Alabama Alum Delivers Bold Rivalry Statement on Mizzou–Kansas to Throw Shade at Auburn

The countdown is on for Missouri vs. Kansas, and both squads are coming in hot. Eli Drinkwitz’s Missouri Tigers flattened Central Arkansas 61-6, and Lance Leipold’s Kansas Jayhawks crushed Fresno State 31-7 and dismantled Wagner 46-7. Both programs are riding that early-season adrenaline, primed and ready for the grind ahead. But when it’s Mizzou vs. Kansas, it’s never just another game. As they call it, the Border War may burn brightest on the basketball court, but the football feud still drips with hostility and history. And just as the fire was rising, Alabama alum Roman Harper poured fuel on the flames.

Missouri and the Kansas Jayhawks will meet on the gridiron for the first time since 2011. So, all we can expect is the Killers’ “Mr. Brightside” blasting the speakers with the Mizzou fans in attendance at Memorial Stadium hurling F-bombs towards their biggest rival. That’s when Harper made an Alabama connection.

On September 5, Mizzou football beat writer Quentin Corpuel wrote on X, “Probably my favorite quote from Roman Harper today on the #Mizzou-Kansas rivalry: ‘You guys hate each other. Alabama and Auburn don’t really hate each other … It’s just another school in the same state. The hatred is real between these two schools.’” So, according to the Alabama alum, there is a lot of difference between the Alabama vs. Auburn rivalry (Iron Bowl) and the Missouri vs. Kansas rivalry (Border War).

Drinkwitz’s boys and Leipold’s squad have genuine hatred toward one another. While college football is known for the (in)famous Auburn vs Alabama rivalry, as Harper pointed out, it’s mainly just two competitors’ fight about state pride and football bragging rights. Not true hatred. With this, he throws a shade at Hugh Freeze’s Auburn, calling them “another school.” Cut to the Missouri vs Kansas heat, the rivalry runs deeper, which is not limited to sports. Harper hinted at it, too.

When Drinkwitz’s Missouri swapped from the Big 12 to the SEC in 2012, the rivalry went on pause. Thanks to the Tigers basketball, they turned up the heat with Kansas winning the first three games in 2021, and Mizzou finally getting back on the board last December. Now, it’s Missouri football’s turn. Not to forget, they lead the all-time series 57-54-9. And what’s more important to remember is the root of the rivalry.  

It stems from Civil War days. The program names were derived from the nomenclature. “Jayhawkers” raided pro-slavery Missouri border counties. The “Tigers” defended Columbia against Confederate guerrillas, the same group that torched Lawrence in 1863. So, the fans are still carrying that rivalry that has run through more than a century. This is what Penn State transfer, Missouri quarterback, Beau Pribula, had to learn about.

Missouri Tigers’ Beau Pribula breaks silence on the Border War chapter

On September 6, Missouri and Kansas will renew a football rivalry that goes all the way back to Halloween 1891. Coming back to Pribula, Drinkwitz’s quarterback had a strong start after his successful debut against Central Arkansas, where he came up with 65 yards and 2 touchdowns. Before his Kansas face-off, he was asked about what he thinks about the Border War.

“I thought it was just a sports rivalry, but I guess it’s not,” Pribula told reporters, leaving a lot to the imagination with those words. Not just the quarterback, even the Missouri head coach, Drinkwitz, commented on their cutthroat rivalry with Kansas during the SEC Media Days in July.

“Yeah, I think rivalries are a great thing for college athletics and college football, particularly, especially regional rivalries,” he said. “This one goes back a long way. The origins of our football name, the Tigers, is based off the militia that was formed to protect Columbia from people from Kansas, the Kansas area. This is something that goes back a long way. It’s very deep. It’s something that our team is very keenly aware of. We understand the implications, the importance to our state. Look forward to playing that game, especially having it at home.”

Not to forget, Kansas is looking to come out with the first win in the revived rivalry game and is running with the motivational juju of holding their first two opponents to a combined 14 points. Let’s see what the Missouri Tigers bring to the table for them.