Five takeaways from Mizzou’s 34-10 win over Arkansas

Mizzou returned from the bye week by running roughshod over its Battle Line rival. Was it the most exciting game of all time? By no means! But there were very few tricks and a whole lot of treats as Mizzou won its sixth game of the season 34-10.

Here are your takeaways.

1. Credit where it’s due

Make no mistake – Arkansas isn’t a very good football team. But they’re also far from an outright mess. In their past two outings, the Razorbacks played CFP hopeful Tennessee to a one-score game and then went to Nashville and snagged a conference road win over Vanderbilt. They might not be very good, but they’ve been more competitive over the past few games. And not only did Mizzou roll them in Fayetteville on Saturday night, the Tigers did it without ever getting out of second gear.

Missed open receivers, shoddy punting, way too many penalties, leaky tackling, etc. These were all present in Mizzou’s return to play, yet they still managed to coast to a four-score win. Eli Drinkwitz has often cited these types of games as some of his favorites – wins with plenty of opportunities to coach up his team. With a big home game on the horizon, he’ll relish the chance to coach up his guys on the back of a fifth-straight Battle Line victory.

2. Corey Batoon’s opportunistic unit

Mizzou and Arkansas took the field to some very rainy Halloween skies. Rainy skies mean wet footballs. And wet footballs mean lots of slippery grips, a fact that Mizzou’s defense took every advantage of.

Starting with a deflected ball that popped comically into the air into the waiting arms of Trajen Greco, the Mizzou defense forced four total turnovers, including a few at key moments of the game. It wasn’t the flashiest game for Corey Batoon’s guys – just one sack and two tackles for loss for a front seven that prides itself on putting QBs under pressure. But they consistently punished Arkansas’ mistakes and kept KJ Jackson from getting the Razorbacks back in the game by breaking up seven passes and keeping him hurried for much of the second half. Sometimes you just have to take what the opponent gives you, and Corey Bat0on’s boys did just that on Saturday.

3. Hardy’s limited debut

Much was made of All-American Ahmad Hardy’s debut after missing seven games from a gunshot wound. There was hope that an encouraging showing as Jamal Roberts’ backup would signal a return to his starting position against Texas in early November. But maybe there’s more waiting to do.

Hardy’s 2026 debut was short-lived, as he received two carries in the first quarter then sat the remainder of the game on the bench. It’s not as if he was needed – Jamal Roberts had a great game, going 158 total yards on 26 touches for two scores, one rushing and one receiving. Still, Mizzou fans probably hoped for more from Hardy in his first game back. After that showing, there’s no doubt Drinkwitz and the staff will continue to be conservative with Hardy moving forward.

4. Red zone issues continue

We’ve reached the point of the season where we can accurately diagnose some “minor issues” as real problems. And Mizzou’s struggles in the end zone will likely be a thorn in their side for the remainder of the season.

Heading into Saturday night’s game, the Tigers’ 50 percent touchdown rate in the redzone ranked second-to-last in the SEC. And in five trips to the red zone, the offense managed to squeeze in three touchdowns… but only after whiffing on their first two opportunities.

Mizzou’s ability to hit big plays is exciting. They’ve got a big-armed QB and a running back capable of busting big gains, especially as they wear the defense down over the course of four quarters. But if the Tigers are still harboring College Football Playoff aspirations, they’ll eventually need to start games just as well as they finish them. And that means putting away your red zone chances as soon as you get them, not just when the defense you’re playing is tuckered out by your physical resilience.

5. No more “gimmes”

Mizzou is bowl eligible! Woohoo! Remember the days when that was exciting? No longer.

The trip to Fayetteville represented Mizzou’s last gimme game on the schedule. From here on out, the Tigers are playing teams desperate to reach the College Football Playoff or teams with desperate head coaches. Sometimes both. And the Tigers will have to navigate it flawlessly if they want to get their first playoff bid.

It starts next week with a hot-and-cold-but-currently-hot Texas Longhorns squad. As cliche as it is, 1-0 every week has to be the goal.