How the Missouri Tigers engineered a comeback win over Kansas in the Border War
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- Missouri overcame a 15-point deficit to defeat Kansas 42-31 in Border War.
- Running backs Hardy and Roberts combined for 258 rushing yards, 2 touchdowns.
- Quarterback Pribula threw for 300 yards; MU converted 4 fourth downs in comeback.
Nothing about this one was easy.
Mizzou’s first drive against Kansas made it look otherwise. It took the Tigers just 2 minutes, 9 seconds to march down the field, largely led by running back Ahmad Hardy. He ran for 48 yards and the score to cap off Mizzou’s 71-yard opening drive.
Easy enough, right?
The Border War had other plans.
In fact, a blocked kick on the PAT attempt showed both teams were in for a long day. It’s called the Border War for a reason. And it was just getting started.
In the long-awaited rivalry renewal in football, the Tigers outlasted the Jayhawks in a 42-31 shootout. For much of the game, the scoreboard suggested otherwise. MU trailed by 15 in the first half and by three after a KU touchdown in the fourth quarter.
But Missouri answered, and Jamal Roberts got the last word for the Tigers at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. He ripped off a 63-yard rushing touchdown to nail down the win in front of a packed house of 57,321 fans in Columbia.
“Atmosphere all day — from SEC Nation to kickoff to fourth quarter — I think our fans really showed out,” Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz said. “This was the Missouri that I always believed in and dreamed in, but I’m going to challenge them. This is the expectation moving forward.”
Mizzou quarterback Beau Pribula threw for 300 yards on 30-for-39 passing, connecting for three touchdowns. His pass to tight end Brett Norfleet gave Mizzou the lead in the fourth, and the Tigers took control the rest of the way.
The first Border War in football since 2011 lived up to the hype, and the War Drum is staying in Columbia.
Here are four takeaways from Mizzou’s win…
Ahmad Hardy was a major difference-maker
Hardy was dominant in the season opener against FCS Central Arkansas. He recorded 100 yards across 10 carries, and gave the Mizzou faithful a sneak peek of what the run game could be this season.
But doing it against an FBS school was another step up. The Jayhawks held their own for much of the game, but they struggled to tackle the transfer running back. Eventually, the Tigers’ ground game helped spark the comeback.
“Ahmad Hardy was a racer,” Drinkwitz said.
Hardy finished with 115 yards across 24 carries with one touchdown Saturday. And he was joined by Roberts, with the duo combining for 258 rushing yards and countless broken tackles.
Roberts finished with 143 yards, including the long, late touchdown run to put the game out of reach. He did his damage on only 13 carries.
Mizzou fell in a big hole, early
There is plenty of newness to this Tigers team, with a significant amount of MU’s core having left at the end of 2024.
But while the 2024 Tigers went out the door, some of their habits remained — including slow starts.
While the opening drive Saturday was explosive, Mizzou struggled to maintain that energy in the first quarter. On the subsequent three drives, the results were: Kansas touchdown, Kansas scoop-and-score fumble recovery, Kansas touchdown.
Despite leading after its opening drive, Mizzou was up against the wall in its own house by the end of the first quarter, trailing 21-6.
“It was a little ironic,” Pribula said, “because my main message to the team this week was to bounce back when we face adversity.”
Slow starts — and being forced to come back from being down early — plagued the 2024 Tigers. In Week 2 of 2025, they got into another hole. But this time, there was more to come.
Looking ahead, is the Mizzou O-line a concern?
Against Central Arkansas, there were some notable issues with Pribula’s protection. Coupled with the slow start on Saturday, the offensive line appeared just as imperfect.
Pribula fumbled for the scoop-and-score in the first quarter. He scrambled to his left, but two KU defenders were able to make contact to force the fumble. In the same quarter, KU’s Tommy Dunn was able to grab hold of Pribula, with a group of Jayhawk defenders dragging him down by the leg.
Pribula ended up taking four sacks, including during the crucial drive that resulted in Norfleet’s go-ahead touchdown. On another day, the sack that put Mizzou in a third-and-17 while trailing in the fourth quarter could’ve made the difference.
“I think the biggest thing was that it showed improvement from the first week, which we knew we needed to do,” Drinkwitz said of the offensive line. “And there’s still a lot of things that we’ve got to improve on. … There’s a whole lot of stuff that we’re going to have to get corrected.”
Big heroics on the final drive
Facing that third-and-long, Pribula found Norfleet for 10 yards, then completed a pass to Kevin Coleman Jr. to give the Tigers a first down on fourth-and-7.
Pribula was called upon over and over on fourth down, and he delivered. The Tigers went 4-for-5 on fourth-down attempts, and they converted 10-of-19 third-down plays. In all, they only punted twice.
“In the toughest times, in the biggest moments, on fourth down, he was nails,” Drinkwitz said of Pribula.
MU’s defense was up to the task, too, forcing a Kansas three-and-out when the Jayhawks got the ball back late. A drive later, Daylan Carnell intercepted Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels to effectively end the game.
“That was a heck of an interception,” Drinkwitz said.
This story was originally published September 6, 2025 at 6:29 PM with the headline "How the Missouri Tigers engineered a comeback win over Kansas in the Border War."
