Missouri's season ended with a final sputter of seven points in its defeat at the hands of Virginia, who had control of the last three quarters of the Gator Bowl. 

The Tigers finished the season 8-5, failing to make program history by completing three consecutive seasons with nine or more wins. The loss was also Missouri's first bowl game loss in three seasons. 

Here's a few takeaways from the disappointing end. 

Missouri starting quarterback Beau Pribula hit the transfer portal Dec. 18, leaving true freshman backup Matt Zollers to once again start in his place. Zollers replaced Pribula after the graduate student suffered a dislocated ankle in the third quarter of Missouri's game against Vanderbilt, finishing out that game and starting the next two against Texas A&M and Mississippi State. Zollers' start in the bowl game was his fourth game of the season playing meaningful snaps. 

His performance in Jacksonville fell more in line with his errant ways against the Aggies than it did his heroics in Nashville or his efficiency against the Bulldogs. Zollers completed 12 of his 22 passes for 101 yards and an interception — 56 of those yards were in the final 1:11 of the game. 

Yes, he was missing three of his top pass-catchers in Brett Norfleet, Josh Manning and Marquis Johnson, but Zollers struggled to make plays himself. He wasn't throwing receivers open, and regularly missed the targets that were open. His struggles passing allowed Virginia to stack the box and hone in on defending Missouri's run game, slowing it down to a near non-factor in the fourth quarter. 

Zollers could still be Missouri's quarterback of the future — he's shown flashes of downfield aggression and out-of-pocket reads that indicate long-term success — but barring major strides, he's not ready to support a top-tier Southeastern Conference offense in 2026. The Tigers will need to bring in an experienced and capable quarterback in the transfer portal, and let Zollers develop. 

Marquis Johnson logged career-highs of seven receptions, 122 yards and one touchdown in the 2024 Music City Bowl, hinting at the future success he would have in 2025 with Missouri despite playing a limited role in 2024. Nicholas Rodriguez replicated that in Josiah Trotter's absence in the Gator Bowl. 

The sophomore linebacker logged 15 tackles — the most of any Missouri player in a single game this season — 0.5 tackles for loss and one pass breakup. Missouri's run defense could have fallen off without Trotter's steady presence, but Rodriguez stepped up in the biggest way possible to help hold Virginia to 2.7 yards per carry on 41 rushes. 

If Trotter doesn't declare for the 2026 NFL Draft and returns to Missouri, himself and Rodriguez could form one of the top linebacker duos in the nation. 

Many had gripes with former offensive coordinator Kirby Moore's suspected play-calling and personnel changes — he wasn't creative enough in the pass game, he didn't use Ahmad Hardy enough or Missouri wideouts ran conflicting routes were all common things to hear surrounding the discourse of Missouri football.

As Moore stepped away from the team to become the head coach at Washington State, Missouri's play-calling would be in new hands for the Gator Bowl, split between head coach Eli Drinkwitz and the rest of his offensive staff. Still, it struggled with the same problems. 

"It's on me," Drinkwitz said of the loss. "I didn't do a good enough job calling plays tonight, getting us into a rhythm or giving us things that we could do and execute quick enough."

Newly-hired OC Chip Lindsey will take over the play-calling responsibilities in 2026, and a large weight of these problems will now fall on his shoulders to solve. 

Missouri's special teams unit was a weak point that hindered the team throughout the season. Yes, offense and defense make up the majority of each game, but all three phases of the ball matter, and the Tigers' special teams did more harm than good to their chances of victory. 

Starting kicker Blake Craig got hurt making a tackle in Week 1 of the season, leading a competition between backups Robert Meyer and Oliver Robbins. Meyer won, but struggled throughout the season to the point of his benching in favor of Robbins.

Robbins wasn't much better, shanking a 42-yard field goal far right in the Gator Bowl, altering the game for Missouri. Connor Weselman, Missouri's starting punter, struggled equally as much, floundering a 26-yard punt in the fourth quarter when the Tigers' could have seriously benefited from pushing Virginia back.