COLUMBIA, Mo – The day began with the typical senior night festivities, as players were honored inside Memorial Stadium with their families in their last game in Columbia as Missouri Tigers. But as the ceremonies ended and the game began, all eyes were on 19-year-old sophomore Ahmad Hardy.
The Heisman candidate and Doak Walker favorite started his day on Missouri’s first drive, breaking off a 34-yard run down the right hashmarks to put Missouri in striking distance. Matt Zollers, the freshman quarterback thrust into action three weeks ago after starter Beau Pribula went down with a leg injury, looked natural, placing a ball to Donovan Olugbode, who made an otherworldly catch in traffic in the left pocket of the endzone to put the Tigers ahead 7-0.
Mississippi State responded, getting their drive saved by a facemask penalty that moved the chains. More penalties followed as Missouri’s Nate Johnson was called for roughing the passer and targeting on the same play, resulting in his ejection. Back-to-back false starts halted the Bulldogs, who settled for a 47-yard Kyle Ferrie field goal to make it 7-3.
The next two drives set up an offensive battle. Kevin Coleman got active against his former team with an 11-yard grab, and Hardy broke off on eight and 22 yard rushes. Sitting on the Bulldogs’ 34 yard line, Zollers delivered again, finding a wide-open Joshua Manning who danced past defenders for Missouri’s second touchdown. Mississippi State countered with an unorthodox series of designed quarterback runs, utilizing Blake Shapen and Kamario Taylor, which eventually led to a Shapen touchdown run to make it 14-10 at the end of the first quarter.
Early in the second, scoring slowed. Zollers lofted a poor pass over the middle that landed in the hands of the Bulldogs’ Nic Mitchell. That mistake sparked a seven-minute drive from their own 42 yard line. After a string of run plays set them up on the Missouri 16, penalties hurt the Tigers again as Santana Banner picked up unnecessary roughness, bringing the Bulldogs to first and goal. Then, star linebacker Josiah Trotter hit a sliding Shapen with the crown of his helmet, drawing a targeting call and an ejection. With both Trotter and Johnson out, Missouri still held firm and forced a field-goal attempt. The snap went right, spiked off the holder, and was recovered by Missouri’s Toriano Pride, who returned it 62 yards to the red zone. From there, the ball found Ahmad Hardy for a 10-yard score, his first of the day.
The rest of the half was quiet. Mississippi State went three-and-out, and Missouri only reached the 36 before long kicker Oliver Robbins pushed a 54-yarder wide right.
Mississippi State opened the second half strong as Trevion Williams forced a fumble, setting the Bulldogs up at their 48. Davon Booth broke off several runs, and the drive was capped by another Shapen designed run, giving him his second rushing touchdown.
Both teams then exchanged unsuccessful drives, getting punters Connor Weselman and Ethan Pulliam active. Then the Ahmad Hardy show truly began. On Missouri’s third drive of the half, it took just two plays for Hardy to score on an incredible 72-yard run, putting the Tigers up 28-17.
The surge didn’t stop. Shapen tried to rally Mississippi State, but a pass broken up by Daylan Carnell was intercepted by Toriano Pride, who returned it 19 yards for a Missouri pick-six.
Down 35-17, the Bulldogs responded with an 80-yard drive led by Shapen, capped by a 3-yard touchdown from Kamario Taylor to Seydoe Traore.
After both teams went three-and-out to end the third, Missouri led 35-24 and looked ready to put the game out of reach. On Mississippi State’s first drive of the fourth quarter, Shapen’s pass for Ayden Williams instead found Marvin Burks, who toe-tapped down the sideline for Missouri’s second pick-six.
Another unsuccessful drive followed for Mississippi State, and Missouri, now in complete control, turned to one man to close it out. Hardy ripped off another monster rush, this one for 43 yards on the first play of the drive, dancing into the endzone for his third touchdown.
Mississippi State mounted a solid drive and kicked a field goal, but the game was all but sealed. Hardy stood at 268 yards, and the goal was clear: get him to 300. He stayed in, and every play went to him as he pushed the rock for six, two, three, four, and two yards. And then it happened. On 3rd and 8, with his final chance to make the night historic, he broke a 19-yard run to reach 300 yards. That put him behind only Devin West’s 319-yard performance against Kansas among Mizzou’s rushers, and made him the only Tiger ever with 300 yards and 3 touchdowns in the same game.
As the next set of downs ended with Zollers taking a knee, Missouri exited Faurot Field with their heads high and a 49-27 win. The Tigers made their way to the temporary rock M in front of Brock Olivo’s Hall of Fame nameplate, where the seniors took home their painted rocks, continuing the tradition through the stadium renovation.
The now 7-3 Tigers will go on the road to Norman for the first of two away games to end the season, taking on the red-hot Oklahoma Sooners, fresh off a win over No. 4 Alabama, in an 11:00 AM kickoff.