RECAP: Mizzou caps off regular-season with third trophy-game win
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KMIZ)
The 2025 regular-season is a wrap for the Mizzou football team.
Although the Tigers didn't achieve all the goals that they set out to at the beginning of the year, they did end the season on a high note: winning their third trophy game.
MU extended its winning streak to four games against the Arkansas Razorbacks in a 31-17 win in Fayetteville, on Saturday night. That victory brought the Battle Line Trophy back home and also gave Coach Drinkwitz his first win under the new contract that he signed with the University on Wednesday.
"Saturday night after the game against OU, I just sent Laird a text and said let's get this thing done," Coach Drinkwitz said. "This place has been nothing but great to me. We weren't done yet, you know. We weren't done yet. That north end zone isn't completed and so my job here isn't completed yet."
The win against the two-win Razorbacks didn't come easy. In fact, the Tigers trailed 17-14 at halftime of a wet and windy game at Donald W. Reynolds Stadium. However, Mizzou came out the locker room and played to their strengths, with stout defense and a ground-and-pound mentality.
Defensive coordinator Corey Batoon's unit shut out Arkansas in the second half, while both running backs Ahmad Hardy and Jamal Roberts ran for at least 100 yards and a touchdown, apiece.
"We just said, man, we they haven't stopped us yet, running the ball, so until they stop us we don't need to play left-handed," Coach Eli said.
After a 53-yard, tackle-breaking touchdown from Hardy put MU back on top in the third quarter, wide receiver Kevin Coleman Jr. delivered the final blow of the game with a more than 60 yard punt return for a touchdown to put the game on ice.
Mizzou football ends its regular-season at 8-4, a finish which Coach Drink reflected on after the game.
"I think it's a good season, you know, it's not great," Drinkwitz said. "We had a chance to go to great and we didn't get it done...We've got to find those inches and it starts with me."
Despite not getting reaching some of the goals that were set at the beginning of the year, Mizzou is proud of the fight they ended the season with, as they faced adversity week-in and week-out.
"We never quit, you know, we never was not in the fight in every game that we was in, so that's always good and I feel like that's stuff to build off of," defensive tackle Chris McClellan said.
Up next - Mizzou will find out its bowl destination on Sunday, Dec. 7.
You can watch ABC 17 Sports Director Nathalie Jones' full recap of Saturday's win in the video player above.
