Pair of Mizzou football standouts earn weekly conference honors
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Following Saturday's dominating win over Mississippi State, two Mizzou football standouts are being honored by the Southeastern Conference for their performances.
Running back Ahmad Hardy and cornerback Toriano Pride Jr. each earned Player of the Week nods from the conference, after helping the Tigers toa 49-27 victory over the Bulldogs in the regular-season finale at Faurot Field.
Hardy had a historic night against the school from his home state of Mississippi, as the sophomore turned in just the sixth 300-yard rushing game in SEC history. That also marked just the second time in MU history that a player has rushed for 300 yards, as Hardy joined former Tiger star Devin West, who rushed for 319 yards against Kansas in 1998.
In addition to those 300 yards, Hardy also tallied three touchdowns on 25 carries, averaging 12.0 yards per carry. About half of his yards came after contact, as well, with the sophomore sensation forcing eight missed tackles.
His explosive runs helped guide head coach Eli Drinkwitz and the Tigers to their seventh win of the season. Hardy ran for gains of 72, 43, 34, 22 and 21 yards. Those 72 and 43 yard runs resulted in touchdowns.
Pride Jr. also played a pivotal role in Mizzou's big senior night victory.
The senior helped put the game on ice in the third quarter, when he got ahold of an interception and returned in 19 yards for a touchdown. In addition to that game-sealing play, the St. Louis native also tallied three total tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a pass breakup.
However, that pick-six wasn't the only impact play that Pride Jr. made on Saturday night. Just before halftime, he scooped up a botched Mississippi State snap on a field goal and returned it 62 yards to set up a Hardy touchdown, which gave the Tigers a 21-10 lead at halftime.
Up next - Mizzou will travel to Norman, Oklahoma for another Top-25 test, as the Tigers will face the No. 11 Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday at 11 a.m.
