Seven of seven, and a touchdown on the opening drive
Austin Simmons started his Missouri career 7 of 7 for 61 yards. The seventh throw travelled 25 yards to Shaun Terry II for a touchdown, and the No. 25 Tigers had scored on the first possession of their season.
Simmons finished 17 of 19 for 252 yards and four touchdowns. He did all of it in under two quarters. Matt Zollers took the final series before half-time, and Missouri closed out a 54-14 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Thursday night in Columbia.
The margin says less than the efficiency does. Two incompletions across a full first half of work is the kind of debut that settles a locker room quickly, particularly for a quarterback who arrived with questions attached.
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Olugbode and Lee cash in
Donovan Olugbode took eight of those throws for 116 yards and two touchdowns. Cayden Lee, who followed Simmons out of Ole Miss, caught four for 80 yards and turned one into a 47-yard score.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff arrived from the FCS ranks and spent the night chasing. The Golden Lions found the end zone twice, which was enough to keep the scoreboard moving and nothing close to enough to make the fourth quarter matter.
The Ole Miss backstory
Simmons lost the starting job at Ole Miss to Trinidad Chambliss after an injury last season, then transferred to Missouri to run Eli Drinkwitz’s offence. Thursday night was his first chance to answer that with numbers rather than interviews.
One evening against an FCS opponent settles nothing in the SEC, and Missouri knows it. The Tigers now find out what the same throws look like against defences that can cover Olugbode and Lee at the same time.
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