Four questions for Mizzou ahead of the Battle Line Rivalry

It’s been 14 days since Mizzou football last took the field, but that changes tonight with the 23rd-ranked Tigers traveling to a 3-4 Arkansas team. 

A lot is at stake on Halloween as it is the Battle Line Rivalry, a series MU has won four straight. At 5-2, the Tigers are on the cusp of bowl eligibility and still have a 5.1% chance of making the College Football Playoff per ESPN’s College Football Power Index. 

With the arrival of game day, here are four questions as the Tigers take on the Razorbacks this evening. 

What does the return of Ahmad Hardy look like?

When the initial injury report came out on Wednesday night, the most notable status was Ahmad Hardy not being listed a day after returning to practice. Two days later, multiple sources announced that he would suit up and make his regular season debut against the Razorbacks. 

Hardy, of course, hasn’t played this season after being struck by a bullet in May. His season debut comes 174 days after the incident. Per Marty Smith of ESPN, the bullet shattered the tip of his femur and is still in his body. 

It’s been reported that Hardy will not start for the Tigers, meaning Jamal Roberts will get a majority of the workload as he’s had all year. But it will be interesting to see when, where, and how much he will be utilized against Arkansas.

There aren’t many examples of a player returning from this specific circumstance. In two seasons, Hardy has 3,000 college rushing yards and 29 scores. He entered the 2026 calendar year as one of the best running backs in the nation. So going forward, even past the Arkansas game, we’ll get to see if he is the same player he was in 2025, when he led the SEC in rushing.

But more importantly, it’s good that Hardy is able to return to play after an unfortunate incident this spring. What does that return look like? Time will tell, but all eyes will be on No. 29. 

Do we continue to see more Jude James, or the tight ends involved in the pass game?

Many things went wrong in the Tigers’ 31-3 loss at Mississippi, but one silver lining is something we envisioned in the offseason. The tight ends, more specifically one tight end, made an impact in the passing game. 

Jude James finished with 57 yards on five receptions against the Rebels, the most by a Mizzou tight end this season. 

“I think Jude did a great job of taking advantage of the reps that he had,” Drinkwitz said. “And he did exactly what you have to do, which is step up when you have your opportunities called.”

James also had a season-high 40 offensive snaps in the absence of Brett Norfleet.

“It says in the Bible, ‘your gift will make room for you and bring you in front of great men.’ He’s got a great gift, and when you play well, when you take advantage of opportunities, you get more opportunities.” 

The last part of that quote gives a slight indication that James could receive more opportunities in the offense. With Norfleet back in the lineup, it could present more opportunities for the senior as well. Chip Lindsey and co. found ways to scheme the tight ends into the offense against Mississippi. With a week off and time to self-scout, we could look back at the end of October and say that was the point we saw the tight ends come alive in the pass game.

Mizzou’s offensive line vs. Quincy Rhodes Jr.?

On Thursday, we examined why Arkansas is a good test for the Tigers’ defensive front coming out of the bye week, as the Razorbacks rushing attack has taken steps forward in recent weeks. But on the opposite end of the trenches, MU’s offensive line is going to have its hands full with Quincy Rhodes. 

“Quincy Rhodes Jr. is a game wrecker. He’s a guy who can single-handedly take over a game and does a great job not only against the run but in pass downs, play actions,” said Drinkwitz earlier in the week. “He destroys pulling guards and still gets to the quarterback.”

Arkansas’ defense is less inspiring, but has settled in the past two weeks against Tennessee and Vanderbilt. Rhodes is the team’s best player. Over the past three weeks, he’s collected 7 pressures and 7 of his 10 run stops per PFF. 

Mizzou historically has played well against Rhodes. He has no pressures and just one run stop in two matchups against the Tigers. But this is a different Tigers offensive line, with three positions seeing new faces compared to 2025, paired with an inconsistent run game. If Mizzou wants to get its running game back on track, getting Hardy going is important, but containing Rhodes is a must as well.

What does this team look like out of the bye week?

A rivalry game, on the road, and two weeks removed from your worst loss of the season. Among all things, how prepared will the Tigers be after all the mistakes in Oxford, and how well will all three phases perform for 60 minutes?

Between 2021-25, the Tigers are 3-4 out of the bye week under Drinkwitz. They’ve lost 4 of the past 5. In 2020, the Vanderbilt and Georgia games were both postponed to later dates. 

There isn’t a common cause behind the four losses. Mizzou lost to a talented Alabama team last season, and against Texas A&M it was without Beau Pribula against a CFP-bound Aggies team. The team couldn’t establish anything offensively against A&M in 2024, and against Georgia in 2023, being out-penalized 8-5 didn’t help.

Arkansas is a more favorable matchup than all four of those opponents. If Mizzou’s offense can sustain consistency and execute well, it should lead to a 6-2 record heading into November.