Week 1 wasn’t a one-night burst from Austin Simmons. Friday in Lawrence, he backed it up again.
No. 23 Missouri walked out of Kansas’ home stadium with a 38-21 win, and its new starting quarterback was right at the center of it. In his first Power Conference test, Simmons looked every bit like the kind of field general Eli Drinkwitz’s offense has been waiting for.
The numbers tell the story cleanly. Simmons finished 19-of-29 for 292 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions.
He hit Cayden Lee for 27 yards, Donovan Olugbode for 8, and Brett Norfleet for 13. Through two starts as a Mizzou player, he has thrown for at least 250 yards in both and still hasn’t turned the ball over.
His season line now sits at 7 TDs and 0 INTs.
What stood out most was how composed he looked when Missouri needed him. The Tigers were tied at halftime, and Simmons was a huge reason they were even there. He kept the offense afloat while the rest of it sputtered around him.
One of his best moments came with Missouri backed up near its own end zone on third-and-long. Simmons read a corner blitz, got the ball out, and found Olugbode on a strike that turned into a 65-yard gain. He kept working the edges of the field after that, repeatedly hitting Olugbode and Lee on out-routes and making the wide part of the field his friend.
If there was a blemish on the night, it was hard to find one. Early in the third quarter, Simmons fired a pass toward the right hashmarks for Lee that was tightly covered and probably should have been intercepted.
Lee took a pretty hard hit trying to make a play on it. Outside of that, there wasn’t much to nitpick.
Missouri’s offense still has issues elsewhere, especially with run-blocking and a tailback room that is getting thinner. But the quarterback spot? That looks settled.
Simmons made every big throw he had to make, and he did it against a Power Conference opponent instead of an overmatched one. The arm talent is obvious.
The accuracy was there too. And the connection with Missouri’s top two receivers already looks real.
So far, so good in the Simmons era.
In Other News...
Eli Drinkwitz Took Missouris Border War Win To Another Level Online
Missouris Border War win over Kansas already carried the usual rivalry weight, but Eli Drinkwitz made sure the celebration did not stop when the game did. After the Tigers 38-21 victory, the Missouri coach jumped onto social media and started responding to Kansas players and fans, turning a Saturday win into a much longer night online.
Drinkwitz replied to posts tied to the rivalry, including a Kansas hype video and clips of goalpost celebrations, and he leaned into the back-and-forth in a way that fit the moment. Missouri has now won consecutive games since the series resumed, and with no meeting scheduled again until 2031, the online noise may be the loudest part of this Border War for a while. [Read more 🡒]
Missouris Border War Win Revealed A New Offensive Pecking Order
Missouris Border War win over Kansas did more than improve the record in Week 2. It also offered a clearer look at how the offense is being organized early in the season, with a tighter rotation than the opener and a few players beginning to separate themselves in meaningful ways. Quarterback Austin Simmons was at the center of it, posting a 90.2 Pro Football Focus grade over 69 snaps, while the backfield and receiver usage pointed to a more defined pecking order than the Tigers showed a week earlier.
Jamal Roberts was heavily involved as Missouri leaned on him in both the run game and overall workload, and the line gave Simmons enough protection to keep the offense on schedule. The pass blocking stood out in particular, with Luke Work drawing strong marks, and the Tigers still spread the ball around enough to use seven receivers. The question now is how much of that Week 2 distribution was a product of the matchup, and how much of it signals the way this offense wants to run going forward. [Read more 🡒]
Cayden Green Made Missouris Kansas Win Mean Even More
Missouris win over Kansas had plenty of obvious stars, but Cayden Greens role gave the night a little extra weight. Coach Eli Drinkwitz handed out game balls after the 38-21 victory, and Green was among the players recognized alongside receiver Cayden Lee and linebacker Robert Woodyard Jr., a nod to how much the left tackle mattered in keeping the offense on track.
Greens presence was especially notable because his return came sooner than many around the program had expected, adding another layer to a rivalry win that already carried plenty of meaning. With Austin Simmons and Jamal Roberts also turning in strong performances, Missouri left the field with a result that stood on its own, but Greens contribution made the celebration feel even fuller. [Read more 🡒]