Missouri’s perfect start gets its first real SEC stress test Saturday, when the Tigers travel to Starkville to face Mississippi State at Davis Wade Stadium.
The Tigers have rolled through the opening stretch at 3-0, stacking up three different kinds of wins along the way. They opened with a 54-14 blowout of Arkansas-Pine Bluff, then took down Kansas 38-21 in the latest Border War meeting, and most recently outlasted Troy 27-17.
That win over Troy came after Missouri fell behind 10-0, only to answer with 24 straight points. Austin Simmons finished 10 of 19 for 91 yards and a touchdown, Jamal Roberts ran for 128 yards and a score, and Donovan Olugbode also reached the end zone as the Tigers celebrated the 100th anniversary of Memorial Stadium.
Mississippi State is bringing its own momentum into the game. The Bulldogs are coming off a 41-34 win over South Carolina in their first SEC matchup of the season, a road victory built on a second-half comeback after they trailed 23-14 at the break. Kamario Taylor threw for 251 yards and four touchdowns on 18 completions in 26 attempts, and Fluff Bothwell added 115 rushing yards.
Through three games, Missouri’s top numbers belong to Simmons, who has thrown for 652 yards and eight touchdowns, while Olugbode leads the receiving production with 259 yards and four scores. On the other side, Bothwell has 280 rushing yards and two touchdowns, and Anthony Evans III has 294 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
For Missouri, Saturday is the toughest assignment yet and the start of conference play. The Tigers stay in the SEC next week with South Carolina on deck.
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Dennis Gates Just Gave Missouri Fans A Telling Offseason Look
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For Missouri right now, that means the early emphasis is on learning the details. Gates said the Tigers are in an install phase, working through the building blocks that tend to matter most once games start counting, from baseline out-of-bounds plays to halfcourt actions and press break work. It is the sort of offseason reveal that does not create headlines on its own, but it does show where Gates wants the attention to go: teaching, repetition and the kinds of fundamentals that can shape the season later. [Read more 🡒]