Austin Simmons throws for 292 yards and three touchdowns, Robert Woodyard forces two pivotal turnovers and Jamal Roberts rushes for 125 yards as Mizzou wins in Lawrence for the first time since 2001.
No. 23 Missouri broke open a halftime tie with a turnover-fueled third quarter and defeated Kansas 38-21 Saturday in the 122nd renewal of the StorageMart Border Showdown at a sold-out David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.
Quarterback Austin Simmons threw for 292 yards and three touchdowns, Jamal Roberts rushed for 125 yards and linebacker Robert Woodyard produced takeaways on consecutive Kansas possessions as Missouri turned a sluggish opening half into a convincing rivalry victory.
The Tigers improved to 2-0 and extended their winning streak against Kansas to five games, matching the longest streak by either program in the century-plus rivalry. Missouri has won six of the past seven meetings and leads the all-time series 59-54-9.
For Mizzou, however, this victory carried another historical distinction: It was the Tigers' first win in Lawrence since a 38-34 victory in 2001, Gary Pinkel's first season as Missouri's head coach.
Austin Simmons Delivers in Border War Spotlight
Simmons looked comfortable in his first Border War road environment despite the hostility surrounding him.
The Missouri quarterback completed 19 of 29 passes for 292 yards and three touchdowns as the Tigers amassed 469 yards of total offense compared with Kansas' 255.
His biggest throws arrived when Missouri needed them most.
Trailing early and fighting through dropped passes, penalties and two blocked field-goal attempts, the Tigers finally found an offensive spark midway through the second quarter.
Roberts broke loose off the right side for a 64-yard touchdown, the longest run of his college career, to help Missouri climb back into the game after his earlier fumble.
Then Simmons took over.
With halftime approaching, he directed an efficient 2-minute drive and found Cayden Lee for a 27-yard touchdown with 30 seconds remaining, sending the rivals to the locker room tied at 14.
Missouri never trailed again.
Robert Woodyard Flips Game With Back-to-Back Takeaways
The decisive sequence belonged to Woodyard.
Kansas opened the second half with an opportunity to regain control, but Woodyard forced a fumble by quarterback Isaiah Marshall and recovered it at the Jayhawks' 35-yard line.
Five plays later, Simmons capitalized.
The quarterback fired an 8-yard touchdown pass to Donovan Olugbode, giving Missouri its first lead at 21-14.
Kansas barely had time to process what happened before Woodyard struck again.
Xai'Shaun Edwards finished the short drive with a 10-yard touchdown run, his first score as a Tiger.
In a span of just 28 seconds, Missouri had turned a 14-14 game into a 28-14 advantage.
The Tigers had seized control of the Border War.
Woodyard finished with six tackles, tying Nicholas Rodriguez and Santana Banner for the team lead, but his two takeaways were the plays that transformed the game.
Missouri's Offense Takes Control After Slow Start
The final statistics reflected just how dramatically the game changed.
Missouri finished with 469 total yards while holding Kansas to 255.
Roberts carried the ball 28 times for 125 yards, providing the Tigers with the physical running game necessary to control the second half.
Missouri's receiving production was nearly as impressive.
Olugbode caught six passes for 121 yards and a touchdown, while Lee added six receptions for 120 yards and his game-tying second-quarter score.
That gave Missouri two 120-yard receivers on a night when Simmons repeatedly attacked the Kansas defense through the air.
The performance was especially significant because the Tigers had plenty to overcome.
Dropped passes interrupted promising possessions. Kansas blocked two field-goal attempts. Penalties contributed to Missouri's uneven start.
But the Tigers responded by scoring 14 unanswered points in the third quarter and leaning heavily on their running game as the clock became another opponent for Kansas.
Tigers Turn to Ground Game to Protect Lead
Once Missouri established control, the Tigers made Kansas fight for every remaining opportunity.
Mizzou ran the ball on 15 consecutive offensive snaps during the fourth quarter, using Roberts and the ground game to shorten the contest and keep the Jayhawks' offense on the sideline.
One 61-yard Missouri drive reached the Kansas 12 before stalling, allowing Blake Craig to connect on a 32-yard field goal that extended the Tigers' advantage to 31-21 with 11:46 remaining.
Kansas still had a chance.
Missouri's defense made sure it didn't last.
The Tigers eventually took possession on downs at the Kansas 14 late in the fourth quarter. Facing fourth down, Missouri could have simply protected its 10-point advantage.
Instead, Simmons put an exclamation point on his performance.
He connected with Brett Norfleet for a 13-yard touchdown, completing the 38-21 victory and giving Simmons his third scoring pass of the night.
Missouri Extends Border War Dominance
The Border War has survived conference realignment, two decades without a game in Lawrence and long stretches in which the rivalry existed more in memory than on the football schedule.
The intensity apparently went nowhere.
A crowd of 32,000 filled Kansas' partially renovated stadium for the renewal, providing the setting for another chapter in one of college athletics' oldest rivalries.
Missouri's latest victory strengthened its recent grip on the series.
The Tigers have now defeated Kansas five consecutive times and in six of the past seven meetings. The five-game streak matches the longest winning run in series history.
Missouri also extended another impressive streak.
The Tigers have won 15 consecutive regular-season games against nonconference opponents.
Mizzou Returns Home to Face Troy Trojans
With another Border War victory secured, Missouri turns its attention to its final nonconference game.
The Tigers return home to face Troy Trojans on Saturday, Sept. 19, at 6 p.m.
The matchup will also serve as a celebration of the 100th anniversary of Memorial Stadium, with Missouri's 1960 national championship team scheduled to be honored.
Missouri will enter that celebration undefeated and carrying considerable momentum.
Simmons has another three-touchdown performance on his résumé. Roberts gave the Tigers a 100-yard rushing performance. Woodyard demonstrated his ability to change a game defensively.
And after more than two decades away from Lawrence, Missouri left Kansas with something familiar.
Another Border War victory.
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-- By Robert Douglass and Frank Atkinson
© Copyright 2026 JWT Communications. All rights reserved. This article cannot be republished, rebroadcast, rewritten, or distributed in any form without written permission.
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