‘Just a different feel’: Mizzou’s WRs are showing why they’re among nation’s best
Headlined by Tauskie Dove, Keke Chism and Barrett Banister, the Missouri football wide receiver corps that took the field when the Tigers last matched up with Boston College provides perhaps the most significant indication of how far the program has come under coach Eli Drinkwitz in the years since.
Only four-star wideout Mookie Cooper (one reception for 3 yards) remains as a holdover on the current roster from that position group, which totaled 303 receiving yards in Missouri’s unexpected 41-34 overtime loss to the Eagles on Sept. 25, 2021, in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.
But as this season’s No. 6 Tigers prepare for a rematch against No. 24 Boston College, they will rely on a rejuvenated group of receivers to set the tone and counter a stingy Eagles defense.
“We all want explosive plays,” Drinkwitz said. “(It’s) good to be on ‘SportsCenter’ for that ... but the reality of what we’re figuring out is that teams don’t really want to give up explosive plays versus our wide receiver corps, so we have to be willing to make them defend us in a different manner.”
Unlike the Tigers’ current receiver room, which boasts six players rated as four- or five-star prospects in high school, Mizzou’s lineup of receivers looked quite different in 2021.
The distinctions start at the coaching level, where Drinkwitz entered the matchup against Boston College in his second season with the Tigers, who posted a 5-5 record during his inaugural season in 2020.
The coach still handled head-coaching and offense coordinator duties at the time, as well, while current Missouri offensive coordinator Kirby Moore was at Fresno State and wide receivers coach Jacob Peeler was at Texas State.
On the field that day against the Eagles, Dove led the team in receiving yards (89), followed by Chism (67) and Banister (44). The trio finished as the Tigers’ yardage leaders that season: Dove totaled 38 receptions for 576 yards, Chism added 41 catches for 511 yards and Banister recorded 31 receptions for 226 yards.
So, as Missouri sets its sights on Boston College for a second time in four seasons, how do the Tigers’ current wideouts stack up to the talent, production and depth that toed the line against the Eagles in their previous meeting?
It starts with the excitement around the program, if you ask Drinkwitz.
“I try to definitely stay in the moment and understand that it’s a special thing to be at Faurot Field in a sold-out crowd, and I’ve actually acknowledged that to a couple of coaches who’ve been with us the whole time,” he said. “They’re on the sideline — whether you’re talking about (running backs) coach (Curtis) Luper or (linebackers) coach (D.J.) Smith or (special teams) coach (Erik) Link.
“I went up to them before the game and said, ‘Man, we’ve come a long way since we first got here.’”
While it is only Week 3, those on the outside of Mizzou’s program can start to understand what the Tigers’ pass-catchers can provide this season.
Graduate Theo Wease Jr. leads the team with 16 receptions for 179 yards thus far, including a career-high 13-catch, 149-yard performance against Buffalo last Saturday.
“I cannot say enough how fortunate we are for Theo Wease,” Drinkwitz said during fall camp. “I think his maturity and wisdom in that room was really the glue that’s brought us together. Not only is he an outstanding player, (but) he’s an alpha. He is an elite player, but, man, he is an elite teammate.”
“It’s all love, you know. It’s a real brotherhood,” Wease said during fall camp. “We come to work every day just to compete. We know nobody’s spot is secured. That’s the beauty of it as a receiver, though - you want to compete every day. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Senior captain Luther Burden III, a preseason All-American, continues to search for momentum with seven receptions for 64 yards and two touchdowns so far this season. It’s a stark difference from his 2023 season, during which he logged 86 receptions for 1,212 yards, the most of any player on the team by more than 500 yards.
Wease and Burden headline an offense that features 12 different players with at least one catch, including Missouri’s longest-tenured receiver: Cooper. The senior has racked up four receptions for 57 yards this season, fourth most on the team.
“Honestly, I feel it’s (scrimmaging against Missouri receivers) preparing me better than anybody we play against on our schedule,” cornerback Toriano Pride Jr. said during fall camp.
Although 14 different players caught at least one pass for Missouri in the 2021 season, only two wide receivers eclipsed the 300-yard mark. Through just two games, six players on the Tigers’ roster have reached the 40-yard mark already, putting all of them in range of that plateau.
Sophomore Marquis “Speedy” Johnson ranks second on the team with nine catches for 93 yards, while up-and-coming redshirt freshman Joshua Manning has five receptions for 49 yards.
Daniel Blood is right behind him with six receptions for 43 yards so far into the season, already eclipsing his total from last season. As a backup receiver, Blood saw plenty of action in Week 1 but found limited playing time in Week 2.
“You know, (Daniel Blood is) prepared for this moment,” Wease said. “He works as hard as he can every day. That’s all the receivers. You know, we challenge each other. We compete at a high level every day, just to keep pushing each other to be better. But you know, Blood in particular, he’s been working, honestly. I’m glad to see it’s been paying off for him.”
Similarly, junior Mekhi Miller has brought in one catch for 18 yards during limited minutes, rounding out a group that quietly boasts a pair of four-star true-freshmen in James Madison II and Courtney Crutchfield, who have yet to record a catch.
“We have so many guys who are really good with the ball in their hand that we have to get these guys touches in return units,” Drinkwitz said. “You can’t always guarantee you’re going to be able to get them a touch. So, the ability to get Marquis a touch in the return game or Josh Manning or Theo or Luther does factor in the fact that those guys can change the game.”
Behind its standout wide receiver corps, Missouri finds itself ranked as the No. 6 team in the nation, the highest spot it has achieved since 2013. It’s a far cry from the deflating defeat against Boston College three seasons ago, which ultimately set the tone for a six-win season.
And a key reason behind that turnaround is the depth and talent Drinkwitz has brought to the Tigers since that performance, turning Missouri’s 2024 corps of wide receivers from an afterthought to one of the nation’s most lethal units.
It’s a retool that is far from over, too. Even with the addition of a couple high-potential freshman and the return of nearly every pass-catcher from last season, not on WR elected to transfer.
Instead, the tandem of Johnson, Manning, Blood and Miller chose to stay in hopes of becoming plug-and-play contributors who can ultimately help Missouri avoid letdowns similar to the one in Chestnut Hill.
“You know, you see the similar faces, you’re talking the same language again, talking last year, it’s just a different feel,” Wease said. ... “We got so many reps in this, doing things that we do really well. You know, Coach Moore does a great job putting us in situations to execute. So, you know, it’s fun. Definitely glad I came back.”
The unit will face its stiffest test of the young season in its ranked-on-ranked matchup against the Eagles, who have held their opponents to a 4-for-26 mark on third-down attempts this season and also own the nation’s 15th-ranked defense.
“(Boston College’s defense is) very good at the line of scrimmage ... strong in the middle, very good at stopping the run (and) creating a surge at the line of scrimmage,” Drinkwitz said.
“Their linebackers play really well downhill. They’re a very difficult matchup in the secondary. Nothing is easy back there. A lot of variations of coverage, so (it’s) going to be a real challenge for our offense and defense. We’re going to have to play better than (we have) the past two weeks.”
No. 6 Missouri will aim to do just that when it kicks off against No. 24 Boston College at 11:45 a.m. Saturday at Memorial Stadium, with all eyes on the Tigers’ dynamic receiving corps — a unit that can truly showcase how far it has come since exiting the field in stunned fashion the last time these two programs matched up on the gridiron.
Copyright 2024 Columbia Missourian
This story was originally published September 13, 2024 at 1:02 PM with the headline "‘Just a different feel’: Mizzou’s WRs are showing why they’re among nation’s best."