Quarterback Brady Cook completed 14 of 19 passes for 219 yards and two touchdowns as No. 21 Missouri routed Massachusetts 45-3 on Saturday in Amherst, Mass.
After suffering a 41-10 loss at Texas A&M in their previous game, the Tigers (5-1) muscled up against the independent Minutemen (1-6) in their final nonconference game.
With Missouri’s leading rusher Nate Noel sitting out with back tightness, Marcus Carroll stepped in to run for 91 yards and three touchdowns.
Receiver Luther Burden III rushed for 68 yards and a touchdown on two carries and caught five passes for 59 yards for the Tigers before exiting the game in the third quarter with an apparent shoulder injury.
At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz told an ESPN sideline reporter that Burden will “be just fine.”
Missouri outgained Massachusetts 461-237 and built a 231-95 advantage in rushing yards and 22-13 in first downs.
Minutemen quarterback Taisun Phommachanh completed 12 of 22 passes for 132 yards and an interception. Jakobie Keeney-James caught six passes for 80 yards.
On the second play from scrimmage, Burden broke a 61-yard touchdown run on a jet sweep play as Missouri took a 7-0 lead 57 seconds into the game.
Missouri moved 80 yards on 13 plays on their next possession to double their lead to 14-0. Carroll capped the drive with a 3-yard TD run.
The Tigers made it 21-0 less than 4 minutes into the second quarter. They moved 80 yards on nine plays with Carroll scoring from 4 yards out.
Jacob Lurie put the Minutemen on the board with a 28-yard field goal with 6 minutes left in the first half.
Missouri increased its lead to 24-3 at the half after Corey Flagg Jr.’s 80-yard interception return set up Blake Craig’s 42-yard field goal as time expired.
The Tigers made it 31-3 on Carroll’s 35-yard touchdown run with 10:09 left in the third quarter. Joshua Manning’s 63-yard scoring catch-and-run play upped the margin to 38-3.
Missouri made it 45-3 on Cook’s 8-yard touchdown pass to Brett Norfleet with 1:24 left in the third quarter.
–Field Level Media
