No. 16 Mizzou Survived Auburn, But Questions, Concerns Rise Further

AUBURN, Ala. — Eli Drinkwitz jogged to midfield in celebration, pumping his fist, after kicker Robert Meyer’s kick in double overtime. In Drinkwitz’s mind, Missouri had finally escaped with an ugly, but gritty win over Auburn.

“Really proud of our guys for fighting. “I don’t have much juice left, guys,” Drinkwitz said to reporters after the game.

But as Drinkwitz made his way across the field, ready to shake hands with Auburn coach Hugh Freeze, he looked to the end zone Meyer had just attempted the kick and realized he had missed the kick. Drinkwitz saw Auburn celebrating and connected the dots, throwing his hands up in confusion.

Missouri Tigers kicker Robert Meyer (88) and Missouri Tigers holder Connor Weselman (45) react to a missed field goal in the first overtime as Auburn Tigers take on Missouri Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala. on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. Missouri Tigers defeated the Auburn Tigers 23-17 in 2OT. | Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

What had already been a strenuous game would test Missouri again. After taking a 10-7 lead early in the second quarter, Missouri’s offense stagnated and Auburn was able to do just enough against the Missouri defense to tie the game at 17 at the end of regulation.

Missouri had plenty of chances to put the game away, but ended up punting on all four of its drives in the second half.

“I knew the game was hinging in the third quarter, and I felt like if we could have gotten two scores, that it could have gone our way in a hurry,” Drinkwitz said. “We just couldn't do it.”

Missouri has come accustomed to playing, and mostly winning, in this style of game. Dating back to the 2023 season, 14 of MU’s games have been decided by one possession. Missouri won 11 of those.

“We knew we were going to have to throw punches and they was throwing punches back,” running back Ahmad Hardy said. “But we got back up every time."

But this time, the most crushing jabs Missouri took were self-inflicted. MU was constantly stumbling over itself or giving up opportunities to Auburn.

Quarterback Beau Pribula threw two interceptions. Inefficiency in the passing game continued for Missouri, and the run game that was dominant to begin the season was a non-factor for a second-straight week. The Missouri defense was called for three avoidable penalties that extended drives for Auburn.

“We had self-inflicted issues," Drinkwitz said. "We were trying to be perfect on some stuff."

By the time the third quarter rolled around when it was clear this wouldn't be the game Missouri would finally find a rhythm and consistency offensively, the main mission became just to survive. By doing that, MU is still in great standing to accomplish its goal of making the College Football Playoff.

But past the record, the weaknesses of this team are wounds that have been opened further and further each week. It's difficult to see how Missouri can win much more big games with the current state of its offense.

Especially in the passing game. After completing 10 of his first 13 pass attempts to begin the game, Pribula then went through a stretch that lasted midway through the fourth quarter where he completed just five of 16 pass attempts. Missouri failed to convert seven third downs due to incompletions or interceptions.

"We got to keep working on our pass game," Drinkwitz said. "We're way too predictable right now on that stuff"

Pribula has now thrown an interception in each of Missouri's last five games. Ahead of the Auburn game, Drinkwitz called to recognize the process of growth for a first-year starting quarterback. While there's bound to be growing pains, the tolerance Missouri has for those becomes thinner each week.

READ: Top Takeaways from No. 16 Mizzou's Victory in Overtime at Auburn

To Pribula's credit, he did score the game-winning touchdown for Missouri on a two-yard rush in the second overtime period.

“He's got a great grit to him," Drinkwitz said. "Nothing really fazes him.”

Missouri Tigers quarterback Beau Pribula (9) throws the ball as Auburn Tigers take on Missouri Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala. on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. Missouri Tigers lead Auburn Tigers 10-7 at halftime. | Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

But, unlike the first five games of the season, the Missouri offense hasn't had the run game to lean back on. Against Auburn, Missouri averaged a mere 2.1 yards per carry. Hardy only had six carries that went farther than three yards.

"They was loading the box, so they was blitzing a lot," Hardy said of what Auburn was doing to stop the run. "There was like linebackers at two yards, one yard. So, they was filling the gaps."

While the offense is a confusing picture, the Missouri defense hasn't faltered from its identity. There were still issues in the pass secondary — Auburn completed passes of 46, 37 and 34. But Missouri's pass rush unit again came up huge several times, including in overtime. After the winning coin toss in overtime, Missouri chose for its defense to go on the field first.

“We knew we had to go out there and win the game," defensive tackle Chris McClellan said of the unit's mindset after the coin toss.

READ: Mizzou Players Describe 'Shift in Mindset' Entering Overtime at Auburn

Oct 18, 2025; Auburn, Alabama, USA; Missouri Tigers defensive end Zion Young (9) moves in to tackle Auburn Tigers quarterback Jackson Arnold (11) during the fourth quarter at Jordan-Hare Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Reed-Imagn Images | John Reed-Imagn Images

Defensive end Zion Young was responsible for arguably the two most-important plays of the game after talking plenty of trash at midfield for the overtime coin toss. He created a sack on the second play of overtime, resulting in a 9-yard loss to put Auburn in a third-and-long it was unable to convert. He had a tackle for a loss of three yards to begin Auburn's next drive.

The top worry for Missouri should not be where it stands for the postseason, but rather how quick it can figure out itself and stop the bleeding from the weaknesses that become more apparent by the week.

But even if Missouri isn't quite there yet, it simply needed to survive Auburn. Especially after losing to Alabama in crushing fashion the week before, another close loss would've sent Missouri spiraling. Missouri already had a bad taste in its mouth from the loss to the Crimson Tide.

“Last week, I’m not going to say our head was down, but we knew we should’ve had that thing," wide receiver Kevin Coleman Jr. said.

Missouri didn't need a 'get-right' game after Alabama. MU had plenty of things to be proud of from its performance against Alabama. What it needed was to be able to prove to themselves they could do enough to overcome their weaknesses in a similar style of game. The brand of play the program has claimed in its turnaround.

“We just came together and played Mizzou football," Hardy said.

What "Mizzou football" looks like in terms of specific strengths for this season is yet to be determined. But what "Mizzou football" has meant in terms of resilience is clearly still in this team's DNA.

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