2023 Luther Burden Cotton Bowl and Great Missouri Football Receiving Seasons

Missouri’s tremendous football season was driven by a number of factors. Improved line play, a pair of clutch kicks, a revamped passing attack, a winning culture. But two ingredients stood out above all the others in the flavor profile: brilliant individual seasons from running back Cody Schrader and receiver Luther Burden III.

It was obvious how much these two stars meant to the success of the team – it was obvious whether you were just a casual fan flipping through the games on a Saturday, or a diehard, lifelong Mizzou Tiger. It was obvious to the local and the national media, as both players received heaps of publicity, All-America status from most outlets, and major award consideration.

Burden’s success gave the team legitimacy in the early going of the season, as he arrived on campus as a big name prospect and commanded attention from the jump. He thrived in September and October, as Missouri demonstrated their winning ways behind the newly explosive passing offense powered by Burden. But Schrader took over down the stretch, his powerhouse running clinching multiple close conference games and eventually a spot in a prestigious bowl game.

So where do these two singular seasons stack up among the annals of all-time Missouri campaigns? With one more game left to go, what can these superstars do to elevate themselves even higher on the list?

To answer this question, I will look at the top ten Missouri passcatcher seasons since 2000 and find Luther Burden’s rank in that chart, and next week I will do the same for Schrader and great rushing seasons. On to the list….

10.) Michael Egnew 2010: 90 catches, 762 yards, 5 TDs. Mackey Finalist, Consensus All-American.

Egnew’s 2010 season was excellent, but the key word here is “overshadowed.” 2010 is a great Missouri team overshadowed by the iconic outfits from 2007 and 2013. Egnew’s career is overshadowed by the two All-American tight ends that paved the way before him.

9.) J’Mon Moore 2017: 65 catches, 1,260 yards, 13 TDs.

J’Mon Moore had the luxury of playing in the Josh Heupel veer-and-shoot offense, which is a cheat code for deep ball receivers. His 2017 season barely nudges out his 2016 season, which was statistically very similar. Heupel, Drew Lock, and Moore made some beautiful downfield football together.

8.) T.J. Moe 2010: 92 catches, 1,045 yards, 6 TDs.

The “Moe Miracle” remains one of the most iconic Missouri football plays ever. Moe was an incredibly productive college player, and there is nothing else noteworthy about him or even worth talking about, no sir, that’s it. Lots of catches and yards, and then he disappeared into obscurity never to be heard from again.

7.) Martin Rucker 2007: 84 catches, 834 yards, 8 TDs. Consensus All-American.

Martin walked so that Chase could leap. The man they called Tee seemed to have a…