2025 Mississippi State football opponent preview: Missouri

Here’s a fun fact: Mississippi State doesn’t have a winning record against any of the SEC teams it’ll face in the 2025 season.

That includes Missouri, who the Bulldogs have faced just five times and three of those times have been in the last 10 years. Before that the two teams met in 1981 and 1984 with Missouri winning both times.

Last season saw Missouri break a two-game win streak Mississippi State had built and will now be favored to start their own two-game win streak against the Bulldogs.

However, the Tigers have a lot of key players to replace (especially on offense) and don’t recruit like Alabama or Georgia. So, there’s a chance the Tigers’ new pieces don’t fit together and they struggle.

That’s pretty much the best outcome for the Bulldogs who could very well still be looking for their first SEC win for coach Jeff Lebby.

Here’s a look at Mississippi State’s 11th opponent of the 2025 season:

Offense

Missouri is replacing its starting quarterback, lead running back and top two pass catchers from a year ago. That’s a lot of production to replace and it’s not certain the new players will work well together. They brought in Penn State transfer Beau Pribula to compete for the starting quarterback job and Louisiana-Monroe transfer Ahmad Hardy will be the leading rusher. Mississippi State fans will be familiar with the Tigers’ new receiver, Kevin Coleman Jr. who had 74 catches for 932 yards and six touchdowns with the Bulldogs last season.

The saving grace for Missouri is on the offensive line, with two returning guards and two tackles from the transfer portal, the Tigers should at least be able to protect all of their new playmakers.

Defense

Missouri’s defense a year ago was a top 20 unit and returns eight starters. Linebacker Triston Newson returns after finishing second in tackles a year ago. Dreyden Norwood and Toriano Pride will roam the secondary once again and will get help from pair of transfer portal additions. The defensive line returns Zion Young (5.5 TFL, 2.5 sacks) and adds Damon Wilson II from Georgia.

Schedule

For an SEC team, Missouri has an easy schedule. The Tigers’ schedule ranks 20th in SOS rankings. Mississippi State will be the Tigers’ last home game before ending the regular season at Oklahoma and at Arkansas.

Outlook

The Tigers’ schedule sets them up for a good season and, possibly, a spot in the College Football Playoff. A lot of things need to go right for Missouri in order for that to happen and by the time the Bulldogs come to town, we’ll know how close Missouri is or isn’t to making the playoff.

The Game

Date: Saturday, November 15
Time: Night Window
TV: TBD
Location: Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium, Columbia, Mo.

The Team

Head Coach: Eli Drinkwitz (38-24, 6th season)
Offensive Coordinator: Kirby Moore (1st season)
Defensive Coordinator: Corey Baton (2nd season)
2024 Record: 10-3 overall, 5-3 SEC
2024 Final Rankings: No. 63 total offense, No. 17 total defense
Returning Starters: 13 (5 offense, 8 defense)

The School

Location: Columbia, Missouri
Founded: 1839
Enrollment: 31,543 (2024)
Nickname: Tigers
Colors: Old gold and black
Mascot: Truman the Tigers

The Program

Series History: Missouri leads 3-2
Last Meeting: Missouri 39, Mississippi State 20 (2024)
Last Conference Title: n/a
ast Bowl Game: 2024 TransPerfect Music City Bowl, def. Iowa 27-24

The Schedule

August 28: Central Arkansas
September 6: Kansas
September 13: Louisiana
September 20: South Carolina*
September 27: UMass
October 11: Alabama*
October 18: at Auburn*
October 25: at Vanderbilt*
November 8: Texas A&M*
November 15: Mississippi State*
November 22: at Oklahoma*
November 29: at Arkansas*

*Denotes a conference game