Missouri’s Cook, Burden will play, sources say

Pete Thamel, ESPNSep 29, 2023, 06:36 PM ET

Missouri starting quarterback Brady Cook and star wide receiver Luther Burden III will play at Vanderbilt on Saturday, sources told ESPN.

Both players participated in Missouri’s practice on Friday, sources said, and are ready to play. Both Cook and Burden were listed as questionable this week.

Vanderbilt will start backup quarterback Ken Seals, a source said. Starter AJ Swann will be available, but he is not 100% and has been limited in practice. Seals has started 16 games for Vanderbilt since arriving in 2020.

Missouri is 4-0 and ranked No. 23 in this week’s AP poll after beating Memphis in St. Louis last week. That start includes a win over then-No. 15 Kansas State on a last-second field goal.

Cook, a junior, is a two-year starting quarterback for Missouri and enters the game as the SEC’s leader in yards per attempt with 10.7. Cook has thrown for 1,073 yards, seven touchdowns and completed 72% of his passes.

Burden, a true sophomore, is tied for first in the SEC with 32 catches so far this season. He has 504 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

Vanderbilt is 2-3, having lost consecutive games to Wake Forest, UNLV and Kentucky.