Hardy rushes for career-best 300 yards, 3 TD to help Missouri beat Mississippi State 49-27

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- , Growing up in Mississippi, Ahmad Hardy dreamed of starring on the gridiron in his home state. On Saturday night, Hardy made a statement. Hardy had a career-best 300 yards rushing and three touchdowns on 25 carries, and Toriano Pride Jr . had a 62-yard fumble return and pick-6 to help Missouri beat Mississippi State 49-27 on Saturday night. “I’m from Mississippi,” Hardy said. “A lot of teams didn’t recruit me coming out of high school, so it was kind of personal. But then, again, like I told the guys, the seniors, I was doing it for them.” Hardy’s 300-yard rushing performance was the second in Missouri history trailing only Devin West’s 319-yard outburst versus Kansas in 1998. “I thought the o-line and tight ends obviously prevented penetration, allowed him to get to the second level, but then he did the rest,” Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz said.