最新杏吧原创

STARKVILLE, Miss. 鈥� Brady Cook and Luther Burden III have combined for a score of scores.

A score, if you think back to Abraham Lincoln鈥檚 Gettysburg Address, refers to a bunch of 20. It also means a touchdown.

So: 20 times, Brady Cook has thrown a football and Luther Burden III has caught it in the end zone for the Tigers.

Twenty is not an especially large volume when it comes to throwing or catching a football. Cook threw the ball 20 times just in Missouri鈥檚 39-20 victory at Mississippi State on Saturday, for example. Burden has caught nine scores worth of passes in his three-year college career.

Still, it鈥檚 notable that the duo reached the 20-touchdown milestone of connection. Only two other quarterback-receiver pairings have teamed up for 20 or more touchdowns while wearing Mizzou鈥檚 black and gold.

Legendary quarterback Chase Daniel got there with tight end Chase Coffman (25) and wideout Jeremy Maclin (22). Cook and Burden are the only other duo in the 20-score club.

They got there on Saturday when Cook, rolling to his right and away from pressure, heaved the ball toward Burden, who had man coverage in the back of the Mississippi State end zone. Burden, a split second before the pass arrived, separated down and away from his defender to make the catch.

鈥淭hree (Burden) down there somewhere,鈥� Cook posted on X, formerly Twitter, after the game in apparent summation of the thought process behind his throw.

鈥淭he deep ball of Luther鈥檚 was just Luther and Brady having magic,鈥� MU coach Eli Drinkwitz added. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e in a pretty good rhythm right now together.鈥�

They鈥檝e had more spectacular scores, like last week鈥檚 fourth-and-five one-hander against South Carolina. And the duo has had more impactful ones 鈥� like on the first play of overtime against Vanderbilt earlier this season, or last year鈥檚 Cotton Bowl.

But Saturday鈥檚 Cook-finds-Burden score should stand out. There might not be another one.

There could be another, of course, so that assertion might be a tad dramatic. The Tigers host Arkansas for Senior Day next weekend, their regular season finale. Cook and Burden could play a little passing game of blackjack and land right at 21 after that game.

In the twilight of their college careers, though, that鈥檚 not a guarantee. Cook is out of eligibility after this season. Burden could keep playing, but the NFL is calling and likely first-round picks take that call. The operating assumption is 鈥� and has been 鈥� that he鈥檒l declare early for the draft and wind up with three total seasons played at Missouri.

That the days of Cook and Burden are fading away soon seemed to click for Drinkwitz after Saturday鈥檚 win.

鈥淲e tell our guys, this is the best days of their life,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 interesting, now, that for me, I鈥檝e only got one week with them 鈥� before the bowl game.鈥�

Modern college football means it would be more surprising if a prospect like Burden played in the Tigers鈥� eventual bowl game than if he sat it out to make sure he enters the draft cycle fully healthy. So yes, Coach, it鈥檚 probably only one more week.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e pretty special young men for what they鈥檝e done for this university and what they鈥檝e done for me,鈥� Drinkwitz said, 鈥渂ut what they鈥檝e also done for the program and lifting the brand of University of Missouri football.鈥�

The count of touchdowns is one way of denoting their combined contributions to MU. It also, in all honesty, might be lower than it could have been.

Preseason hype around Burden 鈥� a fringe Heisman Trophy contender? One of the favorites to win the Biletnikoff as the nation鈥檚 best wideout? 鈥� hasn鈥檛 been realized. With 53 catches for 574 yards and five touchdowns, Burden isn鈥檛 even the Tigers鈥� leading receiver: That鈥檚 Theo Wease Jr.

It鈥檚 true, naturally, of Mizzou itself. No longer a College Football Playoff contender, the focus of these final games is on resolve and putting the finishing touches on the legacy of players like Cook and Burden who have defined the recent turnaround of the Drinkwitz era. The season is not quite what it could have been, but it鈥檚 still something.

Missouri teams don鈥檛 often win eight games. The school鈥檚 quarterbacks and wide receivers don鈥檛 often combine for 20 touchdowns.

It becomes a way to praise Cook鈥檚 endurance, throwing touchdowns 19 and 20 to Burden with an injured right wrist. But it鈥檚 also a way to acknowledge the manner in which Burden chose to enter his home-state program as an immediate star but never wrestle for an undue share of its spotlight.

鈥淚 tell this to (NFL) scouts and GMs,鈥� Drinkwitz said. 鈥淭hat league鈥檚 got a lot of players who are always demanding, demanding, demanding. You鈥檙e going to be able to put Luther with a vet or a rookie, and he鈥檚 never going to inhibit their growth because he鈥檚 not going to be a jerk to him. He鈥檚 just gonna consistently say, 鈥業鈥檒l do my job.鈥欌��

The next week, the Senior Day ceremony and the regular season鈥檚 aftermath will deliver more appreciation of Cook and Burden. That got a little bit of a start in Starkville with a 28-yard touchdown and Drinkwitz鈥檚 praise of his Burden鈥檚 consistent demeanor.

鈥淚t hadn鈥檛 gone exactly the way we all dreamed it this season, right? Especially for him,鈥� Drinkwitz said. 鈥淏ut for him to be such a great teammate, to do his job consistently, to not complain: Never once heard from him, his parents 鈥� never heard a complaint. He just shows up and does his job every day at practice.

鈥淭he game knows,鈥� he continued. 鈥淭he game rewards you.鈥�