Mizzou beat writer Eli Hoff and columnist Ben Fredrickson praise the Tigers' defense and back-to-back shutouts before a preview of No. 6 Mizzou vs. No. 24 Boston College this weekend. How will MU try to stop quarterback Thomas Castellanos? What kind of day does Brady Cook need to give?
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Walking to the locker room at halftime, Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz summed up the 30 minutes of football he’d just watched in seven words.
“Took us a while to settle in,†he said. And, as the kids say, he knows ball: that was the story of the game.
The No. 6 Tigers beat No. 24 Boston College 27-21Â on Saturday, scoring 24 consecutive points to overcome a first-half deficit and hold on against a ranked opponent.
The visiting Eagles carried a 14-3 advantage into the final five minutes of the first half, but a well-timed turnover crafted by Mizzou’s defense and a takeover from star Luther Burden III turned the tides in the Tigers’ favor.
Safety Tre’Vez Johnson and cornerback Dreyden Norwood both intercepted BC quarterback Thomas Castellanos, who ran for only 25 yards as MU adapted to his style over the course of the game.
Burden finished with six catches for 117 yards and a touchdown, with 74 of those yards coming after the catch.
Kicker Blake Craig was 3 for 3 on field goals, including a booming 56-yard make.
Tale of early 3rd downs
The most critical plays of the first quarter happened to be on third downs.
With the Eagles establishing the rumblings of a strong opening drive, they faced a 3rd and 15 from just inside their own territory — the result of a false start and two incompletions. Castellanos, true to his norm, was flushed from the pocket on the key play. Solid coverage and enough pressure forced him into a checkdown that should have been a defensive stop.
But defensive tackle Chris McClellan was called for illegal hands to the face on the play, Missouri’s first defensive penalty of the season. The 15-yard boost and automatic first down allowed Boston College’s drive to continue. It led to the first points of the game when Castellanos found wideout Jerand Bradley open in the end zone against soft coverage for an early 7-0 lead.
After two carries of double-digit yardage from running back Nate Noel propelled Mizzou down the field in response, the Tigers also faced a key third down. With seven yards to gain, parked on the doorstep of the red zone, Boston College sent overloaded pressure against MU. Quarterback Brady Cook immediately pivoted to a check down but threw it incomplete, though a completion wouldn’t have made much more progress.
Kicker Blake Craig converted the ensuing 38-yard field goal to make the score 7-3.
Cornerback Toriano Pride Jr., whose coverage allowed BC’s first touchdown, was called for pass interference on a 3rd and 8 that Missouri forced early in the Eagles’ second drive  another defensive penalty that kept the visitors’ offense on the field. The hosts buckled down to stop a third-down run later in the drive, forcing Boston College to punt from within MU territory.
Mizzou’s second drive of the day started in familiar fashion, with Noel serving as the early engine. Cook airmailed a third-down throw.
MU breaks down, BC breaks through
Boston College’s second touchdown was an odd combination of alternating errors. Castellanos mishandled a shotgun snap, dropping the ball on the turf. That seemed to lure the Tigers’ entire defense surging forward in lieu of any coverage responsibilities.
With the shell of Missouri’s secondary collapsed, Castellanos had his pick of two receivers wide open past any Mizzou defender for a 67-yard catch and run touchdown.
Trailing 14-3 to the Eagles, MU safety Joseph Charleston was called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the kickoff, setting back the start of a key drive.
Cook connected with Burden for the first time in the game through an incredibly tight window for a 44-yard completion, but the drive still broke down. Once inside the red zone, an early snap caught Cook by surprise and required the Tigers to fall on the ball. A missed block turned a quick pass to Burden into a de facto, sloppy screen. And facing 3rd and 14, Cook turned down a chance to scramble for a hard pass to Cooper that was slightly off frame and fruitlessly one-handed by the wideout. Craig hit another 38-yarder to cut the lead to 14-6.
First half momentum flip
The pendulum of momentum swung squarely back to Missouri late in the second quarter.
Castellanos threw his first interception of the season, leaving a deep ball short for MU safety Tre’Vez Johnson to swoop in for the pick. He returned the play to the Eagles’ 25-yard line, setting up a very short field for a vital possession.
Burden decided to handle things himself. Cook found him in the flat on a short play, and the preseason All-American wideout sent one defender to the turf with a quick cutback. Burden powered between three other BC defenders on his way to the end zone. Noel took a snap and ran easily through the right side of the offensive line for a two-point conversion that leveled the score at 14-14 with just over three minutes left in the first half.
To seal the first-half turnaround, Craig smashed a 56-yard field goal through the uprights just before halftime — a kick with enough power that it would’ve been good from quite a bit farther. His conversion gave Mizzou a 17-14 lead at the break.
Tigers take control
Missouri was efficient and consistent when it came back out of the locker room. On a third down, Cook connected with Wease on a deeper-level pass when the wideout turned his route inward at the right time to settle between zones. And on another third down, Burden’s magic on a short reception generated 36 yards after the catch — only a shoestring tackle stopped him from scoring his second touchdown of the day.
Cook handled the end zone honors, staying on his feet through contact for a 3-yard rushing score and 24-14 lead.
Two key defensive plays kept Boston College’s third-quarter offense in check. Defensive end Johnny Walker Jr. came around the back side of a run play for a tackle behind the line of scrimmage that eventually led to the Eagles punting. On their next drive, linebacker Khalil Jacobs shot off the edge unblocked on a blitz, sacking Castellanos and forcing BC into a 3rd and 17.
A spiraling series of flags against Mizzou — unsportsmanlike conduct, ineligible man downfield, block in the back and unnecessary roughness, the first and last of which were on Burden — filled some bingo cards and put the Tigers in a 2nd and 59 situation. That’s not a typo, and it wasn’t a recipe for success either: MU punted on 4th and 28 and drew yet another penalty in the process of booting the ball away.
Castellanos threw his second interception of the day just inside the fourth quarter, heaving the ball downfield while scrambling. Cornerback Dreyden Norwood made the off-balance pick with 13:22 left in the game.
Some form of a dagger came seven minutes later. After moving the chains twice on fourth downs, the Tigers opted for a field goal inside the Boston College red zone. Craig’s 31-yard make set the score at 27-14 with 5:58 to go.
Boston College closed back within a score with just under four minutes to go in the game. After converting a 4th and 1, Castellanos found tight end Kamari Morales downfield for a 38-yard score that cut the lead to 27-21.
Needing a first down to successfully run down the clock, Mizzou turned to Burden, who made a clutch sideline grab on a late third down.
NFL execs on hand
As the only matchup of ranked teams taking place on Saturday, Mizzou-Boston College drew an influx of NFL personnel to Memorial Stadium for a look at on-field talent.
Notably, two general managers were scheduled to make the trip for a first-hand look at potential picks: The Chicago Bears’ Ryan Poles and the New York Giants’ Joe Schoen. While it’s early in the NFL season, the Giants could be in line for an early pick in the first round of the 2025 draft, while the Bears have extra early-round picks through previous trades.