Mizzou’s DaMarion Fowlkes heads to the end zone on 68-yard punt return during the Tigers’ in over Troy, Saturday night at Faurot Field. (Photo: Terrance Williams)
| NCAA Football | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Troy (2-1) | 10 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
| #20 Mizzou (3-0) | 0 | 24 | 0 | 3 | 27 |
COLUMBIA, MO — Things didn’t start well for the University of Missouri football team in its Saturday evening matchup against Troy.
The visiting Trojans scored a touchdown on the second play of the game and controlled the action for the entire first quarter, as they built a 10-0 lead.
But Missouri found its footing in the second quarter, and scored 24 straight points — sparked by a spectacular punt return that helped tie the game. Then the 20th-ranked Tigers forced two turnovers that led to two more touchdowns that gave the home team the lead late in the second quarter.
From there, the Mizzou defense dominated the night, as the Tigers held off the very tough Troy team for a 27-17 win in front of another sold-out crowd at Faurot Field.
“I told the guys in the locker room, it’s hard to win college football games,” Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz said. “It’s better than the alternative. We’re a 3-0 football team with a whole heck of a lot of room to improve, and that’s really got to be our focus. We’re going to celebrate the win tonight and come back to work tomorrow.”
Mizzou defenders Daeden Hopkins (10) and Jason Dowell (92) celebrate making a stop in Saturday’s game against Troy. (Photo: Terrance Williams)
Senior running back Jamal Roberts, a St. Louis native who starred at St. Mary’s High, led the way with 128 rushing yards and a touchdown on 28 carries. But the key play of the night was the electric 68-yard punt return by DaMarion Fowlkes with just under 10 minutes to go in the second quarter that tied the game.
Troy was punting from deep in its own territory and launched a line-drive to Fowlkes, who fielded it at his own 32-yard line. There were no defenders around when the sophomore wide receiver from Montgomery Village, Md., found a wide open running lane in the middle of the field.
Once he broke free, Fowlkes cut right to avoid all the Troy defenders and raced untouched for a touchdown that tied the game.
“The punt return was huge for us,” Drinkwitz said. “For the special teams to bounce back to be a real liability last week but really be the difference in us winning the game this week with the two field goals, the punt return for a touchdown. I thought Brunno (Reus) really punted the ball really, really well tonight.”
Mizzou RB Jamal Roberts steps through the end zone, after scoring a touchdown in the Tigers’ win over Troy, Saturday night in Columbia. (Photo: Terrance Williams)
Later in the quarter, Mizzou’s Sione Laulea intercepted a pass and returned it to Troy’s 18-yard line. Three plays later, Mizzou quarterback Austin Simmons hit sophomore Donovan Olugbode for 12-yard touchdown, which gave the Tigers the lead.
On Troy’s next offensive play, quarterback Goose Crowder was strip-sacked by Mizzou’s Langden Kitchen and the fumble was recovered by teammate Jason Dowell. Roberts broke free for a 13-yard touchdown that suddenly gave the Tigers a two-touchdown lead, even though the team had struggled for most of the first half.
“Just knowing guys have our backs,” Roberts said about the defense stepping up. “Just knowing that defense can get takeaways or the special teams can make explosive plays, like DaMarion had the touchdown on special teams — that’s a momentum change and the momentum swing that we all need in a football game. So, kudos to those guys.”
Mizzou defenders celebrate with Jason Dowell (92), after his fumble recovery helped set up a Tiger touchdown in Saturday’s win over Troy. (Photo: Terrance Williams)
In the second half, Mizzou held Troy scoreless on its five possessions, which ended with three punts, a missed field goal attempt, and a fourth-down stop that ended the game.
The Trojans outgained the Tigers 323 yards to 224 and held possession of the ball for 37 minutes. Mizzou also committed nine penalties for 90 yards, but was able to overcome those miscues with big plays on special teams and the two turnovers.
“We’ve got a lot to work on and lot we need to improve on,” Drinkwitz said. “But we’ll get back to work and get ready for our SEC opener next week.”
Mizzou (3-0) will be in Starkville next Saturday night for a matchup against undefeated Mississippi State. The Bulldogs defeated South Carolina on Saturday and look like a team that might crack the Top 25 rankings when the polls come out next week.
Next Saturday’s game at Davis Wade Stadium is due to kick off at 6:45 p.m., and the game will be televised nationally on the SEC Network.
SCORING SUMMARY
| Quarter | Time | Scoring Play | TROY | MIZ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Quarter | ||||
| 1 | 14:15 | TROY – TOUCHDOWN – Goose Crowder 76 yard pass to TK Keyes (PAT good) | 7 | 0 |
| 1 | 00:50 | TROY – FIELD GOAL – Ethan Head 26 yard field goal | 10 | 0 |
| 2nd Quarter | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 11:18 | MIZ – FIELD GOAL – Blake Craig 35 yard field goal | 10 | 3 |
| 2 | 09:39 | MIZ – TOUCHDOWN – DaMarion Fowlkes 68 yard punt return (PAT good) | 10 | 10 |
| 2 | 02:03 | MIZ – TOUCHDOWN – Austin Simmons 12 yard pass to Donovan Olugbode (PAT good) | 10 | 17 |
| 2 | 01:44 | MIZ – TOUCHDOWN – Jamal Roberts 13 yard run (PAT good) | 10 | 24 |
| 2 | 00:06 | TROY – TOUCHDOWN – Goose Crowder 55 yard pass to Howard Kinchen (PAT good) | 17 | 24 |
| 4th Quarter | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 07:18 | MIZ – FIELD GOAL – Blake Craig 36 yard field goal | 17 | 27 |
2026 MIZZOU TIGERS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location | TV | 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 | Mississippi State | Starkville, Miss. / Davis Wade Stadium | | |
| October 3, 2026 (Saturday) | TBD | Home | Florida | Faurot Field | ||
| October 10, 2026 (Saturday) | TBD | 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 | Texas | Faurot Field | ||
| November 14, 2026 (Saturday) | TBD | Away | Georgia | Athens, Ga. / Sanford Stadium | ||
| November 21, 2026 (Saturday) | TBD | Home | Kentucky | Faurot Field | ||
| November 28, 2026 (Saturday) | TBD | Home | Oklahoma | Faurot Field |