The Longhorns’ perfect start survived its first real change of direction Saturday, then gathered force. After falling behind twice in the first half, Edward Bolin’s team scored the final 31 points to beat the Tigers (Mizz) 38-9 and move to 5-0, with a 2-0 division record.

Mizzou opened the scoring with Paul Grubbs’ 27-yard field goal, but Austin answered early in the second quarter. Kirk Rose found running back Benjamin Maple for a 7-yard touchdown, giving the Longhorns a 7-3 lead. The Tigers responded with a 2-yard pass from Scott Hoefer to Michael Schmidt, then missed the extra point wide right to leave the score 9-7.

That brief deficit did not last. Blake Jones ran in a 1-yard touchdown with 2:58 remaining in the half, and Rose followed by hitting James Garrett for a 51-yard score with 1:01 left. Richard Brown’s extra points made it 21-9 at the break. In a game that could have tightened after Mizzou’s touchdown, Austin instead built a two-score cushion in the final three minutes of the half.

Rose kept the passing game on schedule throughout, completing 30 of 37 attempts for 306 yards and four touchdowns without an interception. Garrett finished with 74 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Jones contributed 98 rushing yards and a score, while Maple added 82 yards on the ground and a receiving touchdown. The Longhorns’ balance showed in the team totals: 242 rushing yards alongside 306 through the air.

Austin stretched its lead in the third quarter. Rose connected with Garrett for a 12-yard touchdown on third-and-11, then found Jeffrey Aguirre for a 19-yard score with 27 seconds left in the quarter. Brown’s extra points put the Longhorns ahead 35-9. Brown added a 23-yard field goal early in the fourth to complete the scoring.

The Longhorns converted five of 10 third downs and scored touchdowns on four of six red-zone visits. Mizzou managed 146 passing yards and 62 rushing yards, converted only two of 11 third downs, and did not score again after Schmidt’s second-quarter touchdown. The Tigers’ nine points also fit a broader season trend for Austin: through five games, the Longhorns have allowed 42 points while scoring 180.

For Bolin’s team, the win was more than another mark in the unbeaten column. It was a composed response to adversity—one that turned a one-point deficit into a decisive road result and kept the season’s momentum firmly with Austin.