Austin Simmons passed for three touchdowns and Robert Woodyard Jr. forced a pair of turnovers on consecutive possessions in the second half Friday night, leading No. 23 Missouri to a 38-21 victory over Kansas in Lawrence, Kan.
Donovan Olugbode and Cayden Lee finished with more than 100 yards receiving apiece and each caught a touchdown pass for Missouri (2-0), which won its fifth straight “Border War” matchup, a rivalry that began in 1891. Jamal Roberts contributed 125 rushing yards and a score on 28 carries.
Austin Alexander returned a blocked field goal for a long touchdown for Kansas (1-1), which has lost both meetings with Mizzou in a series that has been played only twice — both in the past two seasons — since the Tigers moved to the SEC in 2012.
With the score tied 14-14 in the third quarter, Woodyard forced and recovered a fumble by Kansas quarterback Isaiah Marshall.
Simmons directed a 34-yard drive that ended with a go-ahead score on an 8-yard pass to Olugbode.
On the first play of Kansas’ next possession, Woodyard intercepted Marshall at the Jayhawks’ 40 and returned it to the 12. Two plays later, Xai’Shaun Edwards scored on a short run for a 28-14 lead.
Kansas got within a touchdown, but Missouri scored the final 10 points. Simmons finished 19 of 29 for 292 yards, his second straight impressive performance after transferring from Ole Miss.
Both teams had big offensive outputs in their previous games against smaller schools, but neither side could score until midway through the second quarter, when Kansas made a big play on special teams.
Leroy Harris III blocked Blake Craig’s 27-yard field-goal attempt, and Alexander picked it up and ran 88 yards to the end zone. On the play, referee Jason Autrey appeared to injure a hamstring trying to keep pace. Umpire Ron Turner took over as referee for the rest of the game. Turner previously was a referee in the SWAC.
Roberts, who had been bottled up on his first 14 carries, including a fumble forced by Harris, tied the score 7-7 on Mizzou’s first possession after the blocked kick. He scampered 64 yards on a draw, darting left inside the Kansas 10 to avoid a possible tackle. Roberts appeared to be watching his pursuer on a jumbo TV above the end zone.
Olugbode had 121 receiving yards, and Lee finished with 120, each on six catches. Teammate Brent Norfleet also hauled in a TD pass.
Marshall finished 13 of 30 for 168 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He added 23 yards on 20 carries. Dylan Edwards was the Jayhawks’ leading rusher with 39 yards on six attempts.
