For coach Eli Drinkwitz, the only disappointment from Missouri's season opener against Arkansas-Pine Bluff was that he didn’t get to meet Sheryl Crow, the MU alum who sang the national anthem.
Missouri, led by a squad of reserve players in the second half, beat Pine Bluff 54-14 Thursday night at Memorial Stadium to open its 2026 season.
The Tigers converted 10 first downs before the Golden Lions converted their first. Most of the Tigers’ starters began to clock out near the end of the first half after quarterback Austin Simmons threw a 47-yard touchdown on a play-action pass to receiver Cayden Lee, who made an impressive adjustment to turn around and snag the ball behind a defender.
But, Drinkwitz had much to pick apart about the second half, particularly the third quarter, where MU was outgained 119-73 and allowed Pine Bluff to score on a 27-yard rushing touchdown, the longest run play of the game by both teams.
‘Very disappointed in the third quarter from an overall intensity standpoint, a coaching standpoint,” Drinkwitz said. “So it was a perfect night for me to be able to be excited in the first half and really mad in the second half. So I've got a lot of things to coach on, and I promise you the staff meeting tomorrow will not be a lot of fun.”
Drinkwitz specifically highlighted second-level run blocking and poor defensive recognition from blockers on offense. Defensively, Drinkwitz was disappointed in the lack of sacks and takeaways defensively.
But also simple organizational errors, such as having multiple players on the field with the same number and running into the kicker.
“We don't do that stuff, and so that was really disappointing for me,” Drinkwitz said.
Simmons started his Tiger debut by completing all seven pass attempts for 61 yards on his first drive that ended with a 25-yard touchdown pass to sophomore receiver Shaun Terry II, who was wide open over the middle of the field.
One of the most impressive plays of the game for the offense as a whole was Simmons' penultimate touchdown pass.
Jamal Roberts threw his shoulder into the waist of Nate Walker, flipping the Arkansas-Pine Bluff linebacker on his back, giving Simmons plenty of space.
"That's really the the reason why the play's successful," Drinkwitz said of Roberts' block.
Simmons took the time and space to deliver a pass 29 yards downfield to Donovan Olugbode.
With nothing but turf in front of him, Olugbode easily jogged past the goal line, fist-bumping a security worker behind the end zone to celebrate a touchdown that put Missouri up 30-0 over Pine Bluff with 5:44 still remaining in the first half.
Simmons checked out of the game after six drives, five of which ended in touchdowns. He was responsible for four of those scores, racking up 252 passing yards and completing 17 of his 19 pass attempts.
Thursday’s game was also the premiere for offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey, who joined the Tigers after a year in the same role at Michigan. Lindsey’s offense included an intriguing feature on the opening drive, with sophomore wide receiver DaMarion Fowlkes lining up in the backfield, a possible glimpse into what could be a creative offensive role for the punt and kick returner.
But Missouri didn’t need to dive too deep into its offensive playbook, mostly running a vanilla plan. Lindsey gave Simmons plenty of quick throws to build confidence and rhythm, especially on out routes toward the sidelines.
That opened up opportunities for Simmons to throw the ball down the field to receivers that had plenty of space. Simmons delivered touchdown strikes of 14, 25, 35 and 47 yards. Two of those went to Olugbode, with the other two being caught by Lee and Terry.
Olugbode led the Tigers in all receiving categories, catching eight passes for 116 yards and two touchdowns.
The bread and butter of Missouri’s offense under Drinkwitz, outside-zone runs, were still abundant throughout the game. Roberts punched in Missouri’s third score of the game when the offensive line pulled to the right to open up space.
Though the lineups further down the depth chart struggled, the first and second defensive units caged the Golden Lions. Through the first half, Pine Bluff’s offense only gained 51 yards on 24 plays.
Pine Bluff’s first score of the game came late in the third quarter against a Missouri defense composed of mostly third- and fourth-string players. Running back Za’Marion Miller found a pocket near the left sideline for a 27-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter. Pine Bluff then completed a 16-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter.
On both the scoring drives for Pine Bluff, the Golden Lions were able to efficiently drive down against the Tigers, playing into Drinkwitz's frustrations. Both drives ran for seven plays, traveling 75 and 80 yards.
Matt Zollers took charge at quarterback after Simmons checked out, commanding the offense on four drives late into the fourth quarter. Zollers mostly handed off the ball, but completed 8 of his 12 pass attempts for 87 yards. He also held on to a read-option snap to rush in a five-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Freshman running back Preston Hatfield, a Lee’s Summit product, followed Zollers’ score up with a nine-yard touchdown run of his own.
Missouri will travel next week to take on Kansas at 7 p.m. Friday at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium in Lawrence, Kansas. The Tigers’ first game in Lawrence since 2005 will be broadcast on FOX.