Mizzou vs. Virginia bowl game went down to the wire — with controversial moments
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Mizzou opened with a 74-yard TD but produced 186 yards and zero points after.
- Officials removed QB Zollers late; backup Brown nearly completed game-winning pass.
- Hardy broke single-season rushing record despite sitting out crucial late plays.
A seven-play opening drive for a touchdown seemed to provide a good omen for the Mizzou football offense in the 2025 TaxSlayer Gator Bowl.
Missouri jumped to the early lead with the 74-yard drive, led by first-team All-American Ahmad Hardy, who had a 43-yard run, and his talented backup Jamal Roberts, who got the score.
So far, so good, right?
But for the rest of the game, Missouri’s 10 drives totaled only 186 yards — and no points — in a 13-7 loss to Virginia that went down to the final seconds with a couple of controversial moments.
“I know the fans are disappointed, I’m disappointed,” head coach Eli Drinkwitz told reporters postgame. “I know that locker room’s disappointed, and that’s a good thing. That’s a good thing when Missouri is disappointed after a season like this.
“That’s where we want to be. That’s what we’ve got to be. And so that’s what we’re going to continue to fight to uphold.”
Here are four takeaways from Mizzou football’s loss, which snapped a streak of back-to-back seasons with bowl victories...
Ahmad Hardy pulled off the field on crucial 4th down
Ahmad Hardy was one of college football’s best running backs this year. He was a first-team All-American and Doak Walker Award finalist. He was second in all of FBS in rushing yards entering Saturday, while leading the nation in rushing yards per game.
So, when the Tigers were faced with a fourth-and-2 with two minutes left — needing a touchdown — you’d expect Hardy to get the ball ... or at the very least stay on the field.
That’s not what happened.
Zollers faked a handoff to Jamal Roberts, as a frustrated Hardy watched from the sideline. Zollers then scrambled toward the sideline but came up 1 yard short of the first down.
Of course, there’s no guarantee what would have happened if the ball was in Hardy’s hands — and there was no immediate clarity on why he was pulled, whether for injury or another reason — but his body language in a sideline conversation with Drinkwitz said it all.
On Mizzou’s final drive, Hardy was again seen on the sideline without his helmet.
It was a bit of a strange game for Hardy, whose usage was limited in the second half. He didn’t touch the ball in the third quarter, as the Cavaliers ate up 10 minutes of clock with a 19-play drive.
“I mean, it wasn’t designed that way,” Drinkwitz said of Hardy’s limited use.
Drinkwitz wasn’t asked specifically about Hardy’s absence on the crucial fourth-down play.
Mizzou loses Matt Zollers for final play
Walk-on quarterback Brett Brown had only seen action once across his Mizzou career, logging one rushing attempt in Mizzou’s 52-10 blowout win over Louisiana earlier this season.
That is, until Mizzou’s final offensive snap of this game: While attempting a final rally, and facing a gotta-have-it fourth down at the Virginia 21, Brown had to take the snap.
One play prior, on third-and-10, Zollers took a hit from a Virginia player, and his head whiplashed off the field as he fell backward. He immediately grabbed at his helmet, and he was removed from the game by the officials, due to the possible head injury.
“(The officials) said he had to come out of the game,” Drinkwitz said. “Guess it was the referees’ decision.”
What a final attempt it was, though. Brown threw on the money to the end zone, hitting Daniel Blood in the hands before a UVA defensive back knocked the ball away. The Cavaliers took over with one second left and kneeled to end the game.
Missouri struggled to sustain drives
In each of Mizzou’s losses this season, the team had issues converting third downs. And that problem again emerged at the Gator Bowl.
The Tigers went 3-for-12 in third-down situations and went 0-for-3 on fourth down, including failed attempts on the game’s final two drives.
Before his exit, Zollers totaled only 101 passing yards, and no Mizzou receiver broke 50 yards for the game.
“The first drive, we had a great rhythm,” Drinkwitz said. “The second drive, we had a good rhythm. We couldn’t convert some third downs. ... We were just out of sorts.”
Ahmad Hardy breaks rushing record
Even with his puzzling late removal from the game, Hardy still managed to break the program’s single-season rushing record.
By rushing for 89 yards Saturday night, Hardy finished his 2025 season with 1,645 yards. He had averaged roughly 130 rushing yards per game entering the bowl game.
This story was originally published December 27, 2025 at 10:21 PM.
