Preview: What to Watch for in Mizzou Football vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff

It’s been 250 days since Missouri football last played a game. That number drops to zero Thursday.

The Tigers will take on the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions at 7 p.m. Thursday at the newly-renovated Memorial Stadium, marking the start of a 2026 campaign featuring prominent new faces on the roster and staff, star returners, a soap-opera Southeastern Conference and an ever-changing legal saga swarming the NCAA.

After a long offseason in which the actual football part of football was far from the leading topic of conversation, football is finally back. Missouri’s opponent is far inferior and the game will likely be out of hand by halftime, if not earlier. There’s not much of a need to educate yourself on the ins and outs of Golden Lions’ football, but there’s plenty to pay attention to on Missouri’s front.

Here’s everything to watch for when the Missouri Tigers take on the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff, sorted out into sections of the same acronym: UAPB.

U: Underclassmen standouts

Missouri is the heavy favorite to win its season opener. It projects as arguably the most lopsided game of the SEC’s opening slate, as the SEC has only lost one SEC-FCS matchup in the last 10 seasons: Vanderbilt to East Tennessee State in 2021. As for the Tigers, they beat Central Arkansas 61-6 in Week 1 last season with backups subbing in by the second half. Elias Williams, Caleb Flagg, Shamar McNeil, Cameron Keys, Dante McClellan and Jeremiah Beasley all played 20 or more snaps in the game and did not reach the number the rest of the season. Offensive backups played meaningful reps, too.

If Missouri can replicate the formula — and it likely will — plenty of backups will see meaningful action Thursday.

Dec 27, 2025; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Missouri Tigers linebacker Dante McClellan (22) celebrates a turnover against the Virginia Cavaliers during the second quarter at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Travis Register-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

A few are guaranteed to, as starters Ahmad Hardy and Cayden Green are ruled out for the contest. Running back Jamal Roberts, who will be featured heavily throughout the season regardless of Hardy’s health, will start at tailback. Backups Xai’Shaun Edwards and Malae Fonoti are next up on the depth chart and should get a few carries each as well — four MU backs logged a carry against Central Arkansas.

"We want to be a dominant downhill run game, whether that's with Jamal (Roberts) or Xai'Shaun Edwards or Malae (Fonoti) or Maxwell (Warner) or Anthony Favrow, it really doesn't matter for us,” Drinkwitz said.

Replacing Green will be sophomore and former four-star prospect Jack Lange and junior backup Whit Hafer. Lange played five snaps last season, and Hafer played 69, the majority of which on special teams.

"Jack's been a guy that was recruited with a lot of potential and we've really poured it into him to develop that,” Drinkwitz said. “I think he's done a really good job of buying into how Coach Jones and Coach Meadows are coaching him and he's had plenty of reps. There's been multiple days where he would take the left tackle with the ones and he's done an excellent job with it. Whit Hafer is also a guy that's really been pushing and somebody that's consistent with what we know can play that tackle position for us too.”

Drinkwitz and defensive coordinator Corey Batoon will surely rotate backups in on defense as well, as they did last season.

A: Austin Simmons

Missouri is set to open its third consecutive season with a different starting quarterback. After Brady Cook’s three-season tenure as the starter ended in 2024 and Beau Pribula’s forgettable 2025 season uhh… happened, Ole Miss transfer quarterback Austin Simmons is set to make his Missouri debut.

Simmons is entering his fourth season of college football, having spent the previous three with the Rebels, but has only started two games. He served as now-New York Giants starter Jaxson Dart’s backup in the 2023 and ’24 seasons before earning the starting job in 2025, only to quickly lose it. After throwing for a combined 576 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions against Georgia State and Kentucky, Simmons injured his left ankle, leaving backup Trinidad Chambliss to take the reins.

If you didn’t already know how that went; Chambliss stepped up and never looked back, leading the Rebels to the College Football Playoff Semifinal and leaving Simmons as the odd man out.

Simmons entered the portal as a four-star transfer on Jan. 2 — during Ole Miss’ CFP run — with a do-not-contact tag. He signed with Missouri on Jan. 6.

8Sep 13, 2025; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels quarterback Austin Simmons (13) passes the ball during warm ups prior to the game against the Arkansas Razorback at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Coach Eli Drinkwitz named the lefty as Missouri’s starting quarterback at the conclusion of spring practice — something he didn’t do in 2025, instead letting the battle between Pribula and Sam Horn play out through Week 1.

Drinkwitz has confidence in Simmons as his starting quarterback.

"I think one of the things that I went back and looked at where last year didn't go the way we wanted it to was the error in not naming a starting quarterback soon enough and allowing leadership to take hold within our team," Drinkwitz said in May.

Sep 7, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers head coach Eli Drinkwitz watches a replay against the Buffalo Bulls during the second half at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

"Austin has the game experience," Drinkwitz said. "He was better in managing the team in two-minute drills and in the game situations, which I think has been a real positive. And so, you know, to allow him to develop relationships with our wide receivers, timing with the wide receivers and tight ends, and allow him to really establish himself as a leader, I thought was more beneficial than waiting to be 100% for sure."

Simmons has been Missouri’s starter throughout all of fall camp, earning significant praise from teammates and coaches on his IQ, arm and leadership.

The most important thing to watch for when Simmons takes the field is his comfortability in the system and ability to control possession. Simmons was turnover-prone in limited action last season, throwing five interceptions in just 75 attempts, but was also in an Ole Miss offense a tad more complex than what he’ll be asked to do at Missouri.

If Simmons looks calm in the pocket, makes the simple reads and healthily captains Missouri’s offense to scoring drives, that’ll be a positive sign moving forward.

P: Phase Three (Special Teams)

Near-flawless as the defensive may have been and all the flaws the offense had, Missouri’s worst unit in 2025 was its special teams. Starting kicker Blake Craig went down in Week 1, leading the Tigers to have the least amount of made field goals from 40 or more yards out in the SEC with backups Robert Meyer and Oliver Robbins captaining the ship.

Missouri’s punting wasn’t any better either. Connor Weselman, who transferred ahead of the season after being a backup at Stanford, averaged just 41.8 yards per punt. That ranked dead last among SEC punters to punt 15 or more times in 2025.

Robert Meyer, Connor Weselman — 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. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

As a result, Missouri completely revamped its special teams unit. Special teams coordinator Erik Link, who had been with the program since Drinkwitz’s arrival ahead of the 2020 season, was out. Weselman graduated and Meyer transferred.

In came Florida State special teams coordinator John Papuchis, a healthy Craig, FSU transfer kicker/punter Brunno Reus and Middle Tennessee State transfer punter Mark Shenouda. Craig will handle field goals and extra points, Reus will start at punter and handle kickoffs while Robbins and Shenouda serve as backups.

“I think we're going to surprise some people,” Craig said. “Like, I think we're going to be really good this year. He has full belief in every single specialist in that room. This is the most talented room I've ever been around.”

Oct 19, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers place kicker Blake Craig (19) kicks a field goal during the second half against the Auburn Tigers at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Much of that is due to the infectious energy Papuchis brings to the unit, which could be seen all throughout fall camp.

"Coach (Papuchis) has been awesome for my development," Craig said. "He's loud, and he'll tell you exactly what he needs to get done. He has high standards, and that's exactly what we need in the specialist room. And for me too, coming back off the injury, you don't want to set the bar too low for yourself. So I'm looking at the sky."

B: Blocking

Missouri *should* dominate every facet of its season opener. That doesn’t mean it will. Against Central Arkansas last season, Green gave up a sack and two pressures, and then-starting left guard Dominick Giudice allowed two pressures as well. The Tigers also allowed four sacks against UMass, one of the worst teams in FBS, four weeks later.

Missouri’s offensive line underwent significant change this offseason, losing All-American right tackle Keagen Trost and four-year starting center Connor Tollison — Green, Giudice and Curtis Peagler return as starters, although Giudice shifted from guard to center. Green, as previously mentioned, will be out for the season opener.

Oct 11, 2025; Columbia, MO; USA; Missouri Tigers offensive lineman Cayden Green stands on the sidelines during a game against the Alabama Crimson Tide | Amber Winkler/MissouriOnSI

That leaves Missouri’s starting unit against the Golden Lions as follows, from left to right: Lange, Tristan Wilson, Giudice, Peagler, Luke Work. Peagler is the only member of the unit to previously start a game for the Tigers in that same position.

“It's really going to be about guys who can get five acting as one; who can communicate, who can play through the nerves and go out and execute at a high level," Drinkwitz said.

Work, a transfer from Mississippi State who started eight games across two seasons with the Bulldogs, will be blindside blocking for his southpaw quarterback in Simmons. Despite a shaky stint down south, he won the right-tackle job in fall camp after a battle against Logan Reichert and Jack Lange, and will now be playing a pivotal role on Missouri’s offense.

Sep 7, 2024; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs offensive lineman Luke Work (51) against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Mountain America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Although entering his fifth season at Missouri, Wilson is a first-time starter, too.

While it’d be reasonable for the unit to take time to gel given the first-time Tigers and first-time starters, giving up sacks against an FCS opponent would not be a good sign going forward. Keep an eye on how the Tigers’ communication in the trenches looks against the Golden Lions.

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