Missouri Tigers head coach Eli Drinkwitz stated that his decision to pass the ball in the final seconds of the Tigers' 38-21 victory over the Kansas Jayhawks was a direct response to a controversial hype video released by Kansas.
The rivalry game, often referred to as the Border War, took a contentious turn when the Kansas football program released a social media video that incorporated imagery of slavery and the Civil War, referencing Missouri's historical ties to the Confederacy. The video drew widespread attention and criticism, amassing over 34 million views.
Drinkwitz expressed his disappointment with the video, calling it "uncalled for," especially given the date it was released, September 11. "I was a little disappointed," Drinkwitz said. "I thought that was uncalled for. Especially on 9/11 when we need more unity now than ever before."
He added that the video unnecessarily stirred up past historical conflicts. "I get there’s a past. But why are we stirring that bullcrap up? I was embarrassed for them, to be honest, and that’s why I tried to embarrass them at the end," Drinkwitz explained.
The game itself was tied at halftime before Missouri pulled away in the second half. With a 10-point lead late in the fourth quarter, Missouri scored a touchdown. After Kansas turned the ball over on downs with 28 seconds remaining, Missouri's backup quarterback Matt Zollers threw an incomplete pass into the end zone instead of kneeling to run out the clock. The Tigers then ran the ball on the next play to end the game.
Drinkwitz confirmed these actions were intentional, intended to retaliate for what he perceived as Kansas making the rivalry "deeper than that." "If they wanna have a football game and have a great rivalry on the border, awesome let’s do it. But, if we wanna make it deeper than that man," Drinkwitz said. "Like, we left Kansas bleeding again. Call it good."
The Missouri Tigers secured the victory, moving to 3-0 on the season, while the Kansas Jayhawks fell to 2-1. The Tigers' next matchup is against South Florida, and Kansas will face Boston College.