Missouri took care of business early in Week 5, and the game was never in doubt as the Tigers defeated the Vanderbilt Commodores, 38-21.

Quarterback Brady Cook, who has been battling injuries all season, put up an incredible game. He was 33-of-41 for 395 yards and 4 touchdowns. His go-to target was Luther Burden III, as the wideout had 11 catches for 170 yards and 2 touchdowns in the game.

Player of the Week: QB Brady Cook

The aforementioned Cook has captured the hearts of all Missouri fans for the gutsy performances he has delivered this season for the Tigers.

It started with the gutsy performance in the huge upset against No. 15 K-State two weeks ago, and he was at his absolute best on Saturday. He now has thrown 347 passes in a row without an interception, which is an SEC record.

He was 33-of-41 for 395 yards and 4 touchdowns. He was in complete control of the game on Saturday, as the offense played arguably its best game of the year. The Tigers were 6-of-12 on 3rd down conversions, in part due to Cook making great plays in key situations.

Freshman/Newcomer of the Week:  WR Theo Wease Jr.

The Oklahoma transfer was waiting to have his first big game as a Missouri wide receiver, and that is exactly what he did Saturday.

Wease had 10 catches for 118 yards and 1 touchdown.  He is a big physical receiver at 6-foot-2 and is the perfect receiver to combine with Burden. If Wease is able to build off this game and continue to develop a relationship with Cook, the Tigers may have the best receiving duo in the SEC.

Biggest surprise: The 3rd down defense against Vanderbilt

The Missouri Tigers have allowed opponents to convert 39.3% of their 3rd downs, but the defense did a tremendous job of stopping the Commodores on Saturday. Vanderbilt was able to only convert 2-of-10 3rd downs, compared to Missouri’s 6-of-12.

The ability to get their opponents off the field, while staying on the field was a huge reason why the Tigers were able to pull away with the big win. Missouri had the ball for 35:58 time of possession, compared to only 24:02 for Vanderbilt.

If the Tigers are going to win the time of possession like that all year, then the Tigers are going to be very difficult to beat.

Biggest concern: Too many penalties

Ask any college coach if there is anything the team can fix, and they are always going to say yes. One thing that Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz is going to be able to say to his team is that they had too many penalties.

The Tigers had 9 penalties for 75 yards, while Vanderbilt had only 4 for 25 yards. While it didn’t really hurt Missouri in this game, that is absolutely the type of thing that could hurt them as their schedule gets tougher.

It was a pretty good performance for the Tigers, but penalties are something they will have to fix quickly.

Developing trend: Too one-dimensional on offense

As the Tigers start to play the better teams in the SEC, one thing Missouri is going to need to do is get more from the ground game.

The passing game has shown it can go out there and compete with nearly anybody in the country, but the Tigers rushing attack hasn’t been great. Against Vanderbilt, the Tigers rushed the ball 34 times for only 137 yards. That is an average of right at 4 yards per carry, but that won’t be good enough against the elite defenses.

Opposing teams are going to drop more guys into coverage and even put an extra guy watching Burden, so this is an area the Tigers are going to need to continue to get better. Running back Nathaniel Peat had  12 carries for 71 yards,  but you can expect LSU and Kentucky to really force Missouri to run the ball.

Key Stat: 347 consecutive passes without an INT by Brady Cook

Anytime you are setting a record in the SEC, you are doing something right. For Missouri’s quarterback, he is currently at 347 consecutive passes and counting without an interception.

The previous record was 325 and held by former Kentucky QB Andre Woodson. Cook has been absolutely spectacular this year and is a huge reason why Missouri is undefeated. If you can limit the turnovers, you are always going to have a chance to win the game, and Cook and the offense are doing a great job of taking care of the ball.

First impression about Week 6

If you had said Missouri would be the undefeated team and LSU would be the 2-loss team entering this game, no one would have believed you. However, that is just the case as LSU is coming off a 55-49 loss at Ole Miss last Saturday.

This game features two explosive passing games with Jayden Daniels throwing for 1,710 yards, 16 touchdowns and 2 interceptions in LSU’s first 5 games. This has the makings of a terrific game because LSU’s defense has been on the opposite end of the spectrum from the impressive offense.

Neither offense really turns the ball over (Missouri 3, LSU 4), and neither defense forces a ton (Missouri 4, LSU 5). The turnover battle will play a huge role in the final outcome of this game. Expect a lot of points in this game.