Mizzou spent the middle of Saturday’s game looking like the better team, and still walked away with a 31-24 loss to Mississippi State because the first and last chapters belonged to the Bulldogs.
That was the cruel shape of it for the Tigers: a rough opening, a strong response, then a quiet finish that wiped out all the good work in between. Mississippi State jumped out to a 14-0 lead, Mizzou answered with a 24-3 run across the second and third quarters, and then the Tigers were held scoreless in the fourth.
“We had plays to win the game in the fourth quarter, and we didn’t,” head coach Eli Drinkwitz said. “We had opportunities in the first quarter, but didn’t play particularly well or cleanly.”
Mississippi State made Mizzou pay early. Kamario Taylor kept finding space downfield, and the first big strike came on a 43-yard touchdown to Sanfrisco Magee to open the game. By the end of the first quarter, Taylor had gone 6-for-8 for 94 yards and two touchdowns, and the Bulldogs were in control at 14-0.
Mizzou did little to help itself in those opening minutes. The Tigers got into Bulldog territory on their first possession, only to turn the ball over on downs when Austin Simmons couldn’t get away from pressure. Later, Blake Craig pushed a 52-yard field-goal attempt wide left.
Then the game flipped.
Mizzou started leaning on the run in the second quarter, feeding Jamal Roberts and Xai’Shaun Edwards on every snap of one drive. That march produced 31 yards, and a Mississippi State personal foul tacked on 15 more. Craig finished it with a 35-yard field goal to get the Tigers on the board.
The defense followed with a jolt of its own. Trajen Greco picked off Taylor and handed Mizzou the ball at the Bulldog 27, and Simmons cashed in with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Donovan Olugbode.
Not long after that, Daeden Hopkins got his second sack of the night to help keep Mississippi State from extending its lead before halftime. The sophomore ended up with 3.5 sacks.
By halftime, Mizzou had pulled within 14-10.
The Tigers carried that energy into the third quarter. DaMarion Fowlkes set things up with a kickoff return to the Mississippi State 43, and Simmons quickly hit Cayden Lee on a screen. Lee made a defender miss and sprinted 21 yards for the touchdown that gave Mizzou its first lead.
Simmons and Lee kept working together after that. Lee caught a 23-yard crosser, then later hauled in a 28-yard touchdown down the right sideline with a little more than three minutes left in the quarter. Through three periods, Lee had seven catches for 93 yards and two touchdowns, while Simmons was 18 of 27 for 223 yards and three scores.
Mizzou carried a 24-17 lead into the fourth quarter, but the finish never matched the surge.
The Tigers opened the final period with four rushing plays on their first five snaps before punting. Mississippi State answered with a long, methodical 14-play, 73-yard drive that ate nearly six minutes and ended with Fluff Bothwell’s 4-yard touchdown run to tie it.
“We’ve got to come together more. We obviously had our opportunities… but we’ve got to capitalize on them,” Hopkins said.
The Bulldogs went back on top soon after. Anthony Evans III ripped off a 55-yard catch, and two plays later Taylor found Magee for a 24-yard touchdown that made it 31-24. Mississippi State’s tempo kept Mizzou’s defense off balance.
Even then, the Tigers still had chances.
Simmons connected with Lee for a 37-yard gain on the next possession, and Mizzou moved 55 yards on eight plays to the red zone. But with 80 seconds left and three timeouts still available, the Tigers came up empty on fourth down.
The defense gave them one last opening by forcing a three-and-out. Mizzou took over at its own 47 with 51 seconds remaining and no timeouts, pushed the ball past midfield, and had to settle for a hail mary. Simmons was pressured on a three-man rush and couldn’t find anyone on the final throw.
The split tells the whole story. Mizzou outscored Mississippi State 24-3 in the second and third quarters, but was outscored 28-0 in the first and fourth.
In Other News...
Mizzou's Pass Rush Suddenly Looks Like A Major Florida Concern
Missouris defensive front took on a different look last week, and now the Tigers have to wait to see whether it changes again before Florida comes to Columbia on Saturday. Eli Drinkwitz said starting edge rushers Darris Smith and Langden Kitchen are questionable for homecoming, with Smith dealing with a lower-leg injury from a previous game and Kitchen leaving early last time out because of a lower-body issue. In their absence, sophomore Daeden Hopkins has handled more of the edge-rushing load, giving Missouri at least one answer if the depth chart stays in flux.
The timing matters because this is the sort of spot where the Tigers usually need their pass rush at full strength, especially at Memorial Stadium against an SEC opponent that will spend the week preparing for pressure off the edge. Missouri now has a short runway to get healthy, and the next practice stretch will go a long way toward clarifying how much of that original rotation is available when Florida arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Mizzou Fans Are Debating Eli Drinkwitzs Biggest Late-Game Decision
Late in Missouris loss at Mississippi State, a spot on fourth-and-1 became the kind of call that lingers long after the final whistle. The Bulldogs were given the first down, and Eli Drinkwitz let the play stand after hearing it had already been cleared in the booth, choosing to preserve his timeouts instead of throwing the flag.
The decision became a flash point because the sequence soon swung the game for good, with Mississippi State tying things at 24-24 before pulling away for a 31-24 win. For Missouri, it was a frustrating SEC opener that dropped the Tigers to 3-1 overall and left fans wondering whether the late-game gamble should have gone the other way. [Read more 🡒]
Mizzou Suddenly Has No Margin For Error Against Florida
Eli Drinkwitz spent the days after Missouris first loss of the season talking through the kinds of issues that can quietly flip a game before it ever settles in. The slow start at Mississippi State, the missed chances and the tackling problems all came up as the Tigers turned the page toward Florida, with Drinkwitz stressing that one setback does not define the season. He also pointed to the value of special teams and the way some younger defensive pieces have started to emerge, both of which have helped Missouri stay afloat even when the offense has been behind the curve.
Now the focus shifts to a Florida matchup that feels less forgiving by the day, because the margin for error has tightened in a hurry. Missouri still has areas it can lean on, but there are also personnel questions hanging over the week and a depth chart that will be worth watching right up to kickoff. For a team trying to steady itself after its first stumble, the next step is less about style points than surviving the kind of game that can turn on one or two small decisions. [Read more 🡒]