Missouri 34, Arkansas 10: Four Arkansas turnovers and 211 Tiger rushing yards

No. 23 Missouri won 34-10 at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium on Saturday because Arkansas gave the ball away four times and could not run it. The Tigers turned one of those turnovers directly into points, outrushed the Razorbacks 211 to 59, and never trailed. Missouri moves to 6-2 a week after a 31-3 loss at Ole Miss. Arkansas falls to 3-5.

Full prices and the closing board are on the game page.

How it was won

The game turned inside two minutes of the first quarter. B. Craig opened the scoring with a 31-yard field goal at 5:33. On the next Arkansas possession, a snap to Cam Settles was aborted, Settles fumbled, and D. Smith picked it up and returned it for a touchdown. Missouri led 10-0 at 3:41 of the first.

Craig added a 53-yard field goal at 9:00 of the second quarter. Arkansas answered with its only touchdown, a 2-yard KJ Jackson run with 41 seconds left in the half, and went to the locker room down 13-7.

Missouri settled it early in the third. Austin Simmons hit Donovan Olugbode for a 15-yard touchdown at 10:53, and 66 seconds later Jamal Roberts ran in from 2 yards. That made it 27-7. M. Gilbert's 32-yard field goal on the first play of the fourth cut it to 27-10, and Simmons closed the scoring with a 10-yard pass to Roberts at 7:19.

Roberts was the steadiest piece of the night: 23 carries for 138 yards and a touchdown, plus the receiving score. Ahmad Hardy added 42 yards on three carries. Simmons was 20 of 31 for 179 yards and two touchdowns. Cayden Lee caught six passes for 78 yards and Olugbode five for 50.

Missouri finished with 390 yards to 288, 22 first downs to 18, and held the ball for 31:45. Craig made both field goals and all four extra points.

Arkansas moved the ball through the air. Jackson threw for 229 yards on 20 of 34 with an interception, and Antonio Jordan caught seven passes for 106 yards. The Razorbacks converted 8 of 17 third downs. But the ground game produced 59 yards, Settles managed 38 on 12 carries, and four turnovers against Missouri's one left too few chances to cash the yardage.

Against the number

Missouri closed as a 10.5-point favorite and won by 24, covering by 13.5. The Tigers closed at -425 on the moneyline, with Arkansas at +330.

The total closed at 48.5 and the teams combined for 44, so the under came in by 4.5. Missouri's defense did most of that work; Arkansas scored one touchdown and a field goal. Seven of Missouri's points came from the defensive return, which helped the cover more than the over.

What's next

Missouri hosts No. 11 Texas on Saturday, November 7. The Tigers are 4-0 at home this season, with wins over Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Troy, No. 8 Florida and Texas A&M, and both of their losses have come on the road against ranked teams. Texas is the measuring stick for whether the Ole Miss result was an outlier.

Arkansas plays at Auburn the same day on SEC Network. The Razorbacks won their last road game, 31-21 at Vanderbilt, but have lost to every ranked opponent they have faced. At 3-5, they need three wins in their remaining games to reach bowl eligibility, and that starts with protecting the ball.