Mizzou wide receiver talks about the game against Buffalo Bulls, how each player contributed to their win and more. (Video courtesy of Mizzou Athletics, edited by Jenna Jones.)
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Luther Burden III might be the best receiver in college football.
But Theo Wease Jr. would be the best receiver on many college football teams.
“Yeah, I don't know if y'all know, but one player isn't our whole team,†Wease said Saturday to the media, after No. 9 Mizzou’s 38-0 win against Buffalo — a night Burden was sick and Wease caught 13 passes for 149 yards. “Of course, Luther is a great player, 100%. But we’ve got a lot of guys that can go and they're ready to go. And you saw that tonight.â€
Burden started the game and even scored a touchdown on a jet sweep, but by the second quarter, he was out. At the time, it was unclear why. Naturally, because of the snakebit school they’d followed their whole lives, Mizzou fans on X/Twitter assumed it was the worst-case scenario. One fan even referred to basketball star Michael Porter Jr., who injured himself early in his lone Mizzou season. Was it Burden’s shoulder, which he smashed into a defensive player on the touchdown? Fortunately, he was simply ill. Some other fans joked online that they’d to hear that someone was sick.
But the whole situation taught us a lesson. There might be another game in which Burden gets sick or, dare I, even hurt. Or, during the gauntlet of the Southeastern Conference season, it’s possible a defense takes a risk to take Burden out of the game with excess coverage. Or, one-on-one, maybe some NFL-bound cornerback just plays great football and neutralizes Burden. And if any of these things happens, it’s not ideal, but it’s not an ordeal.
Why? Because the Mizzou receiver who wears No. 1 thinks he’s a No. 1. And makes catches and breaks tackles like one. Oh, and there are other talented Tiger pass-catchers, notably veteran Mookie Cooper (three catches Saturday), but also Marquis “Speedy†Johnson (five catches for 52 yards) and tight end Brett Norfleet (who didn’t play Saturday, but has quite a resume from the 2023 campaign).
And so, it’s important that Mizzou fans recognize this, as the schedule progresses from the bakery and the early-season cupcakes to the butchery and the meat.
“We’ve got guys that can come right in and make big plays,†quarterback Brady Cook said. “So it shows the depth we have. It's going to be important down the stretch.â€
Last season, Burden was second in the SEC with 86 catches, but Wease was No. 19 (with 49), not bad when you consider there were 14 teams in the SEC last year. That’s a lot of receivers he had more catches than.
And Wease’s ability to catch passes in contested scenarios is at an elite level. It’s mystifying at times.
Now, on Saturday in Columbia, Buffalo’s defense gave Mizzou what is called, in football terms, “access.†Instead of defensive backs right up on receivers, Buffalo started plays with space between their players and the receivers.
“ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ were giving us a lot of access on the outside and playing over top of our receivers,†Cook said. “So we were dinking and dunking a lot of different passes, and (Wease) made the most of it. Whether it was a 10-yard stop, 12-yard stop, a hitch, a quick out, he was taking it and he was running with it. So shout out to him. Career day, really fun to see.â€
Indeed, career day — his previous high, against Vanderbilt last year, was 10 catches. And indeed, really fun to see. Because, to quote Cook, “his yards after catch were unbelievable.â€
Wease tallied 69 YACs among his 13 catches (the most catches ever by a Tiger is 16, accomplished by Justin Gage in 2002 against Bowling Green). On one pass, Wease accelerated for 39 yards following the completion. On a different catch, he unleashed a spin move to evade two Buffalo defensive players.
Oh, and his 149 yards were a career-high, too.
“I had a pretty good night,†Wease said with a grin. “I left some plays out there that I'm still mad about a little bit. I didn’t get in the end zone on one of those plays. But, yeah, I was just trying to maximize every opportunity I got. … And it just comes from Brady trusting me, seeing the look and just giving me a chance to make a play (with access).â€
Last year, Louisiana State featured receivers Malik Nabers (No. 1 in SEC receptions with 89) and Brian Thomas Jr. (No. 4 with 68). I feel Burden and Wease, barring injuries, could be the top SEC receiving duo this year. They feed off each other. They complement each other. And, of course, they have a quarterback who knows their games … and an offensive line of venerable veterans.
Wease is legit. But while he might be, to quote someone from the year he was born, “all that and a bag of chips,†Burden literally has his own bag of chips. In fact, I spotted a bag of Luther Burden Honey BBQ Red Hot Riplets at a Tiger tailgate, while I walked to the stadium Saturday. And there were numerous little kids and adults (acting like little kids) wearing No. 3 jerseys and shirts to honor "Touchdown Luther."
But then, I spotted one guy in a No. 1. And it wasn’t a generic jersey — on the back it read WEASE JR. It caught my attention. And then, after Wease caught all those passes, it made me wonder if more No. 1 jerseys might pop up around pregame parties as we approach the meat of the schedule?
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Missouri receiver Theo Wease Jr., left, pushes his way past Buffalo cornerback Eddie Pleasant III after catching a pass for a first down Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Columbia, Mo.
Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden III, right, maneuvers along the sideline before being knocked out of bounds by Buffalo cornerback Eddie Pleasant III in a game on Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024, in Columbia, Mo.