After some time to digest the Missouri Tigers week 1 win over Murray State, it feels appropriate to borrow from former Arizona Cardinals head coach Dennis Green — the Tigers are who we thought they were. Murray State left them off the hook.

For any possible doubts or questions surrounding Missouri heading into the season, the No. 11 team in the nation provided some solid answers Thursday. But the questions weren’t about how Missouri’s new look defense and running back room would look like against Murray State. However, the Tigers did provide reason to be optimistic heading into week 2.

Before turning the page to Missouri’s week 2 matchup against Buffalo, here’s some final notes and stats from the Tigers’ 51-0 win over Murray State.

• Armand Membou does a lot of the work on Nate Noel’s touchdown but receivers Theo Wease Jr. and Joshua Manning really got their hands dirty in blocking in this wide zone concept. Really interesting fomation in 12 personnel here that puts a lot of trust on Noel’s vision.

• The Murray State right tackle had zero chance blocking Zion Young on the pressure that caused Toriano Pride Jr.’s pick-six. He just throws him off with first contact. Young’s hand placement right under the tackle’s shoulder pads seemingly gives him plenty of leverage.

• There was quite a bit of rotation happening at defensive tackle. Chris McCllelan, Maruis Gracial and Sam Williams, Sterling Webb all getting a look alongside Kristian Williams in the first few drives.

• Guard Cam’Ron Johnson still has some bad habits with penalties. He was called for a false start Thursday after racking up 11 penalties last year, tied for the ninth most in the nation.

• Khalil Jacobs might be the closest thing Missouri could have found for a Ty’Ron Hopper replacement. The way Jacobs sifts through all of the offense’s moving bodies is reminescient of Hopper. Was sent on three blitzes.

• Sticking with transfer inside linebackers, Corey Flagg Jr. seems to have that ‘see ball, get ball’ mentality. He reads this toss all the way.

• Kewan Lacy hits space with real burst. Little hesitation.

• Quarterbacks Brady Cook and Drew Pyne were pressured on just four of their combined 44 drop backs. Solid showing from the offensive line.

• Cook went 0-for-4 on passes over 20 yards, all overthrows. Could be just timing but a surprising area of dissapointment for the third-year starter who said ahead of the season he felt confident in improvements he made on deep throws.

• Mehki Miller might be Missouri’s most versatile receiving option. Lined up in the slot on 53.8% and out wide on the other 46.2% of his snaps.

• Redshirt freshman Logan Reichert took snaps at both guard positions — 15 at left, 13 at right. Could be a versatile option for years to come.

• Six different players registered one pressure for Missouri; Eddie Kelly Jr., Khalil Jacobs, Chris McClellan, Joe Moore, Johnny Walker Jr. and Kristian Williams.

• Kicker Blake Craig had a perfect debut, going 3-for-3 on field goals and 6-6 on extra points.

Snap Counts from Missouri’s 51-0 Week 1 Win

How to Watch: Buffalo at Missouri; Full Week 2 College Football Schedule

Younger Missouri Players Gain Experience During Murray State Blowout

Teenagers are often eager to start driving, but getting behind the wheel is one of the riskiest things they’ll do, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teens ages 16 to 19, with a fatal crash rate three times higher than drivers ages 20 and over, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Missouri teens are especially at risk compared to other states. Financial website WalletHub ranked the state as the second worst for teen drivers in 2023. The financial website’s 2024 ranking says that hasn’t changed.

A total of 2,883 teenagers ages 13-19 died in motor vehicle crashes in 2022, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says. Teenagers also accounted for 7% of motor vehicle crash deaths.

WalletHub analyzed the teen driving environment in all 50 states across three categories — safety, economic environment and driving laws — and found that Missouri is the second worst state in the country for teen drivers. The website used statistics from the CDC, U.S. Census Bureau, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and FBI.

Here’s how Missouri ranked among the 50 states in WalletHub’s individual metrics:

• 47th in distracted driving and texting while driving laws

• 47th in vehicle miles traveled per capita

• 47th in impaired driving laws

• 40th most teen driver fatalities per 100,000 teens

• 37th for poor quality of roads

• 34th most teen DUIs per 100,000 teens

When compared to the states, Missouri ranked 45th in the safety category, 28th the economic environment category and 50th in the driving laws category.

On a scale of 100, Missouri finished with a score of 31.68, two points better than last year’s score of 29.93. The lower the number, the worse the state ranked.

It’s six points ahead of Montana, which was ranked the worst state for teen drivers in the country for a second consecutive year. Wyoming, Idaho and North Dakota round out the top five.

The best state for teen driving is New York, passing Oregon.

Source: WalletHub