Austin Simmons has been a fresh face and is impressing fans with his play as the new signal caller of the Missouri Tigers. He got noticed by the Southeastern Conference after his week two performance in the Border War.
Simmons was named the co-SEC Offensive Player of the Week, with Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning, after passing for 292 yards and three touchdowns in the 38-21 win over the Kansas Jayhawks. After losing the starting job at Ole Miss to Trinidad Chambliss and spending last season as his backup, Simmons transferred to Mizzou and won the starting job in March.
Austin Simmons Dominates In Missouri Victory Over Kansas
Simmons outplayed his Kansas counterpart Isaiah Marshall on Friday night, with an 86.3 QBR in the rivalry matchup. The Mizzou quarterback looked fantastic for the second straight game, and the Tigers are rallying behind Simmons.
Simmons had a couple of plays that really opened the door for the Tigers to jump ahead in the second half. During the Tigers’ second drive of the third quarter, Simmons found Cayden Lee for a 20-yard gain and then, three plays later, hit Donovan Olugbode for an eight-yard touchdown pass to give the Tigers a 21-14 lead.
The Tigers were led by Simmons with methodical precision as the team drove down the field and took over the game in the third quarter. Simmons was top-12 in QBR in week two and is No. 8 in the country in the stat for the season.
Austin Simmons Graced With Davey O’Brien Great Eight In Week 2
The Davey O’Brien Award is given out to the best quarterback in college football. Each week, the Davey O’Brien Foundation names eight quarterback performances to the “Great Eight.” Simmons finds his name there as well after week two, officially joining the Davey O’Brien Midseason Watch List.
No Missouri quarterback has ever won the Davey O’Brien Award, but through two weeks, Simmons is playing like one of the best signal callers in the country. Missouri has one more matchup with a non-conference opponent before Simmons gets put to the real test inside the SEC.
Through two games, Simmons has a 75% completion rate; he has been playing at a high level for the first two matchups of the season. Despite his departure in the first half of their week one game against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Simmons has thrown for 544 yards and seven touchdowns so far in the 2026 season.
Simmons has also not thrown an interception in the first two contests, showing great focus on ball security and not putting the Tigers in a pickle due to a poor decision. Simmons is driving the bus for the Tigers, and the team will go where he takes them as they prepare to welcome the Troy Trojans to Memorial Stadium on Saturday.
Mizzou’s Austin Simmons Wins Weekly Awards After Border War