COLUMBIA – After two consecutive shutout victories, No. 6 Missouri faced its first ranked opponent of the season and escaped with a 27-21 victory over No. 24 Boston College on Saturday, Sept. 14 at Memorial Stadium.

It was not a flawless performance, but the triumph should boost the Tigers' early-season stock and reaffirm the their top 10 ranking. Following a shaky first half, the second half provided a snapshot of what most expect of head coach Eli Drinkwitz's team in 2024: physicality in the trenches and big plays from key skill position players.

Saturday’s game should give Mizzou, who has now won 20 straight non-conference home games, confidence entering SEC play, where the expectation is improvement each week.

Here are five initial thoughts from Mizzou’s performance on Saturday.

The Luther Burden Show

Big-time players make big-time plays in big games. Just ask Luther Burden III.

Burden did not have a single touch until midway through the second quarter, but when offensive coordinator Kirby Moore began utilizing the All-American wide receiver, it virtually unlocked the Tiger offense.

On third-and-4 with three minutes remaining in the second quarter, Burden displayed his dynamic athleticism on a 19-yard touchdown reception where he juked a defender, cut it to the outside, and scampered into the end zone to knot things up at 14-14.

“It was just another momentum shift in the game,” said safety Tre’Vez Johnson, whose interception set up the Burden score. “He’s one of our best playmakers and maybe the best playmaker in college football. Just get it to No. 3 and let him do what he does.”

The Heisman candidate posted a gaudy 6-117-1 statline to cap off the day and reaffirm his status as one of the country’s premier superstars.

“When I get the ball I’m just trying to do what’s best for my team and to win,” Burden said. “My team is going to count on me to make plays.”

No Harrison Mevis, No Problem

Redshirt freshman kicker Blake Craig had ice in his veins and showed off his big leg Saturday after nailing each of his four field goal attempts, including a 56-yarder at the end of the first half on a play that Drinkwitz said ignited his team's confidence.

Craig, a consensus five-star recruit in the 2023 cycle, is 8-for-10 on the season and could sneak into the Lou Groza Award (given to nation’s best kicker) conversation if he maintains the same level of production that was seen on Saturday afternoon.

Defense Comes to Life

It was not a pretty start for the Tiger defense, but once defensive coordinator Corey Batoon and Co. made their second-half adjustments, the unit was back to business.

Mizzou held Boston College to a season-low in points (21), total yards (295) and first downs (16). The front seven put the clamps on the Eagles’ potent rushing attack, recording five tackles-for-loss and holding the Eagles to just 46 rushing yards.

With Mizzou’s ability to shut down the run game, the defense forced dual-threat quarterback Thomas Castellanos to win the game with his arm. That one-dimensional approach resulted in 89 total yards and seven points for the Eagle offense in the second half.

“Anytime you rush past an athletic quarterback like that, then you’re playing with 10,” Drinkwitz said. “So we felt that we had an advantage if we would keep them in the pocket. We did that for most of the game.”

Drinkwitz also credits Batoon’s schematics and composure for helping manifest the defense’s lockdown performance in the final 30 minutes.

“He was as cool as a cucumber,” Drinkwitz said. “Nothing phases him and he’s just up there dialing up great calls. He did lose it a bit on the last coverage bust, but he’s a vet. I can’t say enough great things about him and the calming presence and tactical advantages that he gives us.”

However, there were still a few nits to pick…

Riddled by Explosive Plays

Mizzou’s inability to prevent Boston College from generating big plays on offense at times was a liability and a key reason why the Eagles stayed in the ball game.

If you took away the Eagles’ 67-yard and 38-yard touchdown passes in the game, the Mizzou secondary only surrendered 144 passing yards to go along with two interceptions.

None of this negates the fact that the Tigers looked much sharper in the second half, but the unit needs to eliminate costly mistakes with conference play and the heart of the season approaching.

“Just need to get eyes in the backfield,” Drinkwitz said. “Stuff that’s got to get addressed.”

Mental Mistakes

If big plays weren’t the biggest issue, this week’s culprit was penalties. Missouri cut down on them (eight on Saturday compared to 10 against Buffalo last week), but they were costly and opened the door for Boston College to stay in the game. Leading 24-14 with 1:21 left in the third quarter, the Tigers were slammed with four penalties in a three-play stretch that eventually led to the offense facing a second-and-58 (yes, you read that right). Of course, the drive resulted in a punt.

On the opening drive of the game, Mizzou stopped Boston College on third-and-15 at midfield before receiving an illegal hands to the face penalty. That extended the drive, and the Eagles marched forward and scored the first touchdown of the game. All of a sudden, the Tigers found themselves in an early hole.

Ultimately, Mizzou snapped back into focus and executed well enough to overcome the penalty woes, but there’s no hiding the fact that it was a glaring issue.

The question is two-pronged: Why are these penalities occurring, and how does Mizzou correct them before bigger games in conference play? Both questions induce somewhat sophisticated conclusions.

Drinkwitz opened his post-game press conference by taking ownership for most of the penalty issues, saying that it was “selfish football” on his part.

Despite the tight win, the Tigers remain perfect on the season and still project to remain in the AP Top 10 standings. However, the margin for error this year will gradually shrink, and with Texas A&M, Alabama, Oklahoma, and South Carolina yet to come, there is a chance of pitfalls for losses if the team is not performing optimally all 60 minutes.

“The guys who fell short of the standard today have got to look themselves in the eyes, look themselves in the mirror, and say, ‘I’m going to pick myself up and figure out how to improve and not let this happen again,'" Drinkwitz said.

The good news? It's only Week 3 and there is still plenty of room for improvement for a talented roster that is replacing eight starters and under a new defensive system.

Mizzou kicks off SEC play with a home game against Vanderbilt next Saturday, Sept. 21.