Mizzou RB Ahmad Hardy Earns National Honor for Week 3 Performance

Missouri's star running back earned some national recognition for his 250-yard performance against Louisiana.

Sept. 13, 2025; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers running back Ahmad Hardy pushes away from Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns' safety Jalen Clark on his way to the end zone. | Sam Simon/MissouriOnSi

Missouri running back Ahmad Hardy was named the Doak Walker Player of the Week for his Week 3 performance against the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns. Hardy recorded 250 rushing yards and added three touchdowns to his standout showing.

Ahmad Hardy named Doak Walker Player of the Week @Ahmadhardy29 X @DoakWalkerAward #MIZ | #STP pic.twitter.com/tIO0nhwRkz

— Mizzou Football (@MizzouFootball) September 16, 2025

Hardy is now up to 462 rushing yards and five touchdowns through the first three games of his first season with the Tigers. He opened Week 1 against Central Arkansas with 100 yards and a score, followed by 112 rushing yards and a touchdown against Kansas.

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

The former Louisiana-Monroe running back has been nothing short of special for Eli Drinkwitz and the Missouri Tigers to start the 2025-26 season and his stat line against the Ragin' Cajuns proves exactly that. Hardy did enough in that game to be honored by his team following its conclusion.

"He just got a game ball, so pretty special performance by him," Drinkwitz said following the win over Louisiana. "The key for us is going to be able to get him back physically week in and week out.”

Hardy has statistically emerged as one of the most impressive backs in the country. His total amount of rushing yards sits second nationally, only behind UTSA's Robert Henry Jr. His five rushing touchdowns is tied for the sixth-most in the country, alongside seven other running backs.

In the Southeastern Conference, he leads everyone in rushing yards and is second in rushing touchdowns, behind Kentucky's Seth McGowan and tied with Ole Miss' Kewan Lacy, a former Missouri Tiger.

Against the Ragin' Cajuns, Hardy forced missed 12 tackles and ran up 167 yards after contact, per Pro Football Focus. There wasn't much Louisiana could do to stop the talented sophomore running.

“That kid's special. We got a first-hand look at it last year, so we knew exactly what it was going to be,” Louisiana head coach Michael Desormeaux said following their loss.. “We missed quite a few tackles, but he does that to a lot of people.”

When it comes to scoring and playing well, Hardy has a pretty simple mentality. If he gets the ball on a carry at any given moment, he expects himself to do something with it.

“Every time I touch the ball, I’m thinking I'm going to score," Hardy said.

Hardy will face arguably his toughest test yet this season in Week 4 against the South Carolina Gamecocks. They kick off at 6 p.m. on Saturday at Faurot Field.