Mizzou running back Cody Schrader breaks free for a long run, while Arkansas’ Hudson Clark tries to stop him during Friday’s SEC football game at Walton Stadium. (Photo: Thomas Grove)

NCAA Football1st2nd3rd4thFinal
#9 Missouri (10-2, 6-2)101021748
Arkansas (4-8, 1-7)0001414

Cedric Williams
Senior Editor

FAYETTEVILLE, AR — The University of Missouri football team closed out its 2023 regular season with a beatdown win over hapless Arkansas on Saturday.

The Tigers went into the Razorbacks’ home and flat out pummeled the hosts for a 48-14 victory that allowed Missouri to earn its 10th win of the season and give the program its first 10-win season since 2014.

The game even featured a pair of first-half brawls, where many punches were thrown and several players were ejected from the game.

“We were here to play football and they were here to fight,” Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz said, following the game. “I’ll have to watch the tape. I’m disappointed that we had somebody ejected from the football game because that’s not what this team is. But we ran to the fight tonight. We showed up ready to win.”

Even with the pushes, punches, and ejections, Missouri showed it was clearly the better team, as it dominated Arkansas from start-to-finish for a victory that will likely earn the Tigers a spot on one of the New Year’s Six bowl games. The bowl game selections won’t become official until after next Saturday’s conference championship games and they won’t be announced publicly until next Sunday.

But with a 10-2 overall record, a 6-2 mark in the SEC, and three wins this season over ranked opponents, Mizzou certainly looks like a team that should be playing in the best of the best bowl games.

“We’re excited about our team and the possibilities,” Mizzou running back Cody Schrader said. “It’s what we’re meant to do and I think this team is meant to play on big stages. I think we proved that all year and nothing’s going to change no matter what bowl game we go to.”

Schrader played a key part in Missouri thrashing Arkansas for its seventh win over the Razorbacks in the teams’ last eight matchups, which have now been labeled the Battle Line Rivalry.

The senior from St. Louis rushed for 217 yards on 27 carries and scored a touchdown. He also helped set up quarterback Brady Cook’s three-yard touchdown run that gave the Tigers a 17-0 lead late in the first half.

Kicker Harrison Mevis, who had already made one field goal, added another just before halftime to send Mizzou into the break ahead 20-0.

The key stretch in the game though, came early in the third quarter, when Missouri’s defense forced two turnovers and the offense scored two quick touchdowns to make the score 34-0 before most in the stands had even come back to their seats after hitting the halftime concession stands.

Junior safety JC Carlies sacked Arkansas quarterback Jacolby Criswell and linebacker Triston Newson recovered the ball at Arkansas’ 38-yard line. A few players later, Cook found freshman tight end Brett Norfleet for a 16-yard touchdown for the first score.

Then, after Arkansas’ Isaiah Sategna fumbled the ensuing kickoff, which was recovered by Mizzou freshman Jamal Roberts, Cook and Norfleet hooked up again for an 11-yard touchdown that made the score 34-0.

In all, Missouri’s defense forced five fumbles and recovered four of them on its way to the blowout win. One of those fumbles was scooped up by senior defensive lineman Jay Jernigan, who returned it 10 yards for a touchdown that made the score 41-0 Mizzou.

“What a performance tonight by the defense. I thought they played unbelievable. Coach Baker continues to be one of the best in the country,” Drinkwitz said. “Forcing turnovers and limiting them to the really a lot of trash yards at the end of the fourth quarter.”

Newson, a junior college All-American last year at Northeast Mississippi Community College, who was making just his second start at Mizzou, had a huge night with a game-high 15 tackles.

“You really can’t say enough about his performance,” Drinkwitz said. “He didn’t have his best game last week and he didn’t pout, coaches didn’t panic. We just coached harder and he got in there and believed in his teammates and coaches and his teammates and coaches believed in him.”

To go along with the five takeaways, the defense tallied four sacks and 12 tackles for loss, while holding Arkansas to 234 total yards — most of which it got in the fourth quarter when Mizzou was playing second- and third-stringers.

Eight different Tigers had at least 0.5 tackles for loss, 14 had multiple tackles, four had forced fumbles, and four had sacks.

It was a major bounce back for a unit that had one of its roughest nights of the season last week against Florida. The Tigers won the game, but the Gators had them guessing — and often guessing wrong — all night long.

But now, Mizzou is 10-2 and waiting to hear where it will be headed for bowl season.

The likely choices are the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, the Fiesta Bowl in Phoenix, or the Peach Bowl in Atlanta. The Orange Bowl in Miami is also a possibility, but not likely considering teams like Ohio State, Texas, Alabama, and Georgia could be available as well.

SCORING SUMMARY

QtrTimeScoring PlayMIZARK
1st09:12MIZ – Schrader,Cody 2 yd run (Mevis,Harrison kick), 7 plays, 54 yards, TOP 03:2970
1st04:45MIZ – Mevis,Harrison 24 yd field goal 10 plays, 41 yards, TOP 04:14100
2nd05:35MIZ – Cook,Brady 3 yd run (Mevis,Harrison kick), 6 plays, 71 yards, TOP 02:56170
2nd00:49MIZ – Mevis,Harrison 22 yd field goal 7 plays, 69 yards, TOP 03:26200
3rd11:43MIZ – Norfleet,Brett 16 yd pass from Cook,Brady (Mevis,Harrison kick) 5 plays, 38 yards, TOP 02:26270
3rd11:32MIZ – Norfleet,Brett 11 yd pass from Cook,Brady (Mevis,Harrison kick) 1 plays, 11 yards, TOP 00:06340
3rd05:06MIZ – Jernigan,Jayden 10 yd fumble recovery (Mevis,Harrison kick)410
4th11:35ARK – Armstrong,Andrew 8 yd pass from Criswell,Jacolby (Little,Cam kick) 15 plays, 75 yards, TOP 08:31417
4th05:48ARK – Augustave,Isaiah 6 yd run (Little,Cam kick), 8 plays, 70 yards, TOP 04:184114
4th02:37MIZ – Peat,Nathaniel 1 yd run (Mevis,Harrison kick), 6 plays, 26 yards, TOP 03:074814

2023 Missouri Tigers Football Remaining Schedule

DateGametimeAtOpponentLocationTV
TBATBANeutralBowl GameTBATBA