Mizzou-KU football returns to Lawrence for 1st time in 21 years Friday

LAWRENCE, Kan. — KSHB 41 reporter Tod Palmer covers sports business and eastern Jackson County, including Independence. Share your story idea with Tod.

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The Border Showdown football edition returns to Lawrence for the first time since 2005 on Friday at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.

The last time Kansas hosted Mizzou, Jayhawks linebacker Nick Reid and company bottled up Tigers legend Brad Smith in a 13-3 win for Mark Mangino’s squad.

The series continued in 2006 at Memorial Stadium in Columbia before moving to Arrowhead Stadium from 2007 to 2011.

After Mizzou left the Big 12 for the SEC, KU refused to schedule the Tigers beginning in 2012, ending the second-oldest running rivalry in college football at the time, until the series resumed last year with Mizzou’s 42-31 win in Columbia.

Kickoff for the return to the Jayhawks’ nest after a 21-year hiatus is set for 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast nationally on Fox.

Mizzou leads the all-time series 58-54-9, though Kansas disagrees.

The Jayhawks still claim a disputed 1960 win against the Tigers and list the all-time series record as 55-57-9.

RELATED | US Senate adds Missouri to list of teams with 1960 NCAA football title claim

With university classes in session, parking lots, with the exception of Lot 90, open for at 2 p.m. Lot 90 opens to football traffic at 4 p.m.

Mizzou is 1-2 in road nonconference games against FBS opponents since coach Eli Drinkwitz’s arrival, including a 41-34 loss in 2021 at Boston College and a 40-12 loss in 2022 at Kansas State. The lone win was a 45-3 beatdown of moribund Massachusetts in 2024. The Minutemen went winless against FBS teams that season.

Overall, the Tigers are 10-17 in road games during Drinkwitz’s seven-year tenure.

Kansas is 4-4 at home against ranked teams under Lance Leipold, who is in his sixth season in Lawrence. They’ve never hosted a ranked nonconference opponent at “The Booth” during his tenure.

The Jayhawks are 5-10 overall against ranked foes in Leipold’s tenure, with the most-recent wins coming in succession in November 2024 against Iowa State, BYU and Colorado.

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