The scoreboard at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville flashed a finality that felt a little bit like a gut punch for the traveling Mizzou faithful. 13-7. That was it. A defensive slugfest—or an offensive drought, depending on how much coffee you’d had—that saw the No. 25 Missouri Tigers fall to the No. 20 Virginia Cavaliers in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl on December 27, 2025. It wasn't the fireworks display people expected. Honestly, it was a bit of a grind.
If you were looking for the university of mo football score to cap off a thrilling season with a trophy, the result was a letdown, but the game itself was a weird, fascinating microcosm of the 2025 season. You've got a true freshman quarterback making history, a running back shattering records, and a defense that played well enough to win three games. Yet, the Tigers headed back to Columbia with an 8-5 record.
The University of Missouri football score breakdown
Let’s look at how those 20 points were actually scored. It started fast. Mizzou took the opening kickoff and marched 74 yards like they were playing against a high school JV team. Jamal Roberts punched it in from 5 yards out. 7-0 Tigers. Fans were thinking 40-point blowout.
Then the faucet just... turned off.
Virginia didn't panic. They played keep-away. They held the ball for over 38 minutes. Think about that for a second. Out of a 60-minute game, Mizzou’s offense was only on the field for about 21 minutes. It’s hard to find a rhythm when you’re sitting on the heated bench for ten-minute stretches while Virginia executes 19-play drives.
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Key stats from the Gator Bowl:
- Final Score: Virginia 13, Missouri 7
- Total Yards: Virginia 308, Missouri 260
- Time of Possession: Virginia 38:34, Missouri 21:26
- Third Down Conversions: Mizzou went a dismal 3-for-12.
Ahmad Hardy made history in a loss
Even though the university of mo football score wasn't what anyone wanted, Ahmad Hardy cemented himself as a legend that night. The consensus All-American running back needed some yardage to break Cody Schrader’s single-season rushing record. He didn't just break it; he trampled it.
Hardy finished the game with 89 yards on 15 carries, bringing his season total to 1,649 yards. Watching him rip off a 43-yard run on the first drive was basically the highlight of the night. It's sort of a bittersweet deal, right? You break a school record in a game where your team only scores seven points.
The quarterback situation was the real drama, though. Matt Zollers became the first true freshman to ever start a bowl game for Missouri. He looked like a freshman at times, sure. He was 12-of-22 for 101 yards and threw a costly interception in the second half. But the kid has guts. On the final drive, he was moving the sticks, hitting Donovan Olugbode for a 24-yard gain to get into Virginia territory. Then, on a third-down throwaway, his head hit the turf hard. The training staff pulled him for the final snap as a precaution. Just like that, the comeback attempt died with a backup under center and a final score that didn't reflect the effort.
Looking back at the 2025 season results
To understand why people are so hung up on the university of mo football score from the bowl game, you have to look at the rollercoaster that led there. The Tigers started the year like a house on fire. They beat Kansas 42-31 in the Border War. They cruised through the early non-conference schedule.
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But the SEC is a meat grinder. A three-point loss to Alabama (24-27) in October was the "what if" game of the year. If a few bounces go the other way in Columbia that afternoon, Mizzou is likely talking about a much bigger bowl game. Instead, they finished 4-4 in the conference.
Winning at Arkansas (31-17) to end the regular season gave everyone hope. It felt like Eli Drinkwitz had the momentum. Then the Gator Bowl happened, and the offensive struggles that popped up against Oklahoma and Vanderbilt returned at the worst possible time.
What happens next?
Right now, the "score" is being settled in the transfer portal. Since the bowl game ended, the roster has been in total flux. We've seen guys like Marquis Johnson head to Mississippi State and Joshua Manning commit to Kansas State. It’s the new reality of college football.
But Drinkwitz isn't just sitting there. He’s already landed Nick Evers to bolster the QB room and picked up some massive defensive help from the portal, including safety JaDon Blair from Notre Dame.
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If you're a fan, the actionable takeaway here isn't just to mope about the 13-7 loss. It’s to watch the trenches. The Tigers lost some key commits on signing day, specifically on the edge. How they replace that pass rush will determine if the 2026 university of mo football score looks more like the 61-point outburst against Central Arkansas or the 7-point dud in Jacksonville.
Keep an eye on the spring game rosters. With Zollers having a full offseason to recover and develop, and a totally revamped secondary coming in through the portal, the 8-5 ceiling of 2025 might just be the floor for next year. For now, we wait for the pads to go back on in August.
Actionable Next Steps:
- Track the Portal: Follow the Mizzou Transfer Portal tracker daily; the roster is currently turning over at a rate of 2-3 players per week.
- Review the 2026 Schedule: Check the upcoming matchups against USC and the SEC slate to see where the Tigers might struggle with depth at edge rusher.
- Watch the Injury Report: Monitor Matt Zollers’ status through spring camp to ensure he’s cleared from the late-game hit in the Gator Bowl.