“Lopsided” doesn’t do it justice. Missouri out-rushed South Carolina 285 yards to negative-9 on Saturday. That’s proper: negative-9. So, Mizzou really out-rushed South Carolina by 294 yards.
The No. 23 Tigers trampled their method to a 29-20 house victory over South Carolina, bettering to 4-0 for a 3rd straight season. And it was operating again Ahmad Hardy who did the majority of the trampling, dashing for 138 yards and a landing on 22 carries as his breakout season continued.
The sophomore switch from Louisiana Monroe entered the weekend second within the FBS in dashing yards, buoyed by a 250-yard, three-touchdown efficiency in opposition to his former rival, Louisiana, that earned him Walter Camp nationwide offensive participant of the week honors. The 5-foot-10, 210-pound sledgehammer has been the catalyst for one of many SEC’s finest offenses to date. He’s additionally making an early case as a shock Heisman Trophy candidate in a jumbled race.
“I didn’t suppose he was going to be this good — let’s be sincere,” Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz stated Saturday. “The dude is operating by folks like he’s a dump truck. He’s a Clydesdale amongst a bunch of fillies. It’s unbelievable.”
The spotlight of South Carolina’s win was a 5-yard landing run within the third quarter the place Hardy appeared to get stuffed at concerning the 3-yard line, his again to the top zone and toes off the bottom, earlier than touchdown upright on the turf and handing over for the go-ahead rating.
“How he scored on the one run the place he left his toes, got here again and had stability and scored — I ain’t ever seen that on tape earlier than,” Drinkwitz stated. “Dude is particular.”
STAYIN’ IN THE FIGHT 🗣️@MizzouFootball x 📺ESPN pic.twitter.com/LYz5nE0yvR
— Southeastern Convention (@SEC) September 21, 2025
“Truthfully, I didn’t even know I used to be off the bottom till I began spinning and my legs began kicking,” Hardy stated. “I’m not down — I received excited — so I simply stored operating.”
The play was a becoming depiction of Hardy, as was Drinkwitz’s postgame equine comparability. Hardy is an avid horseman — he owns three horses named Chaotic, Jet and Coco — and rides daily through the offseason when again house in Mississippi. ULM gave the unheralded three-star recruit within the 2024 class his lone FBS supply, and Hardy grinded his method from the underside of the depth chart to a season-opening starter for the Warhawks as a freshman, on his method to 1,351 yards and 13 touchdowns. Now he’s crafting a correct darkish horse resume in his first season at Missouri, for himself and the Tigers.
Hardy’s hard-nosed operating gave Mizzou an edge over South Carolina, together with quarterback LaNorris Sellers, one other Heisman hopeful, who stored the Gamecocks within the recreation with 302 passing yards and two touchdowns. South Carolina (2-2) took a 20-18 lead late within the third quarter, however Mizzou pitched a shutout within the closing interval to notch its second fourth-quarter comeback, after besting Kansas in Week 2. Working again Jamal Roberts and quarterback Beau Pribula ran for a mixed 148 yards as nicely, with the Tigers ripping off 5.9 yards per carry.
“Perhaps among the finest gamers within the nation that no person is speaking about is Ahmad Hardy.”
Tim Tebow says @MizzouFootball’s Ahmad Hardy is a possible Heisman candidate 👀 pic.twitter.com/EF2Mrs6lET
— SEC Community (@SECNetwork) September 20, 2025
Hardy isn’t the one gem Missouri plucked from the switch portal this offseason. Pribula, who backed up Drew Allar at Penn State, has been a great dual-threat quarterback for Mizzou’s offense. Taking up for three-year starter Brady Cook dinner, Pribula is finishing 72.4 % of his throws with 11 complete touchdowns and solely two interceptions. Main receiver Kevin Coleman Jr. got here from Mississippi State. Linebacker and main tackler Josiah Trotter got here from West Virginia. Standout defensive again Jalen Catalon and defensive finish Damon Wilson II are starters with earlier SEC expertise.
It has made for a formidable roster reload on the heels of back-to-back double-digit-win seasons, giving Missouri some of the potent and balanced offenses within the nation and a stingy protection. That received the job executed in opposition to a proficient South Carolina staff, because the Tigers outgained the Gamecocks 456 yards to 293. Now, the remainder of a grueling SEC schedule awaits.
Missouri finishes its nonconference slate at house in opposition to UMass subsequent Saturday, then has an off week earlier than going through 4 presently ranked opponents over the course of 5 weeks: No. 14 Alabama, at No. 22 Auburn, at No. 20 Vanderbilt and No. 10 Texas A&M. The Tigers additionally journey to No. 11 Oklahoma on Nov. 22. These video games have been the staff’s Achilles’ heel in 2024, as Missouri dropped all three of its ranked matchups in league play. It left Missouri at No. 19 within the closing School Soccer Playoff rankings, exterior of the 12-team subject.
The Playoff feels attainable in 2025 in what appears to be a deep however balanced SEC. Missouri should earn it in opposition to that schedule, however with the way in which Hardy is toting the rock, the remainder of Mizzou’s opponents should earn it as nicely.
“Finally, on this league, should you can run the ball, you’re going to win,” Drinkwitz stated. “You’re going to win much more video games than should you can’t.”
(Picture: Jeff Le / Getty Pictures)
