No. 25 Missouri had every answer Saturday, and then some.
Behind a huge day from Austin Simmons and a runaway performance from Jamal Roberts, the Tigers rolled past No. 8 Florida 45-17 in Columbia, snapping a nine-game losing streak against ranked opponents and handing coach Eli Drinkwitz his first regular-season win over a top-10 team in 11 tries.
Simmons threw for 340 yards and two touchdowns, while Roberts turned the game into a track meet with 211 rushing yards and three scores. Missouri finished with 560 yards of offense and never let Florida settle in after the Gators opened the day with one of the nation’s most productive attacks.
Cayden Lee led the receiving group with eight catches for 110 yards, and Donovan Olugbode and Caleb Goodie Jr. each hauled in touchdown passes. Olugbode’s score came on a 47-yard strike that helped push Missouri ahead 10-3, while Goodie grabbed his first career touchdown reception later in the half.
Drinkwitz wasn’t interested in hearing about Missouri’s recent struggles against elite opponents.
“It's a good win against a really good team today. That's all it was,” Drinkwitz said, bristling at any discussion of the way the Tigers have performed against the SEC's elites.
“Nobody in our locker room could care less about that. I couldn't care less about that.
I really couldn't care less. The SEC is a hard league, and yeah, I'm done with that."
The Tigers entered the game coming off a collapse at Mississippi State, but they responded by smothering a Florida team that had been averaging 532.8 yards per game. The Gators managed only 325 yards Saturday, and much of that came once the game had already tilted sharply in Missouri’s favor.
Florida quarterback Aaron Philo passed for 197 yards and a touchdown, though most of his production came while the Gators were chasing. Jadan Baugh, who had piled up 11 rushing touchdowns over his first four games and had drawn early Heisman Trophy buzz, was held to 13 yards on 12 carries. He broke off a 12-yard run on his first touch, then gained just one yard on his final 11 carries.
Missouri made stopping Baugh the priority, and the plan worked. Florida never found a way to answer on the other side.
Simmons was sharp from the start, going 16 of 21 for 238 yards and both of his touchdowns before halftime. Missouri kept attacking vertically and spread the ball around, and Florida had no real response.
The decisive stretch began late in the first half. After a Florida three-and-out, Missouri got the ball back with 1:33 left and Blake Craig drilled a 50-yard field goal as time expired to make it 20-10. The Tigers then opened the second half with a short Roberts touchdown run, forced a quick punt, and watched Craig connect again, this time from 52 yards, to stretch the lead to 30-10 late in the third quarter.
From there, Roberts took over completely.
On the penultimate play of the third quarter, he burst out of a pileup and raced 76 yards to the Florida 2, then punched in the touchdown on the first play of the fourth. Missouri added a 2-point conversion to go up 38-10, and Roberts finished the statement with an 80-yard touchdown run a few minutes later.
“This is a really emotional league to play in," Simmons said. “There's going to be a lot of adversity.
It's a tough league, especially in the trenches. Seeing Jamal bounce off all those tackles and break free, it's something I haven't seen.”
By then, Missouri had turned the afternoon into a showcase, even drawing mock chomps from the Tigers as Florida struggled in Columbia again. The Gators have now lost four of their last five games at Faurot Field, and this one never came close to the finish line.
Florida was without wide receiver Vernell Brown III, who had led the team with 17 catches for 271 yards, along with two touchdown catches and two punt return touchdowns in his first four games. Brown has been dealing with a strained right knee.
Missouri also had key absences, with starting edge rushers Darris Smith and Langden Kitchen sidelined by lower body injuries.
“What an awesome win for our community, for our state and more importantly for our team,” Drinkwitz said. “Really proud of our guys, our coaches and players, the way they went about their business this week.”
Up next, Florida plays South Carolina next Saturday, and Missouri hosts Texas A&M next Saturday.
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