Ahmad Hardy rushed for 130 yards and scored three touchdowns in Mizzou’s blowout win over UMass on Saturday. (Photo: Ellie Parker)

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UMass (0-4)60006
#20 Mizzou (5-0)14714742

Terrance Williams
Staff Writer

COLUMBIA, MO — The University of Missouri football team earned its fifth straight win to begin the 2025 season by blowing out the University of Massachusetts, 42-6, in a Homecoming Game victory, Saturday night at Faurot Field.

Running back Ahmad Hardy, the Southeastern Conference’s leading rusher, posted 130 yards — his fifth consecutive 100-yard game for the No. 20-ranked Tigers — and scored three touchdowns to lead the Mizzou offense.

Quarterback Beau Pribula also had a fine day. He completed 26-of-29 passes for 271 yards and a touchdown, which helped him set school records for passing accuracy.

Quarterback Beau Pribula completed 26-of-29 passes for 271 yards and a touchdown in Mizzou’s 42-6 win over UMass on Saturday. (Photo: Ellie Parker)

Hardy carried 24 times for 130 yards and scored a touchdown in each of the game’s first three quarters. His five straight 100-yard rushing games tie former Tigers standout Joe Moore (1969) for the school record, and he became only the third Tiger since 1950 to score a touchdown in the season’s first five games.

Pribula completed 26 of 29 passes for 241 yards, one touchdown and one interception. His completion percentage of .897 is second only to Chase Daniel’s .917 mark against Southeast Missouri in 2008, and at one point, Pribula completed 21 consecutive passes to break Daniel’s previous record of 20 in a row, also set in 2008 against Buffalo.

Nearly half of Pribula’s completions went to Kevin Coleman Jr., who caught a career-high 12 passes for 108 yards.

Mizzou scored on its first possession for the fourth time in five games, driving 68 yards in seven plays with Hardy gaining 41 of those yards on four carries, and Jamal Roberts navigated the final nine, running up the middle for a touchdown.

With the Tigers driving again, Pribula was intercepted at the UMass 16-yard line by Timmy Hinspeter who returned it 63 yards to the MU 21. The Minutemen scored six plays later on a 2-yard play-action pass from AJ Hairston to TE Max Dowling, but Mizzou tackle Sterling Webb blocked the extra point.

Mizzou LB Jeremiah Beasley brings down a UMass ballcarrier during Saturday’s NCAA football game at Faurot Field. (Photo: Ellie Parker)

DaMarion Fowlkes put the Tigers back in business when he returned the kickoff 44 yards to near midfield. Roberts broke off a 30-yard run and Hardy capped a 56-yard drive with a five-yard TD off left tackle.

On their next possession, the Tigers upped their lead to 21-6, with a 14-play, 89-yard drive that ate up 7:31 of clock. A big play that kept the drive alive was a 17-yard pass from Pribula to Marquis Johnson on a 3rd-and-10. Hardy plunged one yard for the touchdown.

Missouri took the opening kickoff of the second half and promptly marched to another Hardy touchdown, a 16-yard run on which he tight roped the sideline and into the endzone.

Late in the third quarter, Santana Banner intercepted a Hairston pass at the UMass 15-yard line and two plays later, Pribula found tight end Brett Norfleet in the end zone with a 9-yard TD pass.

Fowlkes returned a punt 34 yards that set up a short 37-yard drive that resulted in a three-yard touchdown run for Tavorus Jones, the first score of his career.

Missouri’s 521 total yards were split almost evenly — 253 passing and 268 rushing. UMass managed just 124 total yards, including just 19 on the ground.

Mizzou WR Kevin Coleman caught 12 passes for 108 yards in the Tigers’ win over UMass on Saturday. (Photo: Ellie Parker)

Mizzou will be on a bye next week, but will return to the field in two weeks, on Saturday, October 11, when the Tigers will host the University of Alabama.

Kickoff at Faurot Field that day is set for 11 a.m., and the game will be televised on ABC.

SCORING SUMMARY

QtrTeamTimeDescriptionUMASSMIZ
1stMIZ10:12MIZ – Roberts, Jamal 9 yd run (Meyer, Robert kick), 7 plays, 68 yards, TOP 03:2407
1stUMASS04:31UMASS – Dowling, Max 2 yd pass from Hairston, AJ (PAT blocked), 6 plays, 21 yards, TOP 01:5367
1stMIZ00:35MIZ – Hardy, Ahmad 5 yd run (Meyer, Robert kick), 8 plays, 56 yards, TOP 03:47614
2ndMIZ04:45MIZ – Hardy, Ahmad 1 yd run (Meyer, Robert kick), 14 plays, 89 yards, TOP 07:31621
3rdMIZ11:33MIZ – Hardy, Ahmad 16 yd run (Meyer, Robert kick), 7 plays, 63 yards, TOP 03:27628
3rdMIZ00:56MIZ – Norfleet, Brett 9 yd pass from Pribula, Beau (Meyer, Robert kick), 2 plays, 8 yards, TOP 00:38635
4thMIZ13:09MIZ – Jones, Tavorus 3 yd run (Meyer, Robert kick), 5 plays, 37 yards, TOP 02:11642

2025 MIZZOU TIGERS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

DateTimeAtOpponentLocationTVRadioResults
August 28, 2025 (Thursday)6:30 pmHomeCentral ArkansasFaurot FieldTiger Radio NetworkW, 61-6 (1-0)
September 6, 2025 (Saturday)2:30 pmHomeKansasFaurot FieldTiger Radio NetworkW, 42-31 (2-0)
September 13, 2025 (Saturday)12 pmHomeLouisianaFaurot FieldTiger Radio NetworkW, 52-10 (3-0)
September 20, 2025 (Saturday)6 pmHomeSouth CarolinaFaurot FieldTiger Radio NetworkW, 29-20 (4-0)
September 27, 2025 (Saturday)6:30 pmHomeMassachusettsFaurot FieldTiger Radio NetworkW, 42-6 (5-0)
October 11, 2025 (Saturday)11 amHome#16 AlabamaFaurot FieldABCTiger Radio Network
October 18, 2025 (Saturday)TBDAwayAuburnAuburn, Ala. / Jordan-Hare StadiumTBDTiger Radio Network
October 25, 2025 (Saturday)TBDAwayVanderbiltNashville, Tenn. / FirstBank StadiumTBDTiger Radio Network
November 8, 2025 (Saturday)TBDHomeTexas A&MFaurot FieldTBDTiger Radio Network
November 15, 2025 (Saturday)TBDHomeMississippi StateFaurot FieldTBDTiger Radio Network
November 22, 2025 (Saturday)11 amAwayOklahomaNorman, Okla. / Memorial Stadium11 amTiger Radio Network
November 29, 2025 (Saturday)TBDAwayArkansasFayetteville, Ark. / Razorback StadiumTBDTiger Radio Network