Luther Burden III gave fans a reminder of what he can do on Sunday Night Football, hauling in a touchdown catch that had people talking first thing this morning. It was the kind of play that makes you do a double take - the same kind of stuff he used to put on display in Columbia, only now on a much bigger stage.
There was a quick update attached to the highlight, though: after the post was scheduled, Burden left the game because of an injury that appeared to be a concussion. Rest up, LB3.
Around the Mizzou beat, the focus has been split between what went wrong and what went right. Against SLU, Colin zeroed in on the gap between talent and experience, noting how early defensive rotations told the story.
The Billikens were already 4-for-6 from three-point range at the under-16 timeout, repeatedly getting past the first defender and kicking out for open looks. That pattern kept rolling from deep, and Mizzou never really found a way to slow the barrage.
Then there was the fourth quarter against Texas, where Matthew pointed out how the Tigers’ offense fell apart when the game was there to be won. Drinkwitz and his players all took responsibility afterward, and the message was clear: this wasn’t on one person.
The offense came up short as a group, both in isolated moments and in the bigger picture. For a team that keeps finding itself in close games, that kind of execution matters - and on Saturday, Mizzou didn’t have it.
The road ahead isn’t getting any easier. Mizzou opened as a big underdog to Georgia, and the next stretch looks brutal.
The Tigers head to Athens next weekend as a two-score dog against a Georgia team that has looked untouchable since its shock home loss to Auburn. After that comes Kentucky, which is fighting for its postseason life after getting stomped by Tennessee, and then Oklahoma at home, fresh off a dismantling of Florida under new play-caller Jason Witten.
Anyone got some sage to channel 2013?
On the brighter side, Mizzou Volleyball delivered a senior night worth celebrating. Eva Smith said the team came in fueled by what happened in the midweek loss to Texas: “I think it was just the overall energy and mindset of the team,” Eva Smith said.
“After [the midweek loss to Texas] everybody was pretty upset. It was a bad loss.
So we used that and it pushed us to want to be more hungry to play this game and take care of business.”
It was only the second win over a reigning national champion in program history, and it gave the seniors a fitting sendoff.
In Other News...
Eli Drinkwitz Owned What Really Undid Mizzou Against Texas
The conversation around Missouris 34-20 loss to Texas has centered on the kind of call that can dominate a postgame discussion, but Eli Drinkwitz pointed the focus back where he thought it belonged. Missouris defense had too many communication breakdowns, especially in coverage assignments, and those mistakes helped open the door for Texas to create scoring chances. For a team that wanted to make a statement in a matchup like that, the missed details on the back end proved costly.
Drinkwitz didnt try to hide from it after the game, choosing instead to frame the loss as one of missed opportunities rather than officiating. That matters for Missouri because it shifts the attention from a controversial fumble ruling involving Arch Manning to the larger issue of execution, which is where the Tigers have to clean things up if they want to turn close games into wins. [Read more 🡒]
SEC Defends Officiating As Missouri Fallout Keeps Growing
The fallout from Missouris Week 10 loss to Texas has stretched well beyond the final whistle, with the SEC now spending as much time defending its officiating process as explaining the call itself. Commissioner Greg Sankey pushed back on the public criticism that followed the game, arguing that broadcasters should not be so quick to question rulings without having the full picture, while also acknowledging how hard it is to expect perfection from officials every week.
For Missouri, the larger issue is less about one controversial moment than what comes next for a program and fan base that still want answers. Sankey said the league is continuing discussions about making the review process more transparent, a sign the conference knows the scrutiny is not going away anytime soon. Even with the explanation, the sense around Columbia is that the conversation around that game is still very much alive. [Read more 🡒]
Mizzou's Texas Loss Just Opened An Officiating Fight Fans Won't Ignore
Missouris home loss to Texas is still echoing well beyond the final whistle, with athletic director Laird Veatch saying the school has formally asked the SEC to review the officiating from the game. The request comes after a series of contentious calls drew immediate attention, including the ruling on Arch Mannings fumble that became one of the defining moments of the afternoon.
Veatch said he understands why fans are frustrated, and the school has not been given anything that contradicts the SECs public explanation of the situation. Even so, the review keeps the conversation alive around a game Missouri felt slipped away amid calls that left plenty of people in Columbia wanting a closer look. [Read more 🡒]