Mizzou report card: Grading the Tigers’ victory in long-awaited Border War revival
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Mizzou overcame a 15-point deficit to defeat Kansas 42-31 in Border War revival.
- Quarterback Beau Pribula led offense with 334 passing yards and 3 touchdowns.
- Tigers allowed just 10 points after first quarter and forced two key turnovers.
It was a win 14 years in the making.
The long-awaited revival of the Border War — Mizzou vs. Kansas — certainly lived up to the hype. The Tigers clawed back from an early 21-6 hole in the first quarter to win 42-31.
“Incredibly, incredibly proud of our team,” head coach Eli Drinkwitz said. “What an undertaking. To go up six, we let our emotions get the better of us a couple of times. To be down, find a way to battle back in, tie the game up, take the lead, get down in the fourth quarter and go on 14 unanswered to put the game away — I’m extremely proud of those guys.”
Here are grades from the Tigers’ dramatic win over the Jayhawks...
Missouri offense: A
Instead of a player of the game, we may have to assign the honors to the unit after that offensive performance.
The Tigers tallied 595 yards of total offense, led by quarterback Beau Pribula’s 334 yards on 30-of-39 passing. He connected for three touchdowns, including the go-ahead pass to tight end Brett Norfleet that Kansas was never able to recover from in the fourth.
Pribula worked well with transfer wideout Kevin Coleman Jr., who had 126 receiving yards and a touchdown on 10 catches. Nine Tigers recorded a reception in the win.
The run game continued to be a strength with Ahmad Hardy’s 112 yards on 25 carries and Jamal Roberts helping create a two-headed monster on the ground. Roberts ended with 143 yards on 13 carries and was responsible for one of the biggest plays — a 63-yard touchdown run to effectively put the game out of reach.
Mizzou went 4-for-5 on fourth down, and it paid off. One of those conversions included Pribula’s 27-yard touchdown pass to Norfleet.
This grade feels like a no-brainer.
Grade: A
Missouri defense: B
The Tigers were put into a hole early, but otherwise Mizzou’s defense was solid, particularly against the run. Mizzou limited Kansas to just 31 rushing yards all day, and only allowed 10 points from the second quarter-on after Kansas was up 21-6. The defense settled in nicely for the win.
Mizzou found a way to score on defense with a safety in the second quarter. Zion Young forced the fumble, which KU recovered in the end zone.
And, of course, Daylan Carnell was right there to intercept Jalon Daniels on Kansas’ final drive to officially secure the War Drum for the Tigers.
Grade: B
Missouri special teams: C
The offense started the game with a touchdown on the first drive ... and then the special teams rolled over and allowed a blocked kick.
Kicker Robert Meyer received his first start following Blake Craig’s injury, but wasn’t given much of an opportunity to showcase his range. He went 2-for-2 on field-goal attempts, but both were from close range: 20 and 25 yards.
Grade: C
Area for improvement
The 2024 Tigers dealt with slow starts — eerily similar to how this team played Saturday. It worked out in the end, but Mizzou can’t always rely on working back from an early deficit. The schedule will continue to get tougher from here, so minimizing those first quarter mistakes will be essential.
Player of the game
Again, we could just call the offense the overall unit of the game. It’s difficult to pick just one standout here, but this week’s honor goes to Pribula for his performance and effectiveness on fourth down. That bold approach, which KU didn’t match, created monumental plays for Mizzou.
