Mizzou RB Jamal Roberts breaks free for an 80-yard touchdown in the Tigers’ win over Florida on Saturday. (Photo: Terrance Williams)
| NCAA Football | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #8 Florida (4-1, 2-1) | 3 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
| #25 Mizzou (4-1, 1-1) | 3 | 17 | 10 | 15 | 45 |
COLUMBIA, MO — Austin Simmons threw for 340 yards and two touchdowns, Jamal Roberts ran for 211 yards and three more scores, as the No. 25-ranked University of Missouri football team flattened No. 8 Florida, 45-17, Saturday afternoon in a Homecoming Day romp at Faurot Field.
The victory snapped Missouri’s nine-game losing streak against ranked opponents and will hopefully silence critics who questioned whether head coach Eli Drinkwitz’s program would ever get over the hump when facing top rated opponents.
“It’s a good win against a really good team today. That’s all it was,” said Drinkwitz, who seemed agitated during the post-game press conference after being asked three different times about his record against ranked opponents. “Nobody in our locker room could care less about that. I couldn’t care less about that. I really couldn’t care less. The SEC is a hard league, and yeah, I’m done with that.”
The questions about Mizzou’s program were the talk of the week before the game, after the Tigers crumbled in the fourth quarter and blew a fourth quarter lead against Mississippi State last week.
This week, Mizzou took control of the game early and never really let up.
The Tigers took their first lead when Simmons hit Donovan Olugbode for a 47-yard touchdown, early in the second quarter, to go ahead 10-3. Florida answered with a touchdown to tie, but the Tigers responded with a 31-yard touchdown strike from Simmons to Caleb Goodie and a 50-yard field goal on the final play of the half to go into the break ahead 20-10.
“It was big for us to finish the half strong,” Drinkwitz said. “Guys were pumped about that in the locker room at halftime, but we knew we needed to build on that and keep pressing. Florida’s a really good team. We knew we couldn’t be satisfied with just one good half.”
Mizzou’s Caleb Goodie and Brett Norfleet celebrate Goodie’s second quarter touchdown, which gave the Tigers the lead for good in Saturday’s upset win over No. 8 Florida. (Photo: Terrance Williams)
The second half belonged to Roberts and the Mizzou defense. The native St. Louisan, who starred at St. Mary’s High, scored all three of his touchdowns and 143 of his career-best 211 yards in the second half.
Roberts finished off Mizzou’s first drive of the second half, with a 5-yard touchdown run that put the Tigers up 27-10.
Later in the third quarter, after a Blake Craig field goal made the score 30-10, Roberts broke free for a 77-yard run, which set up a 1-yard score, on the first play of the fourth quarter, that gave Mizzou a 37-10 lead.
Roberts wasn’t done… because after the Mizzou defense forced a three-and-out to get the back back, Robert broke free again for an 80-yard touchdown run, which along with a two-point conversion, made the score 45-10.
“I just have to thank the guys up front for overpowering them and giving me room,” Roberts said. “It’s always fun when your line is just pushing the defense back and creating holes.”
Mizzou defenders Nicholas Rodriguez and Robert Woodyard, Jr. bring down Florida’s Jadan Baugh during a key play in Saturday’s NCAA football game at Faurot Field. (Photo: Terrance Williams)
Controlling the line of scrimmage was exactly what the Mizzou defense kept Florida from doing. The Gators came to town with the nation’s second-leading rusher, junior Jadan Baugh, and many expected he’d have a big day against Missouri, after its poor showing against Mississippi State’s power rushing attack last week.
But the Tigers held Baugh to 13 yards on 12 carries for the day. Baugh’s longest carry of the day was for 12 yards, which means on the other 11 carries, he managed a total of just one yard.
“Guys are allowed to improve,” Drinkwitz said. “Just so everybody in here is aware: Players, coaches, teams are all allowed to improve. A game doesn’t define the season. Nobody lost confidence in our team because we didn’t play our best, or because we didn’t have success. We put our big-boy pants on and went to work.”
“My biggest thing is, I believe in our team,” he continued. “I believe in our players and our coaches. We had setbacks, but everybody is allowed to get better and improve. What matters is the truth of what your coaches teach you and preach to you, and how much you believe in that. That’s what makes a good football team.”
Members of the Mizzou defense celebrate after making a key stop in Saturday’s upset win over No. 8 Florida. (Photo: Cedric Williams)
Mizzou is now 4-1 on the season and 1-1 in Southeastern Conference play. Florida suffered its first loss of the season and is also 4-1 on the year.
The Tigers will be back home for another tough matchup next Saturday, when they’ll host Texas A&M in a game the SEC announced will kick off at 11 a.m. and be televised nationally on ABC.
Texas A&M, which was ranked No. 8 in the Associated Press preseason poll, but dropped after two losses in the first three weeks of the season, is 3-2 overall after blasting Arkansas, 34-7, Saturday night.
This will be the third straight year the Tigers and Aggies have met, with A&M winning both the previous meetings 38-17 last year and 41-10 in 2024.
SCORING SUMMARY
| Quarter | Time | Scoring Play | FL | MIZ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Quarter | ||||
| 1 | 08:06 | FL – FIELD GOAL – Patrick Durkin 20 yard field goal | 3 | 0 |
| 1 | 03:15 | MIZ – FIELD GOAL – Blake Craig 32 yard field goal | 3 | 3 |
| 2nd Quarter | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 10:06 | MIZ – TOUCHDOWN – Austin Simmons 47 yard pass to Donovan Olugbode (PAT good) | 3 | 10 |
| 2 | 04:26 | FL – TOUCHDOWN – Aaron Philo 12 yard pass to Dallas Wilson (PAT good) | 10 | 10 |
| 2 | 02:05 | MIZ – TOUCHDOWN – Austin Simmons 31 yard pass to Caleb Goodie (PAT good) | 10 | 17 |
| 2 | 00:00 | MIZ – FIELD GOAL – Blake Craig 50 yard field goal | 10 | 20 |
| 3rd Quarter | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 12:24 | MIZ – TOUCHDOWN – Jamal Roberts 5 yard run (PAT good) | 10 | 27 |
| 3 | 04:30 | MIZ – FIELD GOAL – Blake Craig 52 yard field goal | 10 | 30 |
| 4th Quarter | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 14:55 | MIZ – TOUCHDOWN – Jamal Roberts 1 yard run (2-pt conversion attempt | 10 | 36 |
| 4 | – | MIZ – TWO-POINT CONVERSION – Austin Simmons pass to Cayden Lee | 10 | 38 |
| 4 | 13:33 | MIZ – TOUCHDOWN – Jamal Roberts 80 yard run (PAT good) | 10 | 45 |
| 4 | 00:47 | FL – TOUCHDOWN – Tramell Jones, Jr. 12 yard pass to TJ Abrams (PAT good) | 17 | 45 |
2026 MIZZOU TIGERS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location | TV | Radio | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 3, 2026 (Thursday) | 7 pm | Home | Arkansas- Pine Bluff | Faurot Field |   |  | W, 54-14 (1-0) |
| September 11, 2026 (Friday) | 7 pm | Away | Kansas | Lawrence, Kan. / David Booth Memorial Stadium |  | | W, 38-21 (2-0) |
| September 19, 2026 (Saturday) | 6 pm | Home | Troy | Faurot Field |  | | W, 27-17 (3-0) |
| September 26, 2026 (Saturday) | 6:45 pm | Away | #24 Mississippi State | Starkville, Miss. / Davis Wade Stadium | | | L, 31-24 (3-1) |
| October 3, 2026 (Saturday) | 2:30 pm | Home | #8 Florida | Faurot Field |  | | W, 45-17 (4-1) |
| October 10, 2026 (Saturday) | 11 am | Home | Texas A&M | Faurot Field | | | |
| October 17, 2026 (Saturday) | TBD | Away | Ole Miss | Oxford, Miss. / Vaught Hemingway Stadium | | ||
| October 31, 2026 (Saturday) | TBD | Away | Arkansas | Fayetteville, Ark. / Razorback Stadium | | ||
| November 7, 2026 (Saturday) | TBD | Home | #1 Texas | Faurot Field | | ||
| November 14, 2026 (Saturday) | TBD | Away | #2 Georgia | Athens, Ga. / Sanford Stadium | | ||
| November 21, 2026 (Saturday) | TBD | Home | #24 Kentucky | Faurot Field | | ||
| November 28, 2026 (Saturday) | TBD | Home | Oklahoma | Faurot Field | |