After breathing some life into Missouri’s surprisingly stagnant passing offense, Albert Okwuegbunam was named the Mackey Award Tight End of the Week on Wednesday.
The sophomore hauled in six passes for a career-high 159 yards and three touchdowns as the Tigers throttled Memphis 65-33 last Saturday. He was the top target for Missouri quarterback Drew Lock, whose 350 passing yards were by far his most in a single game over the past month.
Okwuegbunam registered scores of 58, 47 and 23 yards, each in response to a Memphis touchdown as Missouri staved off its opponent’s attempts at a comeback. On top of recording the first three-touchdown game for a tight end this year, Okwuegbunam’s 159 receiving yards are the most among FBS tight ends in a single game.
With star receiver Emanuel Hall battling an injury over the past month, Okwuegbunam has emerged as Missouri’s leader in catches (37) and receiving touchdowns (five). His 400 yards this season place him only slightly behind Hall, a big-play artist.
Marcus covers SEC football for Saturday Down South.
