Missouri football: 5 things to watch for vs. Kansas State in Week 2

Here are five things to watch for as Luther Burden and Missouri football takes on Deuce Vaughn and the Kansas State Wildcats.

The Missouri Tigers, fresh off of a 28-point win at home, will travel to Manhattan, Kan., to face off against the Kansas State Wildcats.

For the Tigers, it’ll be their first trip to Manhattan since 2011. Kansas State is an eight-point favorite but Brady Cook, talented true freshman Luther Burden III, and a rebuilt, reenergized Missouri defense will be looking to shed the underdog label.

Here are five things to watch for.

Deuce Vaughn

After earning first-team All-American honors in 2021 as an all-purpose player, Deuce Vaughn picked up right what he left off in last week’s victory over South Dakota. Vaughn may be small in stature (5-foot-6 and 171 pounds) but he’s a big-time threat as a runner and receiver out of the backfield. Vaughn ran for 126 yards on 18 carries in the season opener, his seventh consecutive 100-yard rushing game. He’ll look to extend that streak against a Missouri Tigers defense that allowed a total of 11 yards rushing in last week’s win at home versus Louisiana Tech.

Missouri’s run game

The running back by committee approach employed by Missouri tallied 323 yards on the ground, the most that the Tigers have rushed for in a game since 2017. The transfer tag team of Cody Schrader and Nate Peat combined for 142 of those 323 yards and two touchdowns.

Look for the Tigers to lean heavily on this duo as well as Eli Young to help alleviate some of the pressure off of quarterback Brady Cook as well as keep Kansas State’s more up-tempo offense on the sidelines.

Luther Burden III

In his collegiate debut, Luther Burden III scored on both receiving and rushing touchdowns. He lined up in the slot as well as the backfield in the wildcat formation. While tallying only 43 all-purpose yards, the Missouri offensive staff has shown that they are making it a high priority to get Burden III immersed into the offense. Look for him to get more touches this week whether it be taking snaps In the wildcat formation, handoffs, or as a receiver.

Kansas State offensive line vs Missouri defensive front

A rebuilt Wildcats offensive line is arguably one of the best units in the Big 12. They came out of the blocks and dominated South Dakota on the ground, rushing for 297 yards. With the ground game being so dominant, the Wildcats ventured away from the pass.

The offensive line has taken a big hit with Taylor Poitier going down with a season-ending knee injury in the second quarter against South Dakota. Sophomore Hadley Panzer is expected to fill in at right guard, a position that he has experience at, playing nine games last season as a true freshman. Despite a total of 23 pass attempts by Kansas State quarterbacks, South Dakota still managed to record four sacks.

The Missouri defensive front applied consistent pressure on Louisiana Tech quarterbacks throughout the game. They produced four sacks along with a tipped pass that led to Charleston’s pick-six. If the Wildcats can limit their third-and-long situations, it can slow a very active, aggressive Missouri defensive front down and force the secondary to make more plays.

Battle of the quarterbacks

Adrian Martinez has been a starter for more seasons than Brady Cook has started. Martinez found his way to Manhattan after four seasons as the starter at Nebraska. His abilities as a dual-threat will be tested this week in a way that was not necessary against an inferior opponent.

If Martinez gets going early and consistently, that will place the pressure on a Tigers defense that is still susceptible to big plays against the pass.

Cook, like Martinez, has shown the ability to be an offensive threat with mobility as well as his arm. However, this will be Cook’s first start in a true road game. He did see action at Georgia in 2021 in place of an injured Connor Bazelak. The Tigers will have to lean more on Cook this week against a Kansas State defense that pitched a shutout in its opener.

Look for the Tigers’ offense to utilize more short passes early on to get Cook into a comfort zone.

Missouri leads the all-time series 60-35-5.