Outlined against the bright lights of Memorial Stadium under a jet black November sky, the horseman rode again.
Ahmad Hardy powered Missouri to a 49-27 win over Mississippi State on Senior Night with his
most impressive performance yet in a Tigers uniform, rushing for 300 yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries.
Hardy’s final line places him second all-time in program history for rushing yards in a single game, only behind Devin West’s 319 yards in the 1998 Border War.
MU has now won its home finale in five consecutive seasons, allowing the team’s seniors to take a rock and get carried off on their teammates’ shoulders.
Hardy led the charge in a dominant Mizzou rushing attack that totaled 327 yards on 38 carries against the Bulldogs on the way to a 49-point performance, the most by the Tigers since they scored 52 against Louisiana in the third week of the season.
The Louisiana-Monroe transfer’s signature moment during the game came in the third quarter. Hardy broke away for a 72-yard run, galloping past the Mississippi State defense to put MU ahead 28-17.
The Tigers took a commanding three-score lead just seconds later when Anthony Evans III bobbled a pass from Blake Shapen with Daylan Carnell in coverage, allowing Toriano Pride, Jr., to pick the ball out of the air and return it 19 yards for a pick six.
MU added to its lead with two more touchdowns — a Marvin Burks, Jr., pick six and Hardy’s final score of the game, a 43-yard run — to seal the victory.
Mizzou’s comfortable win didn’t always look inevitable. The Tigers held on to a tight lead until Hardy’s second touchdown rush as their own mistakes helped keep Mississippi State in the game.
MU jumped out to a quick 14-3 lead in the game with two touchdown passes by Matt Zollers, including a highlight reel-worthy 26-yard grab on the team’s first offensive drive by Donovan Olugbode.
But penalties quickly began to pile up for Corey Batoon’s defense. The Tigers committed six defensive penalties in the first half, and both Nate Johnson and Josiah Trotter were ejected on targeting calls.
Three of the six penalties came in short succession on one of the stranger drives Mizzou has played in recent memory.
MU was driving into Bulldogs territory when Zollers was intercepted on a pass that missed its mark, giving the visitors a chance to take the lead with a touchdown. That opportunity got better and better for Mississippi State as the Bulldogs drove into the red zone and Santana Banner, Trotter and Stephen Hall were each called for penalties in short succession.
Despite the penalties and defending the end zone for eight consecutive plays with goal-to-go, the Tigers forced the visitors to attempt a field goal.
Chaos ensued.
The field goal attempt went awry as the ball slipped away from the holder, allowing Pride to return the ball all the way to the Bulldogs’ 15-yard line. Ahmad Hardy punched the ball into the end zone for his first touchdown of the night six plays later on a 10-yard gain, putting the Tigers ahead 21-10.
Mizzou nearly had another score before the half, but Oliver Robbins’ 54-yard attempt clanged off the right upright in the final seconds of the second quarter after an intentional grounding call on Zollers set the offense back 10 yards.
Another offensive miscue early in the second half set up Mississippi State’s second touchdown. Hardy fumbled the ball near midfield, leading to a Bulldogs drive that ended with a three-yard quarterback keeper by Blake Shapen to cut the MU lead to four.
Before the night was over, that fumble would be long forgotten. Hardy ensured that his performance that earned a spot in the program record books.
The victory moves the Tigers to 7-3 on the season and .500 in the SEC with two regular season games remaining.
Mizzou will go for a second straight victory and major upset next Saturday against an Oklahoma team coming off a 23-21 defeat of fourth-ranked Alabama.
