Mizzou returns to Lawrence in search of first win at Kansas since 2001
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KMIZ)
The Mizzou football team walked into Lawrence, Kansas, 25 years ago and walked out with something it still hasn't been able to get back: a win on Kansas' home turf.
The last time the Tigers left David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium with a victory was in 2001, which happened to be the first year of Hall of Fame head coach Gary Pinkel's tenure in Columbia. Even though Pinkel was still new to Columbia, that game against the Jayhawks was more than just another game on the schedule. Mizzou's 38-34 win became a defining moment in his first season — and a memory that has lasted with the players who helped accomplish it.
"There was a point in the game where it really became personal for us," former Tiger tight end Justin Gage said. "Then, once we started getting going, then there was no stopping us."
Mizzou, led by former quarterback Kirk Farmer, fell behind early in that 2001 game, as the Jayhawks built up a 14-0 lead in just the first quarter.
However, the momentum swung back in MU's direction when Kansas' iconic "Rock Chalk" chant turned frustration into fuel for that hungry group of Tigers.
"Then you start hearing the fans with their little Rock Chalk chant, and then it was kind of like the tables turned at that point," Gage said.
Play by play and moment by moment, Mizzou fought its way back.
Gage was one of the players at the center of that comeback, as he caught 11 passes for 148 yards and one pivotal touchdown in the second quarter to give Pinkel and company their first lead over Kansas.
"All right, guys, we got to pick it up," Gage remembered thinking. "There's no way we're going to sit here in this stadium and lose."
From there, the game went back and forth in the second half, as KU tied it up again in the third quarter and even managed to regain the lead in the fourth.
But that Mizzou team continued to fight back. Farmer completed the comeback win with a game-winning touchdown toss to tight end Dwayne Blakely in the fourth quarter to secure the four-point victory.
"You see their fans getting silent, which is making us louder and noisier," Gage said. "And then just to see all the sad faces as a game unfolds."
For years, those feelings and that passion all went away.
Mizzou moved to the SEC and, as a result, the Border War disappeared from the schedule.
That is, until 2025.
"Just having it back and being able to play those guys and still bring back the emotions for the alumni and the millions of Mizzou fans out there — I love having them on the schedule," Gage said.
Head coach Eli Drinkwitz and company won in the return of this iconic rivalry game in comeback fashion last year. Now, the Tigers will get a shot to make it two straight wins out in Lawrence.
"There’s nothing better than to be on the road at their place," Gage said. "Every time you make a play, it’s just so quiet and silent."
In this day of college football, a whole lot has changed, especially for these two teams. The stadiums have been renovated, and the rosters are different, but the rivalry — and the passion that comes with it — remains.
"Records don't really matter at this point. This game is bigger than record books. It’s more personal," Gage said.
As Mizzou makes its first trip to Lawrence since 2005, it'll look to do the same thing that this Tiger program did in 2001: silence Lawrence.
"The football field’s still the same size,” Gage said. "So the key is just dominate there, and then let your play silence the crowd."
