Mizzou QB Austin Simmons, LB Nicholas Rodriguez earn weekly SEC awards

The pair of Tigers earned awards for stellar performances against Florida.

Oct 3, 2026; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers quarterback Austin Simmons (13) calls a play in the first quarter against the Florida Gators at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

After Missouri's 45-17 thrashing of the then-No. 8 Florida Gators on Saturday, two Tigers have earned weekly SEC awards.

Quarterback Austin Simmons was named co-SEC offensive player of the week after torching Florida's secondary. Simmons threw for a season-high 340 yards while tacking on two touchdowns and completing 23 of his 30 passes. This is his second time earning the award this season, winning it the first time after his 292-yard, three-touchdown performance against Kansas.

It's hard to imagine Missouri running back Jamal Roberts wasn't in the race for the award, too. Roberts rushed for a career-high 211 yards and three touchdowns, including two rushes for 77 yards or longer.

Simmons continues to garner national attention with his stellar play, impressing with his tight-window throws, presence in the pocket, strong arm and collectiveness under pressure. He's made quite a compeling case as the best Missouri quarterback since Drew Lock, who last suited up for the Tigers in 2018 and has since enjoyed a tenured career in the NFL.

Simmons is up to 1,287 yards, 13 touchdowns and no interceptions on the season.

Linebacker Nicholas Rodriguez earned co-SEC defensive player of the week honors, splitting the award with Tennessee safety Dejuan Lane. Rodriguez compiled 11 tackles, 1.5 of which were for a loss, and was critical in limiting Florida tailback Jadan Baugh to just 13 rushing yards. He also logged a PFF grade of 78.6, the second-highest of any Missouri defender in the contest. The game marked Rodriguez's fourth consecutive contests with double-digit tackles.

Rodriguez is the second Tiger to win the award this season, following the footsteps of defensive end Daeden Hopkins, who split the award after the Kansas game and won it outright after his 3.5-sack performance against Mississippi State.

No. 14 Missouri, now 4-1 on the season and 1-1 in SEC play, will next host an unranked Texas A&M squad at 11:00 a.m. Saturday at Memorial Stadium. The Aggies have blown the Tigers out in each of the last two meetings.

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