The current Kansas football team is in many ways removed from the era in which the Border War rivalry with Missouri took center stage.
KU has players on its roster who were in preschool when the Jayhawks and Tigers played for — until this year — the final time, as part of the 2011 season, before Missouri left for the SEC. As left tackle Calvin Clements puts it, the rivalry with Kansas State has been the main one for his generation.
“But understanding the volume of this rivalry is definitely a big thing for us, and for me just being from Lawrence, I have a better understanding of it,” Clements said.
“It’s one of the great rivalries in college football that just doesn’t get talked about for some reason — probably because we haven’t played since (2011),” added tight end DeShawn Hanika, a Topeka native who attended the 2008 game as a kid. “It’s a special thing for each state.”
This year’s Jayhawks, Kansans and otherwise, are all charged with reviving the long-dormant matchup, which will take place at Faurot Field in Columbia, Missouri, on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. It will be played again in 2026 in Lawrence, and later in 2031 and 2032.
Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz says his team wants to win all its “trophy games.” This is one such matchup for the Tigers, where the reward goes far beyond what he called the “attaboy” they get for most of their victories.
“There ain’t no ‘attaboy’ after this one,” he told reporters on Tuesday. “There’s a dadgum war drum and several other (things) out there. If you win it, you get it, if you don’t you don’t … I don’t care if you’re playing against a buddy at home in one-on-one. If there’s a Diet Coke on the line, you want to stinkin’ win, because it’s painful if you don’t.”
It will be an on-field challenge for both teams. For Missouri, a large part of that challenge will revolve around containing KU’s defensive line, which Drinkwitz called “the strength of their football team,” and quarterback Jalon Daniels.
“We’ve played several of these styles of quarterbacks before — in the SEC that’s becoming more and more popular — but we’ve never played anyone like him,” Drinkwitz said.
Meanwhile, KU has its own concerns about some of the same areas on the Missouri side. Defensive coordinator D.K. McDonald was effusive in his praise of the Tigers’ offense on Tuesday, calling MU dual-threat quarterback Beau Pribula “an amazing quarterback, probably one of the best that I’ve seen in my college time.”
The Tigers are certainly off to a strong offensive start, with Pribula responsible for 348 of their 560 yards in a 61-6 victory over Central Arkansas on Aug. 28, as Marquis Johnson led the way with 134 receiving yards.
Running back Ahmad Hardy picked up right where he left off after transferring from Louisiana-Monroe (where he ran for 1,351 yards and 13 touchdowns as a freshman), tallying 100 yards on just 10 carries.
The defensive front, led by players like ends Damon Wilson II (a highly touted Georgia transfer) and Zion Young and tackles Chris McClellan and Marquis Gracial, drew the attention of Leipold and offensive coordinator Jim Zebrowski.
“It’s an excellent defensive line, but the defensive ends are extremely twitchy and quick off the edge,” Leipold said. “(They have) the size up front at the D-tackle spot and still very athletic, so again, those things are always going to be challenging.”
Zebrowski said one key for KU will be to remain balanced: “Anybody will tell you, any NFL guy, any college will tell you, if you get stuck in situations where they know you’re doing something, that’s bad.”
Further back, Missouri features some familiar transfers like linebacker Josiah Trotter from West Virginia and safety Jalen Catalon, who previously played against KU while at Texas and UNLV.
McDonald, who coached at schools like Toledo and Iowa State, called the Tigers in general “probably one of the most talented teams that I’ve seen since I’ve been in college.”
“I played the Oklahoma team once that had Baker Mayfield and everybody was a draft pick on the team, and this Missouri team reminds me a lot of that,” he said.
Missouri Tigers (1-0) vs. Kansas Jayhawks (2-0)
• Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium, Columbia, Missouri, 2:30 p.m.
• Broadcast: ESPN2
• Radio: Jayhawk Radio Network (in Lawrence, KLWN AM 1320 / K269GB FM 101.7 / KKSW FM 105.9)
• Betting line: MU -6.5; over/under 50.5
• Series history: MU leads 56-55-9 according to KU; MU leads 57-54-9 according to MU
Keep an eye out
1. The third phase: Both schools are dealing with special-teams injuries ahead of the contest. KU punter Finn Lappin, a transfer from McNeese, made a stellar debut against Fresno State with three punts for an average of 53.7 yards, including two inside the 20-yard line. He did not play against Wagner, and Leipold said it was because of a “tweak”; veteran reserve Grayden Addison started in his place and averaged 43.0 yards. Lappin was limited in practice earlier in the week and it’s not clear whether he’ll play. Missouri, meanwhile, lost its strong-legged starting kicker Blake Craig to a torn ACL. Craig is 7-for-10 from 50-plus yards in his career. He will be replaced by freshman Robert Meyer.
2. Thunder and lightning: The Jayhawks didn’t have Leshon Williams for Wagner after he suffered an apparent hand or wrist injury during his promising debut against Fresno State, and Johnny Thompson Jr. was serviceable but lost a fumble while stretching for the goal line as the No. 2 back behind Daniel Hishaw Jr. KU expects to have its full complement of rushers back for Saturday. Leipold said of Williams and Hishaw, “I think both are physical runners and in games like this, there’s going to be tough yards to get to keep the sticks moving.”
3. Secondary step: Missouri doesn’t have a receiver duo quite like Luther Burden III and Theo Wease Jr. from last season, but it has returning players like Johnson and Joshua Manning and a well-traveled transfer in Kevin Coleman Jr. with 139 career catches across four different institutions. KU’s young cornerbacks have held up quite nicely in their first extended action, and the Jayhawks got a boost with the return of D.J. Graham II against Wagner, but the Tigers’ wideouts will be dramatically more challenging to face than anyone they’ve battled thus far.
Spotlight on…
Trey Lathan: KU needs leadership and heightened productivity from Lathan, its starting middle linebacker, in the wake of the injury to weak-side starter Bangally Kamara. Not only that, the Jayhawks will need him to be on the field for extended stretches because his primary backup at the moment, at least according to the Week 2 depth chart, is young walk-on Ezra Vedral. Lathan has already exceeded expectations in his early action for the Jayhawks and will have to continue to do so to give KU a solid chance against Missouri.
Inside the numbers
92.0: The Pro Football Focus grade in 40 snaps for KU’s reserve safety Devin Dye, who is the highest-graded Jayhawk thus far this season.
56: Pribula’s career total number of pass attempts in his first two seasons at Penn State.
3: Number of Kansans on Missouri’s roster.
Prediction
Missouri wins 31-28. KU can keep up with Missouri better than the oddsmakers might give it credit for, but this is just a case of the Jayhawks’ weaknesses aligning poorly with the Tigers’ strengths. KU’s offensive line has been uneven at times against lesser competition and now has to take on MU’s vaunted front; KU has minimal depth at linebacker in a week it’s taking on a run-heavy quarterback and high-level running back. With these elements in mind, it’s hard to pick the Jayhawks to take the trophy from their rivals in the first edition of the renewed Border War.
