Ty Simpson and the Alabama Crimson Tide proved too much for Mizzou Saturday, breaking a 15-game home winning streak.
The defeat at Faurot Field is the Tigers’ first in Columbia since 2023 against LSU and
Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels.
It took another top-notch quarterback performance to bring Mizzou down. Simpson finished the game 23 for 32 with 200 yards and three passing touchdowns.
The first year starter led the Crimson Tide on an eight play, 40-yard drive late in the fourth quarter to take a 27-17 lead.
He found Daniel Hill open in the end zone on fourth down from the Mizzou two-yard line as the defense brought pressure, but the most important moment of the drive came a few plays earlier.
Alabama went for it on fourth-and-eight at the Mizzou 38-yard line leading by three, and Simpson dropped a beautifully thrown ball into the arms of Lotzeir Brooks for a 29-yard completion.
The visitors converted six of 14 third down attempts and all three of their fourth downs, consistently finding the yardage they needed against a Tigers defense that had been one of the best in the nation in those situations.
The Crimson Tide’s aggression on fourth down mirrored that of Eli Drinkwitz on the previous drive. Mizzou went three-and-out after Conor Talty’s 49-yard field goal attempt missed wide left.
The Tigers tried to spark their comeback with a fake punt on that drive, but Jamal Roberts was marked down just short of the line to gain – a call that was upheld after review.
The turnover on downs was one of many missed opportunities on the day for the Mizzou offense. The Tigers went one of 10 on third downs as Beau Pribula frequently looked uncomfortable in the pocket, completing 16 of 28 passes and throwing two interceptions.
His second pick sealed the game for Alabama as Mizzou made a late surge following Simpson’s final touchdown pass.
Pribula gashed the Crimson Tide defense for gains of 14 or more yards in the air and on the ground four times on the following drive, including a 27-yard gain to Donovan Olugbode that set the team up with first-and-goal.
He again found the true freshman on the next play, making it 27-24 with 1:39 remaining. And the Tigers defense forced Alabama to punt the ball following the score, getting the ball back with 1:17 on the clock.
Olugbode came up with another big reception, advancing the ball 25 yards on fourth down to near midfield. But the late surge came to a halt a few plays later when Pribula overthrew Olugbode for the final interception.
Mizzou had a similar resurgence that also fell short of the lead earlier in the contest.
The Tigers tied up the game 17-17 early in the third quarter after a massive play by its starting edge rushers, Zion Young and Damon Wilson. Young forced a fumble on the first play out of the half, and Wilson’s recovery set the Tigers up in the red zone.
Kirby Moore’s offense seized on the opportunity, and Pribula juked a defender out of his shoes just a few plays later en route to a five-yard score.
The key play by Death Row Defense was a continuation of its momentum in the second quarter, when the unit held Alabama to a combined three points on its last two drives of the half. Khalil Jacobs and Damon Wilson came up with huge sacks on third down to stop an Alabama offense that had been rolling until that point.
The Tide led 14-7 after a 16-yard strike to Isaiah Horton on third down nine seconds into the second quarter. Simpson led the Alabama offense to touchdowns on each of the team’s opening two drives and completed nine of 12 passes for 78 yards while taking advantage of three key penalties by the Tigers.
The biggest penalty of the three came on Alabama’s second drive. Marvin Burks Jr. forced an incompletion with a big hit on Parker Meadows and was flagged on a controversial targeting call, disqualifying the safety for the rest of the game.
The Tigers offense ran like a well-oiled machine on the game’s opening drive, punishing the Alabama defense with a combination of Ahmad Hardy runs and Beau Pribula keepers. Eli Drinkwitz and Co. took an early 7-0 lead after Brett Norfleet high-pointed a pass from Pribula and ran it into the end zone for a 26-yard score.
But the Mizzou attack quickly stalled out, recording punts on the squad’s next three offensive drives as Pribula struggled to get comfortable. He completed four of eight passes for just 46 yards in the opening half.
Jamal Roberts reignited the Tigers attack on the final drive of the half. The redshirt sophomore burst through the line for a 39-yard gain, and Mizzou slowly pushed the ball downfield with the clock winding down.
Pribula was stopped for no gain as he went to scramble on third down with under 30 seconds left, and 35-yard field goal by Robert Meyer made the score 17-10 entering the half.
The score soon after halftime gave the Tigers 10 unanswered points and a boatload of momentum. But just like the fourth quarter, the momentum didn’t carry for long enough to lift the team ahead.
The loss moves Mizzou to 5-1 on the season.