It felt like the sky was falling a week ago in College Station as Mizzou was not up to the task in their first road game of the season. Texas A&M from the get-go outplayed Mizzou in every facet of the game. However, just when things were getting desperate, Jim Sterk gave them UMass.

Mizzou marched into windy western Massachusetts looking for improvement and a comfortable win and definitively they got the latter. The 21st ranked Tigers dismantled UMass from the opening kick to the final whistle by a score of 45-3 to move to 5-1 on the season.

After a lackluster offensive performance last week, Mizzou got just what they needed to open the game. Three straight scoring drives including a long touchdown from Luther Burden on the second play from scrimmage was an encouraging sign after struggling to get the ball to him the week prior.

Offensively, however, the story early on was the absence of the Tigers’ leading rusher Nate Noel. Noel had been effective all season in the running game, averaging six yards a carry coming into the contest, but despite not being on the injury report, the Appalachian State transfer did not see a snap in the first half.

Instead it was a steady dose of Georgia State transfer Marcus Carroll as well Kewan Lacy and Jamal Roberts getting in the mix.

On the defensive side of the ball, Mizzou’s defense didn’t look great despite holding the Minutemen to just three first half points. Taisun Phommachanh and company were able to get up and down the field in the first half with 175 yards on six yards a play, but the Tigers won a couple of rounds of red zone roulette to keep UMass out of the end zone. At the half, it wasn’t super pretty but Mizzou did lead 24-3.

With a three score lead in the second half, Mizzou was content to control the clock and get out of there with a comfortable victory. However, on Mizzou’s only pass attempt on their first drive of the second half, a Brady Cook pass was high to Burden and he took a big shot. Burden left the field holding his shoulder and looking very uncomfortable. He was listed as questionable to return and didn’t re-enter. However, that could have been due to the score of the game. Despite the injury, Burden finished with 127 all-purpose yards and a touchdown.

The Tigers get into the heat of SEC play next weekend at Faurot Field with an underwhelming Auburn team coming to town. Auburn has been underperforming in Hugh Freeze’s second season and has even gone back and forth between Payton Thorne and Hank Brown at QB. Mizzou will have the advantage of it being their annual Homecoming game which always draws a huge crowd with the birthplace of homecoming being in Columbia. Regardless, the Tigers will have to play well if they want to get back above .500 in SEC play.