AMHERST, Mass. — Missouri receiver Luther Burden scored on a 61-yard jet sweep less than a minute into the game, and the 21st-ranked Tigers went on to beat Massachusetts 45-3 on Saturday.
“The first play Luther scored on I thought set the tone,” Missouri coach Eliah Drinkwitz said. “Luther set the tone as a guy everybody looks up to to make that play.”
Missouri (5-1) rebounded from its 41-10 loss at Texas A&M last week with a resounding victory over the Football Bowl Subdivision independent. UMass (1-6) lost its third straight game.
“I talked all week about responding and there were a lot of ways this could have gone,” Drinkwitz said. “They fought back and responded and I thought they played team football today. We have got to be a team that dominates nonconference competition. ”
Brady Cook completed 14 of 19 passes for 219 yards and two touchdowns in three quarters and gave way to Drew Pyne to start the fourth. Marcus Carroll rushed for 91 yards on 13 carries with three touchdowns.
“Marcus Carroll did exactly what he needed to do,“said Drinkwitz.
The Tigers, who entered the game ranked 15th nationally in total defense, limited UMass to 237 yards and 13 first downs.
Burden’s long scoring run on the second play from scrimmage was his second rushing TD of the season. Burden missed most of the second half with an apparent shoulder injury. Carroll scored on runs of 3 and 4 yards to make it 21-0 early in the second quarter.
“I almost think the speed of the game surprised us a little bit,” UMass coach Don Brown said.
UMass got on the board with Jacob Lurie’s 28-yard field goal. The Minutemen threatened late in the first half, with Te'Rai Powell running for 39 yards on a fake punt to keep alive a drive that reached the Missouri 7. But linebacker Corey Flagg Jr. intercepted Taisun Phommachanh’s pass over the middle, and the Tigers went up 24-3 on Blake Craig’s 43-yard field goal on the final play of the half.
“I did think we settled down in the middle of the second quarter moving into the late second quarter, then took a shot with that fake punt and we hit it,” Brown said. "I thought that obviously gave us some juice, then we give it right back to them. That was disappointing for sure.”
Carroll’s third touchdown came on a 35-yard run in the third quarter, and Cook followed with TD passes of 63 yards to Joshua Manning and 8 yards to Brett Norfleet.
Phommachanh was 12 of 22 for 132 yards and an interception. UMass managed just 95 yards on 31 rushes.
“That was an opportunity of a lifetime, playing an SEC opponent in your building, and I just want you to know there’s nothing wrong with their effort, nothing wrong with how they go about their busuiness,” Brown said. “The bottom line is we got beat by the better team today.”
Missouri: The Tigers used a balanced attack to generate 461 total yards and a strong defensive performance that limited a third opponent to three points or less.
UMass: The Minutemen played the first of three games this season against opponents from the Southeastern Conference. They’ll travel to Mississippi State and Georgia in November.
Missouri: hosts Auburn on Saturday.
UMass: hosts Wagner on Oct. 26.