No. 11-ranked Missouri football piled on Murray State 51-0 to open the 2024 season on Thursday in front of a sellout crowd in Columbia.

The game was essentially over midway through the first quarter, as the Tigers (1-0) started with a bang and took a four-touchdown lead into the second period.

Mizzou will face much tougher opponents than the overmatched, rebuilding Racers this season, but all in all, it was job done for the Tigers on opening night.

Here is how we graded Mizzou’s offense, defense, special teams and coaches in its opening-day win over the Racers:

Offense: B+

Missouri’s offensive line had to dominate the severely overmatched Racers to impress, and it did just that — especially on some goal-line sets that helped Brady Cook and Marcus Carroll score first-half touchdowns. That’s an encouraging sign for the Tigers, who got solid debuts out of their new running backs.

Cook, meanwhile, made all the throws he needed to make but missed on most of his deep shots, finishing 19-of-30 for 218 yards and a touchdown. It was a solid, not dazzling, opener for MU, which can still shake some rustiness off.

Defense: A

The Tigers forced a fourth-down stop on the first defensive series of the season, then cornerback Toriano Pride took a pick to the house on the first play of the second series. Good start for new DC Corey Batoon, eh?

Let’s be clear: Murray State wasn’t going anywhere fast … but Missouri really wasn’t letting it, either. A stellar night from the linebackers and some good pressure from the defensive line, including a third-quarter strip sack from tackle Chris McClellan, helped MU to the shutout.

Special teams: A

Redshirt freshman kicker Blake Craig had a perfect debut, converting all six of his PATs and going 3-for-3 on field goal attempts.

The kickoff coverage unit recovered a surprise onside kick from the Racers to start the game. Luke Bauer’s two punts were good, traveling an average of 48.5 yards.

Coaches: B-

The Tigers’ coaches are getting docked a letter for an abomination of a trick play called in the second quarter.

The offensive line sprinted left and set up outside the numbers; Burden followed and lined up in shotgun behind them; Burden went in motion in a pseudo-jet sweep; Cook was snapped the ball without his O-Line in front of him and pitched it to the in-motion Burden; and … Burden fumbled, and Murray State recovered.

It didn’t cost the Tigers, who already were up 28-0. But that play likely won’t get a curtain call this year.

It’s also worth questioning running a QB-keeper with 3 yards to get to the end zone, five seconds left in the half and no timeouts. It worked for Cook and the stellar O-Line, but it’s a brow-raising choice.

Overall: A

Mizzou did precisely what it needed to do.

The defense got some confidence with turnovers both up front and in the secondary. Both lines were dominant, which is perhaps the most important takeaway. The Tigers also got some promising reserves reps in a live game, which should help down the line.

Job done.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Grading Missouri football after shutting out Murray State in 2024 opener