No. 23 Missouri Beats Arkansas 34-10: Jamal Roberts Scores Twice, Tigers Keep the Battle Line Trophy

No. 23 Missouri went to Fayetteville on a rainy Halloween night and left with the Battle Line Rivalry trophy again. The Tigers turned four Arkansas turnovers into 24 points and beat the Razorbacks 34-10 on Saturday at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

Running back Jamal Roberts carried the offense with 138 rushing yards on 23 carries and two total touchdowns. Quarterback Austin Simmons threw for 179 yards and two scores, and Missouri improved to 6-2 overall and 3-2 in the SEC. Arkansas fell to 3-5 and 1-4.

According to Missouri Athletics, it was the Tigers’ fifth straight win in the rivalry and their 10th in the last 11 meetings. The school also said it was Missouri’s 29th straight win over an unranked opponent, tied for the longest active run among FBS programs.

Missouri vs. Arkansas: how the game went

The Tigers led 13-7 at halftime even though, as the Associated Press noted, their offense hadn’t scored a touchdown. The defense and kicker Blake Craig did the work early:

• A Trajen Greco interception, his third of the season, set up a 31-yard Craig field goal.
• Defensive end Darris Smith recovered a fumble in the end zone late in the first quarter for a 10-0 lead.
• A 16-play drive ended in a 53-yard field goal by Craig for 13-0. Missouri Athletics said it was his fifth field goal of 50 yards or more this season.

Arkansas got on the board before halftime, and quarterback KJ Jackson finished with a rushing touchdown, per the AP.

The game turned in the third quarter. Simmons hit Cayden Lee for a 46-yard gain to the Arkansas 11, and two plays later found Donovan Olugbode for a 15-yard touchdown and a 20-7 lead. Then Nicholas Rodriguez forced a Jackson fumble near midfield, Sterling Webb recovered it, and Roberts ran 43 yards to the 2 before scoring on the next play for a 27-7 lead.

“It was big. It was a swing of the momentum,” Roberts said of the third quarter, according to the AP. “We just went on a run.”

Max Gilbert’s 32-yard field goal on the first play of the fourth quarter cut it to 27-10. Missouri answered after Jahlil Florence recovered an Antonio Jordan fumble at the Arkansas 18. On fourth down from the 10, Simmons found Roberts for a touchdown with 7:19 left to set the final score.

Jamal Roberts tops 1,000 yards

Roberts came into the weekend as the SEC’s leading rusher, according to Missouri Athletics, and left with 1,005 rushing yards for the season. He added three catches for 20 yards, giving him 158 yards from scrimmage. The rushing touchdown was his ninth of the year, per the school.

Ahmad Hardy returns

The night also marked the season debut of All-American running back Ahmad Hardy. He missed Missouri’s first seven games after being wounded in the leg in a shooting at an outdoor concert in May, the AP reported. Hardy entered late in the first quarter and finished with two carries for 5 yards, including a 4-yard run to convert a third-and-short.

Coach Eli Drinkwitz said there was “no medical reason not to play him,” adding that the remaining work is “just about getting his body back in shape physically.”

Mizzou football defense and the trophy

Missouri held Arkansas to 59 rushing yards on 36 carries and 288 total yards. Rodriguez led the defense with nine tackles. Missouri Athletics said the four takeaways (three fumbles and an interception) were the team’s most in a game since November 2024.

Jackson went 20 of 34 for 229 yards for Arkansas. Wide receiver Antonio Jordan had a career-high seven catches for 106 yards, his first 100-yard game, according to Arkansas Athletics.

Drinkwitz described the trophy game as “a prizefight.” “If you win, you got a prize at the end, and that’s that trophy,” he said. “That trophy means something to us.”

What’s next for Mizzou and the Razorbacks

• Missouri returns home for the first time in a month to host No. 11 Texas on Saturday, Nov. 7. Missouri Athletics lists an 11 a.m. kickoff on ESPN.
• Arkansas plays at Auburn on Saturday, Nov. 7.

Quick FAQ

Who won Missouri vs. Arkansas? Missouri won 34-10 on Saturday, Oct. 31, in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

How did Jamal Roberts do? He ran for 138 yards and a touchdown and caught a 10-yard touchdown pass. That pushed him past 1,000 rushing yards for the season.

Did Ahmad Hardy play? Yes. It was his first game of the season, and he had two carries for 5 yards.