Arkansas’ Miserable Season Concludes in Familiar Fashion as Missouri Seizes Control After the Break

It has ended. No more humiliation. Arkansas, now 2–10 overall and 0–8 in the SEC, closed its season on Saturday by following the same script that has defined the past three months. In a cold, soaking rain in Northwest Arkansas, the Razorbacks delivered one more performance shaped by frustration, inconsistency and a steady unraveling after halftime.

The pattern has become wearyingly predictable. Arkansas opens with energy, settles into mistakes, then spends the final quarters chasing a game it no longer controls. Saturday was no exception, and the crowd of 61,508 inside Razorback Stadium seemed to know it. There was little surprise and even less outrage.

Missouri, in fact, eased off in the closing minutes. The Tigers took a knee inside the Arkansas red zone rather than add to the margin. Without that courtesy, the score easily could have reached 38–17. The final result already felt like a three score difference.

For a program that has endured one of its bleakest seasons in recent memory, the ending was not dramatic. 

Early Strikes and a Measured Arkansas Response

Missouri opened the game with a jolt. On the first snap at 14:52, Beau Pribula kept the ball and burst ahead for 49 yards, setting the tone for a fast start. A little more than a minute later, at 13:29, Jamal Roberts took a direct snap and scored from four yards out. Oliver Robbins converted the extra point to put Missouri up 7–0 after a three-play, 60-yard drive that lasted just 1 minute 27 seconds.

Arkansas responded quickly. Only five seconds into its first possession, KJ Jackson connected with Rohan Jones for 26 yards at 13:24. But the drive stalled when Mike Washington was stopped on 3rd-and-8 at 11:16, and Devin Bale punted 50 yards for a Missouri touchback at 10:21.

Missouri threatened again. At 10:12, Kevin Coleman took a jet sweep for 16 yards. Arkansas stiffened, and Pribula was dropped for a three-yard sack by JJ Shelton at 8:01. Missouri punted moments later, a 37-yard kick returned by Kam Shanks to the Arkansas 14-yard line.

Jackson and the Razorbacks settled in. On 3rd-and-7 at 6:06, he found Washington on a comeback route for eight yards. Later, on another third down at 4:59, he hit CJ Brown for 15 yards. With 2:25 left in the quarter and facing 3rd-and-10, Jackson delivered a 16-yard touchdown strike to O’Mega Blake. Scott Starzyk made the extra point to tie the game at 7 after a methodical 12-play, 73-yard drive that lasted 4 minutes 52 seconds.

Missouri’s final drive of the quarter ended quietly. At 0:39, Pribula tried to scramble on third down but was stopped by Bradley Shaw. The clock ticked out with the score tied 7–7.

Momentum Swings and a Halftime Lead

Missouri tried to extend the drive as the second quarter opened. At 14:59, Ahmad Hardy converted a 4th-and-1 with a two-yard gain. But the momentum flipped immediately. At 14:21, Pribula fumbled and Shaw scooped it up, returning it 32 yards for an Arkansas touchdown. Starzyk converted the extra point to give Arkansas a 14–7 lead.

Missouri answered with a steady march. Roberts ran for 16 yards at 13:09, and Hardy picked up five more on 3rd-and-2 at 11:42. Pribula capped the drive at 9:40 with an 11-yard touchdown run. Robbins’ extra point tied the game 14–14 after a nine-play, 75-yard possession that lasted 4 minutes 39 seconds.

Arkansas tried to regain control. At 7:20, Taylen Green scrambled for 11 yards on 3rd-and-9. But at 5:35, his third-down pass fell incomplete, and Bale punted 52 yards for another Missouri touchback at 5:28.

Missouri moved the ball with help from a pass interference penalty on Kani Walker at 3:05. But the drive stalled. Hardy lost two yards at 2:00, and Pribula’s third-down pass was incomplete at 1:25. The ensuing punt went wrong when Connor Weselman fumbled the snap, and Arkansas downed it at the Missouri 27-yard line at 1:20.

Arkansas took advantage. At 0:32, Green hit Blake for 18 yards. Green missed Blake on 3rd-and-1 at 0:14, but Starzyk converted a 28-yard field goal with 11 seconds left. Arkansas entered halftime up 17–14.

Missouri Flips the Script

Arkansas opened the half but quickly went nowhere. Washington was stopped on 3rd-and-15 at 14:18, and Bale punted 39 yards to the Missouri 30 at 13:35.

Pribula’s offense responded. At 12:42, he completed a 10-yard pass to Roberts on 3rd-and-10. Moments later, at 12:04, Hardy burst through the right side for a 53-yard touchdown. The extra point never got off, as Weselman dropped the snap and Walker recovered. Missouri took a 20–17 lead after the four-play, 65-yard drive.

Arkansas pushed back. Jackson converted a 3rd-and-3 at 11:16 and hit Raylen Sharpe for 22 yards at 10:20. But Starzyk missed a 42-yard field goal at 7:09.

Missouri kept grinding clock. At 5:12, an Arkansas offsides penalty gave the Tigers a first down on 4th-and-1. But on 3rd down at 3:23, Pribula was sacked by Walker. Weselman punted 43 yards, and Shanks returned it to the Arkansas 43 at 2:44.

Arkansas could not regain momentum. Green’s third-down pass was broken up at 1:48, and Bale punted 39 yards to the Missouri 16 at 1:44. Missouri managed a 15-yard run by Roberts at 1:36 as the quarter expired with Missouri still ahead 20–17.

Missouri Pulls Away, Arkansas Collapses

Missouri delivered a backbreaking sequence to start the fourth. At 13:48, Roberts ripped off a 38-yard gain on 3rd-and-14. But Arkansas held, and Pribula was sacked by Ball at 10:40. Robbins then drilled a 41-yard field goal at 9:59 to give Missouri a 23–17 lead. The drive covered 61 yards on 12 plays and drained 6 minutes 41 seconds from the clock.

Arkansas unraveled from there. Green was sacked for 12 yards on 3rd down at 9:10. Bale punted 49 yards at 8:25, but Coleman returned it 67 yards for a touchdown. Missouri converted the two-point attempt to stretch the lead to 31–17.

Arkansas never recovered. Green was sacked twice more at 6:08 and 5:30, losing a combined 11 yards. Bale’s final punt, a 49-yarder, resulted in a touchback at 4:47. Missouri drained the clock, taking a timeout at 1:55 before the final seconds ran out.

Missouri defeated Arkansas 31–17.

Final Stats

Arkansas posted 16 penalties for 121 yards and had no answers for a Mizzou rushing attack that racked up 322 yards and three touchdowns. The Razorbacks struggled to get out of their own way as the offense stalled and allowed the Tigers to run wild en route to 17 unanswered points in the second half.

Ahmad Hardy ran for 149 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries, while Jamal Roberts added 100 yards and a score on 11 attempts. Beau Pribula passed just seven times, completing four for 25 yards, but scored while rushing 14 times for 78 yards.

KJ Jackson got the start for Arkansas, though usual starter Taylen Green later played in his final game with the Razorbacks. Jackson went 11 of 17 for 126 yards and a touchdown, while Green completed 6 of 13 for 59 yards.

What Comes Next for Arkansas

The loss extended Arkansas’ single-season losing streak to 10 games, the longest in program history. It also marked the fourth straight defeat in the Battle Line Rivalry. With the season complete, the Razorbacks now shift fully into the offseason and the long rebuild ahead.

Many major decisions lie ahead for Arkansas this offseason. The program must hire a new head coach, rebuild the staff around him, and determine what the future looks like at quarterback. Taylen Green is expected to explore the NFL, while redshirt freshman KJ Jackson could emerge as the next starter if he chooses to remain with the program. Fans and media now await the announcement of a new leader on The Hill, a decision that could come at any moment.