The Wednesday night injury report brought a little clarity, but not a full picture, for No. 25 Mizzou’s Homecoming matchup with No. 8 Florida.
On Missouri’s side, there were no surprises among the players ruled out. The names to watch are edge rushers Langden Kitchen and Darris Smith, along with linebacker Bobby Washington Jr., all of whom were listed as questionable.
Florida’s report has its own potential wrinkle. Leading receiver Vernel Brown III and the Gators’ top third receiver Bailey Stockton are both questionable, and that could have an impact on quarterback Aaron Philo’s passing game.
Earlier in the week, Eli Drinkwitz said both Smith and Kitchen would be questionable, which is less than ideal for a Mizzou defense that’s preparing for Florida’s running game.
The Tigers enter the weekend at 3-1, but the road ahead is brutal. With an SEC schedule that leaves little margin for error, Missouri’s path to six wins is getting tighter by the week. Three games now stand out as effectively must-wins: at Arkansas, Kentucky at home, and at least one of the two home matchups against Texas A&M and Oklahoma.
Drinkwitz’s group has already shown it can be tough to put away, especially at home. He’s 35-9 in Columbia, 6-6 in games that kick off at 2:30 p.m., and 2-2 against Florida.
Missouri may be flawed, but it keeps finding ways to stay in games. Saturday will be another test of whether that trend holds.
The bigger picture for the Tigers isn’t just this week, either. The schedule offers chances to build momentum, but it also stacks games in tight clusters, making how Missouri responds after difficult stretches just as important as what it does when things are rolling.
That kind of stretch is what Mizzou Tennis is stepping into under first-year head coach Robin Goodman.
On the basketball front, Missouri’s non-conference slate includes a November 15 meeting with Marquette in Chicago. The Golden Eagles are projected 29th in the early BartTorvik.com rankings, and they’re expected to be back in the NCAA Tournament mix after a down year. At their best, they look like a team capable of challenging for a Big East title.
It should be a strong early test for the Tigers.
In Other News...
Missouri Gets An Early Read On Key Defensive Help Vs Florida
Missouri got its first injury snapshot ahead of Homecoming against Florida, and the initial SEC availability report immediately put some focus on the defensive front. The Tigers listed eight players in varying statuses, with EDGE Darris Smith and DE Langden Kitchen both tagged questionable as they work back from ailments that affected their availability last week.
Smith sat out the previous game with an ankle injury, while Kitchen left early with a lower-body injury, leaving Missouri to monitor two important pieces as the Florida matchup approaches. The Gators own report was lighter, with two questionable wideouts in Vernell Brown III and Bailey Stockton, but for Missouri the bigger question is how much of its defensive line rotation it can count on when the conference deadline forces the first public update before kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
Florida's Breakout Season Faces A Huge Test At Missouri
Floridas visit to Columbia arrives with both teams trying to sort out what kind of October run they can make, and college football analyst Greg McElroy sees the matchup tilting toward the visitors. He pointed to Floridas running game as the most reliable edge in the game, with Jadan Baugh powering a ground attack that has helped shape the Gators breakout start.
Missouri, meanwhile, is being pressed by issues that have shown up in the margins, especially in finishing drives and keeping opponents from turning limited chances into points. The Tigers also face a Florida team whose defensive tendencies could create a tougher day for Missouris passing game, which makes the October 3 meeting feel like more than just another conference game for a team trying to keep its league standing from slipping. [Read more 🡒]
Mizzou's Pass Rush Faces Its Biggest Florida Test Yet
Missouris pass rush has been one of the defining pieces of its defense through four games in 2026, with sophomore Daeden Hopkins emerging as a disruptive force and ranking among the nations leaders in pressures and sacks. That front has helped set the tone early, but Florida brings a very different kind of test into view this week, thanks to an offensive line that has given up the fewest sacks in the SEC so far this season.
The Tigers also have some uncertainty on the edge as they prepare for the matchup, which adds another layer to a challenge that already figures to lean on depth as much as star power. If Missouri needs more help up front, Jaden Jones and Kamauryn Morgan are among the players expected to be asked to carry a bigger load, and how that rotation holds up could go a long way toward determining whether the pass rush keeps its edge. [Read more 🡒]