Wrights and Wrongs: Takeaways from Mizzou's Border War win over Kansas

LAWRENCE, KAN. — There’s never really a winner in war. Mizzou beat Kansas 38-21 Friday night but uncovered plenty of good, bad and ugly about itself in the process.

Missouri looked less-than-admirable on the grand stage for most of, if not the entire, first half. It also looked strong for segments of the second half, recovering from the mistakes that dug it in the hole initially.

Wrong: Special Teams

The biggest disaster of the game — and perhaps the season, if Missouri had lost the game — was undeniably the Tigers' field goal struggles. Blake Craig's first two field-goal attempts were blocked, with the second being returned for a touchdown to put the Tigers down 7-0 following an extra point.

And you thought last year's special teams had problems?

"Special teams was was not good tonight in any form or facet, and that's going to get cleaned up," Drinkwitz said. "But we overcame it, and that's what you got to do on the road."

Missouri could afford to have such drastic woes against a team like Kansas, that's projected to finish near the bottom of the Big 12. It won't be given the same grace against more unforgiving Southeastern Conference opponents — the SEC slate begins with a game in Starkville against an enticing Missisippi State squad, then continues with home contests against Florida and Texas A&M the following weeks.

Wright: Austin Simmons

For all that was wrong with his support system, Austin Simmons shined in the biggest game of his career. The first-year Tiger completing 19 of his 29 passes, throwing for 292 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. He hit targets on the run, in multiple areas of the field and in all types of scenarios.

"He wanted to be great. It's Austin Simmons," Edge rusher Darris Smith said. ... "The way he threw the ball was crazy. I ain't seen that since I've been here."

Drinkwitz believed Simmons came up huge in big moments, which is exactly what Missouri needs out of its signal-caller. Who better to turn to than your starting quarterback with your back against the wall in the biggest game of the season?

"He played unbelievable; didn't flinch," Drinkwitz said. "I thought his third-down conversions are as good as I've seen. I mean, he's putting balls in tight spots, and they were doing so many different things on the back end. And normally, a quarterback gets frustrated. He didn't. He just locked in. I thought he made incredible reads. Didn't make very many misses. Ball was not in jeopardy."

Wrong: Run Blocking

Missouri's run blocking struggled immensely, giving little aid to Jamal Roberts on the ground. He averaged 3.64 yards after contact and 4.3 yards per carry, getting hit in or near the backfield on almost every cary. His lone breakaway run was thanks to some misdirection on the handoff that opened up a giant hole.

Without the creativity and misdirection, Missouri's run blocking was inept and lackluster against an underwhelming Kansas defense.

Of course, the potential, eventual return of Ahmad Hardy could help the run game. Even though the blocking isn't ideal, there's nobody better at breaking tackles and powering through tackles than the Doak Walker Finalist and Mizzou's single-season rushing record holder.

But is Hardy alone enough to help the run game return to what it was a season ago? That's a question critical to Missouri's identity as an offense for the rest of the season.

Wright: Adversity on the Road

This may be Missouri's first road test of the season, and it has an argument to be the toughest, but it certainly won't be the last. Missouri will play road matchups against Ole Miss and Georgia later in conference play, two places amongst the most difficult to play in the nation.

A light display happens during the game between Kansas Jayhawks and Missouri Tigers inside David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium on Sept. 11, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Kansas projects to be a far inferior opponent than either of those two programs, but the road environment for the Border War is as hostile as any may be. Showing up and clawing back from behind against the Jayhawks should give Missouri at least some confidence to head into other road environments, with a Sept. 26 matchup with Mississippi State up next on the slate.

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