Tigers stun No. 8 Florida for first regular-season top-10 win since 2013
Watch the postgame news conference live in the video player.
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
No. 25 Mizzou picked up its best win in more than a decade, upsetting the Gators on homecoming weekend, 45-17.
Head coach Eli Drinkwitz and company put together their best four quarters of the entire season, dominating on both sides of the ball from the opening kick.
Florida had the ball first and drove all the way down to the two-yard line, but ran into a black and gold wall, forcing the Gators to settle for three points. Mizzou responded by driving down and matching the visitors, tying the game at three.
In the second quarter, the scoring opened up for both sides, with Austin Simmons connected with Donovan Olugbode for a 47 yard touchdown for the first trip to the end zone of the day. The two have now combined for six touchdowns in the opening five games.
While the Gators would drive down and answer with their own seven points, Mizzou opened the flood gates in the final two minutes of the second quarter. In the final 2:05 of the half, the Tigers doubled their point total, with a 31-yard touchdown to Caleb Goodie for his first score of the year, followed by a two-minute drill to bring the team into field goal range, with Blake Craig sending the Tigers into the break with a 20-10 advantage.
The second half saw coach Drinkwitz and company dial up the pressure even more. Mizzou came out of the gates and broke into the end zone for the third time with a Jamal Roberts run, and a Blake Craig 52-yard field goal to extend the lead to 20.
Roberts continued to assert his dominance, breaking free for a 77-yard run at the end of the third quarter, and punched it in at the start of the fourth. The next time the Tigers got the ball, he broke free for an 80-yard touchdown, capping off a 35-0 run. Florida would break back into the end zone in garbage time, but it was far too late as the Tigers took a 45-17 win.
After Florida leveled the game at 10, Mizzou's defense forced six straight punts while limiting Gator running back Jaden Baugh to just 13 yards.
Austin Simmons played his best ball of the season, finishing with 340 yards through the air and two touchdowns. Roberts finished the day with a hat trick of end zone visits and 211 yards on the ground. In total, the Tiger offense punted just twice in the entire game.
Up Next - Mizzou will be back in action at home against Texas A&M. Kick off against the Aggies will be at 11:00 or 11:45 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 10.
