Mizzou heads into Friday’s Border War with a few important injury notes and a little momentum after its season-opening win.
The Tigers, now ranked No. 23 after jumping two spots in both polls, rolled past Arkansas Pine-Bluff 54-14 to open the year. The bigger development for Missouri, though, is on the offensive line: Cayden Green is now fully expected to return, according to On3’s Pete Nakos. That’s a significant boost after Jack Lange and Whit Hafer filled in against UAPB.
Green’s status had been a point of focus earlier in the week, and Colin Simmons reported from Eli Drinkwitz’s Tuesday press conference that Green took part in “for roughly three-quarters of Tuesday’s practice.”
Kansas has its own injury uncertainty to monitor. Starting linebacker Daveon Couch is doubtful, while wide receiver Cam Pickett will be a game-time decision.
The matchup also comes with a little extra intrigue from the way Drinkwitz tends to handle these spots. Nate Edwards pointed to a few numbers in his Kansas preview - Drinkwitz’s 10-17 road record, his 11-3 mark against rivals, his 19-11 record in one-score games, and his 4-1 record in games that kick off at 7p central. He also noted Drinkwitz’s 3-2 record in Friday games and 15-5 record in September.
Elsewhere around Mizzou, there’s more movement on the recruiting front. Seiko Mallon is the newest addition to Missouri gymnastics’ 2027 class.
A three-star recruit, Mallon also qualified twice for the DP Nationals. Before committing to the Tigers, she took official visits to Pitt on May 28 and West Virginia on June 21.
Her recent results include a strong Region 7 Championships in April, where she won beam with a 9.700 and finished third on floor with a 9.650. In March, she won both beam at the Pennsylvania Level 9/10 State Championships with a 9.525 and floor with a 9.600.
On the tennis side, Missouri is heading into a fall that should tell us plenty about Robin Goodman’s first season as head coach. The program is entering a new era after Bianca Turati left for Texas, and there’s major turnover across both the roster and staff.
The Tigers will have 15 home conference games in Columbia, with Kentucky, Alabama, Oklahoma, LSU and Florida among the visitors. Road tests include Mississippi State, Auburn, Arkansas, Ole Miss and South Carolina.
Baseball’s SEC slate is shaping up to be just as demanding. Mizzou will see Kentucky, Alabama, Oklahoma, LSU and Florida at home, while Mississippi State, Auburn, Arkansas, Ole Miss and South Carolina await on the road. It’s a tough year ahead for Kerrick Jackson.
And after a second week that’s technically still Week 1, the betting picture remains even for now. Best Bets sit at 2-4, while the overall picks are 6-6. The goal this week is simple: shake off the early-season wobble and start hitting with a squad of road favorites to cover.
Missouri volleyball also gave itself something to build on, even in a 3-1 loss to No. 5 Louisville. Dawn Sullivan’s team stole a set from the Cardinals, a sign that the Tigers have enough depth and firepower to make some noise this season.
In Other News...
Mizzou Returns To Kansas With A Border War Streak Under Pressure
The Border War has always carried more weight than an ordinary rivalry, and this trip to Lawrence brings a reminder of how deep the history runs between Missouri and Kansas. The matchup reaches back to the violent clashes of the 1850s and early 1860s, long before the football series began in 1890, and now the two schools are set to meet for the 122nd time. For Missouri, it is also the first visit to Lawrence since 2005, which adds a layer of novelty to a rivalry that already has plenty of baggage.
Missouri enters with the edge in the series and a four-game winning streak, but the Tigers recent success has not carried over to this venue. Missouri has not won in Lawrence since 2001, and that history hangs over a game that means more than just another nonconference date. Even with the Tigers holding the better overall record in the rivalry, this return to Kansas brings pressure that comes from both the past and the setting. [Read more 🡒]
Missouri Just Got A Week 2 Rivalry Call Fans Will Hate
Week 2 always has a way of sharpening the nerves, and Missouri is already part of one of the more intriguing discussions in the early-season upset forecast. The roundup leans on recent performances, coaching changes and player evaluations to sort through the matchups that could tilt, with several familiar names getting a close look as potential roadblocks in a college football slate that rarely goes exactly to script.
For Missouri fans, the uneasy part is where the conversation lands in the Border War frame, with a neighboring rival showing up as a live upset candidate in the same kind of speculative projection that also includes Michigan, Memphis and Iowa State. It is not a result, just a read on what could happen, but those are the kinds of calls that tend to linger because they turn a routine September week into a test of confidence before anyone has even taken the field. [Read more 🡒]
Missouri Faces A Border Showdown Twist That Could Decide Everything
The Border Showdown is set to return soon, giving Missouri and Kansas another shot at one of college footballs old regional rivalries, and this one arrives with plenty of uncertainty baked in. It will be the second meeting since Missouri joined the SEC, and it comes in Lawrence at a stadium still working through renovations, which only adds to the odd feel around a game that already carries more edge than most nonconference matchups.
Missouri is still sorting through its backfield situation, while Kansas has injury questions of its own heading into a game that could hinge on how two inexperienced quarterbacks handle the pressure. Isaiah Marshall and Austin Simmons are both being asked to step into a spotlight that can turn quickly in a rivalry like this, and the availability of key playmakers on each side may end up shaping which team has the cleaner path when the hits start coming. [Read more 🡒]