No. 20 Mizzou outlasts Troy to remain unbeaten ahead of SEC play
Watch the postgame news conference live in the player.
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
It definitely wasn't pretty...but No. 20 Mizzou football's record remained unblemished with a 27-17 win over Troy, on Saturday night.
With the win, MU moved to 3-0 on the season ahead of SEC action.
For the second week in a row, the Tigers took a punch to the mouth right of the gates.
Troy dominated possession in the first quarter, leading two scoring drives that totaled about 11 minutes. The Trojans first score of the night came quickly, though, as quarterback Goose Crowder hit TK Keyes over the middle for a 76-yard touchdown to go up by seven. That set the tone for Troy in that opening quarter, as the Trojans slowly chipped away at Mizzou's defense. Crowder and company led a 19-play, 81-yard drive, that lasted more than 10 minutes, ending up with a field goal to give them a 10-point lead in Columbia.
However, head coach Eli Drinkwitz's team woke up in the second quarter.
After "Death Row Defense" came up with a big stop, Mizzou capitalized by putting its first points of the night up on the board, courtesy of a 35-yard field goal off the leg of Blake Craig.
After that, it wouldn't take long for Mizzou to tie the ball game. Following a Troy three-and-out, the Trojans lifted up a 42-yard punt to DaMarion Fowlkes, which he proceeded to return 68 yards for a touchdown to tie the ball game up at 10 apiece. That touchdown return is the longest by a Tiger since 2022, when MU legend Luther Burden returned a punt for a 78-yard score.
That opened up the flood gates, as Coach Drinkwitz's group proceeded to grab itself a lead. With less than four minutes until halftime, cornerback Sione Laulea intercepted Crowder's pass and returned it to get the Tigers in the red zone. Tiger quarterback Austin Simmons capitalized on that advantageous field position by hitting wide receiver Donovan Olugbode for a touchdown to give Mizzou its first lead of the game, 14-10.
Then, for the second-straight week, the Tiger defense forced another takeaway on back-to-back possessions. Huntsville, Missouri's own Langden Kitchen punched the ball out of Troy's hands and his buddy Jalen Marshall recovered it to put Mizzou in the red zone, once again. This time, running back Jamal Roberts was the one to capitalize, punching in a touchdown from 13 yards out. That capped off 24 unanswered points for the Tigers to hold a 24-10 lead over Troy.
However, the Trojans from southern Alabama were not going away. Just before halftime, they had another explosive play for a score, as Crowder hit Howard Kinchen for a 55-yard touchdown pass to put the game at 24-17 at halftime.
Out of the locker room, the Tigers and the Trojans stayed dead-silent for much of the second half, until Craig drilled another 35-yard field goal with less than eight minutes to play to make it a two-possession ball game, with the Tigers up 27-17.
Offensively, Mizzou didn't look quite as efficient as it did in the first two games. Troy actually out-gained the Tigers by nearly 100 yards, as Simmons completed 53 percent of his passes for 91 yards and one touchdown.
Roberts carried a big load in the win, totting the ball for 122 yards and one touchdown on 21 carries. His counterpart, running back Xai'Shaun Edwards, only touched the ball three times.
Defensively, the Tigers stepped up big-time in the second half, slowing down Troy's attack. Veteran safety Santana Banner led the charge, leading his team with 15 total tackles (five solo), one tackle for loss and one pass breakup. However, the big momentum plays came in the first half from Laulea and Kitchen.
Up next - No. 20 Mizzou will begin its nine-game SEC gauntlet with a road trip to Starkville, Mississippi. The Tigers will meet the Bulldogs at Davis Wade Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 26 at 6:45 pm CT.
