No. 25 Missouri faces a brutal slate as QB Austin Simmons arrives and RB Ahmad Hardy recovers

Read the original at Toronto Star ↗
Cite

Skretta, D. (2026, August 20). No. 25 Missouri faces a brutal slate as QB Austin Simmons arrives and RB Ahmad Hardy recovers. Toronto Star. https://www.thestar.com/sports/football/no-25-missouri-faces-a-brutal-slate-as-qb-austin-simmons-arrives-and-rb-ahmad-hardy-recovers/article_183e77aa-0c82-5294-9eae-56c2f0178ec2.html

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Toronto Star · collected 2026-08-20 · by Dave Skretta

Quick Summary

No. 25 Missouri is facing a tough schedule this season, with five of the top 10 teams in the AP Top 25 preseason poll on their slate. The Tigers are hoping that quarterback Austin Simmons and possibly returning running back Ahmad Hardy can help improve their chances. According to the article, expectations for the team are low, having struggled to escape mediocrity in the SEC under head coach Eli Drinkwitz. The defense is a major concern, with many key players lost through graduation or transfer, including top pass rushers Damon Wilson II and Zion Young.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-08-20, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

AI analysis runs on qwen2.5:14b, locally

Story summary

The University of Missouri's football team is gearing up for a challenging season, led by new quarterback Austin Simmons who transferred from Ole Miss. The team also welcomes several other transfers, including wide receiver Cayden Lee and running back Xai'Shaun Edwards. However, they will face stiff competition with five of the top 10 teams in the AP Top 25 preseason poll on their schedule, including games against Kansas, Texas, and Georgia. Despite these challenges, Missouri has shown improvement under coach Eli Drinkwitz, who led the team to an 11-2 finish last season capped by a Cotton Bowl win over Ohio State. However, the team's success is contingent on the return of star running back Ahmad Hardy, who is recovering from a gunshot wound sustained earlier this year. If Hardy returns healthy and the defense continues to perform well under coordinator Corey Batoon, Missouri may be able to excel against their tough schedule.

Written for “Missouri Football Schedule” on 2026-10-16, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Missouri Football Schedule
Sports · 1 article(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 0% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
QB Dante Moore returns and No. 2 Oregon aiming high again in Big Ten, national title chases different event · 90%
Toronto Star
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 12% hedged 2 of 17 📰 publisher trust 63
“The articles describe different teams (Oregon and Missouri) with no indication of a shared incident or common outcome”
Wisconsin counting on refurbished roster to help Badgers rebound from two straight losing seasons different event · 90%
Toronto Star
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 4% hedged 1 of 24 📰 publisher trust 63
“The articles mention different teams (Wisconsin Badgers and Missouri Tigers) and there is no overlap in their content, suggesting they are reporting on unrelated events”
No. 24 Louisville and its coach want more after third straight season with at least 9 wins different event · 80%
Toronto Star
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 19 📰 publisher trust 63
“Article A discusses Louisville's season and coach Jeff Brohm, while Article B discusses Missouri's season and coach Eli Drinkwitz”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
15
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
0%
0 of 15 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
63/100
Toronto Star's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Sports
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-08-20 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

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Who wrote this

Dave Skretta
21 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 On Saturday, the two will face off in Oxford, Mississippi, in one of college football’s marquee matchups.
2026-10-13 · assertive framing · Now stars for No. 13 Mizzou, QB Simmons and WR Lee ready to face former teammates at No. 9 Ole Miss
🔮 Yet the way things transpired in the Chiefs’ 30-27 win in Las Vegas on Sunday, the bye may have come at an opportune time.
2026-10-05 · assertive framing · Chiefs’ early bye timely after Rashee Rice and Tyquan Thornton hurt. Could Tyreek Hill be an answer?
🔮 “Nobody in our locker room could care less about that.
2026-10-04 · assertive framing · No. 25 Missouri trounces No. 8 Florida 45-17 to snap 9-game skid against Top 25 opponents
🔮 “Nobody in our locker room could care less about that.
2026-10-04 · assertive framing · No. 25 Missouri crushes No. 8 Florida 45-17 as Drinkwitz shrugs off 'noise' about Top 25 record
🔮 The two tangled in the closing laps, the contact sending Blaney into the wall and ending his race — and maybe his title hopes.
2026-09-29 · assertive framing · NASCAR shrugs off fisticuffs and swearing, heads back to old tracks as it embraces its rugged past
🔮 Christian Lundgaard will be replacing six-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon in the famed No. 9 car for Chip Ganassi Racing.
2026-09-29 · assertive framing · Chip Ganassi Racing signs Christian Lundgaard to replace Scott Dixon in the famed No. 9 car
🔮 Things couldn’t have gone much better for Larson The No. 5 team couldn’t have executed a whole lot better on Sunday.
2026-09-28 · assertive framing · Kyle Larson storms to a dominant Kansas win, tightening his grip on the NASCAR Cup Series title race
🔮 The team announced earlier this month that John Hunter Nemechek would not be back in the No. 42 next season, and that Josh Berry would be taking over the ride.
2026-09-27 · assertive framing · Legacy Motor Club re-signs Erik Jones to a multiyear deal for the No. 43 in the NASCAR Cup Series
🔮 So, both will start near the front Sunday — Larson alongside Bristol winner Joey Logano on the front row, Hamlin alongside Ty Gibbs on the fifth — without having to worry about qualifying.
2026-09-26 · assertive framing · Larson leads Hamlin by single point in Cup Series playoffs as rainout sets Kansas starting lineup
🔮 Blaney scrambled to his feet and threw a left hook that clipped Hocevar’s own hat before team members could intervene.
2026-09-25 · assertive framing · NASCAR star Blaney has moved on from his fight with Hocevar, even if his black eye is still there
Also by Dave Skretta
Now stars for No. 13 Mizzou, QB Simmons and WR Lee ready to face former teammates at No. 9 Ole Miss
2026-10-13 · Toronto Star
Chiefs’ early bye timely after Rashee Rice and Tyquan Thornton hurt. Could Tyreek Hill be an answer?
2026-10-05 · Toronto Star
No. 25 Missouri trounces No. 8 Florida 45-17 to snap 9-game skid against Top 25 opponents
2026-10-04 · Toronto Star
No. 25 Missouri crushes No. 8 Florida 45-17 as Drinkwitz shrugs off 'noise' about Top 25 record
2026-10-04 · Toronto Star
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 21 articles by Dave Skretta →

Topics

Houston Christian Missouri Ole Miss SEC Tigers

Subjects

Tigers ORG · 7× Missouri GPE · 4× Ole Miss ORG · 4× SEC ORG · 3× Austin Simmons PERSON · 2× Beau Pribula PERSON · 2× Cayden Lee PERSON · 2× Drinkwitz PERSON · 2× Houston Christian ORG · 2× Virginia GPE · 2×

Narrative

In the secondary, Marvin Burkes Jr. and Daylan Carnell are among those that will have to be replaced New faces QB Austin Simmons (transfer from Ole Miss), WR Cayden Lee (transfer from Ole Miss), RB Xai’Shaun Edwards (transfer from Houston Christian), LB Robert Woodyard Jr. (transfer from Auburn), CB Chris Graves Jr. (transfer from Ole Miss). Key losses DE Zion Young (second-round pick of Baltimore), LB Josiah Trotter (second-round pick of Tampa Bay), DT Chris McLellan (third-round pick of Green Bay), OT Keagan Trost (third-round pick of Green Bay), QB Beau Pribula (transfer to Virginia). Biggest games for the Tigers At Kansas (Sept. 11), vs. Texas (Nov. 7), at Georgia (Nov. 14). ___
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-08-20
🔮 If All-American running back Ahmad Hardy can return from a gunshot wound sustained earlier this year, and the defense under coordinator Corey Batoon can continue to be among the stingiest in the nation, perhaps the Tigers can excel against a schedule that shapes up to be one of the most difficult in the nation: The Tigers are the only team that will play five of the top 10 teams in the AP Top 25 preseason poll.
2026-08-20 · Toronto Star
No. 25 Missouri faces a brutal slate as QB Austin Simmons arrives and RB Ahmad Hardy recovers · assertive framing

Claims (15 extracted, 0 hedged)

Missouri has gone to six bowl games in six seasons under Eli Drinkwitz, including an 11-2 finish in 2023 capped by a Cotton Bowl win over Ohio State. asserted
Missouri → go → State
But other than that spectacular season, the Tigers have struggled to escape the middle tier of mediocrity in the SEC, twice under Drinkwitz finishing with losing records after bowl defeats. asserted
Tigers → struggle → defeats
If All-American running back Ahmad Hardy can return from a gunshot wound sustained earlier this year, and the defense under coordinator Corey Batoon can continue to be among the stingiest in the nation, perhaps the Tigers can excel against a schedule that shapes up to be one of the most difficult in the nation: The Tigers are the only team that will play five of the top 10 teams in the AP Top 25 preseason poll. asserted
that → return → poll
“For us, we have had the same mentality we’ve always had: STP, something to prove,” Drinkwitz said. asserted
Drinkwitz → have → mentality
“Everybody at the University of Missouri has something to prove every day, something to prove that we belong in the SEC, something to prove that we can win and at a high level, and something to prove that we want to do it this year. asserted
we → have → it
Strengths start with the offense Austin Simmons backed up Jaxson Dart at Ole Miss before winning the starting job ahead of last season. asserted
Simmons → start → season
When an ankle injury in Week 2 against Kentucky sent him to the sideline, Trinidad Chambliss took over and quickly became a star. asserted
Chambliss → send → sideline
Simmons played sparingly the rest of the season before transferring to Missouri as the replacement for Beau Pribula, who left for Virginia. asserted
who → play → Virginia
His big arm should upgrade the Tigers’ passing attack, especially with former Rebels teammate Cayden Lee and Minnesota transfer Caleb Goodie giving him a couple of promising targets to go with veteran tight end Brett Norfleet. asserted
Lee → upgrade → Norfleet
But the offense really hinges on the running game, where Hardy scampered for an SEC-best 1,649 yards and 16 scores in his first season with the Tigers. asserted
Hardy → hinge → Tigers
Missouri hopes he’ll be able to contribute at a similarly high level at some point in the season. asserted
he → hop → season
In the meantime, Jamal Roberts (753 yards, six TDs last season) and Houston Christian transfer Xai’Shaun Edwards will help with the load. asserted
Roberts → help → load
Weaknesses surround questions on the defense The Tigers will be almost completely new on defense, and the players that they lost from last season through graduation or the portal merely helped them finish eighth nationally last season allowing 277 yards per game. asserted
them → surround → game
Top pass rushers Damon Wilson II and Zion Young will have to be replaced after combining for 15 1/2 sacks last season; Wilson transferred to Miami while Young was a second-round pick of the Ravens. asserted
Young → have → Ravens
In the secondary, Marvin Burkes Jr. and Daylan Carnell are among those that will have to be replaced New faces QB Austin Simmons (transfer from Ole Miss), WR Cayden Lee (transfer from Ole Miss), RB Xai’Shaun Edwards (transfer from Houston Christian), LB Robert Woodyard Jr. (transfer from Auburn), CB Chris Graves Jr. (transfer from Ole Miss). Key losses DE Zion Young (second-round pick of Baltimore), LB Josiah Trotter (second-round pick of Tampa Bay), DT Chris McLellan (third-round pick of Green Bay), OT Keagan Trost (third-round pick of Green Bay), QB Beau Pribula (transfer to Virginia). Biggest games for the Tigers At Kansas (Sept. 11), vs. Texas (Nov. 7), at Georgia (Nov. 14). ___ asserted
that → have → Georgia
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