Texas Faces Missouri in St. Louis
The Longhorns travel to face a balanced Tigers squad featuring a returning star runner and an efficient offense.
By Vikram Harrison ·
Texas football plays on the road this Saturday against Missouri, marking its first away contest since a win at Tennessee on September 26. The Longhorns have played three home games and one neutral site contest in Dallas during October.
Missouri enters the game with a 6-2 record and a 3-2 mark in conference play. The Tigers hold a perfect 4-0 home record this season. In the Associated Press poll released Sunday, Texas sits at No. 10 while Missouri ranks 19th.
Running back Ahmad Hardy made his season debut against Arkansas, rushing twice for five yards. He missed the first seven games of the year while recovering from a leg injury sustained in May. Last season, Hardy led the Southeastern Conference in rushing yards and was a finalist for the Doak Walker Award.
The Tigers maintain a strong rushing threat without Hardy. Jamal Roberts has surpassed 200 rushing yards in consecutive games against Florida and Texas A&M. He is one of only three rushers in college football with more than 1,000 yards this season.
Quarterback Austin Simmons has been highly effective since transferring from Ole Miss. Through eight games, he has thrown for nearly 2,000 yards and 16 touchdowns with only two interceptions. He earned SEC offensive player of the week honors in mid-September and early October.
Missouri has committed only five turnovers in 547 offensive plays, a figure tied with Kentucky for the fewest in the SEC. Linebacker Nicholas Rodriguez leads the team with 86 tackles and two forced fumbles. He is the third-best tackler in the Football Bowl Subdivision, trailing only Sione Hala and Dorian Pringle.
The series between these schools dates to 1894, with Texas holding an 18-6 advantage. The rivalry paused when Missouri left the Big 12 after 2011. The teams have not met since the 2017 Texas Bowl.
