Border War: Mizzou football takes down Kansas after frightful start

LAWRENCE, KAN. — War is over, at least for now.

After a first half that electrified David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium and struck fear in Missouri fans, the Mizzou football bounced back in the second half to put away the Kansas Jayhawks 38-21 in the 122nd chapter of the Border War.

The rivalry far predates the gridiron, dating back to the days of the Civil War and Bleeding Kansas, when bloodshed and warfare based on clashing ideologies on slavery occurred all across Missouri and Kansas.

"We left Kansas bleeding again," head coach Eli Drinkwitz said.

Quarterback Austin Simmons and his two top targets, receivers Donovan Olugbode and Cayden Lee, can be thanked for the victory.

"He played unbelievable," Drinkwitz said. "Didn't flinch. I thought his third down conversions are as good as I've seen. I mean, he's putting balls in tight spots, and they were doing so many different things on the back end. And normally, a quarterback gets frustrated. He didn't. He just locked in. I thought he made incredible reads. Didn't make very many misses."

Simmons ended the night completing 19 of his 29 passes for three touchdowns and no interceptions. Donovan Olugbode and Cayden Lee starred equally, as Olugbode logged six receptions for 121 yards and a touchdown while Lee posted the same line with one less yard.

Despite the strong performance from QB1 and his pass catchers, the Tigers didn’t always seem in position to win.

Missouri’s biggest deficit was only seven points — less intimidating on paper than its 15-point deficit in last season’s Border War, but the feeling of dread set in all the same. The game was sloppy. Two blocked field goals — one of which was returned for a touchdown — three false starts and poor run blocking played pivotal roles in the deficit.

In spite of the lack of help in the blocking department, running back Jamal Roberts broke loose for a 64-yard touchdown to get the Tigers on the board. Although Roberts finished with 125 yards on 28 carries, most of the offensive responsibilities fell on Simmons, who came through and connected with fellow Ole Miss transfer Cayden Lee for a 27-yard touchdown as the first half dwindled down.

"He wanted to be great. It's Austin Simmons," Edge rusher Darris Smith said. ... "The way he threw the ball was crazy. I ain't seen that since I've been here."

Much like the 2025 Border War matchup, Missouri would need to continue to respond well to adversity to leave Lawrence victorious. On cue, it began the second half red hot.

After giving the ball to Kansas courtesy of a quick three-and-out, transfer linebacker Robert Woodyard Jr forced and recovered a fumble from Kansas quarterback Isaiah Marshall to turn the Jayhawks over on their own 34-yard line. Simmons hit Olugbode for his third touchdown of the season a few plays later to put Missouri up 21-14.

Woodyard followed up his previous big drive with another forced turnover, this time intercepting Marshall’s pass and giving Missouri the ball deep in Jayhawk territory. Two handoffs to Xai’Shaun Edwards helped plunge the Tigers 12 yards forward into the end zone, extending their lead to 28-14 less than five minutes into the second half. Edwards finished the night with 39 yards on nine carries, backing up Roberts effectively.

"Not only did he all over the field making tackles, now he's making interceptions, forcing fumbles," Drinkwitz said. "I mean, he was a nightmare over there. So really proud of him."

Woodyard also tied safety Santana Banner for a team-high six tackles. Cornerback Jahlil Florence joined Woodyard as the two Tigers to log an interception by acrobatically ripping the ball from the hands of KU wideout Keaton Kubecka.

After a quick Kansas touchdown that cut the Tigers’ lead to 28-21, Missouri embarked on a lengthy drive ending in a made 32-yard Blake Craig field goal. Each of the teams’ next drives ended in punts, with the following Kansas drive ending with a turnover on downs in its own territory, leading Brett Norfleet to secure his first touchdown on the season on a fourth-and-8 in the red zone with 2:02 remaining, bringing the game to its eventual final score of 38-21.

The Tigers, although pressuring Marshall in the backfield, didn’t log a sack until the fourth quarter but exploded with four once doing so. Donta Simpson, Darris Smith, Nicholas Rodriguez and Daeden Hopkins each logged 0.5 sacks or more.

Missouri is now 2-0 in the revival of the rivalry, which will resume in 2031 when the Jayhawks come to Columbia. After that, there's no rematch on the slate.

“I don't really care if it continues or not," Drinkwitz said. I mean, if they're going to be weird about it, then what's the point? You know, they want to have a football game and play a football game and have you know a great rivalry on the border. Then awesome, let's do it. But if we want to make it deeper than that, man, like we left Kansas bleeding again, so call it good.”

The Tigers will next host Troy at 6 p.m. Saturday, a game set to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Memorial Stadium and honor the 1960 Missouri team that was recently awarded a claim to the national championship from that season by congress.

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