Mizzou takes down Kansas in Border Showdown revival

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A 134-year-old rivalry has been reborn at Memorial Stadium.

Mizzou Football (2-0) sent Kansas (2-1) back across state lines empty-handed, defeating the Jayhawks 42-31 in the first meeting between the two rivals since the 2011 season. The Tigers have won the Border Showdown four consecutive times, dating back to 2009 before the rivalry's 14-year hiatus.

You can watch extended highlights of Mizzou's thrilling win in the video player below.

Although players had a distinct focus on keeping their emotions in check against Kansas, their passion showed through in their celebration with the coveted 'War Drum,' after all the action wrapped up.

"It's playing for the guy to the left and the right of you and then it's also playing for the past teams that have played KU," Tiger tight end Brett Norfleet said. "Playing for those guys, to not let them down."

You can watch the full press conference with Norfleet in the video player below.

MU struck first blood in KU's first visit to Columbia in nearly two decades. Ahmad Hardy scored his second touchdown in as many games, taking a handoff 32 yards into the end zone to give the Tigers a 6-0 lead in the first five minutes of the contest.

After that, the Jayhawks responded with three straight touchdowns to assemble a 15-point advantage. Jalon Daniels tossed a 15-yard touchdown to DeShawn Hanika and rushed for a 1-yard score on the ground during that stretch. Austin Alexander also registered a 28-yard scoop-and-score after a fumble by Beau Pribula in the opening quarter.

However, Mizzou held Kansas off the scoreboard for the remainder of the first half, tying the game at the halftime buzzer. Pribula connected with Kevin Coleman Jr. for a 3-yard touchdown pass on MU's first possession of the second quarter. Then, Zion Young turned the tide on the defensive side of the ball, forcing a fumble that led to a safety, pulling the Tigers within six points of tying the game. From there, Robert Meyer converted two short field goal attempts in the final two minutes before the break.

You can watch the full press conference with Young in the video player below.

MU proceeded to outscore KU 36-10 in the final three quarters to earn its largest comeback win since 2015.

"Incredibly incredibly proud of our team. What an undertaking," head coach Eli Drinkwitz said. "You know, to go up six and then we let our emotions get the better of us a couple of times. But, to be down, find a way to battle back in, tie the game up, take the lead, get down in the fourth quarter quarter again and go on to score 14 unanswered to put the game away...I'm extremely proud of, of those guys."

You can watch the full press conference with Drinkwitz in the video player below.

Mizzou posted three touchdowns in the second half, two of them were Pribula to Norfleet connections. The Francis Howell alum finished with seven catches for a career-high 76 yards, highlighted by 11-yard and 27-yard touchdowns.

The game was iced with less than two minutes to go, when safety Daylan Carnell picked off Daniels at the sideline, to put it in his offense's hands for the final minute.

"I just thought the defensive line brought a lot of pressure and I knew [Jalon Daniels] was gonna try to throw it up. He didn't want to take a sack in that situation," Carnell said. "He just threw it to me. I just made a play and just caught the ball that was thrown to me, really."

You can watch the full press conference with Carnell in the video player below.

Pribula had an overall productive day against Mizzou's rivals. He completed 77 percent of his passes for 334 yards and three touchdowns. In the first quarter, he did spit out a critical fumble which resulted in a scoop and score touchdown for the Jayhawks, but he and his team managed to bounce back.

In fact, the game turned out to be exactly what Pribula told media members was his main message to the team this week: they had to be able to bounce back from adversity. Coach Drinkwitz said that Pribula's leadership, along with his fellow captains, on the sidelines lifted the Tigers to a victory.

"Being a quarterback, I think it's your responsibility to be the leader of the offense and a leader on the team and it shows up the most in games like this," Pribula said. "When we're down, with adversity, you got to bring the guys along with you. It's not just me, we have a lot of really great leaders on this team and I think that showed up big time for us today."

You can watch the full press conference with Pribula in the video player below.

Coleman Jr. was Pribula's go-to guy on Saturday afternoon. He led the team with 126 yards and one touchdown on 10 receptions.

"We definitely got that chemistry, man. Me and Beau, we're two hardworking guys, two guys that just want to be perfect all the time. We work for perfection. We just work to be the best we can be...Once we got here in January, me and Beau got together and knew it was going to be a task and knew we would be in these types of moments in close games and have to overcome when we're down," Coleman Jr. said.

You can watch the full press conference with Coleman Jr. in the video player below.

Hardy had a team-high 25 carries and rushed for 112 yards while Jamal Roberts ended the game as MU's leading rusher with 143 yards, including a 63-yard trip to the end zone late in the fourth quarter to give his team a two-score lead.

Up next - Mizzou will host its third straight non-conference challenger on Saturday, Sept. 13 at 3 p.m. when Louisiana visits Faurot Field.