Pine Bluff, Arkansas, is home to the first silent motion picture cowboy star, "Broncho Billy" Anderson. Doing his best impression welcoming Arkansas-Pine Bluff to Columbia, Donovan Olugbode and Mizzou's receiving room trotted all over Faurot Field.
The connection between Austin Simmons and Olugbode, along with a stout first half defense, led the Tigers to a 54-14 win. The score sat 40-0 at the half.
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Usually when the horse – or horse adjacent – analogies get thrown around, players like Ahmad Hardy or Jamal Roberts would be at the forefront. The game plan in the 2026 season opener was clearly dedicated to the air assault.
In just under one half of action, senior quarterback Austin Simmons completed 17 of 19 passes for 252 yards and four touchdowns. He didn't quite eclipse Beau Priubula's benchmark of 283 yards in the opener last season, but he did it on nine fewer pass attempts.
"I felt like Austin really handled himself well, especially in third downs.
We had multiple third and longs early with an inability to run the ball with the efficiency that we need to. But for him to be able to trust the scheme, find the throws, and for the wide receivers to get open, that was really good," Drinkwitz said.
His No. 1 option right now appears to be sophomore receiver Donovan Olugbode.
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He hauled in eight catches for 116 yards and two touchdowns. Head coach Eli Drinkwitz mentioned on Sunday that he expected Olugbode's yards after the catch to increase, and he finished the day with 32.
"You really think about his work ethic. He's always doing jugs. I always see him here at the facility," Simmons said. "We talked a little bit about the game plan coming into the game, and we just ripped on it."
His performance boasted the most catches in a Mizzou season opener since J'Mon Moore had eight in 2016 against West Virginia. The breakout candidate appears ready to take on the mantle placed by wideouts like Luther Burden, Kevin Coleman Jr. and Theo Wease from recent seasons.
Some credit needs to be given to Simmons despite the weak opponent.
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The Ole Miss transfer completed all seven of his pass attempts on the first drive for 61 yards, culminating in a 25-yard touchdown pass to sophomore receiver Shaun Terry.
Along with Olugbode and Terry, senior receiver Cayden Lee found the end zone through the air on a 47-yard pass late in the second quarter. Lee finished with four catches for 80 yards and a touchdown. Neither Lee nor Olugbode saw snaps in the second half.
The final two frames of play brought some headaches, but the starting defense looked promising.
UAPB posted six yards of total offense in the first half – 32 through the air and -26 on the ground. The negative rushing yards weren't due to sacks either. The Tigers' defense didn't get to the quarterback until sophomore Jason Dowell sacked Garrison Davis at the start of the third quarter.
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Mizzou's meager sack numbers weren't for a lack of pressure. The defense finished with three tackles for loss, three quarterback hits and a forced fumble. Junior linebacker Jeremiah Beasley led the team with seven tackles.
The biggest riser on the Tigers' revamped "Death Row Defense" was sophomore safety, Elijah Dotson.
"What he did today was really what he did most of the spring," Drinkwitz said. "He's a guy that can play multiple positions. Felt like he's a great tackler and a great guy in space.
Disappointing that interception gets taken off the board. (Nicholas Rodriguez) can't do that. The captain can't have a late hit on the quarterback."
The Michigan transfer was announced as the starter at the STAR position alongside junior safety Kensley Louidor-Faustin, but got more time with the ones. Dotson finished with three tackles, a tackle for loss and a forced fumble.
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If Mizzou's starting offense trotted over the Golden Lions, then the starting defense stomped on it. And that's without the run game being fully realized.
Coming into the opener, the expectation was that the team would rely on the run game even without All-American rusher Ahmad Hardy. That wasn't exactly the case, or at least the stable didn't carry the offense as expected.
Redshirt junior Jamal Roberts led with 13 rushes for 47 yards and a touchdown. True freshman running back Preston Hatfield also found the end zone on three carries for 28 yards.
Also providing support on the ground was sophomore quarterback Matt Zollers. He took six carries for 26 yards and a touchdown, the first rushing touchdown of his career, surprisingly. The backup took over in the final two minutes of the first half. Through the air, he completed eight of 12 passes for 87 yards.
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Drinkwitz is going to want a couple of plays back from his depth pieces in the second half.
The Golden Lions totaled 198 yards of offense in the second half and put up 14 points, matching the Tigers' second half scoring total.
The trenches will define this Mizzou team going forward. The pass rush was there, but it didn't get home as often as you'd want against an FCS opponent, and the offensive line was worrisome at times in both protections.
Simmons was sacked early in the first quarter, and the rushers couldn't find many lanes until later in the game.
Week 2 should provide much more telling information. Kansas isn't considered anywhere close to a top-tier Power Four program, but it should provide a better test for the Tigers' precarious positions.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 11, in Lawrence.
