Rivalry renewed in Columbia
Fourteen years apart didn’t cool anything. Missouri fell behind by 15 early, trailed again in the fourth quarter, and still ran off with a 42-31 win over Kansas in a roaring return of the Border Showdown at Faurot Field. It wasn’t neat. It didn’t need to be. It was fast, tense, and loud—exactly what a rivalry game should be.
The Tigers are 2-0, but that’s only part of the story. They overcame holes at 21-6, 24-21, and 31-28, then slammed the door with a late avalanche: a bold fourth-and-1 touchdown pass, a crunch-time defensive stand, and a 63-yard dagger on the ground. If you’re looking for a signature early-season win, this one checks every box.
Missouri’s offense was the engine all night. Quarterback Beau Pribula completed 30 of 39 passes for 334 yards and three touchdowns, calm in the pocket and clever on key downs. The run game matched him punch for punch. Jamal Roberts and Ahmad Hardy combined for 243 rushing yards on 35 carries, and Missouri stamped a 261-3 edge on the ground that tilted everything from time of possession to play-calling rhythm.
Kansas brought heat early and took big swings behind quarterback Jalon Daniels, but the Jayhawks couldn’t keep the ball on the ground when it mattered. Between Daniel Hishaw Jr. and Leshon Williams, Kansas managed only 11 rushing yards on nine carries. Head coach Lance Leipold said afterward his team struggled with Missouri’s front seven. You didn’t need the quote to see it.
This was the first football meeting since 2011, and it felt like the lid popped off a decade of stored-up noise. Missouri’s crowd fed the Tigers every time they needed a lift—after a safety that changed the tone, on fourth downs that reshaped drives, and during a 17-play grind that siphoned momentum away from Kansas. The all-time series nudged forward, with Kansas still holding the historical edge at 58-54-9 under its accounting, but the night clearly belonged to the home side.
Scheduling-wise, the rivalry has a future again. The schools have three more games lined up: Kansas hosts on September 12 next season, then they meet again in 2031 and 2032. For a generation that only heard stories about this game, Friday night in Columbia delivered a reminder: it still moves people.
How Missouri flipped the game
Missouri didn’t win this with one play. It won with stubbornness, balance, and a willingness to take risks when the moment called for it. The Tigers converted 14 of 24 combined third- and fourth-down tries and went four-for-five on fourth down. Those snaps were the stress points. Missouri kept making them.
The turning sequence started with a near-disaster for Kansas that became two points for Missouri. A Jayhawks offensive lineman, Kobe Baynes, fell on the ball in the end zone for a safety, and the whole feel of the game tilted. The Tigers answered that jolt by marching 63 yards in 17 plays for a field goal that dragged the deficit to 21-18. It wasn’t flashy, but it was a temperature change—Kansas’ defense got stuck on the field, and Missouri’s sideline woke up.
From there, Pribula’s timing with his receivers took over. He was decisive in the middle of the field and precise on the sideline routes that set up manageable short-yardage tries. The biggest call came late: on fourth-and-1, with the game see-sawing, Missouri didn’t sneak it—they threw. Pribula hit Brett Norfleet on a 27-yard strike for a 35-31 lead with under seven minutes left. In a rivalry game, that is a gut-punch decision for the defense and a jolt of adrenaline for your own huddle.
Kansas still had chances. But a dropped pass by Emmanuel Henderson Jr. stalled a possession, the Jayhawks punted, and Missouri punished the mistake in a blink. Roberts burst through a crease, outran the angle, and went 63 yards to the house. That run didn’t just pad the score; it sealed the tone. Missouri was the more physical team at the end.
Hardy’s night deserves its own line. He posted his second straight 100-yard outing, something Missouri hadn’t paired in a single game since 2017—two 100-yard rushers on the same night. He ran through arm tackles and finished runs, and that allowed offensive coordinator play-calling freedom: inside zones on first down, play-action crossers on second, and a steady diet of short third downs. Nothing complicated, but everything effective.
For Kansas, the early plan worked. Daniels found rhythm, the Jayhawks hit chunk plays, and they forced Missouri to chase. But without a ground game to protect a lead, Kansas had to keep throwing into a defense that could hunt. Missouri outgained Kansas 595-254 in total yards, held the Jayhawks to 5 of 12 on third down, and squeezed the pocket just enough to disrupt drives without emptying the coverage shell. That is how you slowly take away a game your opponent once controlled.
Receiver Coleman became Pribula’s security blanket, finishing with 10 catches for 126 yards. He kept chains moving and tilted matchups, which opened space for Norfleet to win up the seam. When Missouri needed grown-up throws into tight windows, Pribula and Coleman made them. When Missouri needed a chunk play on a gambler’s down, Pribula and Norfleet cashed it.
The Missouri offensive line earned the spotlight that usually goes to skill players. On the 63-yard closer by Roberts, the right side caved in the edge, the second-level block landed, and the rest was tempo and daylight. Through four quarters, that unit handled stunts, protected on must-have throws, and controlled first down. You don’t build a 261-3 rushing advantage by accident.
Missouri’s defense didn’t produce a pile of highlight turnovers, but it didn’t need to. The front seven set the edge, tackled in space, and squeezed the outside zones that Kansas likes to dress up with motion. The Jayhawks’ best early punches came off script and off timing; once Missouri settled, the body blows took over. Leipold’s admission that his front had problems with Missouri’s size and strength wasn’t coach-speak. It was the film.
Two sequences bookended the shift of control: the safety-plus-marathon drive in the middle, and the fourth-and-1 touchdown late. One wore Kansas down; the other cut in deep. In between, Missouri played keep-away football—long possessions, high conversion rates, and field position that made the Jayhawks climb.
By the end, the stat sheet matched the eyeball test. Missouri’s 595 yards to Kansas’ 254 tells you about dominance. The situational numbers tell you about discipline.
- Total offense: Missouri 595, Kansas 254
- Rushing yards: Missouri 261, Kansas 3
- Third-down: Missouri and fourth downs combined 14 of 24; Kansas 5 of 12 on third down
- Fourth-down: Missouri 4 of 5, including the 27-yard touchdown to Norfleet
For Missouri, this lands as a program-builder. It’s a rivalry win, a national talking point, and a clean 2-0 start. It’s also a confidence deposit for Pribula, who showed command and resilience, and for a running game that looks repeatable instead of fluky. When you can throw on schedule and run when everyone knows you’re running, you travel well.
For Kansas, it’s a lesson wrapped in a rivalry sting. The Jayhawks flashed explosive plays and a quarterback who can make you pay, but you can’t protect a lead without balance. They’ll go home knowing the most fixable issue is also the most obvious: generate push up front and find steady yards on the ground. If they do, the rest of the offense gets lighter.
The rivalry piece matters too. For years, this game lived in stories and YouTube clips. Now it’s back on calendars. Next September, the scene shifts to Lawrence, where Kansas will get the first crack at payback. The long view stretches even further, with matchups set for 2031 and 2032. Nights like this make those dates feel closer.
Strip away the nostalgia, and you’re left with a simple picture: one team kept answering questions. Down 21-6? Answer. Down 31-28 in the fourth? Answer. Need a fourth-and-1 game-changer? Answer. Missouri didn’t win because the rivalry returned. The rivalry returned and reminded everyone why wins like this are so hard—and so satisfying—when you earn them.
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