Beau Pribula completed 30 of 39 passes for 334 yards and three touchdowns as Missouri rallied past Kansas 42-31 Saturday in their Border War showdown in Columbia, Mo.
The Tigers (2-0) erased a 15-point first-half deficit to defeat their archrival Jayhawks (2-1) in their first meeting since 2011.
Jamal Roberts rushed for 143 yards and a touchdown for Missouri and Ahmad Hardy added 112 yards and one TD.
Kevin Coleman Jr. (10 catches, 126 yards, touchdown) and Brett Norfleet (seven catches, 76 yards, two TDs) keyed the Tigers’ passing game.
The Tigers outrushed Kansas 249-31 and outgained the Jayhawks 583-254. Missouri converted 4 of its 5 fourth-down-conversion attempts.
Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels completed 18 of 30 passes for 223 yards and two touchdowns.
A 71-yard drive was capped by Hardy’s 32-yard touchdown run and an early 6-0 Missouri lead. The Jayhawks countered with a 62-yard drive to move ahead 7-6 on Daniels’ 15-yard pass to hit DeShawn Hanika.
Kansas increased its lead to 14-6 with Austin Alexander’s 28-yard return of Pribula’s fumble. Then Daniels set up his 1-yard touchdown plunge with a 50-yard pass to Levi Wentz as the Jayhawks went up 21-6.
Missouri answered with a 75-yard drive to cut the deficit to 21-13, with Pribula hitting a 3-yard touchdown pass to Coleman.
The Tigers earned a safety to cut the margin to 21-15. Missouri converted its resulting possession with Robert Meyer’s 25-yard field goal to make it 21-18.
In the final 28 seconds of the first half, Missouri moved 84 yards to tie the game 21-21 on Meyer’s 20-yard field goal.
The Jayhawks regained the lead 24-21 in the third quarter with Laith Marjan’s 26-yard field goal. But the Tigers moved ahead 28-24 with Pribula’s 11-yard TD pass to Norfleet.
Kansas took a 31-28 lead with 8:45 left when Daniels’ 5-yard touchdown pass to Hannika capped a 92-yard drive. But the Tigers countered with Pribula’s 27-yard TD pass to Norfleet on fourth down to move ahead 35-31 with 4:14 left.
Roberts iced the game with a 63-yard touchdown run with 1:49 to play.
