Austin Simmons throws first touchdown pass with Mizzou
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
After an injury led to Trinidad Chambliss surpassing him as QB1 on the Ole Miss depth chart, Austin Simmons entered the transfer portal after the 2025 season and ended up at Mizzou.
The Tigers’ success, or lack thereof, will depend on Simmons and how he develops under new offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey. While the season opener against Arkansas-Pine Bluff won’t be much of a test, it will still be important for Mizzou’s new signal-caller to get off to a good start.
So far, he has. The Tigers needed 11 plays to go 70 yards to the end zone on the opening drive of the game, one that was capped by Simmons’ 25-yard touchdown pass to Shaun Terry II. Here’s video of the play:
On the Tigers’ next drive, Simmons added a second touchdown, this time to Donovan Olugbode from 14 yards out to make it a 14-0 Mizzou lead.
Simmons has been red-hot to start the game. Through the first quarter, he completed 11 of his 13 passes for 123 yards. Olugbode has six catches for 72 yards already. Again, this is against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, an FCS team that went 4-8 in 2025. But if this is a taste of what Simmons can provide against stiffer competition, the Tigers will be a tough out.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
