The Border Showdown is headed back to Lawrence on Friday, and for the first time in 21 years, Mizzou and Kansas will meet at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m., with Fox carrying the game nationally. It’s the first time Kansas has hosted the rivalry since 2005, when the Jayhawks slowed down Tigers standout Brad Smith and rolled to a 13-3 win under Mark Mangino. The teams played again in 2006 in Columbia, then shifted the series to Arrowhead Stadium from 2007 through 2011.
After Mizzou left the Big 12 for the SEC, Kansas stopped scheduling the Tigers beginning in 2012, which put the rivalry on hold until last season. The series picked back up in Columbia, where Mizzou won 42-31.
Mizzou holds the edge in the all-time series, 58-54-9, though Kansas lists the record differently. The Jayhawks still count a disputed 1960 win and have the series at 55-57-9.
Friday’s game comes with a few notable trends in the background. Since Eli Drinkwitz arrived, Mizzou is 1-2 in road nonconference games against FBS opponents.
That includes losses at Boston College in 2021 and at Kansas State in 2022, along with a 45-3 win over Massachusetts in 2024. Overall, the Tigers are 10-17 in road games during Drinkwitz’s seven seasons.
Kansas, meanwhile, has been tougher at home against ranked opponents under Lance Leipold. The Jayhawks are 4-4 in those games in his sixth season, though they have never hosted a ranked nonconference team at “The Booth” during his tenure. Overall, Kansas is 5-10 against ranked foes under Leipold, with its most recent wins coming in November 2024 against Iowa State, BYU and Colorado.
With classes in session, parking lots will open at 2 p.m. except for Lot 90, which opens to football traffic at 4 p.m.
In Other News...
Kansas Defense Has A Familiar Problem Fans Are Tired Of
Kansas looked settled on defense for a half against Missouri, and for a while it seemed the Jayhawks might be in position to keep the Border War tight into the fourth quarter. Trey Lathan was active from the middle of the field with nine tackles, and Leroy Harris III gave the unit a lift with a blocked field goal and a forced fumble, the kind of plays that usually travel well even when the offense is still searching for rhythm.
The problem, as Kansas fans know too well, was what happened after halftime. Missouri found answers quickly, the Jayhawks lost control of the game and the Tigers rolled to a 38-21 win, piling up points behind Austin Simmons passing and Jamal Roberts running while Kansas defense faded from the standard it had set earlier. It was a familiar pattern for a group that can flash in stretches but still leaves too much of the game hanging once opponents make their adjustments. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Let Border Showdown Slip Away For One Frustrating Reason
Kansas went into the border showdown needing cleaner execution than it got, and the 38-21 loss to Missouri left the Jayhawks chasing the game for much of the afternoon. Isaiah Marshall had moments through the air, but the offense never found a steady rhythm, the run game stayed bottled up and the Tigers were able to keep Kansas under pressure long enough to separate.
Head coach Lance Leipold pointed to the defensive effort as a unit that gave his team a chance to hang around, even if the game kept putting that group in difficult spots. For a Kansas team that wanted this rivalry game to be a statement, the frustration was less about one bad stretch than the feeling that too many small breakdowns added up at the wrong time. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Left Missouri With An Offensive Problem It Must Fix Fast
Kansas came out of the Border War with more questions than answers in the run game, and that is not the sort of problem a staff can ignore for long. The Jayhawks never found much traction against Missouri, leaning on a ground attack that stalled out too often and left the offense without the balance it needed to stay on schedule.
Isaiah Marshall led Kansas with 23 rushing yards, while Dylan Edwards added 39 on six carries, but the bigger issue was collective rather than individual. Missouris rushing success set the tone on the other side, giving the Tigers a physical edge Kansas will need to address quickly if it wants its offense to look more complete in the weeks ahead. [Read more 🡒]