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Hardy rushes for career-best 300 yards, 3 TD to help Missouri beat Mississippi State 49-24
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Ahmad Hardy had a career-best 300 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 25 carries, and Toriano Pride Jr. had a 62-yard fumble return and pick-6 to help Missouri beat Mississippi State 49-27 on Saturday night.
Missouri (7-3, 3-3 SEC) freshman Matt Zollers, making his second career start, was 8-of-15 passing for 112 yards and two touchdowns and threw an interception in his first career win.
Blake Shapen completed 19 of 33 passes for 199 yards, threw a pair of interceptions and added a pair of rushing touchdowns for Mississippi State (5-6, 1-6), which needs a win over Mississippi on Nov. 29 to become bowl eligible for the first time since 2022.
Hardy raced into the end zone from 43 yards out with 11:11 remaining in the fourth quarter to shatter his previous career-high of 250 rushing yards and give him his third career three touchdown game.
Pride returned an interception 19 yards for a touchdown to give Missouri its largest lead of the night at 35-17 with 4:39 to play in the third quarter.
That play came a little more than a minute after Hardy, who scored on a 10-yard run late in the first half, raced to the end zone from 72 yards out.
Trevion Williams stripped the ball from Hardy, and Malick Sylla recovered it near midfield with about a minute into the third quarter. Ten plays, Shapen scored his second rushing touchdown of the game from 3 yards out to cut Missouri’s lead to 21-17.
Mississippi State reached the Missouri 2 on a 16-play drive, but Ethan Myers’ low snap on a 25-yard field-goal attempt ricocheted off holder Marlon Hauck’s left knee. Pride recovered the fumble and returned it 62 yards to the Bulldogs’ 23 yard line with 5:03 remaining in the second quarter.
Off target
Tigers defensive end Nate Johnson was ejected for targeting with 8:56 remaining in the first quarter after delivering a helmet-to-helmet hit on Shapen, and linebacker Jeremiah Trotter was ejected for the same offense with 8:52 remaining in the second quarter.
The takeaway
Mississippi State: Dominated time of possession against a Missouri team that entered play fourth in the nation and first in the SEC in time of possession averaging 33:34. However, turnovers proved fatal for the Bulldogs as both of Shapen’s interceptions were returned for touchdowns, and Missouri scored on the ensuing drive after Pride’s fumble return.
Missouri: Dominated the turnover battle and the running game to earn its 23rd straight win against an unranked opponent since falling to Wake Forest in the 2022 Gasparilla Bowl.
Up next
Mississippi State: The Bulldogs host No. 6 Ole Miss on Nov. 29 in the Egg Bowl marking the 122nd meeting between the in-state rivals.
Missouri: The Tigers play Saturday at No. 11 Oklahoma.
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