Marquise Davis Flashes 'Bright' Future in 113-Yard Performance

Sophomore running back Ahmad Hardy stole the show in No. 25 Missouri's victory over Louisiana, rushing for a career-high 250 yards. But for the second week in a row, a Missouri rusher eclipsed 100 yards in addition to dominant performances from Hardy.

Hardy was sent to the bench early in the third quarter once he scored his third touchdown, which gave the Tigers a 45-10 lead. That paved the way for true freshmen Marquise Davis and Brendon Haygood to earn signifigicant carries for the first time in their careers.

From Hardy to Davis, there was little to no drop off for the Missouri offense. Both in production and play style.

Davis ended the day gaining 113 yards on 20 carries, an average of 5.7 yards per rush.

Hardy had earned the bulk of his yardage by fighting through contact. His longest run of the day came on a 71-yard score where he broke three tackles.

READ: Hardy's 'Refusal to Get Tackled' Put on Display in Week 3 Win

Davis, a former four-star prospect, showed off similar physicality.

"Having a third back that can go in there and run as physical as he can, I'm really proud of," head coach Eli Drinkwitz said after the game.

With his 6-foot, 213-pound, compact frame, Davis not only has the tools to be physical, but embraces it.

"Those guys run hard," center Connor Tollison said of the pair of running backs. "They run behind their pads. They make it easy to block for."

Hardy himself was impressed with Davis' performance.

"He's a down-hill runner," Hardy said. "He was carrying the ball pretty good on the inside zones, handcuffing the ball, doing what he's supposed to do."

Davis also earned his first career touchdown in the win, putting one last score on the board for the Tigers in a 52-10 win. But he didn't have to be too physical on the two-yard rush, with the Missouri offensive line creating a wide-open lane for Davis.

Sept 13, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri wide receiver DaMarion Fowlkes (11) celebrates with Missouri running back Marquise Davis (7) after Davis’s touchdown during the fourth quarter of a game against Louisiana at Faurot Field in Columbia, Mo. | Cal Tobias/MissouriOnSI

The Missouri offensive line deserves plenty of credit for the performances from both Davis and Hardy, too. Run blocking was an area Drinkwitz had circled where Missouri needed to improve in after the first two weeks of the season.

As evidenced by the performances from Hardy and Davis, Saturday's performance was a step up for the offensive line.

"I thought they did a nice job," Drinkwitz said of the run blocking. "We were able to get our outside zone going. ... kept them off balance in the run game and we were able to attack the perimeter."

The offensive line set the stage for both the present and future forms of Missouri's running back room to see the spotlight.

Hardy showed why he'll rule the stage this season, but the two freshmen showed why Missouri has faith in them for the future. Davis also made an argument to see significant carries as soon as this season.

"I think our two young running backs, Marquise and Haygood, are going to be really bright spots for us in the future," Drinkwitz said. "They got a really good back in front of them, but they're going to get their opportunities too."

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