COLUMBIA, Mo. — Louisiana entered Saturday’s matchup at No. 25 Missouri as a 20-point underdog, and the Tigers wasted little time proving why. Behind a career day from running back Ahmad Hardy, Missouri rolled to a 52-10 win.
Hardy, a former UL Monroe standout, gashed the Cajuns’ defense for 250 yards on 22 carries with three touchdowns, becoming the first player in the country this season to surpass 200 rushing yards in a single game. He piled up 187 yards and two scores before halftime, including a 71-yard sprint that pushed the Tigers ahead 35-3.
Quarterback Beau Pribula added balance to Missouri’s offense, completing 15 of 22 passes for 174 yards and two touchdowns. One of those came on a 39-yard connection to Jamal Roberts as the Tigers built a commanding 28-0 lead in the second quarter.
Louisiana’s offense struggled throughout, completing just two passes for four yards. Outside of Zylan Perry’s 84-yard touchdown run late in the first half, the Cajuns managed only 37 yards of offense. Linebacker Cam Whitfield provided a brief spark with his first career interception, which set up a Tony Sterner 34-yard field goal.
Missouri finished with 606 total yards, including 427 on the ground, while limiting Louisiana to 117. The Cajuns also suffered a setback when safety Maurion Eleam was carted off with a lower-body injury.
With the loss, Louisiana fell to 1-2, while Missouri improved to 3-0.
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