Mizzou Moves to 5-0 Following Well-Rounded Performance Against UMass

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Missouri hosted UMass in its fifth-straight home game to open the season.

But it wasn’t just another night at Faurot Field. It was Missouri’s Homecoming. The vibes were good, the energy was high, and the Tigers clobbered the Minutemen 42-6 to uphold their undefeated record on Saturday.

The Tigers, a team so often plagued by slow starts, showed the same trend against UMass. On Missouri’s second offensive drive, quarterback Beau Pribula stepped up in the pocket before chucking the ball directly to UMass linebacker Timmy Hinspeter. The interception resulted in the Minutemen cutting Missouri’s lead to 7-6.

That would be the closest the Minutemen would come to the Tigers. As the game progressed, it was all Missouri.

Pribula’s aforementioned interception was a mistake, but it didn’t mean much in the grand scheme of things.

His good outweighed the bad, as he ended the game with 241 passing yards and one passing touchdown. He broke the program record for consecutive completions with 21. It was previously held by Chase Daniel, who had 20.

"There's still some maturing and growing in pocket understanding," head coach Eli Drinkwitz said of Pribula's performance. "But, he's accurate with the football. There (are) a lot of good things."

READ: 3 Takeaways From Mizzou’s Blowout Win Over UMass

Pribula and wide receiver Kevin Coleman Jr. were on the same page all night. The two connected on 12 of 12 passes. Coleman recorded 108 receiving yards.

Coleman is a smaller guy, standing at 5'11" and 180 pounds. What he lacks in size, he makes up for in effort.

"When I play football, I'm trying to be like David, like David and Goliath," Coleman said. "I've always been a smaller guy, but I've always been one of the toughest guys."

A cause for concern arose in the first quarter when running back Ahmad Hardy had an injury scare. Hardy, one of Missouri’s best offensive weapons, took a handoff on a second-and-3 with 10:45 on the clock. He was stopped just shy of the first down.

Any grumblings about the third down quickly faded as the stadium held its breath. Hardy took a little longer than he should have to get up following the tackle, and his movements appeared gingerly.

He stood on the sideline as Missouri scored without him on the very next play. It would be Hardy’s right-hand man, fellow running back Jamal Roberts, to put the points on the board. Roberts’ 9-yard rush propelled the Tigers to a 7-0 lead.

"You want to stay healthy, but you need that one-two punch," Coleman said of Hardy and Roberts. "Just feed off each other."

Roberts likely could have handled the game on his own, but Hardy’s hiatus was a quick one. After a trip to the medical tent, he re-entered the game on Missouri’s third offensive drive.

The same drive that Hardy returned in was capped off by him scoring a touchdown. He barreled into the end zone from 5 yards out, alerting everyone that he was ok.

Sept 27, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers offensive lineman (75, left) celebrates the touchdown of running back Jamal Roberts (20) in a game against UMass at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. | Amber Winkler/MissouriOnSI

Eventually, Hardy and other starters were pulled in the third quarter. The running back ended his night with three touchdowns and broke 100 yards with 130. Roberts added one touchdown and 52 yards.

"I'm happy we got two great running backs," Coleman said. "I told them they remind me of the Detroit Lions backfield. They both need each other."

On the defensive side of the ball, Missouri held UMass to 19 rushing yards. That wasn’t surprising, as Missouri’s run defense has performed well all season. The bigger question mark lingered around the pass defense.

UMass represented an opportunity to improve in that aspect. The Minutemen have had a rough season to say the least, holding an 0-3 record. It would have been encouraging, if not expected, for Missouri’s secondary to find success against them.

That’s why it was fairly concerning when UMass scored its first passing touchdown of the entire year following an interception from Pribula in the first quarter. The score gave the Minutemen a chance to even the game, but they missed the ensuing extra point.

The secondary responded later and looked better. UMass was held to 105 passing yards. Safety Santana Banner came up with an interception to give the Tigers the ball on the UMass 8-yard line.

"That was my first pick," Banner said. "It really felt good to get my first one but pretty much nothing special. Coach put us in one of our base calls, had cancelation to the boundary, got my eyes to the field, (and) the quarterback threw the ball right to me."

Missouri Tigers safety Santana Banner (15, center) celebrates with his teammates and safeties coach (Jacob Yoro). — Sept 27, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers safety Santana Banner (15, center) celebrates with his teammates and safeties coach (Jacob Yoro) after Banner's interception in a game against UMass at Memorial Stadium. | Amber Winkler/MissouriOnSI

Even though Banner has played just one Southeastern Conference opponent, he has noticed the differences in playing at a school like Missouri. Banner, a Northern Illinois transfer, came from the Mid-American Conference.

"It's pretty much the environment," Banner said of the differences between the SEC and MAC. "Momentum can change very quick, and it's all about keeping that momentum."

The momentum was rolling all night, so much so that with 20 seconds left in the third quarter, the Tigers maintained a 35-6 lead. It was clear the Tigers had done their job, so they pulled their starters to give the backups some reps.

Backup quarterbacks Matt Zollers and Tommy Lock each saw the field. For Lock, it was his first action as a Tiger.

"We wanted to get Tommy Lock in the game," Drinkwitz said. "(He) has been here for four years. I think he's been a really strong glue guy for us."

Even though Zollers is the No. 2 guy at the quarterback position, it was Lock who got more reps against the Minutemen.

"It was (Lock's) opportunity to play, and I felt strongly about making sure he got that," Drinkwitz said. "Matt (Zollers) has been able to play. He's got reps, so it was the right move for us."

Running back Tavorus Jones headlined the backups with Missouri’s final touchdown.

Missouri will have a bye week before Alabama comes to town. The Tigers and Tide square off at 11 a.m. on Oct. 11 in Columbia.

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