You know that feeling when you've prepared everything for a party, the music is perfect, the food is laid out, and then a fuse blows five minutes after the first guest arrives? That’s basically how the 2025 season wrapped up for Mizzou fans.
If you’re searching for the mizzou tigers football score, you're likely looking for the final tally of the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl. It wasn't the high-flying shootout many expected.
Virginia 13, Missouri 7.
That was the score on December 27, 2025. It’s a weirdly low number for a team that had spent much of the year looking like an offensive juggernaut. Seeing a "7" next to Mizzou’s name in the box score felt like a typo, honestly. Especially after they marched down the field on the very first possession like they owned the place.
Breaking Down the Mizzou Tigers Football Score
The game in Jacksonville was a tale of missed opportunities and a defense that, quite frankly, deserved a better fate. Jamal Roberts punched in a 5-yard touchdown early on, fueled by a massive 43-yard burst from Ahmad Hardy. At that moment, up 7-0, you’d have been forgiven for thinking Mizzou was about to run away with it.
Instead, the lights went out.
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Virginia’s defense turned into a brick wall. The Cavaliers didn't do anything flashy; they just sat on the ball. They won the time-of-possession battle by a staggering margin—38 minutes to Mizzou’s 21. That’s a long time to ask a defense to stay on the field.
The Freshman Factor
A big part of the narrative surrounding this specific mizzou tigers football score was the quarterback situation. Matt Zollers became the first true freshman ever to start a bowl game for the Tigers. That's a lot of weight for a kid who should probably be worrying about a Western Civ final.
Zollers showed flashes. He looked poised. He even had a chance to win it late, driving the team to the Virginia 21-yard line with less than a minute left. But then, football happened. A hard hit on third down forced him out of the game for the final snap as a precaution. The backup came in cold, the play fell apart, and that was that.
Beyond the Gator Bowl: The 2025 Season at a Glance
To understand why that 13-7 score was such a gut punch, you have to look at how the rest of the year went. Mizzou finished 8-5. That's solid, sure, but it feels a bit "what if?" when you realize how close they were to something bigger.
The season was a rollercoaster of high-scoring wins and narrow, heartbreaking losses.
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- The Highs: Dropping 61 on Central Arkansas to start the year and beating Kansas 42-31 in a revived Border War that actually lived up to the hype.
- The Grinds: A double-overtime thriller against Auburn (23-17) showed this team had guts.
- The "Ouch" Moments: Losing to Alabama by just three points (27-24) was the kind of loss that keeps coaches up at night.
By the time the regular season ended with a convincing 31-17 win over Arkansas, expectations for the bowl game were sky-high. Most analysts figured Eli Drinkwitz would have the boys ready to put up 30 points in Florida. Virginia had other plans.
Ahmad Hardy’s Historic Night
It’s sort of ironic. In a game where the team only scored seven points, Mizzou saw one of its greatest individual performances ever. Ahmad Hardy, the consensus All-American, didn't just run the ball; he ran into the history books.
With 89 yards on 15 carries, Hardy officially broke Cody Schrader’s single-season rushing record. He finished 2025 with 1,649 yards.
Think about that for a second. In a season where the SEC is faster and more physical than ever, Hardy managed to be the most consistent thing on the field. Even when the passing game stalled in the humidity of Jacksonville, he was picking up chunks of yardage. It’s a bit of a tragedy that his record-breaking night ended in a loss.
What Most People Get Wrong About the 13-7 Loss
A lot of folks look at that mizzou tigers football score and blame the freshman quarterback. That’s a lazy take.
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If you really dig into the stats, the issue was third downs. Virginia converted 13 of 23. Mizzou’s defense couldn't get off the field. It’s hard to score points when you don't have the ball. Plus, the Tigers missed a 42-yard field goal in the first half after recovering a muffed punt. In a six-point game, those three points are massive.
Also, we have to talk about the interception. A tipped pass in the third quarter gave Virginia a short field, leading to the field goal that made it 13-7. It wasn't a bad throw by Zollers; it was just a great play by the UVA defender, Emmanuel Karnley. Sometimes the ball just doesn't bounce your way.
Actionable Steps for Mizzou Fans
The 2025 season is in the rearview mirror, but the foundation looks interesting. If you're tracking the program's progress, here is what to keep an eye on as we move toward the 2026 kickoff:
- Watch the QB Competition: Matt Zollers proved he belongs, but with a full offseason and potentially some portal movement, the starting job isn't a lock. Keep an eye on spring practice reports.
- Monitor the Defensive Reinforcements: Nicholas Rodriguez had 15 tackles in the bowl game. He’s the new heart of that defense. See who the Tigers bring in to help him in the secondary.
- Hardy’s Next Move: Ahmad Hardy has nothing left to prove individually. Whether he stays for another run or looks at the NFL will drastically change Mizzou's 2026 projections.
- Mark the Calendar: The 2026 schedule opens with Arkansas-Pine Bluff on September 5, followed by a massive road trip to Lawrence to face Kansas on September 12.
The 13-7 score in the Gator Bowl was a frustrating end to a season that promised so much. But in the weird, chaotic world of SEC football, an 8-5 record with a record-breaking running back and a promising young QB is a lot better than where this program was five years ago.
Don't let one low-scoring night in Jacksonville distract you from the fact that Mizzou is finally a tough out for anyone in the country.