COLUMBIA, Mo. — Beau Pribula threw for 334 yards and three touchdowns, Jamal Roberts ran for 143 yards and the clinching score, and Missouri rallied to beat Kansas 42-31 on Saturday in the first edition of the Border War in more than a decade.
Kevin Coleman Jr. had 10 catches for 126 yards and a touchdown, and Brett Norfleet's second TD grab gave the Tigers (2-0) the lead with 4:14 to go, before their defense stopped Jalon Daniels and Co. and allowed Missouri to put the game away.
“I thought that was one of the coolest things: It wasn't our players folding in the moment that caused us to have issues, it was players making plays in the moment that elevated us,” Tigers coach Eli Drinkwitz said.
The series, which began in 1891 and remains among the most-played in Division I football, had been on hiatus since 2011, when Missouri left the Big 12 for the SEC. That move only added another layer of animosity to a rivalry between states that traces its history to the Civil War, and the bloody conflict between slave states and free states.
The tension was evident from the opening kickoff to the final seconds ticking off the clock.
“There's a lot around it,” Kansas coach Lance Leipold said, “but at the same time, it's two teams playing.”
Daniels did his best to lead the Jayhawks (2-1) to victory. He threw for 223 yards and two touchdowns, including one to DeShawn Hanika that gave them a 31-24 lead with 8:45 remaining — a lead that the Kansas defense was unable to hold.
The game was tied 21-all after a first half filled with twists and turns.
Missouri dealt the first blow on Ahmad Hardy's 32-yard run. But the Jayhawks countered with a long TD drive, then returned a fumble 28 yards for another score. Moments later, Daniels silenced sold-out Faurot Field with a sneak for a 21-6 lead.
The Tigers recovered from that quick blitz in the second quarter, though. They allowed Kansas to run just four plays for minus-18 yards, and Pribula's touchdown pass to Coleman — coupled with a safety and two field goals — resulted in a tied score.
Kansas became the first FBS team in a decade to get outgained by 200-plus yards and not trail at the break.
The Jayhawks settled down at halftime, stopping Missouri on fourth down and kicking a field goal in the third quarter to regain the lead. And after the Tigers answered with a methodical 75-yard touchdown drive, Daniels completed a couple of long passes before finding Hanika for the second time in the end zone to give Kansas a 31-24 lead.
Pribula and the Tigers had the final answer, though, twice converting on fourth down before the go-ahead pass to Norfleet late in the game. And after forcing a punt, Roberts put it out of reach with a 63-yard touchdown run in the final minutes.
“Growing up a Mizzou kid, you always heard about this game and how big it is,” Norfleet said. “It's playing for the guy to the left and the right of you, and it's also playing for the past teams that have played KU, and not letting them down.”
The Takeaway
Kansas has plenty of opportunities, even after a disastrous second quarter. But it couldn't stop the Tigers on fourth down in the fourth quarter, and that opened the door for Pribula to win the game for them.
Missouri could have been rattled after falling into a 21-6 hole. Instead, the Tigers showed plenty of poise in rallying to victory.
Up next
Missouri continues a six-game homestand against Louisiana on Saturday.
Kansas opens Big 12 play against West Virginia on Sept. 20.
