A pregame video from Kansas has taken an already fierce Border War and turned it into a national talking point.
The Jayhawks posted the clip Thursday afternoon ahead of Friday night’s meeting with No. 23 Missouri in Lawrence, Kan., and by Friday morning it had exploded to more than 16 million views on X and 11,000 on Instagram.
The video looks back across the previous 121 matchups between Kansas and Missouri, but it also goes much farther than game highlights. It leans into the Civil War-era origins of the rivalry and the deep hostility between the two states.
For the first time in 21 years, Missouri is coming to David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. The rivalry returned in 2025 after a 14-year break, a gap created when Missouri left the Big 12 for the SEC.
Titled “HEROES AND VILLAINS,” the video is narrated by former Kansas defensive lineman Gilbert Brown. He sets the tone immediately with a hard-edged message:
“Love doesn’t exist here,” Brown said. “Neither does mercy.
This rivalry is different. ‘Cause it’s built on something much deeper than just school pride.
It’s fueled by hatred, passed down through generations. Our roots reach back to the Civil War, when blood was spilled over what you believed in, and which side you stood on.”
The video traces that history through the conflict that surrounded Kansas statehood. Before the Civil War, the question of whether Kansas would enter the Union as a slave state became a flashpoint. In neighboring Missouri, a slave state at the time, the struggle spilled into violent guerrilla fighting.
Those clashes also helped shape the schools’ identities. Supporters of the free state cause became known as Jayhawkers. The Tigers nickname came from a small militia that protected Columbia, Mo., against both Union and Confederate forces.
Brown’s narration runs over old newspaper headlines from the 1850s and images of abolitionist John Brown and Confederate guerrilla advocate William Quantrill. Quantrill led the raid on Lawrence that killed more than 150 people and left much of the town in ruins.
“There are heroes and villains,” Brown continued. “Only allegiance decides their legacy.
There’s right and wrong. There’s Kansas and Missouri.”
In Other News...
Kansas Leans Into Border War Tension With Provocative Missouri Message
With No. 23 Missouri headed into a rivalry matchup with Kansas, the old Border War is once again carrying the kind of edge that goes well beyond the standings. The game traces back to 1891, and the surrounding history still gives the meeting a sharper tone than most nonconference dates, with the two states' Civil War-era tensions lingering over a rivalry that has never really needed much extra fuel.
Kansas tried to add some with a Civil War-themed hype video narrated by former player Gilbert Brown, leaning directly into the conflict that has long shadowed this series. The matchup has always been tied to the bitter history between Missouri and Kansas, including the Lawrence Massacre and William Quantrill, so the Jayhawks' message was hardly subtle. For Missouri, it is the kind of promotional jab that can make the lead-up feel just as charged as the game itself. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Faces One Big Border War Test Against Missouri
Kansas and Missouri are about to meet again in football for the second time in two years, and the setup carries the sort of edge that still makes the Border War feel bigger than a normal nonconference game. Missouri goes in as a touchdown favorite, with the game set for Kansas Memorial Stadium and plenty of attention on how each side matches up, from key player availability to the areas where one team might have the upper hand.
For Missouri, the interest goes beyond the line on the board. Rivalry games tend to come down to execution and composure, and this one has the added twist of familiar opponents, fresh analysis and a chance to make a statement on the road. The predictions point to a close, meaningful test, but the real intrigue is whether Missouri can handle the setting and the pressure of a game that still matters a great deal on both sides of the border. [Read more 🡒]
Missouris Border War Plan Just Changed In A Big Way
Missouris prep for the Border War took a sharp turn this week, with the Tigers set to take on Kansas on Sept. 11 without two running backs who were part of the game plan. Ahmad Hardy remains out while he continues recovering from a gunshot wound and still has not met the practice requirements to return, and Malae Fonoti is done for the season after suffering an ACL tear. For a game with as much history and emotion attached to it as Missouri-Kansas, the depth chart is already looking different than it did when the matchup was first circled.
There is at least one encouraging development on the offensive line, though. Left tackle Cayden Green is expected back in the starting lineup after missing the season opener because of injury, which should help stabilize the front as Missouri adjusts to the absence in the backfield. Even so, the Tigers now have to sort out how they want to attack a Kansas defense with a thinner rotation behind the line of scrimmage than they had hoped for. [Read more 🡒]