Mizzou report card: Grading the Tigers’ scorching Saturday victory over Louisiana
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Missouri rushed for 427 yards and totaled 606 yards in a 52-10 rout of Louisiana.
- Running back Ahmad Hardy posted 250 yards and three touchdowns before halftime.
- Tigers' defense allowed 121 total yards and just four passing yards in dominant effort.
Well, that was fun.
There were hardly any doubts surrounding Mizzou in this one as the Tigers raced to over 400 rushing yards against Louisiana in a 52-10 win Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
And the best news? Running back Ahmad Hardy continues to be just as advertised, rumbling for 250 of those yards, even in an abbreviated day. His last touch came in the third quarter after he had already carried for three touchdowns.
For Mizzou, this was the perfect opportunity to shake out any kinks before the first SEC test arrives: The Tigers open league play against South Carolina next.
Until then, here’s how we graded Missouri in Saturday’s blowout victory:
Missouri offense
Start here: 606 yards of total offense.
The Tigers piled up gaudy stats Saturday. As mentioned, the run game led the way with 427 of those yards.
As for the passing game, quarterback Beau Pribula did just about everything asked of him in this rout. He went 15-for-22 for 174 yards and two touchdowns before handing over to Matt Zollers during the third quarter.
Pribula did throw his first interception of the year, but the ground game ensured Louisiana had no chance.
Grade: A
Missouri defense
One play isn’t going to be enough to knock Mizzou’s defensive grade here.
The Tigers allowed the Ragin’ Cajuns’ Zylan Perry to break through the gaps for an 84-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, but that was pretty much the only blemish of the day for MU.
Louisiana gained just 121 total yards. The Missouri secondary held Louisiana quarterbacks Daniel Beale and Lunch Winfield to four combined passing yards. No, that isn’t a typo.
Grade: A
Missouri special teams
Freshman kicker Robbie Meyer had a busy day and was perfect on all seven of his extra point attempts. He made a field goal from 22-yards, too, but wasn’t able to connect from deeper range and missed from 41.
Overall, nothing too noteworthy here. A very good day.
Grade: B+
Area for improvement
Against tougher competition, guarding against plays like Perry’s touchdown run will be critical. Even if it was just a small blip for this contest, SEC opponents will surely look to take advantage of any gaps in the Tigers’ defense.
Player of the game
Was there any doubt?
Hardy — 22 carries for 250 yards and three TDs — is our player of the game. Sun Belt teams are probably thankful that they don’t have to deal with this talented back anymore. And Saturday’s performance against the Ragin’ Cajuns was tinged with revenge.
“Last season, they beat us (Louisiana-Monroe, Hardy’s former school) by 14 points, and I was telling the guys that this was a little personal,” he said. “I just wanted to beat them.”
This story was originally published September 14, 2025 at 12:47 PM.
