Former Missouri standouts are making noise all over the NFL, and a handful of them turned in big performances this week.
Luther Burden III kept carving out a bigger role in Chicago’s offense. With Caleb Williams back on the field, Burden led the Bears’ receivers with eight catches for 95 yards in their 31-23 win.
There was also a Missouri-on-Missouri matchup up front when Baltimore visited Cleveland. Isaiah McGuire’s Browns beat Zion Young’s Ravens 13-10, and McGuire showed up with a sack and four total tackles. Young finished with three tackles.
On the defensive side, Akayleb Evans added three tackles as Carolina held the banged-up Eagles to 14 points in a 25-14 win.
Josiah Trotter did plenty in Tampa Bay’s 26-19 loss to the Steelers. The Bucs came up short, but Trotter led the team with 12 total tackles and added a pass breakup.
Darius Robinson had his fingerprints on Arizona’s 18-16 win over the Rams, even without showing up in the tackle column. He hit Stafford twice during the game.
Nick Bolton was everywhere for Kansas City in a 22-6 win over the Chargers. He led the Chiefs with 11 tackles as they improved to 5-0.
And on Thursday night, Kris Abrams-Draine came through in a big way for Denver. In the Broncos’ 17-14 win over Seattle, he sealed the game with an interception, added three pass breakups and finished with six tackles. Tyler Badie also got involved, taking one carry for six yards.
Back on the Mizzou side of things, the weekend brought a familiar frustration in the Ole Miss game. Sam pointed out that the better quarterback won on Saturday, even though Simmons threw for more yardage.
He never quite found the end zone, and his timing was off throughout the day. Those same throws he’s made this season went wide left, wide right, just past the fingertips of an open receiver, or, for the first time, into the hands of the defense.
The two former teammates each completed passes in the mid-50s, Ole Miss went 9 of 14 on third down with six of those coming through the air, and Missouri converted 6 of 17 third downs, all through the air. Austin Simmons is on his way, but he’s not quite there yet.
Matthew also dug into Missouri’s unforced errors against Ole Miss, including a quote from Eli Drinkwitz: “I think everybody was off today, and I didn’t see it coming. But, I mean, it’s just obvious we were off,” Head Coach Eli Drinkwitz said.
“We had a couple of deep balls that were just kind of close, but weren’t there for whatever reason. That’s on me to figure out those inches that we need in order to be successful.”
The loss clearly snowballed after a shaky start.
There was better news elsewhere for Missouri teams. Mizzou men’s golf is finishing out the fall season against eight other Division I teams, including two ranked above the Tigers.
Texas A&M checks in at No. 28 and Michigan at No. 54, while Missouri sits at No. 56.
Arizona and Rice are not far behind at No. 71 and No. 75.
And yes, the weather has been perfect for being out on the greens this week.
Mizzou volleyball kept rolling with a dominant win over Alabama. Sullivan called it “one heck of a match,” praising the players for showing up, competing, staying composed and serving with force. It was Missouri’s third straight win, and it came on Senior Day.
Mizzou soccer, though, had a tougher time finding a breakthrough against Georgia. The loss dropped the Tigers to 14th in the 16-team SEC standings with four conference points.
Texas A&M has one point, Ole Miss has zero, and LSU sits just ahead of Missouri with five. Vanderbilt leads the conference with 19 points, followed by Alabama and South Carolina at 18.
Georgia moved to 6-4-5 overall and 2-2-3 in SEC play. Missouri now has two games left to avoid finishing at the bottom of the league.
And for those watching SEC football lines, Week 8 is shaping up with some odd numbers. Auburn is getting little respect after its win at Georgia, as the Tigers are 8.5-point favorites against Lane Kiffin’s LSU team. South Carolina is a one-score favorite over conference-leading Tennessee, and Texas - which is currently considering benching its two-year starter!! - is favored by 3.5 points over an Ole Miss team that just beat a ranked conference opponent by four touchdowns.
A few more shock victories would certainly make things interesting.
In Other News...
Missouri Found A Few Bright Spots In A Loss Fans Hated
The Missouri Tigers had little to feel good about in a 31-3 loss to Ole Miss, a result that dropped them to 5-2 overall and 2-2 in SEC play. The offense never really found its footing, finishing with just 39 rushing yards and sputtering after an early field goal, which made the final margin feel even heavier for a fan base already unhappy with the performance.
Still, the game was not empty of positives for Missouri. Donovan Olugbode, Nicholas Rodriguez and Jude James each turned in notable individual efforts, including career-best or team-leading production that stood out on a night when almost nothing else did. For a team trying to regroup after a rough loss, those smaller signs of progress may matter as Missouri moves on to the next stretch of SEC play. [Read more 🡒]
Mizzou's SEC Opening Could Grow Again This Weekend
Mizzous SEC opening has already taken on extra weight, and the league standings around it keep shifting. The conference race is locked in a four-way tie at the top, with Tennessee, Georgia, Ole Miss and Kentucky all carrying at least one loss after recent upsets sent the picture spinning again. Tennessee fell to Texas, Georgia dropped to Auburn, Ole Miss lost to Florida and Kentucky was beaten by Alabama, leaving the top of the SEC crowded and the path to clarity anything but simple.
That matters for Missouri because the Tigers are still trying to gain ground in a league where every weekend can redraw the board. Week 8 brings another round of notable matchups, and the betting lines attached to those games only underline how little separation there is right now. For a Missouri team looking to make its own move, the opening stretch of SEC play could become even more valuable if the chaos ahead produces a few more favorable breaks. [Read more 🡒]
Mizzou Now Knows Its Next Arkansas Test After A Brutal Loss
Missouris next stop is now set after a rough weekend, and the Tigers will get a prime-time chance to regroup when they head to Fayetteville. The Week 9 matchup with Arkansas is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 31, at Razorback Stadium, with kickoff set for 6:45 p.m. CT on SEC Network.
It should be a useful measuring-stick game for a Missouri team ranked No. 22 and sitting at 5-2, especially with the Tigers carrying an edge in the all-time series and a run of recent wins over Arkansas. The Razorbacks enter at 3-4 under first-year coach Ryan Silverfield, which gives this one a different feel than some of the recent meetings, even if Missouri will still arrive with the more established track record in the matchup. [Read more 🡒]