Mizzou’s Kevin Coleman Jr. extends lead over Arkansas with thrilling punt return TD
By David Wasson
Published:
Kevin Coleman Jr. had a relatively quiet Saturday as a receiver in the Missouri offense. But Arkansas made a big mistake punting to Coleman in the fourth quarter.
The senior speedster fielded a Devin Bale punt at the 33-yard line and proceeded to make all 11 Razorbacks miss en route to a 67-yard touchdown to make it 31-17. The punt return touchdown was Missouri’s first since Luther Burden III took back a 78-yard punt for a score against Abilene Christian on Sept. 17, 2022.
Before that point in the game, Coleman had recorded 2 receptions for 20 yards for Mizzou, which is looking to cap its season with a victory against Arkansas in Fayetteville.
Coleman had fielded 61 punts in 4 seasons at Jackson State (2022), Louisville (2023), Mississippi State (2024) and Missouri heading into Saturday’s game without finding the end zone. The touchdown was also just his second of the season. Coleman returned a single-season best 26 points at Louisville in 2023, but his 189 yards in punt returns this season is the best of his career.
As a receiver, Coleman entered Saturday’s game with 63 catches for 715 yards and a TD in 2025. He had 196 receptions for 2,519 yards and 12 TDs in his career entering Saturday.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
