Missouri didn’t yield a point in Week 1. They didn’t in Week 2 either.
A sizable gap between caliber of opponents produced a sizable difference in results.
The Buffalo Bulls started their season on the right foot in Week 1, debuting head coach Pete Lembo in a commanding 30-13 victory over Lafayette of the FCS. But Week 2 involved travel to the campus of a top 10 SEC foe, and Buffalo’s offense and defense both looked unrecognizable from the opener.
No. 9 Missouri dominated in a 38-0 finish, as the Bulls suffered their first shutout since 2016 when a ranked Western Michigan team won with an identical score. The Tigers entered the matchup with the No. 1 defense in the country after allowing an FBS-best 85 yards in their Week 1 matchup. Although Buffalo managed 169 yards, Missouri produced its second consecutive shutout as the only team in college football to allow zero points this season in multiple outings.
It wasn’t the worst start for the Buffalo offense which invaded Tiger territory on three of its six first half possessions. Two of those drives concluded just outside of field goal range on fourth down incompletions, and right before the half, the Bulls shanked a 48-yard field goal attempt to keep the shutout in tact.
The rough kicking day extended to Mizzou as well which missed two first half field goals, but the Tigers found other ways to score with their veteran offense led by senior quarterback Brady Cook. Cook guided his first touchdown drive in the second quarter, and the series finished with the first rushing score of the season by star receiver Luther Burden III who trucked a defender en route to the end zone.
Cook then added two rushing touchdowns before halftime. One stemmed from three yards out but the second was a highlight-reel worthy play, abandoning a designed pass, hurdling out of a shoestring tackle, and bolting forward 31 yards — finishing in the end zone by bracing himself and diving.
Missouri’s two second half touchdowns were also via the run game as the Tigers produced 255 collective rushing yards with five end zone appearances. Cook generated 62 while Appalachian State transfer running back Nate Noel led the way with 73 and a touchdown. But the centerpiece of the Tigers’ offense Saturday was wide receiver Theo Wease III who tied for sixth in Missouri history with 13 receptions. Wease accumulated a game-high 149 receiving yards, almost tripling the production of Buffalo’s entire receiving corps.
While Buffalo saw a few productive plays on the ground, the Bulls offense was doomed by the lack of a passing attack. CJ Ogbonna earned his second start vs. Missouri after doing so in 2021 with FCS program Southeast Missouri State, but nothing worked for the quarterback making his first-ever road start with the Bulls. Ogbonna finished 6-of-20 for 55 yards and an interception, facing loads of pressure from edge rushers Johnny Walker Jr. and Joe Moore throughout the night.
Although Buffalo’s first half drives often reached Mizzou territory, all second half drives stalled before the 50. The Bulls punted on all four of their full possessions in the final two quarters, drawing up a zero on the scoreboard for the first time in eight seasons.
Missouri (2-0, 0-0 SEC) remains in the top 10 after recording shutout No. 2 on the season, and the Tigers’ elite defense remains home in Columbia, MO for an upcoming matchup against a ranked Boston College squad.
Buffalo (1-1, 0-0 MAC) returns home to Upstate New York for a clash against a former and future MAC program in UMass, hoping to upend the Minutemen for a second non-conference victory.