University of Missouri
Louisiana Tech
Football Opens 2022 Under The Lights On Thursday Night
8/28/2022 11:04:00 PM | Football
COLUMBIA, Mo. - University of Missouri football will begin its 132nd season and its third under head coach Eliah Drinkwitz on Thursday, September 1, 2022 against Louisiana Tech.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. CT at Memorial Stadium with the game airing on ESPNU. Mike Monaco and Dave Steckel will call the action while the Tiger Radio Network broadcast features Mike Kelly, Howard Richards and Chris Gervino.
NOTING THE OPENER
• The Tigers start the season at home for the third-straight campaign, and five of the last six. Mizzou is 167-71-8 at home vs. non-conference since 1907.
• Thursday night's contest is Mizzou's first night game in Columbia since the home opener in 2020 against Alabama.
• The contest also marks the Tigers' first Thursday game since hosting Mississippi State on November 5, 2015.
• The Tigers and Bulldogs are meeting for the first time on the gridiron. Mizzou is 5-1 all-time against current C-USA members. Louisiana Tech went 3-9 a year ago.
LAST TIME OUT: MIZZOU
Cole Talley kicked a 41-yard field goal on the last play of the game to give the Army West Point Black Knights a 24-22 victory over the Missouri Tigers in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl, at TCU's Amon G. Carter Stadium. Talley's kick, his longest of the season, spoiled a valiant Mizzou drive that gave the Tigers a 22-21 lead with 1:11 to play. Brady Cook, in his first start as the Tiger quarterback, completed 7-of-9 passes for 72 yards to drive the Tigers 83 yards to a touchdown on a six-yard pass to Keke Chism. The ensuing two-point attempt failed, however, leaving Mizzou with just the one-point lead. After the Tigers' score, the Black Knights' third quarterback of the night, Jabari Laws, moved Army 51 yards on seven plays, aided by a Mizzou facemask penalty, to put Talley in position for the game-winning kick. For the game, Cook completed 27-of-34 passes for 238 yards and a TD, and ran nine times for 53 yards and a score. In total offense, Missouri outgained Army, 433-306.
LAST TIME OUT: LOUISIANA TECH
For the seventh time in 2021, a Louisiana Tech football game was decided by a single possession as the Bulldogs lost to Rice, 35-31, in its season finale on Nov. 27, 2021. LA Tech took an early 10-0 lead after a 20-yard field goal by kicker/punter Jacob Barnes and a 44-yard touchdown reception from quarterback JD Head to freshman wide receiver Tre Harris. Rice scored a pair of touchdowns to take the 14-10 lead at the half. Head connected with sophomore wide receiver Smoke Harris for a 4-yard touchdown in the third quarter for the 17-14 lead. After another touchdown by the Owls, Head rushed for a 22-yard touchdown and then found junior wide receiver Griffin Hebert for the 6-yard touchdown to lead 31-21 with 13:10 left in the fourth quarter. Rice trimmed the lead to 31-28 with just over four minutes to play. After forcing a three-and-out, the Owls returned a punt for 48 yards to the Tech 18 yard line where they went onto convert a touchdown for the 35-31 lead.
SONNY CUMBIE: A FAMILIAR FOE
• Sonny Cumbie is in his first season as head coach at Louisiana Tech and is the 34th head football coach in Bulldog history. No stranger to Mizzou, Cumbie first faced the Tigers as a backup quarterback for Texas Tech in 2003, going 5-of-11 for 29 yards and throwing one interception in a 62-31 Missouri victory in Columbia. This is the same game in which Mizzou quarterback Brad Smith rushed for a school record five touchdowns on 19 carries for 291 yards.
• With Cumbie on the sidelines as a Texas Tech assistant coach, Mizzou fell to the Red Raiders, 24-17, in Lubbock (2010) but rebounded in 2011 with a 31-27 victory at Faurot Field.
NEW KIDS IN THE BLOCK M
• The Tigers were joined by 50 newcomers in the offseason, inlcuding 31 true freshmen and 19 transfers. Division I newcomers (14) include Jayden Jernigan (Oklahoma State), Tyrone Hopper (North Carolina), DJ Coleman (Jacksonville State), Ty'Ron Hopper (Florida), Nathaniel Peat (Stanford), Jack Abraham (Mississippi State), Dreyden Norwood (Texas A&M), Joseph Charleston (Clemson), Dylan Spencer (Jackson State), Bence Polgar (Buffalo), Tyler Stephens (Buffalo), Josh Landry (Baylor), Ian Mathews (Auburn) and Kristian Williams (Oregon).
STAYING IN THE SHOW ME STATE
• The 2022 Tigers' roster features 48 student-athletes from the state of Missouri, including nine from the 573, 24 from the St. Louis area and 11 from the Kansas City area.
THE PELICAN STATE IN BLACK AND GOLD
• Carmycah Glass (Monroe), Daniel Hawthorne (West Monroe) and MaKyi Lee (Metairie) are all Louisiana natives.
COOK GETS THE CALL
• On August 9, head coach Eliah Drinkwitz named Brady Cook the starting quarterback for the Tigers' season opener.
• The St. Louis native has played in eight career games, including five a season ago. He earned his first career start in the 2021 Armed Forces Bowl vs. Army West Point, completing 27-of-34 passes for 238 yards and a score. He also rushed for a career-high 53 yards and a touchdown against the Black Knights.
• Cook ran in a 30-yard touchdown on the opening drive of the game, the longest rush by a Mizzou quarterback in 2021, and his first career rushing TD.
COOK CONT.
• His second score of the bowl game was a go-ahead touchdown pass to Keke Chism with just over a minute remaining.
• Also in 2021, he was a perfect 5-of-5 for 29 yards with one passing touchdown against Southeast Missouri State. Cook finished the season 47-of-59 for 350 yards and two scores while rushing for 92 yards and a score.
• As a true freshman in 2020, he played in three games, completing 6-of-7 passes for 72 yards. His first career touchdown came on a 25-yard pass in Mizzou's 41-0 win over Vanderbilt in 2020.
• In Cook's 65 career pass attempts, he has yet to throw an interception, ranking him third since 2001 for most pass attempts before a first interception, trailing Brad Smith (94) and Blaine Gabbert (178).
THE THICCER KICKER
• Harrison Mevis, a first-team preseason All-SEC selection by the coaches, enters his third season as arguably the nation's top kicker. His 19 field goals from at least 30 yards last year are the most by a returning kicker, as are the 14 of those that came from at least 40 yards out. His 88.9% career accuracy rate is the best by an active kicker with at least 40 career attempts.
• A two-time Lou Groza Award finalist, he was named preseason All-America teams by the Associated Press, The Athletic, Phil Steele, Action Network and Pro Football Network.
• He is one of just two Tigers in program history to make five or more kicks of 50+ yards, joining Tom Whelihan (6, 1984-87).
• In 2021, Mevis went 23-for-25, good for a 92-percent field goal percentage, setting a new single-season school record (min. 20 att.)
• Mevis totaled 109 points a year ago, taking sole possession of ninth on the Mizzou all-time single-season scoring list.
FIRST DOWN BANISTER
• Sixth-year receiver Barrett Banister has played in 44 career games with 93 receptions, 812 yards and two touchdowns. He holds a career average of 17.8 yards per catch and has hauled in 27+ receptions in three-straight seasons.
• Banister's first catch in 2022 will make him the third Tiger with a reception in five seasons, joining Lamont Downer (1974-78) and George Shorthose (1980-84).
TAKE YOUR PICK
• From six different players, Mizzou's secondary snagged an interception in nine of the 13 contests played in 2021.
• Jaylon Carlies led the way with four INTs while Kris Abrams-Draine had three.
SPREADING THE LOVE
• 16 receievers hauled in 302 receptions while 10 Tigers hauled in 19 receptions for touchdowns last season. Five Tigers had multiple TD receptions.
• Mookie Cooper was the 10th Tiger to haul in a touchdown reception in 2021 with his 60-yard bomb against South Carolina. The 10 players with a TD grab are the most by the Tigers since 2016.
