Mizzou loses depth at running back with a season-ending injury, ahead of Kansas game
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
For fans of both Mizzou and Kansas, it is one of the biggest weeks of the season: rivalry week. But for Tiger coaches and players, it's clear they intend to treat this week like any other one.
"This week really for us is not really about [the rivalry]. Like, that's all the jokes and all the different stuff is to try to create the rivalry, but now we're in the middle of the week. It's really going to come down to execution. You know, getting hyped up for the game is not...Our guys want to play, you know?" Drinkwitz said. "We got to make sure that we understand how to execute on the road. I'm way more concerned with handling noise and handling travel playing on a Friday night. You know, I'm way more concerned about that than whether or not our guys want to play in the game. Our guys understand the significance of the game and all that."
You can watch the full press conference with Drink in the video player below.
On Tuesday, the leader of the Tigers met with local media members to preview Friday night's game in Lawrence, starting with some signifcant injury updates.
Drinkwitz said that left tackle Cayden Green, who missed the season opener with an undisclosed injury, did work for three quarters of Monday's practice. Now, the team will need to see how he responds to Tuesday's practice, as they hope to get him back for Week 2.
While Green is working to get back onto the field as fast as possible, Coach Drinkwitz also announced that he did lose one player for the entire season: running back Malae Fonoti. The junior transferred in from Montana in the offseason and had a promising fall camp, going for 18 yards on three carries in the opener against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. But, during that game, Fonoti tore his ACL and is now out for the remainder of the 2026 season, as he is set to get surgery on Tuesday.
"Very disappointed for him and his family," Drinkwitz said. "Had an outstanding summer and fall camp and earned a role and opportunity.”
But, for the Tigers, it's a next-man-up mentality in the running back room, as MU will have to lean on some of the younger guys on that unit to step up. Of course, this all comes as Coach Drinkwitz and company are still waiting on the return of All-American running back Ahmad Hardy, who still hasn't practiced yet. The junior is continuing work to get back to 100 percent, after getting shot in the leg in early May.
With one of its toughest schedules in years laid out ahead of them, depth at the running back position is a point of concern.
"I mean, that's probably the biggest point of concern we have right now with the depth chart," Drinkwitz said. "I don't feel great. But you know, it is what it is and we'll do the best we can. Obviously, we got Jamal Roberts, we got Xai'Shaun [Edwards], I think [Preston Hatfield] scored his first- career game, not bad for a guy, you know. So, we'll see. Anthony Favrow got in there did some good things. Max Warner's got to continue to step up. Coach Luper's got his hands full coaching his guys."
In fact, Coach Eli said he believes that the current predicament his team faces speaks to one of the larger issues facing college football.
"It's one of the the prevailing issues of college football with limited rosters and inability to add players after injuries take place. You know, you build a roster in January and unforeseen things happen. Like, you know, players get hurt in game, players get hurt in accidents and you're kind of stuck. And I think this just goes back to a broader question of what is the NCAA or college football's management for creating some sort of parity throughout the course of of a season? I think we're going to continue to get more and more of these questions in this NIL day-and-age, of how do you create competitive equity with amongst the college football teams so that you can continue to keep fan bases engaged, and that a single significant injury doesn't derail a season? All of this money that we've invested, that fans have invested in now becomes null and void because of an injury that you have no, you know, no way to to replace," Drink said. "There's a whole lot of questions in college football that at some point need to get answered by somebody in charge instead of just saying, well, you know, we'll play the games."
Those questions will be lingering for a while, but for now, Mizzou has to focus on what it can do with the roster that it has right now.
Outside of Roberts, running backs Xai'Shuan Edwards, Max Warner, Preston Hatfield and Anthony Favrow all got snaps in the opener against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Roberts, who has stepped up as a big leader on this team, believes that those guys played well in Week 1.
"You know, they ran the ball good and making good cuts and decisions even just, you know, picking up pass protection, as well. But, Anthony Favrow and [Xai'Shaun], I feel like they can step up and fill in the shoes like I said for and Malae and help us in the good run game and in the pass protection," he said. "Xai'Shaun is a physical runner man, especially north and south. He can get downfield and he got good vision."
You can watch the full press conference with Roberts in the video player below.
Overall, the run game got off to a slow start against the Golden Lions, in Week 1. Roberts ended his day with 47 yards and one score on 13 carries, but 282 of MU's 376 first-half yards came through the air.
Coach Drinkwitz said starting fast against Kansas will all come down to executing better, on Friday. However, that responsibility doesn't just fall on the running backs, but the offensive line, as well.
"It's just building that trust in the game and just getting that confidence. I think a little bit more having, you know, the five guys really being able to lock in on each other and know that we're doing our own job. I think it's not doing more than what you need to, really just locking on your job, trusting the guy next to you to do his job, and we'll be in a good spot," center Dominick Giudice said.
You can watch the full press conference with Giudice in the video player below.
The passing game started just as fast as anybody could've hoped for, on Thursday night. Quarterback Austin Simmons wasn't in the game that long, but he showed Tiger fans a glimpse of what he brings to the field. The senior completed 89 percent of his passes for 252 yards and four touchdowns.
After everything he went through, with losing his starting job at Ole Miss in 2025 and then transferring to Columbia, his longtime friend Cayden Lee said it was good to see him back in his groove.
"[Catching that touchdown from Austin], was kind of a surreal moment, you know. To be able to go through it with him - the good, the down, the bad and everything that he went through last year - just being able to see him go out there and just have fun again is really awesome to see, and I'm excited to see what he does this season," the wide receiver said, on Tuesday.
You can watch the full press conference with Lee in the video player below.
Mizzou will hope to keep that momentum rolling, as they head into enemy territory, on Friday night.
It will, of course, mark the first road game of the season for the Tigers, as Coach Drinkwitz said they are keeping the main thing, the main thing and not buying into all the outside noise.
"I think everything [on the road is] a challenge," he said. "You know, we tried to create a road game atmosphere and environment a couple of weeks ago, but you're dealing with so many new players and so many new routines and, you know, I think if you look at college football, the road teams that have traveled haven't done so well, especially in the bigger matchups...A lot of different things that happen that you're just not accustomed to, so you really got to lean into each other. I think you have to ask yourself, as coaches and players how you're going to respond to situations, you know, how are we going to respond?"
The Tigers hope that they can make David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium respond with silence, on Friday night.
"I mean, the feeling was a good feeling," Roberts said, when asked about the 2025 win over the Jayhawks. "It was amazing. Just, you know, just to hear the fans and the stadium roaring and, you know, I wish we could even play it [at Faurot Field], with new north end zone, but I mean you got to play it there in Lawrence and we're just go get after it. It's going to be a good feeling, hopefully. You know, quiet the the crowd down."
There's quite a few guys who haven't experienced this kind of hostile environment before on the Mizzou roster. Of course, education about this storied rivalry and what it means is always on the books for Coach Drinkwitz's teams, but it's clear that they want to view this game as what it is: another game.
Safety Santana Banner said it's all about keeping your head in those types of enviornments.
"Not seeing [the game] as something different than what it is," he said. "It's just a football game, end of the day. I mean, we're going there, people going to be yelling at us, I mean, so what? It's what you signed up for."
You can watch the full press conference with Banner in the video player below.
Mizzou and Kansas will kickoff at 7 p.m. on Fox 22. Be sure to tune in at 6:30 p.m. to catch the ABC 17 SportsZone special: Border Battle, which will count you down to kickoff, live from Lawrence.
