Mizzou Leaves Arkansas With a Win, but Season-Long Issues Still Show Up

Despite the Tigers picking up a win to close out the season, the mistakes they made throughout the game encapsulated Missouri’s weaknesses from the entire season.

Nov 29, 2025; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Missouri Tigers quarterback Beau Pribula (9) runs during the first quarter against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

The Missouri Tigers took the ugliest route possible to defeat the Arkansas Razorbacks to close out their regular season. 

They won 31-17, but were neck-and-neck with the Razorbacks, the team with the worst record in the Southeastern Conference and the losers of nine straight games, until the fourth quarter. It took an ironic special teams touchdown and a dominant rushing performance from a variety of Tigers to secure the win.

If Missouri were playing any other team than Arkansas, who were victims of self-sabotage all night, this one might have ended in a very different fashion. The Razorbacks committed 16 penalties for a whopping 121 yards. 

"The way they fought, obviously, had some really serious, self-inflicted wounds, gave them 10 points, and at halftime, just the way our guys were calm, cool, collected, the coaching staff knowing exactly what we needed to do, really proud of the way all three phases responded," head coach Eli Drinkwitz said following the win.

That being said, Drinkwitz and the Tigers were able to improve to 8-4 and 4-4 in the SEC, with a chance to win nine games by the end of the season. Yes, the game wasn't a pretty one and many errors that plagued Drinkwitz's squad all season stuck out like a sore thumb in Fayetteville, but a win is still a win.

Many of those mistakes that hurt the Tigers throughout the game led to the 17 points that the Razorbacks scored. If that wasn't the case, they took points away from the Tigers. The common theme of the slip-ups throughout the afternoon came on special teams.

Sep 6, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers punter Connor Weselman (45) greets fans prior to a game against the Kansas Jayhawks at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Junior long snapper Brett Le Blanc was the most frequent culprit of these miscues. He had three high snaps through the duration of the game, two of which came on punts to Connor Weselman and one on an extra point attempt. 

The first of the errors was a critical one. Le Blanc sent a snap flying over the head of Weselman with under two minutes to play in the first half, setting the Razorbacks up in field goal territory. A 28-yard field goal from Scott Starzyk gave Arkansas a three-point lead heading into the halftime break. 

Le Blanc had one other high snap on a punt that resulted in a 43-yard get-off from Weselman, but the punt itself was low and wobbly. His other critical error was on an extra point, once again sending the ball sailing over Weselman, the holder, and forcing him to dive on the ball and making Missouri miss out on an extra point. 

Missouri’s special teams woes have manifested in many ways this season. From the operation time with field goals against Oklahoma to inconsistent punting from Weselman throughout the season, the special teams unit has been problematic all year. Even if the errors the unit made didn't lead to a loss, the glaringly obvious way those mistakes impacted the game is nothing short of alarming.

The group's performance would’ve looked pretty poor if it weren’t for a 67-yard punt return touchdown from wide receiver Kevin Coleman Jr. In many ways, that score from Coleman with 8:07 to play in the fourth quarter sealed the game. Also, in the most ironic way possible, a special teams play sealed the deal for the Tigers. 

"We needed it," Drinkwitz said. "We had two special teams miscues so far in this game, and so for them to be able to create a spark and give us the space we needed. The punt return put the game away."

It was very clear from the first offensive snap of the game for the Tigers that passing the ball down the field was not going to be a priority. In fact, Beau Pribula and the Tiger offense only threw the ball seven times all game long for a total of 25 yards. Pribula threw four passes in the first half. 

Nov 29, 2025; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Missouri Tigers quarterback Beau Pribula (9) during the third quarter against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Missouri won 31-17. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

In general, Missouri’s offensive rhythm was off throughout the game. The weather conditions made a difference when it came to passing the ball, which was proven by multiple drops from guys like Brett Norfleet, who typically don’t fall victim to that. 

All the Tigers decided to do, outside of the seven plays where they threw the ball, was fall back on their only reliable source of offense: Ahmad Hardy, Jamal Roberts and Pribula. The 322 yards they ran for as a collective was really the only offense the Tigers were able to produce at all. 

It’s hard to tell if Missouri’s ability to win while only throwing the ball seven times is more or less important than the three 100-yard rushing performances and 322 total rushing yards that the Tigers recorded. It was an odd offensive game plan, but after Pribula fumbled in the second quarter, there wasn’t exactly a reason to go away from a running game that was working.

"We just said, man, they haven't stopped us yet running the ball," Drinkwitz said. "So until they stop us, we don't need to play left-handed... We needed to lean on our strength until they could take it away from us."

Missouri had plenty of chances to put points on the board, once again thanks to an impressive defensive outing. The Tiger defensive front brought constant pressure on the Arkansas quarterback pairing, forcing both players into poor throws and racking up four sacks.

Nov 29, 2025; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback KJ Jackson (7) passes during the first quarter against the Missouri Tigers at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. | © Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

Defensive tackle Chris McCellan, in his final regular-season game as a Tiger, was the biggest enforcer in the pressure department. He finished with two sacks and three tackles, alongside defensive end Damon Wilson and linebacker Josiah Trotter, who recorded the two other sacks.

The final sack numbers for the Tigers may be deceiving, though. Missouri was in the backfield for most of the game, causing both KJ Jackson and Taylen Green to roll out and try to make a play on multiple occasions.

"Both of them are really good at different things within their game, so trying to adjust when whoever's coming in, who's going off," linebacker Josiah Trotter said. "We had a great game plan for both guys, and we were able to execute it for whoever was in."

Following the regular season finale, Missouri now awaits a bowl game destination. Selection Sunday for the College Football Playoffs and the remaining bowl games starts at noon on Dec. 7, giving the Tigers a week and some change to dwell on their 8-4 year.