Fanrun SEC Roadtrip Recap: Kansas Blows 15-Point Lead As Border War Hate Reignites
Image: Carter Arey
By Aidan Sidoti
Fourteen long years.
That’s how long it took for the ‘Border War’ to return to the gridiron.
When it did, on a perfect September Saturday in Columbia, Missouri, it erupted into a booze-soaked frenzy that reminded everyone exactly why these two fanbases truly hate each other.
From the moment I stepped into Columbia Friday evening, you could just tell the tension was palpable.
Missouri fans weren’t just excited for the return of the Border War, they were going rabid.
Bed sheet after bed sheet hung from college houses and apartment balconies, each one screaming the same message in black and gold paint: “F kU.”
Kansas rolled into Faurot Field with confidence. After a quick three-and-out and a Missouri opening-drive touchdown, the Jayhawks punched back with 21 unanswered points in the first quarter– going up 15 and silencing a sold-out crowd of 57,321.
Then, the expected Kansas Kollapse commenced.
Missouri’s defense stiffened, only allowing ten points the rest of the way. The crowd roared back to life after a punishing 15-play drive capped by a Beau Pribula three-yard pass to Kevin Coleman Jr. A safety and two field goals in the final minute followed, and just like that, heading into halftime we were all tied up.
Momentum flipped fast in the Tigers’ favor in the second half. Maybe it was the crowd. Or maybe it was Carter Arey, the Mizzou fan with a prosthetic leg who went viral after lining up for a $25,000 field goal attempt. Getting into position for the kick he lifted his shirt to reveal “F KU” painted across his chest, and promptly kicked the ball straight toward the Kansas sideline.
Arey knew he wasn’t making the kick. That, obviously, wasn't the point. As he told The New York Times, "All I wanted to do was kick the ball as hard as I could at the Kansas football players.”
Just incredible. How in the hell did we go without seeing this rivalry for 14 years?
Kansas fans didn’t know it yet, but that was the exact point where they lost that game.
Missouri scored right after on a 11-yard touchdown pass to Brett Norfleet with 0:24 remaining in the third quarter, making it 28-24 Tigers and lighting a fuse in the crowd just before Mr. Brightside blared through the stadium.
The LOUDEST unified chant that I have ever heard by a country-mile.
Kansas was only down three by that point, but the game was over and everybody in the stadium knew it.
Back-to-back touchdowns with under five minutes left made it 42-31 Tigers, and the Kansas faithful started heading for the exits. But not before former Missouri lineman Justin Britt made his way to the visiting section.
After driving to Lawrence earlier in the week to run laps around the Kansas football stadium with a Mizzou flag, the eight-year NFL vet certainly backed up his shit-talk in full after Missouri’s final score.
Unfortunately, there will be no Fanrun SEC Roadtrip this week.
I am broke and will be sitting my happy ass on the couch Saturday at 3:30 p.m, watching Tennessee–Georgia.
Go Vols.
