COLUMBIA, Mo. — The T-shirts and Mike Kelly name him LB3. Nineteen video games into Luther Burden III‘s school profession, the sophomore large receiver has earned one-name standing.
He is Luther.
In my period of Mizzou soccer, we have had a number of.
Corby. Brock. Devin. Brad. Ruck. Danario. Spoon. Henry. Drew.
(Disclaimer: Justin Smith was at all times Justin Smith and typically Smitty, perhaps as a result of he performed alongside one other Justin within the trenches, Justin Wyatt. He did not care to be referred to as Godzilla and in San Francisco glided by Cowboy. We not often referred to as Chase Daniel completely by his first identify. As a result of we had two Chases: Daniel and Chase Coffman. Jeremy Maclin was J-Mac. Is that one identify or two?)
Again on matter. Luther heads into Saturday evening’s showdown at No. 24 Kentucky main the nation in receptions (54) and receiving yards (793). That places him on tempo for 117 catches for 1,718 yards over a 13-game schedule and in vary of Mizzou’s single-season data for each classes. Danario Alexander – or, as we made clear earlier, simply Danario – holds each Mizzou data, set in his All-American season in 2009: 113 catches for 1,781 yards. Danario, on the town final week to have fun Maclin’s Ring of Honor induction, watched Luther dazzle the sold-out crowd towards LSU, similar to he did 14 years in the past within the Massive 12.
Thoughts you, Luther performed each recreation final season and caught all of 45 passes for 375 yards. How can we clarify the large uptick in manufacturing? To seek out out, I went to the participant on the opposite facet of all these passes.
“Clearly, the way in which it is panned out, I hoped this might be the connection that we have been going to have this 12 months. That was the plan,” Tigers quarterback Brady Prepare dinner advised me this week. “It is undoubtedly been accelerated. And I am simply tremendous impressed how he is dealt with it. He continues to play so properly.”
One clarification for Luther’s progress is his new place. He is moved into the slot the place he has extra room to roam and extra mismatches to take advantage of towards slower, much less agile defenders in open swaths of turf. However the root trigger, Prepare dinner believes, comes between the ears. Luther has matched his five-star abilities with a five-star understanding of his skill. With success comes a stronger conviction in that expertise.
And it helps when defenders merely cannot deal with him in house.
“I believe the largest factor is his confidence,” Prepare dinner mentioned. “And it is his routes and simply his playmaking skill. He has a lot confidence in himself now that he is aware of he can go on the market and make all these guys miss. He can catch any ball that is thrown his method. Final 12 months simply felt a bit totally different. It felt like he wasn’t as assured in himself.”
Final 12 months we not often noticed Luther combat for the type of contested catches that he now naturally assaults within the air. In soccer phrases, he is expanded his catch radius. Any ball up for grabs is his to safe.
“It is undoubtedly an enormous distinction,” Prepare dinner mentioned. “I really feel like I can throw it that circle round him and he is gonna go get the ball.”
That is the place the place change comes into play. The sideline is not an additional defender swarming Luther when Prepare dinner targets him in the midst of the sphere.
“I believe that transition was large for him,” Prepare dinner mentioned. “He simply wasn’t as snug on the skin. He wasn’t getting as a lot entry to get the ball.”
Veterans like Prepare dinner are listening to extra from Burden within the locker room, too.
“He is developed extra relationships with gamers on the workforce,” Prepare dinner mentioned. “He is extra open to that, particularly with me and the offense and even defensive guys. He is changing into assured sufficient to talk up and speak. Final 12 months he was very shy.”
Here is what makes Mizzou’s passing recreation so spectacular and places Prepare dinner’s ascension on an identical upward observe: Different receivers have emerged as playmakers in Mizzou’s offense. For all of the gaudy numbers on Luther’s stat line, Prepare dinner does not should power feed him the ball. Mookie Cooper has 19 catches over the past 4 video games and creeps nearer to career-high totals for catches and yards. Identical for Theo Wease Jr.a dependable outdoors risk already with 4 landing catches. And freshman Marquis Johnson — 32 yards per catch! — appears just like the deadly deep risk the offense has lacked at instances lately. A wholesome Mekhi Miller would enhance an already sturdy place group.
“That is why I’ve talked about the final, what, three, 4 weeks, that having guys like Theo and Mookie, step up … they’re operating nice routes, they’re getting open and we’re spreading the ball,” Prepare dinner mentioned. “That is solely going to open up extra stuff for Luther. I believe all of it works in rhythm.”
Extra stuff for Luther. Think about that.
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Extra Soccer!
Watch Coach Eli Drinkwitz‘s weekly press convention:
Hearken to Tuesday’s episode of “Tiger Discuss” that includes Coach Drinkwitz, defensive position coach Al Davis and defensive deal with Kristian Williams.
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On The Rise
With 4 video games left in Mizzou Soccer’s common season, sophomore Kylee Simmons continues to place collectively among the finest seasons this system has seen in years. Heading into Friday’s recreation at Vanderbilt, Simmons leads the SEC in targets (10) and factors (22) by simply 13 video games. She’s closing in on some elite firm in workforce historical past: With another purpose she’ll be amongst Mizzou’s high 10 for single-season targets. Kylee’s 10 targets are already essentially the most for a Mizzou participant since 2019.
Solely three gamers in workforce historical past have scored greater than 12 targets in a season — and none within the final 15 years. The one gamers with greater than a dozen targets in a season: Nikki Thole (23 in 1999, 20 in 1998), Erin Grimsley (16 in 1999, 14 in 1998) and Kristin Andrighetto (14 in 2007).
Tiger Trivia
Discover solutions on the finish of as we speak’s e-newsletter:
1. Mizzou final beat Kentucky in 2020. Solely two present Tigers began that recreation and solely six performed total. What number of are you able to identify?
2. In 1968, Mizzou’s solely landing in a 12-6 loss to Kentucky was an enormous one — and the primary rating for one of many program’s all-time greats. Who?
Matter’s Weekly Energy Rankings
Every week we’ll spotlight the Better of Mizzou with a distinct theme. The Mizzou-Kentucky collection has seen some memorable finishes because the Tigers joined the SEC. Listed below are the 5 greatest MU performances within the collection over the past 11 years:
1. Maty Mauk and Dorial Inexperienced-Beckham made Mizzou historical past in 2013 once they linked for 4 landing passes within the Tigers’ 48-17 victory in Lexington as Mauk subbed for an injured James Franklin. Mauk completed with a game-tying college file 5 TD passes. Inexperienced-Beckham’s 4 TD catches have since been tied as the college mark.
2. Larry Rountree III bludgeoned the Wildcats for 126 yards and two TDs on 37 carries within the 2020 20-10 slugfest victory in Columbia.
3. All-American edge rusher Shane Ray made program historical past in one other 20-10 win over UK, this time in 2014, ending with two sacks to set the workforce’s single-season file.
4. Drew Lock saved the Tigers’ probabilities alive in a 40-34 shootout at UK, ending with 355 passing yards, three TDs by the air and one other on the bottom.
5. Tyler Badie was at his multipurpose greatest in 2021 with 61 yards speeding and 81 receiving on 10 catches plus a landing in a 35-28 loss.
Trying Forward
Friday, Oct. 13
Soccer at Vanderbilt, 7 p.m., SEC Community+ (Nashville, Tennessee)
Tennis at ITA Regionals (Faculty city in state to the west)
Saturday, Oct. 14
Tennis at ITA Regionals (Faculty city in state to the west)
Soccer at Kentucky, 6:30 p.m., SEC Community (Lexington, Kentucky)
Cross Nation at XC 23 Pre-Nationals, 7:45 a.m., 9:30 a.m. (Charlottesville, Virginia)
Softball vs Coe Faculty, 2:30 p.m.
Softball vs Jefferson Faculty, 6 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 15
Tennis at ITA Regionals (Faculty city in state to the west)
Volleyball vs. Ole Miss, 3 p.m., SEC Community+
Monday, Oct. 16
Tennis at ITA Regionals (Faculty city in state to the west)
Thursday, Oct. 19
Soccer vs. Tennessee, 6 p.m. SEC Community+
Friday, Oct. 20
Males’s Swimming & Dividing at Alabama, 10 a.m. (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
Girls’s Swimming & Diving at Alabama, 11 a.m. (Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
Softball vs. Missouri Southern State, 5 p.m.
Softball vs. Central Methodist, 7:30 p.m.
Volleyball at Auburn, 8 p.m., SEC Community+ (Auburn, Alabama)
Hyperlinks to Click on
Reserved seats for upcoming soccer video games towards South Carolina and Tennessee are bought out, however for accessible group and single-game tickets for remaining house video games name 1-800-CAT-PAWS or purchase on-line. Hill Tickets for South Carolina (purchase now), Tennessee (purchase now) and Florida (purchase now) are on sale for buy as we speak!
For all the newest data on Mizzou Athletics, please go to MUTigers.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, observe the Tigers on Twitter, Instagram and Fb.
Tiger Trivia
1. Two present Tigers began within the 2020 win over Kentucky: guard Xavier Delgado and cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr. 4 extra noticed the sphere for Mizzou: security Jaylon Carlieslinebacker Chad Baileydeal with Javon Foster and kicker Harrison Mevis.
2. Mel Grey caught a 79-yard landing go from Terry McMillan in his first school recreation on his first profession reception, launching an excellent profession that led Grey to NFL stardom in St. Louis.
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