Missouri gets one more non-conference game before the Southeastern Conference’s new nine-game schedule kicks in, and Troy is the team standing in the way Saturday night in Columbia.
The Tigers are back home for the final non-league game of the 12-game season, and the setup is a little different this time around. Last weekend’s Border War was the biggest spectacle since the rivalry was renewed, but now Mizzou turns its attention back to business ahead of what figures to be a demanding SEC slate.
Troy arrives undefeated, having opened the season with wins over Sam Houston State, 24-21, and FCS HBCU Alabama State, 34-17. The Trojans are 2-0 for the first time since 2013 under third-year head coach Gerad Parker, but this trip to Columbia is easily their biggest test so far.
It also marks Troy’s first road game of the year, and the atmosphere waiting for the Trojans should be a loud one. Missouri will be celebrating the 100th anniversary of Memorial Stadium in front of a sold-out crowd, and the Tigers’ 1960 national championship team will be honored before kickoff.
On offense, Troy wants to lean on the ground game. Juniors Jaheim Merriweather and Gavin Griffin have been the main drivers so far, with Merriweather putting up 127 yards and three touchdowns against Alabama State and Griffin totaling 137 rushing yards in two games.
The Trojans work mostly from shotgun and use 12-personnel, and at times 13-personnel, with one running back and three tight ends. Some of those looks are similar to what Missouri uses, which should make scouting a little more familiar for the Tigers.
The passing game is built around what Troy does on the ground. Sixth-year quarterback Goose Crowder has started the past two seasons as the No. 1 option, though injuries have cut into his time at the top.
Across his three years at Troy, he has thrown for 2,329 yards, 21 touchdowns and five interceptions while completing 60% of his passes. This season, he has 366 passing yards and four touchdowns through two games.
Crowder’s top target is TK Keyes, a redshirt sophomore who has 167 yards and two touchdowns on seven catches this season. Troy’s passing production has been limited, with the Trojans ranking 104th out of 138 FBS teams in passing yards per game.
Defensively, though, Troy does have pieces that can make life uncomfortable. Preseason Defensive Player of the Year Donnie Smith leads the front with two sacks, 2.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble. The 6-foot-4, 243-pound senior edge rusher is the kind of physical presence that can keep an offensive line busy all night.
Senior linebacker Keno Jones has also been a key piece, leading the Trojans in tackles and tackles for loss after transferring from Division II Barton College. As a unit, Troy has allowed 220 yards per game, which ranks 88th nationally, and the Trojans will need that group to hold up against Missouri’s efficient passing attack if they want to hang around.
In Other News...
Missouri May Have Found The Pass Rusher It Desperately Needed
Missouris defense got a welcome jolt in the Border War, and it came from a player who is still just scratching the surface of what he can become. Defensive end Daeden Hopkins was named Co-SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week after he spent the game harassing Kansas quarterback Isaiah Marshall, finishing with eight pressures in the matchup. For a Missouri front that has been searching for more consistent disruption, Hopkins performance stood out as the kind of edge presence that can change how an offense has to play.
Hopkins, a 19-year-old underclassman, has already piled up 12 pressures this season and sits among the nations top players in that category. Eli Drinkwitz has pointed to the work ethic and development behind the jump, noting that Hopkins has added weight while also becoming more reliable against the run. The bigger question now is whether this was a breakout night or the start of Missouri finally having the pass rusher it has been trying to find. [Read more 🡒]
Mizzou Wrestling Schedule Sets Up A Season Tigers Fans Will Track Closely
Mizzou wrestlings 2026-27 schedule is now on the books, and it gives fans a clear early look at a season that should keep interest high from start to finish. The Tigers will have seven home events on the calendar, along with a slate of road tournaments that includes stops at the Keystone Classic and the National Duals Invitational, before the Big 12 Championship arrives late in the year. The season is set to begin with the Missouri Duals on Nov. 2, giving the program an immediate chance to set the tone in front of its home crowd.
The biggest date on the wrestling calendar, though, comes in March 2027, when the NCAA Championships will be hosted by the University of Missouri in St. Louis. For a program like Mizzou, that kind of spotlight adds another layer to a schedule already built around familiar in-state interest and high-level competition. By the time the postseason rolls around, Tigers fans will have had plenty of chances to track how this group handles the grind, and whether the long run toward St. Louis looks as promising as the schedule suggests. [Read more 🡒]
Drinkwitz Knows Mizzou Has Two Problems That Could Get Exposed Fast
Missouris loss to Kansas in the 122nd Border War came with a pair of glaring issues that were hard to ignore, and they were the kind that can snowball quickly once SEC play starts to tighten the screws. Special teams had a rough day, and the secondary was uneven enough in coverage to leave head coach Eliah Drinkwitz with more than one area to clean up after a rivalry game that exposed some familiar stress points.
Drinkwitz said he took responsibility for the problems and noted that changes have already been made to address them, which matters because the schedule ahead will not offer much room to breathe. Missouri has to get sharper in a hurry, especially with cornerback play still searching for consistency and the margins getting thinner against tougher opponents. [Read more 🡒]