How Ahmad Hardy Almost Scored 'Too Quick' for the Mizzou Defense

Hardy scored touchdowns of 72 and 43 yards on the second and first plays of drives while working his way to 300 yards.

Nov 15, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri running back Ahmad Hardy (29) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the first half of a game. | Cal Tobias/MissouriOnSI

COLUMBIA, Mo. — From the perspective of the Missouri defense, running back Ahmad Hardy almost scored "too quick" on his three touchdowns against Mississippi State, his home-state team.

"Sometimes I just be like 'Ahmad, slow down some, give us a break, we just off the field on defense,'" defensive tackle Chris McClellan joked.

Hardy rushed for a 72-yard touchdown on the second play of a drive in the third quarter, and another touchdown from 43-yards on the first play of a drive in the fourth quarter.

The 43-yard one came after two consecutive stops from the Missouri defense. On the first, safety Marvin Burks Jr. intercepted a pass for a touchdown. Missouri then forced a punt in five plays.

Hoping to get a rest after being on the field for the first four minutes of the fourth quarter, Hardy turned the defense's break into just 10 seconds of play.

"I looked up I'm like, 'Man, he finna go score again,'' Burks recalled thinking while watching Hardy's 43-yard run. "I was lowkey in my head like 'I hope he go down.' I knew he wasn't going to go down, go get those 300 yards."

On the day, Hardy rushed for 300 yards on 25 carries, placing him second on Missouri's leaderboard for yards in a single game. He had five rushes of more than 15 yards.

On most of Hardy's explosive runs, he was hardly touched once he made it past the line of scrimmage.

"I just tried to run by guys," Hardy said. "I didn't try to like run them over, I tried to use my speed and worked out pretty good."

Working out "pretty good" is an understatement.

ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?!?@Ahmadhardy29 pic.twitter.com/ueYPAhh0nP

— Mizzou Football (@MizzouFootball) November 16, 2025

The lack of defenders in his way was a credit to cuts Hardy was able to make, but also to the Missouri offensive line having one of its best performances of the season.

"I thought the O-line and tight ends obviously prevented penetration, allowed him to get to the second level, but then he did the rest," head coach Eli Drinkwitz said. "I think his speed really surprised them."

This was the third time Hardy played against a team from his home-state of Mississippi. In each of those games, Hardy has rushed for at least 100 yards and a touchdown. This was Hardy's first performance against one of the two SEC schools from the state.

Hardy didn't receive any offers besides the one he ended up accepting, Louisiana-Monroe, plus ones from a few junior colleges.

Though Hardy wasn't on the radar of Mississippi State, or any Power Four school as a high school prospect, he certainly is now.

"This game means a lot to him," Drinkwitz said. "He was a Mississippi young man, who wasn't recruited by that school, and so it was really important to him and meant a lot to him, and I'm proud of him."