A group of talented St. Louisans were instrumental in the University of Missouri’s 42-31 victory over visiting Kansas in the renewal of the old Border War rivalry on Saturday in Columbia.
Former St. Louis area standouts Kevin Coleman Jr. (St. Mary’s), Jamal Roberts (St. Mary’s) and Brett Norfleet (Francis Howell) all came up big for Mizzou, who rallied from a 21-6 deficit to defeat the Jayhawks.
Coleman was the Tigers’ leading receiver on the day with 10 receptions for 120 yards and two touchdowns. Norfleet, a 6’7” tight end, had seven receptions for 76 yards and two touchdowns. His 27-yard touchdown catch and run gave Mizzou the lead to stay at 35-31 with four minutes and 15 seconds left.
Roberts had a big day running the football with 143 yards rushing on 13 carries. He sealed the victory for the Tigers with a 63-yard touchdown run with 56 seconds left in the game.
The Missouri-Kansas football rivalry has been going on since 1891. The football series went on hiatus in 2011 when Mizzou left the Big XII Conference to compete in the Southeastern Conference.
With the victory, the 3-0 Tigers moved into the Associated Press Top 25 rankings for the first time. Mizzou checks in at No. 25 in the latest poll. The Tigers will host Louisiana on Saturday in Columbia at 3 p.m.