Austin Simmons threw for 340 yards and two touchdowns, Jamal Roberts ran for 211 yards and three scores, and No. 25 Missouri’s defense shut down star running back Jadan Baugh in a 45-17 victory Saturday afternoon over No. 8 Florida in Columbia, Mo.
Roberts broke two long second-half runs, one for 77 yards and later an 80-yard touchdown for Missouri, which scored 35 straight points after the score was tied 10-10 late in the first half.
Missouri scored on six straight possessions spanning the end of the second quarter to the fourth.
Missouri (4-1, 1-1 SEC) had lost nine straight games against ranked opponents. Mizzou coach Eli Drinkwitz improved to 2-10 against teams ranked in the Top 10 of the Associated Press poll, winning for the first time since beating Ohio State in the 2023 Cotton Bowl.
Simmons hooked up with Donovan Olugbode on a 47-yard touchdown pass, and with Caleb Goodie Sr. on a 31-yard score in the second quarter. Cayden Lee led the Tigers with 110 receiving yards on eight catches. Simmons finished 23-of-30.
Florida (4-1, 2-1 SEC) began the season unranked before winning by five points at Auburn and blowing out No. 4 Ole Miss 52-28 a week ago. Missouri started 4-0 but allowed two late touchdowns to lose at Mississippi State a week ago.
Baugh, a Heisman Trophy candidate after the first month, gained only 13 rushing yards on 12 carries. He came in with 11 touchdowns to lead the FBS, and had rushed for at least 100 yards in five straight games dating back to last season.
The Tigers led 10-3 when Missouri’s defense stopped Florida on 4th-and-short at the Gators’ 35. But the Tigers’ offense couldn’t move the ball on the ensuing possession, and Blake Craig’s 50-yard field-goal attempt sailed wide.
The Gators would tie the game on a 7-play, 68-yard drive capped by Aaron Philo’s 12-yard strike to Dallas Wilson.
Philo was 21-of-34 for 197 yards.
But the Tigers responded and needed only five plays to take the lead for good. Simmons completed the job just before the two-minute warning with a 31-yard touchdown pass down the right sideline to Goodie.
After a stop by Mizzou’s defense, Simmons directed a 38-yard drive in 93 seconds to give Craig another field-goal attempt. He nailed this one from 50 yards as the clock expired for a 20-10 lead at the half.
Missouri outscored Florida, 10-0 in the third quarter. Just before the end of the period, Jamal Roberts broke a 77-yard run to Florida’s 2. Roberts, limited to 45 yards on his first 18 carries, appeared to be bottled up behind the line of scrimmage before reversing field and outrunning most of the defense.
On the first play of the fourth quarter, Roberts ran it in from a yard out. A short pass from Simmons to Cayden Lee on the two-point conversion made it 38-10.
Nicholas Rodriguez led Missouri with 11 tackles, including 1.5 tackles for loss. Mizzou outgained Florida 560 to 325.
–Field Level Media
