Despite bowl game defeat, Mizzou had some key players step up and show promise for 2026
By Jeff Moeller
Published:
After it rocketed to a 5-0 start to the season, Missouri’s season began to fizzle, as the Tigers dropped 4 of their next 7 games. The Tigers finished with a 4-4 record in SEC play.
Still, Mizzou had a chance to redeem itself with a matchup against No. 19 Virginia in Jacksonville’s TaxSlayer Gator Bowl.
However, the Tigers’ offense stalled after scoring on its opening drive and fell to Virginia, 13-7.
Yet, the Tigers will have 3 cornerstones to rebuild their foundation for the 2026 season in freshman quarterback Matt Zollers, sophomore running back Ahmad Hardy, and sophomore middle linebacker Nicholas Rodriguez.
Zollers took over for starter Beau Pribula, who entered the transfer portal and sat out the game, guided the team down the field in the game’s opening 7-play, 74-yard drive that gave the Tigers a 7-0 lead when Jamal Roberts scored on a 5-yard scamper.
But Zollers couldn’t find his rhythm the rest of the game, and he finished with a pedestrian 12-of-22, 101-yard, 1-interception effort.
Throughout the majority of the game, however, Zollers looked like a true freshman quarterback with delayed and telegraphed throws. Zollers did have a couple of weeks to prepare for the game, and it showed overall that he wasn’t totally ready.
Maybe he had trouble adjusting and playing under the bright lights of a nationally televised game.
In his defense, Zollers did rally his team during their final and potential game-winning drive. He fell just short on a third-down scramble and was forced to leave the game by the officials, who believed he possibly suffered a head injury.
For the season, Zollers completed 47 of 88 passes for 503 yards with 4 touchdowns and 2 interceptions, primarily in a relief role.
He made starts against Vanderbilt in which he went 14-of-33 for 138 yards with a score, and against Mississippi State in which he completed 8 of 15 attempts for 112 yards with a pair of touchdown tosses and an interception.
Whether or not the Tigers go hunting for a new quarterback in the transfer portal, Zollers is an insurance policy.
Head coach Eli Drinkwitz is a huge supporter of Zollers, and he is confident he can improve. Dinkwitz also took the blame for his team’s questionable play calling throughout the game.
“I thought he did some really good things,” Drinkwitz said about Zollers. “Obviously, had a chance right there on that 2-minute drive, moved us down the field pretty well. So, a lot to build on. Obviously it’s a lot of growth.
“You know, everybody’s got to grow and learn from their reps. And that’s his, really, his third start. So, I thought he did some really good things. Obviously, we wish we could have that interception back. And I think there were just a couple of throws that we were a little bit late, too. Just, overall, I thought he gave us an opportunity, and it was really on me — I didn’t do a good enough job calling plays for him.”
Along with Zollers, Hardy will be a major staple in the backfield.
The sophomore workhorse running back transfer from Louisiana-Monroe ran for 89 yards on 15 carries in the bowl game, and it gave him a new team single-season record of 1,648 yards, breaking Cody Schrader’s mark of 1,627 set in 2023. Hardy posted an impressive 6.4 yards on his 256 carries and scored 16 touchdowns this season.
Hardy, who is coming back for next season, established himself among the elite of running backs this season. He missed the 100-yard game total in only 4 of the Tigers’ contests this season.
Last season, Hardy had a breakthrough freshman season, running for 1,351 yards on a 5.9 yard per carry attempt, crossing the goal line 13 times.
However, Hardy wasn’t happy with his 15 carries in the bowl game, and that could be a trigger toward a possible departure. It will likely involve a major powwow soon between himself and Drinkwitz.
Rodriguez stepped in for fellow sophomore and injured starter Josiah Trotter and produced a productive performance.
He registered a career-high 15 combined tackles, as well as highs in solo tackles with 5 and assists with 10. Rodriguez helped Missouri’s defense keep Virginia within striking distance of the Tigers’ offense, limiting the Cavaliers to 3.9 yards per play. With his bowl-game performance, Rodriguez raised his season total to 61 combined tackles for the season along with 1.5 sacks.
If Trotter opts for the draft, Rodriguez showed that he can make the permanent transition rather easily, and he will see an increased role with the team.
Should Trotter return, he and Rodriguez will have the opportunity and potential to be one of the SEC’s better inside linebacker duos.
“He put on a show defensively in his home state,” Drinkwitz said of Rodriguez, who is a Miami native. “We’re glad he is coming back.”
Drinkwitz also stated that junior defensive lineman Jared Marshall will be back, and Roberts, a sophomore, ran for 753 yards and scored 6 touchdowns.
With Zollers, Hardy and Rodriguez and others apparently back in the fold, the Tigers will look to be back in the SEC hunt next season.
