Mizzou Settles the Score in Lawrence, Runs Past Kansas 38-21

LAWRENCE, Kan. — Twitter had been buzzing all week.

The Border War had returned, the rivalry rhetoric was flying, and Kansas had made sure to add plenty of fuel to the fire.

But when all was said and done Friday night in Lawrence, there was really only one thing that mattered.

Missouri won.

The Tigers walked into David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium and walked out with a convincing 38-21 victory over Kansas, improving to 2-0 on the season and, perhaps more importantly, taking bragging rights back across the state line.

And after a week in which the rivalry became about considerably more than football, Mizzou head coach Eli Drinkwitz seemed more than happy to let the scoreboard deliver the final word.

Kansas’ official football account released a hype video before the game that reportedly generated more than 35 million views. The video leaned heavily into the historical differences between Missouri and Kansas, including the state’s role in the Civil War, attempting to cast Missouri — and by extension the University of Missouri — as being on the wrong side of history.

Yes, this rivalry runs deep.

But using one of college football’s nastiest rivalries to position one side as a bastion of virtue against the other’s dark historical past was certainly a choice.

And one that didn’t go unnoticed inside the Mizzou locker room.

After the game, Drinkwitz didn’t mince words.

“I’m just glad that this whole right versus wrong bull crap that was started just got settled on the football field. I was embarrassed for them, to be honest, and why I tried to embarrass them at the end.”

If Kansas wanted to make the rivalry about right and wrong, Missouri was perfectly happy to make it about 38-21.

And the Tigers had the better football team.

Austin Simmons Announces Himself

The biggest story of the night wasn’t the hype video, the rivalry or even the hostile Lawrence crowd.

It was Austin Simmons.

The Mizzou quarterback was simply the best player on the field.

Simmons completed his passes for 292 yards and three touchdowns, consistently displaying the kind of poise and field vision that Missouri has been searching for during the Drinkwitz era.

More importantly, he looked in complete control.

He saw the entire field, stood tall in the pocket and repeatedly delivered throws with the kind of confidence that immediately jumps off the screen.

And then there’s that left arm.

Simmons has a cannon for a left arm, giving Missouri a dimension at quarterback that has been noticeably absent at times in recent years.

It’s only two games into the season, but the early returns are difficult to ignore.

This looks like a quarterback who can actually take Missouri somewhere.

The Tigers Nearly Gave It Away Early

The final score may have looked comfortable, but the opening half was anything but.

Missouri seemingly couldn’t get out of its own way.

The Tigers had two field goals blocked, with one of those blocks being returned for a touchdown as Kansas jumped out to an early advantage.

It was almost a comedy of errors.

But Missouri settled down.

And then came the turning point.

Kansas committed two turnovers to open the second half, and the Tigers wasted little time turning those mistakes into points.

Missouri stormed back, eventually taking a 28-14 lead in the third quarter and putting the game firmly in its control.

From there, the Tigers never looked back.

Roberts Finally Gets Rolling

Mizzou running back Jamal Roberts struggled to find much room early, but the senior ultimately helped the Tigers establish control on the ground.

Roberts finished with 125 yards on 28 carries, grinding away at the Kansas defense and helping Missouri control the game as it moved into the second half.

It wasn’t necessarily an explosive night from the running game early, but Roberts’ persistence eventually paid off.

And once Missouri established the run while Simmons continued making plays through the air, Kansas had few answers.

The Hype Video Didn’t Stay in Lawrence

If Kansas intended for its viral video to live exclusively on social media, that plan didn’t exactly work.

It found its way into the Mizzou locker room.

Offensive lineman Cayden Lee admitted after the game that he had seen the video and that it provided some additional motivation.

“I saw they had a cool little hype video, but that’s not going to help them win games. We just try to keep the main thing the main thing, and I don’t think they were doing the same.”

On Friday night, that assessment looked pretty accurate.

Kansas had the viral video.

Missouri had the victory.

And in a rivalry like this one, that’s the part that gets remembered.

The Border War Is Back

For years, the Border War existed mostly as a piece of college football history after Missouri left the Big 12 for the SEC.

But the rivalry is back, and if Friday night was any indication, it hasn’t lost much of its edge.

The social media fireworks, the historical arguments, the hype videos and the trash talk can all make for great theater.

But eventually, the teams have to play.

And on Friday night, Missouri settled the argument the simplest way possible.

The Tigers were better.

They overcame a disastrous start, capitalized on Kansas’ mistakes, ran the football, got a spectacular performance from their quarterback and walked out of Lawrence with a 38-21 victory.

Most importantly, they did it on Kansas’ field.

Now 2-0, Missouri gets the opportunity to build on the momentum of its biggest win of the young season when the Tigers return home to host Troy next week.

But regardless of what happens from here, one thing is already clear:

Austin Simmons has arrived.

And if the left-handed quarterback continues seeing the field, playing with the poise he showed Friday night and throwing the football the way he did in Lawrence, Missouri may finally have the kind of quarterback Drinkwitz has been searching for.

The Border War was loud all week.

On Friday night, though, Mizzou had the last word.