Mizzou Report Card: Grading Position Groups in Loss to Texas

In Missouri football's 34-20 loss to Texas, several positional groups faltered; here's the grades for every position in the Tigers' Week 10 loss.

Quarterback: B+

Austin Simmons continued his top-tier season Saturday in spite of the Tigers' loss. Simmons was 23-for-43 with 252 yards and two touchdowns. The stats do not reflect Simmons performance that included three top tier throws that didn't count while dealing with a Texas secondary that was glued to Missouri's receivers.

Simmons had two perfectly placed end zone throws in very tight windows to Naeshaun Montgomery and DaMarion Fowlkes that hit both of their hands but fell incomplete. He also had a crucial third down throw to Cayden Lee at the start of the third quarter that was overturned as incomplete.

Simmons was unable to lead a game-tying drive when the game was on the line, but he set the Tigers up for success in spite of a poor running game and factors out of his control.

Pass catchers: B

Nov 7, 2026; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers wide receiver Naeshaun Montgomery (0) runs the ball for a touchdown during the second half against the Texas Longhorns at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There were some standout plays and performances from the Tigers' receiving core against Texas, including a 72-yard Montgomery touchdown off a smooth spin move and a diving Brett Norfleet end zone reception on fourth down. Even the missed catches from Fowlkes and Montgomery were not their fault, as Montgomery had to attempt a one-handed catch and Fowlkes was covered by two Texas players with swarming coverage.

What held this group back from a higher grade was their inability to create space against the Longhorns' secondary. A large reason Simmons had a 53.5 completion percentage was because he had to consistently throw in very tight coverage. Overall, the group was still one of the strongest on Saturday.

Running backs: D

Jamal Roberts has held down the running back room admirably this season, but against Texas, the Tigers were in need of something more. Ahmad Hardy, who is still ramping up after a gunshot wound, played just four snaps, leading to Roberts playing 67 snaps.

Roberts large snap count didn't reflect a large portion of rushes, with his 19 rushes marking an SEC-low for the back. When he did touch the ball, he was unable to find many openings or burst free, finishing with 66 yards and a long of 12 yards. Short first and second down gains set the Tigers up for difficult throws down the stretch.

Offensive line: C

Nov 7, 2026; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers quarterback Austin Simmons (13) passes during the first half against the Texas Longhorns at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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Similar to the offensive lines' performance during the entirety of the season, the unit protected Simmons well, but struggled to create holes for Roberts. Dominick Giudice, Cayden Green and Luke Work stood out as the strongest Simmons' protectors, as he was pressured just eight times. A crucial sack in the fourth quarter was the only weakness in that area.

As for protecting the run, there was a lack of gaps for Roberts to get through and he was forced to generate 61 of his 66 yards after contact.

Defensive line: B

Ahead of Saturday's contest, the key to stopping Arch Manning was putting him under pressure. On Saturday, the Tigers did just that, forcing 13 pressures and three sacks. But despite the lines' admirable efforts, Manning persisted.

The line was less succesful in stopping the Longhorns' run, which has been less effective this season, allowing 17 rushes and 85 yards from Raleek Brown. The unit thrived outside of Brown, allowing 104 yards on 31 rushes.

Linebackers: A

The Tigers' linebackers shined in the loss, making crucial tackles and forcing the only defensive turnover of the game.

Nicholas Rodriguez had another standout performance with a team-leading 12 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss. Jeremiah Beasley and Robert Woodyard Jr. combined for 10 tackles and a tackle for loss. Beasley also forced a fumble in the contest which set Missouri up for a field goal.

Secondary: D

Nov 7, 2026; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Texas Longhorns wide receiver Emmett Mosley V. (3) reacts after a first down during the second half against the Missouri Tigers at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Once again, the Tigers' secondary consistently left receivers wide open which led to Manning's top SEC performance this season. They allowed Manning to go 28-for-38, 297 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions.

He didn't have an extremely long deep ball conversion, but instead found five Longhorns for at least 22 yards on single receptions. Whether it was man-to-man or zone coverage, the Tigers were unable to stop the Longhorns, especially in the end zone. Mannings' 297 yards were his most since Week 1, his completion percentage was his third best of the season and the game marked the fourth time he was without an interception after throwing seven this year.

Special teams: D

The Tigers' special teams had one of its most unstable games of the season. Although the unit forced a fumble and had three punts within the 20-yard line, the Tigers missed two field goals within 46 yards, had a blocked punt and a fumble that nearly cost them the game.

Blake Craig was inconsistent, going 2-for-4 with misses from 46 yards and 38 yards, while Brunno Reus had a blocked punt and a muffed punt that traveled approximately 35 yards in the air. To cap off the wild special teams' performance, Fowlkes fumbled a punt down 27-20 with just over two minutes left in the fourth quarter that was ultimately recovered.

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