Austin Simmons isn’t treating Missouri’s trip to Arkansas like anything bigger than the next snap.
The Tigers are back from their bye week and headed to Fayetteville for a Week 9 matchup against the Razorbacks, a Battle Line Rivalry game that carries trophy-game weight for both programs. Missouri enters at 5-2 overall and 2-2 in the Southeastern Conference, while Arkansas is 3-4 and 1-3 in league play. But Simmons made it clear Tuesday that the setting won’t change his approach.
"It's just another game for me. Honestly, there are bigger stakes at it for the people in the community," Simmons said during Tuesday's press conference.
"But for me, it's just another game of football. Just go out there, execute and do our jobs."
That same steady mindset has followed him through every week of the season. Simmons said he comes into each matchup with the same expectation: play clean, execute, and leave with a win. The opponent, the storyline and the noise around it don’t seem to move him much.
That has mattered on the road. Missouri has already logged three major road tests this season, starting with Kansas, then Mississippi State and most recently Simmons’ return to Ole Miss. The Tigers also faced major atmospheres in each of those games, and Simmons delivered in all three.
He threw for at least 292 yards in each contest and finished those games with six touchdown passes and one interception. Those numbers came against two ranked opponents and one of Missouri’s biggest rivals, but Simmons said the formula stays the same no matter where the game is played.
"(I'm) just not focusing on the environment itself. Really, just making sure that it's football at the end of the day," Simmons said.
"It's 120 yards and 53 and a third and that's pretty much it. Just go out there and play the game I love."
Arkansas may not carry the same ranking as No. 9 Ole Miss and No.
24 Mississippi State did, but the Razorbacks are coming in with some momentum. They picked up their first SEC win by beating Vanderbilt 31-21 on Saturday, Oct. 7, and the week before they pushed No.
15 Tennessee in a 24-17 loss at home, holding a lead heading into the fourth quarter.
"They're a talented football team, they're in the SEC and this is a tough week to play them," Simmons said. "So just make sure we go out there and execute our game plan, go out there and win."
For Simmons, that game plan comes through Missouri’s coaching staff, especially coordinator Chip Lindsey and quarterback coach Garrett Riley. He said the process has been about finding tendencies from week to week and making sure the language stays clear between everyone involved.
"It's been great, really just finding the tendencies throughout each and every opponent we play," Simmons said. "Sometimes our terminology may be different.
I may call something different and you may call something different, (but we) make sure we're on the same page. Really, just knowing him understanding me as a player and understanding how my strengths can translate into this week's game plan."
One area Missouri will be eager to clean up is the red zone. The Tigers managed only three points on three red-zone trips in their last game against Ole Miss, and that kind of missed opportunity can’t linger in a game like this. On Saturday, Simmons’ calm, repeatable approach will again be front and center as Missouri tries to turn drives into touchdowns against Arkansas.
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Drinkwitz pointed to the growing role of agents in players decisions as a major reason for the coming turbulence. For Missouri, and for every other program trying to build a roster in a rapidly changing landscape, the warning is less about one offseason than the new reality of roster management. [Read more 🡒]
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Eli Drinkwitz Has Extra Juice For Mizzou's Arkansas Trip
Eli Drinkwitz has never hidden that games against Arkansas carry a little extra edge for him, and Missouris players know it. With roots in the state and coaching stops there before arriving in Columbia, Drinkwitz has a built-in connection to the upcoming trip that goes beyond the usual SEC West crossover, and it has become part of the message he brings to the locker room.
Missouri players say Drinkwitz leans into that history, using personal stories and a noticeably higher level of energy when Arkansas comes up on the schedule. It gives the Tigers a more vivid sense of why this one matters to their coach, and with the rivalry backdrop in place, that enthusiasm has become one more detail shaping how Missouri approaches the week. [Read more 🡒]