Despite Early Win Over Kansas, Mizzou Has Many Areas To Improve In

For a variety of reasons, the Missouri Tigers needed a win over the Kansas Jayhawks in Week 2 of the college football season.

There are obviously the bragging rights that come along with winning the Border War. The deep-rooted, undeniable history between the two teams had the spotlight of the matchup, but Missouri's 42-31 victory may be an indicator of what's to come this season for the Tigers.

That being said, it's still early and their showing against the Jayhawks wasn't perfect. The Tigers have one more touch-up game before opening play in the Southeastern Conference, which starts against the South Carolina Gamecocks.

For the time being, the Tigers are focused on week-to-week improvements.

"It's the second week of the season," head coach Eli Drinkwitz said following the win. "There's a whole lot of stuff that we're gonna have to get corrected. We'll worry about it tomorrow, but there's a whole lot of stuff that's going to get corrected."

The Missouri defense also has a way to go. They allowed Kansas quarterback to have a day, going for 223 passing yards, two touchdowns and an interception. He picked apart Drinkwitz's zone defense and consistently brought the Jayhawks into scoring range.

"He did a good job of picking those holes," Drinkwitz said. "So we'll get it corrected. But we got to be way more aggressive there."

There were moments when the defense felt a step behind. In Week 1 against Central Arkansas, it also felt like the group as a whole took a few series to get adjusted and comfortable. Once teams like South Carolina and Alabama roll into town, that'll have to change.

This was the first time the Tigers faced any sort of trouble through the first two weeks. It is early, but in many ways, going down by 15 points in the first quarter was a blessing for the Tigers.

"That was the first time that we faced versity," tight end Brett Norfleet said. "We get it. It's game two. But I think we responded well. I don't think we blinked."

Sep 6, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers tight end Brett Norfleet stands on the Tigers' sideline between plays. | Amber Winkler/MissouriOnSI

Not everything was negative for the Tigers and there will be a lot of positive film to build on. Anytime your team's offense racks up 595 total yards, there won't be any complaints. 255 of those yards came from running backs Ahmad Hardy and Jamal Roberts, who helped to consistently move the ball down the field for the Tigers.

Drinkwitz and offensive coordinator Kirby Moore have established the outisde zone run scheme as one that can be adaptable to any running back on the roster. So far, Hardy, an offseason transfer, has fit in just fine. He ran that scheme at his prior stop, but hasn't missed a step with the Tigers.

"I just figured with us having time of possession, managing it, with 86 plays, cumulatively, those are body blows that are going to land on them," Drinkwitz said. "The outside zone has always been our bread and butter scheme that got us out of that game."

Missouri's zone defense may have been picked apart by Daniels and the Jayhawks at moments, but quarterback Beau Pribula and the Tiger receiving core did the exact same thing. Pribula did an excellent job of finding his receivers against Kansas' zone defense, including senior transfer Kevin Coleman Jr.

READ: Pribula Takes 'Step in Right Direction' in On-Job-Training Against Kansas

"Big time players make big time plays in big time games and that's what we needed out of him," Drinkwitz said. "They played a lot of soft zone. Kevin does a really good job of finding holes in the zone, and Beau has a lot of trust in him."

In general, the Tigers had to make some gutsy, brave plays against the Jayhawks on the offensive side of the ball. Whether it was on their five fourth-down attempts throughout the game, or in clutch moments in the fourth quarter, the Tiger offense made big plays in big moments.

"Rhythm, attack, execute is our offensive philosophy, and we define execution as playing well under pressure," Drinkwitz said. "That's what you have to do in order to win football games. That's what we did tonight."

The Tigers would likely rather not be in close games like the one they were in on Saturday, or most of the 2024-25 season. But, it's pretty clear now that this is a team that can thrive in those situations.

Missouri's offense never backed down in the late parts of the game and neither did the defense. Even when they looked shaky earlier in the game, they all stepped up in the fourth quarter when it truly mattered.

"We don't want moments that. We don't want tight games," defensive end Zion Young said. "We want to blow people out. But hey, if it comes down to that, we'll take it on."

Their Week 2 win wasn't perfect, but it didn't have to be. For the sake of the fanbase and energy surrounding the game during its build-up, it was a game the Tigers had to win one way or another.

The Tigers do have a long way to go in terms of improvement, but at the end of the day, they managed to beat their biggest rival in their first meeting in 14 years. For the fans, that's all that matters. For the team, they're now 2-0.

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