When Missouri and Missouri State kick off in Week 1, it will be a battle 94 years in the making

It is guaranteed to pop up at least once a year on the Mizzou Internet: “Missouri and Missouri State should play every year in basketball!” “No, they shouldn’t—Mizzou has nothing to gain!” It has come up enough that every argument basically follows an exact template.

(My own opinion: hell no, they shouldn’t. Mizzou indeed has absolutely nothing to gain from it.)

The two schools are resuming their football series this fall, however. Well, two games is a series, right? The Tigers and Bears have faced each other just once on the gridiron, and it came 94 years ago in Columbia, on October 6, 1923. The score: Missouri 10, Springfield Teachers College 0.

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Missouri defeated the Springfield Teachers College eleven here this afternoon, 10 to 0. All Tiger points were scored in the third period. Missouri outrushed the visitors, outpunted and outpassed them but had difficulty in crossing their goal line.

Fowler scored a field goal and a touchdown. His field goal came in the first few minutes of the third quarter. Ball had reeled off a 25-yard return of Galloway's kick-off, and the Tigers, with Bond and Fowler alternating at smashing the line, walked down to the Teachers' 12-yard line. There they were unable to gain, and Fowler kicked from placement on the 17-yard line.

After an exchange of punts, Keller broke through the Springfield defense to block Cherry's punt and recovered the ball on the Bears' 15-yard line. Bond and Fowler again lugged the ball at the Teachers' forward wall to the one-yard line and Fowler carried it across.

The Teachers only once really menaced the Tigers, when in the first period they were within 20 yards of the Missouri goal, but were held on downs.

If I'm reading the box score correctly, Missouri gained 198 yards to Springfield's 38 and gained 14 first downs to the Teachers' six. Missouri completed three of 10 passes for 39 yards and two interceptions, and the future Missouri State completed four of eight for 30 and one pick.

About the contest, the Springfield Missouri Republican said, "The two teams, one representing a small school in the Ozarks, and the other made up of the pick of the entire state, battled through a scoreless first inning, and the game promised to be the worst upset in the history of the Tigers' career." Didn’t quite play out that way.

Hopefully Drew Lock does better than 3-for-10 when Dave Steckel’s Bears come to town.