On Saturday afternoon, when the Missouri Tigers’ second home game of the season pauses for a fourth-quarter commercial break, the stadium will fill with the sound of The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside.” In a tradition born from a long-dormant rivalry, tens of thousands of fans will add their own profane chant aimed at the Kansas Jayhawks, who, for the first time in over a decade, will be in the stadium to hear it.
Missouri and Kansas will clash on the football field for the first time since 2011, renewing a historic rivalry that was suspended when Missouri departed the Big 12 for the SEC in 2012. The game, held in Columbia for the first time since 2006, marks the football revival of the “Border War,” a rivalry whose basketball counterpart resumed in 2021.
The animosity is rooted in the Civil War era. The schools’ nicknames originate from the conflict: “Jayhawkers” were anti-slavery raiders who targeted Missouri, while the “Tigers” were a local militia that protected Columbia from pro-Confederacy guerillas. This historical bitterness has persisted, even as the rivalry’s official name was softened to the “Border Showdown” in the 2000s.
“This is deeply seated,” Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz said. “There’s a lot of hate, and whether it’s been basketball games that we’ve seen or soccer matches or now football games, we know it’s important to the fan base.”
Kansas coach Lance Leipold has witnessed the intensity firsthand at the basketball games. “The crowd’s extremely into it and they’re exciting to see,” he noted. “You can see that there’s an extra intensity during the game.”
The challenge for both coaches is to channel that energy on the field, especially when most current players were toddlers the last time this game was played. To bridge the gap, both programs have educated their teams on the rivalry’s significance. Drinkwitz invited former Missouri player and coach Andy Hill and Mizzou alum John Anderson to speak to his team. Leipold has heard from the public constantly since the game was scheduled. “People have come up to me and talked more about this one than any other game in recent years,” he said.
The rivalry’s long and often strange history includes the invention of homecoming. In 1911, Missouri invited alumni to “come home” for the Kansas game, a tradition that began with a 3-3 tie. The bitterness is so deep that the schools cannot even agree on the all-time series record, a dispute stemming from a 1960 matchup. No. 1 ranked Missouri lost to Kansas 23-7, a defeat that cost them a national title. However, the Big 8 Conference later forced Kansas to forfeit the game due to an ineligible player, Bert Coan. Missouri counts it as a win, while Kansas does not, leaving the official series record in perpetual disagreement.
Over the years, the series has produced stunning individual performances and memorable upsets. In 1991, Kansas running back Tony Sands set a then-NCAA record by rushing for 396 yards on 58 carries in a 53-29 victory. Seven years later, Missouri’s Devin West exacted revenge with a 319-yard rushing performance in a 41-23 win.
The rivalry reached its modern zenith from 2007 to 2009, when the teams met at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City for three consecutive classics. The 2007 game was arguably the biggest in the rivalry’s history, as No. 2 Kansas and No. 3 Missouri battled for a spot in the national championship game. Missouri prevailed 36-28 in a tense thriller that sent them to No. 1 in the polls for a week. Kansas earned a dramatic 40-37 revenge victory in 2008, scoring the game-winning touchdown with 33 seconds left. The trilogy concluded in 2009 with a 41-39 Missouri win, sealed by a field goal as time expired.
Now, the “Border Showdown” joins other classic matchups like Pitt-West Virginia and Nebraska-Colorado as a post-realignment rivalry, played intermittently rather than annually. Both coaches see the value in restoring such regional contests.
“When you have these types of matchups, which are very drivable, I think it’s healthy for attendance,” Leipold said. “Anytime you can play bordering states where there’s a past history of competitiveness, I think it’s great for college football.”
Despite the historic weight, the coaches are focused on maintaining composure. “Raw emotion isn’t going to help you block somebody else or tackle,” Drinkwitz explained. “You’ve got to really bring your fundamentals.”
Leipold echoed the need for balance. “If you put all your eggs in that basket, if you lose the game, how are you going to get your team back?” he asked. “And if you win the game, how are you going to keep ’em humble enough to be energized?”
For now, Missouri and Kansas are scheduled to play again in 2026, 2031, and 2032. While not an annual affair, Saturday’s game offers a chance for a new generation to experience one of college football’s most hostile and historic rivalries.
“Just because we haven’t played them for 13 years doesn’t mean that [past teams] don’t have significant feelings about this game,” Drinkwitz said. “We get a chance to represent all the past teams when we play.”
Source link
