Border War week brings Missouri football back to Lawrence for the first time in 21 years, and the Tigers arrive with an early test that feels bigger than a typical September road game. Missouri, 1-0, will face Kansas, 1-0, on Friday night in the second meeting of the revived rivalry, with kickoff set for 7 p.m. CT at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.
For fans looking to track the basics, the game will air on FOX and will also stream live on FUBO.
The betting market has Missouri out front to start the week. At BetMGM, the Tigers opened as a 6.5-point road favorite, with the over/under set at 51.5 points.
The injury picture is still worth watching, especially with two preseason Mizzou All-Americans in question. Running back Ahmad Hardy is listed as doubtful, and Eli Drinkwitz has already said he wants to see two full weeks of practice from Hardy before he would consider playing him in a game.
It remains unclear whether Hardy has been a full participant since that comment. Left tackle Cayden Green, who sat out the opener against UAPB because of an undisclosed injury, also has no timeline attached to his return.
Drinkwitz’s weekly press conference Tuesday will be the first chance to get a clearer update on both players.
On the field, Missouri enters the matchup with the edge in talent and the expectation that it should handle business if the game plays out normally. The prediction here is Missouri 31, Kansas 14. Anything less, and the tone of the Tigers’ season changes fast.
There’s also the simple weight of the setting. Missouri’s last trip to Lawrence came in 2005, which means plenty of fans old enough to remember it are now well into adulthood. The next Border War game in the schedule isn’t until 2031 in Columbia, and Missouri’s last win in Lawrence came back in 2001.
One of the biggest reasons for optimism around Mizzou is quarterback Austin Simmons, who opened with a sharp debut against UAPB. In less than one half, he completed 17 of 19 passes for 252 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. The numbers jumped off the page, but this week asks something different: can he do it again in a hostile environment against a Power-conference defense and keep the momentum rolling against Missouri’s most familiar rival?
In Other News...
Missouri Faces A Rivalry Hurdle Fans Know All Too Well
Missouri heads into Friday night with a familiar kind of pressure attached to a rivalry game that has been a long time coming. The Tigers will be in Lawrence to face Kansas, and it is the first time in 25 years Missouri has had a chance to win a true road game there. The last time the Tigers did it was back in 2001, during Gary Pinkels first season, and these programs have not met in Lawrence since 2005.
The setting adds another layer to a rivalry that already carried a long break before it picked back up last season. Missouris departure from the Big 12 led to a 14-year pause in the series, so even the return of the matchup has felt like a reunion with unfinished business. Now the Tigers get another shot in one of the sports more familiar border battles, with the location alone making this one feel different from the first meeting after the hiatus. [Read more 🡒]
Mizzous Shot At No. 1 Nebraska Ended In A Frustrating Twist
Missouris volleyball showdown with No. 1 Nebraska in the unusual setting of Wrigley Field was shaping up to be one of those late-season spectacles that felt bigger than a regular nonconference match. Instead, dropping temperatures and rising humidity turned the floor slick enough to force repeated stoppages while crews tried to clean and reset the playing surface.
After nearly an hour of delays, the match was suspended and the teams were left with a frustrated wait for a make-up date. Both coaches said they want to find a future opening to finish what started in Chicago, leaving Missouri with the sting of an interrupted chance against the nations top team and no clear answer yet on when the rest will be played. [Read more 🡒]
Nebraskas Wrigley Showcase Just Turned Into A Strange Big Ten Problem
The Wrigley Field spotlight turned into an awkward early shutdown for Nebraska and Missouri, with their womens volleyball match halted just minutes into the first set after excessive moisture left the outdoor court unsafe. Coaches and staff tried to dry the surface, but officials ultimately chose player safety over continuing a showcase that had been built around the novelty of playing in a baseball stadium.
For Missouri, the bigger issue now is what comes next in a Big Ten scheduling wrinkle that has no easy fix. The league said the match cannot simply be rescheduled back at Wrigley, and a later decision will determine whether it gets finished at all and, if so, where that would happen. For a match that was supposed to be a one-of-a-kind event, the uncertainty is now the main storyline. [Read more 🡒]