Mizzou squanders opportunity for signature win against Alabama

Saturday was Mizzou’s moment.

At 5-0, the Tigers had established themselves as worthy contenders in the SEC, but not against an opponent of Alabama’s caliber. A signature win, which the Tigers couldn’t capture last season, was within reach. “SEC Nation,” which made its way to Columbia for the second time this season, brightened the national spotlight that was already shining down on Faurot Field.

Down 17-10 to start the second half, Mizzou needed a moment. Through two quarters, its offense looked sluggish and its secondary had gotten diced up by Ty Simpson.

On the first play of the second half, the Tigers seemed to have that moment, and it came courtesy of the defensive line, which harassed Simpson all game long. Zion Young knocked the ball out of Simpson’s grasp, and it was recovered by Damon Wilson II.

“The guys showed a lot of fight,” Mizzou quarterback Beau Pribula said. “The defense did an outstanding job stepping up whenever we needed them to.”

A few plays later, Pribula shook a white jersey for a game-tying touchdown run. The Tide suddenly had their own nickname turned against them.

The thing about moments, however, is that their in-game singularity sometimes isn’t strong enough. A game’s most pivotal moment could be a fumble in the third quarter or an interception in the waning minutes of regulation. A moment’s magnitude isn’t finalized until the clock hits zero, and that was exactly the case Saturday.

Following a goal-line stand in which MU held Alabama to a field goal late in the third quarter, Pribula threw an interception on a pass intended for Kevin Coleman Jr., whose head was turned in the other direction. After Connor Talty missed a 48-yard field goal, the Tigers went three-and-out and were stopped short on a fake punt. Alabama followed with a touchdown on the ensuing drive.

Although Mizzou shocked itself back to life numerous times, the Tigers couldn’t capitalize on newfound opportunities. The dagger was Pribula’s second interception, which featured him slightly overshooting Donovan Olugbode on a mistimed seam route with 37 seconds left in regulation.

By the game’s end, the strip sack of Simpson felt like it happened when there was still a hill in the north end zone.

Since 2023, Mizzou has almost always emerged victorious from the throes of a back-and-forth contest. Saturday was different, and it largely involved an identity crisis.

Identity theft is not a joke

Through five games, Mizzou was in the FBS’ top three in the following statistics: third-down conversion rate, third-down conversion defense and average time of possession.

On Saturday, Alabama out-Mizzou’d Mizzou. The Crimson Tide won the time of possession battle by over 17 minutes — each of their first three drives took more than 4 minutes, 40 seconds, and the magnum opus was a nine-minute drive that ended in a field goal.

A big part of Alabama’s TOP victory had to do with its ability to convert on third down (6 of 15) and fourth down (3 of 3). The Crimson Tide were able to remain on schedule during early downs, which made money downs more attainable. They averaged just 6 yards to go on third down, less than half of what South Carolina averaged against MU three weeks ago.

“You’ve got to stay on schedule,” Connor Tollison said. “Third-and-2 is a lot easier than third-and-9.”

The Tigers, on the other hand, couldn’t re-create the character traits that were sapped by the opposition. They were a paltry 1-of-10 on third down, a number that looked closer to what MU was doing to opponents rather than the other way around. Even more worrisome, its average distance on third down was 5.8 yards, which was almost the same as Alabama’s.

When asked what the difference was in Saturday’s game, Tollison kept his reasoning short and sour.

“Not being able to stay on the field,” Tollison said. “It makes it tough for our defense.”

Major first punches

Entering Saturday, Mizzou had scored a touchdown on its opening drive in four of its first five games while Alabama had done so in four of its first six.

Sure enough, both teams came out firing on all cylinders, pyramids and whatever three-dimensional shape you could think of. Against an Alabama run defense that had struggled on numerous occasions, Mizzou torched the Crimson Tide for 52 yards on its first six plays, all of which were runs. The cherry on top was a leaping grab by Brett Norfleet along the right sideline, and he marched for a 26-yard touchdown.

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“We preached start(ing) fast all week,” Tollison said. “That’s something good we can work off of.”

Alabama followed up with an 11-play, 78-yard touchdown drive that was aided by two penalties on Zion Young, one for taunting and another for offside. Simpson looked comfortable, completing 5 of 6 passes for 42 yards, including a 6-yard touchdown to Jam Miller.

On the other hand, Mizzou couldn’t get much going after its seamless first possession. In between MU’s first and last two drives of the game, the Tigers gained just 148 yards. Pribula never found a passing rhythm, while Ahmad Hardy and Jamal Roberts combined for just 17 carries. The opening act didn’t foreshadow what was to come.

Regarding Alabama’s aerial attack, however, the opening minutes proved to be an appetizer for the rest of the game.

Slingin’ Simpson

In 1968, Mizzou beat Alabama 35-10 in the Gator Bowl. After the game, with the joy of the Grinch on Christmas, Bear Bryant said Mizzou “ran up and down the field just as though they were playing a barbers college.”

Over a half-century later, it was the Crimson Tide that cut up the Tigers in a major facet of the game. Simpson had far from an A+ performance, as he wasn’t the same kind of assassin he was in Alabama’s previous games.

“I thought we did a pretty good job against the pass,” Daylan Carnell said. “He had 200 passing yards. That’s his season low.”

But his efforts were good enough to earn a passing grade (pun intended). Simpson made several big-time throws down the field, including a bullet through multiple black jerseys to Isaiah Horton for a 16-yard touchdown early in the second quarter.

“He made big-time plays when they (the Crimson Tide) needed them,” Carnell said. “He’s a real good player. ... Great players make great plays.”

Burks ejected for targeting

Late in the first quarter, Mizzou lost one of its top defensive backs following a tough call.

On a deep pass down the right side of the field, Marvin Burks Jr. annihilated Alabama wideout Derek Meadows, who was seemingly knocked unconscious for a few moments before walking to the Alabama sideline with the help of trainers. More consequentially, Burks Jr. was ejected for targeting.

“I’ve got no comments about officials or reviews or any of that stuff,” coach Eli Drinkwitz said afterward.

Penalties hadn’t been a major issue for Mizzou over its first five games, but yellow flags hurt the Tigers on Saturday. Young’s pair of penalties kept Alabama’s opening drive alive, and Burks’ penalty helped set up Simpson’s touchdown pass to Horton.

Tigers earn pair of 2026 commitments

While Mizzou football picked up a loss on the gridiron Saturday, it scored a pair of recruiting wins.

The first commitment of the day came from three-star defensive lineman Brysen Wessell, who was previously committed to Iowa State. Wessell, who goes to Jackson High School in Missouri, took an unofficial visit to MU for its game against South Carolina on Sept. 20. Wessell also held offers from James Madison, Wake Forest and Washington State.

Not too long after, the Tigers received another commitment, this time from four-star Florida offensive tackle Johnnie Jones Jr.

The 6-foot-7 high school senior, who decommitted from UCLA on Sept. 14, took an official visit to Mizzou on Sept. 20. Between then and Saturday, Jones Jr. received an offer from Mississippi State and took an unofficial visit to Florida State.

Wessell and Jones Jr. bring Mizzou’s Class of 2026 commitment total to 16.