The first weekend in September was a busy one for Missouri football fans.
On Friday, Sept. 5, the Kansas City Chiefs went head-to-head with the Los Angeles Chargers for the NFL’s “International Games” series in São Paulo, Brazil. This game was the Kansas City Chiefs’ first official game since training camp ended mid-August.
The Kansas City Chiefs experienced their first loss of the season to the Chargers, ending the game 27-21. Analysts attributed the loss due to a combination of wide receiver Xavier Worthy’s early injury in the game and the Chiefs’ offense not being in sync. Missouri football fans did not want to take another loss this weekend, and it showed in the Missouri vs Kansas game.
On Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025, the long-awaited and historic Border War football game between the University of Missouri Tigers and the University of Kansas Jayhawks returned after a fourteen-year hiatus.
At the beginning of the first quarter, Ahmad Hardy, a running back for Missouri, scored 6 points after a 32-yard touchdown run. But Kansas was quickly able to catch up with two touchdowns and a fumble-and-return touchdown. By the end of the first quarter, Kansas was in the lead 21-6.
In the second quarter, Missouri got a touchdown, a safety, and two field goals, tying the score 21-21. In the third quarter, the kicker for Kansas, Laith Marjan, made a 26-yard field goal. Missouri ended the third quarter still in the lead thanks to a touchdown, making the score 28-24.
In the fourth quarter, Kansas scored a touchdown, scoring 7 points. Missouri then scored two touchdowns, ending the game in the lead, 42-31.
The history of the rivalry between Missouri and Kansas stems from the border war that happened in the 1850s between pro-slavery Missouri and Kansas abolitionists. This conflict led to the burning of towns — including Lawrence, Kan., which is the home of the University of Kansas — and violence on both sides. During the 1890s, this rivalry spurred an athletic showdown rather than continuing violence. Today, the two teams and fans are more cordial between one another.
