coach Eli Drinkwitz. As a freshman, Lovett caught 26 passes for 173 yards and scored a rushing touchdown.
On Saturday at Faurot Field, Lovett caught seven passes for 134 yards, the most by a Tigers wide receiver since Johnathan Johnson had 185 yards in the 2018 Liberty Bowl against Oklahoma State. For the season, Lovett leads Mizzou (2-0) with 16 receptions and 276 yards.
Lovett said the year of college experience also helped his confidence grow as this season approached. He admitted to being a bit reserved last season.
“If you don’t break out of your shell, you never know how good you can be because you’re scared to fail,” Lovett said. “At Mizzou, we try to focus on a ‘this play’ mentality.
“The last play, you can’t get it back. I used to beat myself up if I didn’t catch the ball or I didn’t run a good route. But that play’s over. That helped me come out of my shell.”
The Tigers needed the early explosive plays. Missouri’s running game was slow to develop against FCS foe Abilene Christian (2-1), and holding penalties against the offensive line, five in the game, pushed Mizzou back. Improved offensive line play will no doubt be emphasized in the week ahead.
So will some aspects of special teams. Getting Burden back there for his first returns this season worked. He finished with four for 111 yards.
But Drinkwitz switched punters during the game, and kicker Harrison Mevis missed two field goals for the first time in his career.
The defense held Abilene Christian to 308 total yards, and the starting unit kept the Wildcats out of the end zone. The visitors’ touchdown came late against the Tigers’ reserves.
If the game had a key sequence, it occurred early in the third quarter when Mizzou forced turnovers on back-to-back drives. Cornerback Ennis Rakestraw held onto an interception that bounced off his chest. Then Rakestraw made a tackle that forced the ball loose and linebacker Chad Bailey recovered the fumble.
“Ennis wrapped him up, I finished him off, and all I saw was the ball on the ground,” Bailey said. “So I picked it up.”
Big plays by the Mizzou defense defined the second half. Burden’s and Lovett’s got Missouri going. Was it an overall performance that can hold up in the SEC, which starts for Mizzou next week with a visit to Auburn?
“The message of the week is, we’re 1-0,” Bailey said.