2026 Mizzou Football Early Opponent Preview, Game 1: Arkansas-Pine Bluff

Missouri football is 5-0 in its last five season openers, holding a 233-64 point differential in the games. It would be quite the shock for Missouri to drop its season opener in 2026, as Arkansas-Pine Bluff team comes to town Sept. 3 for what should be a crowd-pleasing matchup at Memorial Stadium. This will be the first matchup between the two programs.

UAPB, on the other hand, competes in the FCS and hasn't finished a season with a winning record since 2020, when it finished 4-1 in a strange spring season. Before that, the Golden Lions' last winning season was in 2012. They finished 3-8 in 2025, including a 41-17 loss to a Central Arkansas team that Missouri beat 61-6.

While Missouri may be — and probably should be — viewing the contest as a warmup for its Week 2 game against Kansas, the Tigers can't overlook UAPB entirely.

Here's what's in store for Missouri in Week 1.

Offense

Head coach Alonzo Hampton is entering his third season with the program and has a new-look staff under him. The team recently Stephen Barnett as wide receivers coach and co-offensive coordinator, the latter title of which he seems to share with Dimitri Hill and Pierre Ingram, per the PB Commercial.

Although UAPB recently completed its Black and Gold spring game, the team has not yet named a starting quarterback. 2025 starter Christian Peters exhausted his eligibility at the conclusion of last season, leaving transfer Jack Schierholz and redshirt freshman Garrison Davis to compete for the job, as they were the only two signal-callers to see action in the spring game.

Schierholz began his career at Marshall in 2023 before transferring to Ferris State in 2024 and eventually landing at Fullerton College in 2025. Davis was an unranked quarterback in the 2025 class, and completed 13 of his 20 passes for 86 yards last season. Hampton did state that the Golden Lions will look to add another quarterback before fall.

While the quarterback room will be helmed by a fresh face, the ground game will be largely centered around returners. Senior Jaylen Jennings, who rushed for 839 yards and 10 touchdowns last season, is set to lead the room. Returners like Za'Marion Webber and BJ Curry will provide quality depth, while JuCo transfer Jalen Williams will look to carve a role for himself.

Of UAPB's three leading receivers in 2025, it seems only one will definitively return in 2026. Kareem Burke transferred to Alcorn State, while Ellis Stewart hit the transfer portal as well. D'Avery Robinson, a rising sophomore who ranked second on the team in receiving yards (457), seems to be returning — no reports indicated his departure, and he still has UAPB in his X bio.

Overall, the unit shouldn't be much of a match for a Missouri defense loaded with talent at each position.

Defense

Aug 30, 2025; Lubbock, Texas, USA; Texas Tech Red Raiders wide receiver Reggie Virgil (1) rushes against Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions defensive back Kristian Gammage (2) in the first half at Jones AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images | Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images

UAPB's defense hasn't ranked in the top half of the Southwestern Athletic Conference in either of Hampton's two seasons as head coach. In 2025, the Golden Lions gave up the fourth-most touchdowns in the SWAC (53), the sixth-most passing yards (2,642) and the most rushing yards (2,490). They were the only team in the conference to allow 200 or more rushing yards per game.

Missouri has demolished opponents with inferior run defenses in recent seasons, no matter who's leading backfield.

Unfortunately for UAPB, it's hard to imagine 2026 will be the season the defense gets turned around — many key defenders hit the transfer portal, per the PB Commercial. Contributing cornerbacks Zach Williams, Amyrion Mingo, Kyle Knox and Kristian Gammage all entered the portal. So did two starting defensive tackles.

The majority of commitments replacing the bunch are from the JUCO or Division II level.

Schedule

As previously stated, Missouri has been very successful in recent home openers. This season should be no different. While Missouri might not have a giant, looming question — the starting quarterback — needing to be answered like it did in Week 1 of 2025, the Tigers can still use it to find their identity at other positions.

As for Arkansas-Pine Bluff, the matchup will undeniably be the toughest on its calendar. It'll host Morehouse College for its season opener before traveling to Columbia to take on its only Power Four opponent of the 2026 season.

Outlook

Missouri has not lost to an FCS opponent in 24 games. UAPB has never beaten an FBS opponent, having lost all 13 of such contests. It's hard to imagine a scenario in which Missouri loses this game.

The more likely scenario is that Missouri is up a handful of touchdowns by halftime and begins playing backups and third-stringers heavy snaps, seeing what it has in young talent.

Game Info

Date: Thursday, September 3
Time: 7 p.m.
TV: SEC Network
Location: Faurot Field
Series history: First meeting between the two teams

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