In the final game of the season, Missouri outscores the Razorbacks 17-0 in the second half, to pull out the victory 31-17 and keep the Battle Line Trophy in COMO. While the game looked to be in danger entering the second half, a huge 53-yard TD run by Ahmad Hardy gave bthe Tigers the spur it needed and the team never looked back.

Eli mentioned in the press conference that while the primary goal of the season was not met, that of which being noty making the playoffs, the Tigers wanted to do their best to salvage the season.

“In a game like this, we’re trying to have micro goals, right? Because obviously, the goal we had to start out the season was taken away from us, and you know, this team has faced a lot of adversity throughout the year. You know, we lost a coach in May, had three significant injuries in the first game of the year. Our quarterback got hurt in a game that we were kind of in control of, and for our team to just find a way to stay in it, stay in the fight, i’m really, really proud of them.” Drinkwitz exclaimed.

Missouri was unsurprisingly led by Ahmad Hardy, who ran for 157 yards on 27 carries. Hardy, now, is just roughly 50 yards shy of the career mark from Cody Schraeder. Jamal Roberts continues to impress, adding 100 yards of his own on just 11 carries. I mean, Missouri’s run game was so dominant, that the team won with Beau Pribula attempting just 7 passes in the game… for 25 yards.

Another crazy stat? Kevin Coleman Jr’s punt return TD is the first punt return for the Tigers, since Luther Burden against Abilene Christian in 2022. No, that does not excuse the various special teams mishaps that occurred today. Let’s break down my takeaways.

1. You don’t have to throw when the other team can’t stop the run: As previously noted, Missouri won this game, only completing 4 passes the entire game. I mean, that’s insane, and I can guarantee it’s not a stat you hear often. Sure, this Arkansas defense is incredibly bad, and they surely didn’t help themselves with constant penalties, but the truth is that the Missouri run game is just good.

Unfortunately, against good teams, it doesn’t hold up, due to the one-dimensional nature of the offense, but when Missouri plays against opponents like Arkansas, it dominates. If Missouri had an ounce of a passing attack, imagine how many more yards Hardy could’ve had this season. Teams consistently stacked 6 to 7 in the box, yet Ahmad Hardy simply did not care.

For me, Ahmad Hardy is the most talented running back that I have watched at Missouri. Yes, better than Josey, Badie, and Schraeder.

2. The special team’s unit is still a major crap show: Look, Kevin Coleman Jr’s punt return was amazing, and that deserves credit, especially putting Mizzou up two scores and putting the game to bed. However, it does not excuse the special teams unit being as bad as it’s been for as long as it’s been.

Have some grace, yes. If Blake Craig doesn’t get injured, I do believe that could have affected the outcome of some of these games this year. But so many botched snaps and a lack of a return game for so long, it’s at least worth a look at evaluating after the bowl game.

3. Missouri is a resilient team, time and time again: This team could have folded after the Vanderbilt game, even the A&M game. Sure, the team wasn’t as great as many were hoping and yes, it had it’s fair share of woes. Yet this team never folded and it stayed alive, showing that while it’s main goal could not be made, it could create new ones and achieve them.

If I were to have told you before the season that Missouri would have significant injuries, especially to it’s starting kicker and quarterback, yet go 8-4, you probably would have been ok with that. The only thing that stings is the thought that Missouri was on the precipice of being great. The Tigers had a championship-level defense, yet just couldn’t get over the hump, in large part to the offense. Yet still, there’s a lot to look forward to.

It’s very clear that the university cares about success. A six-year extension for drink, 11 million a year, and a 250 million dollar north-end zone project show that. Missouri is so close, and only time will tell to see if it gets there.