Mizzou Tigers seek 1st victory over Alabama since 1975 on Saturday in Tuscaloosa

When No. 21 Mizzou kicks off against 15th-ranked Alabama at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the Tigers will be attempting to accomplish something the program hasn’t done in nearly a half-century.

Beat the Crimson Tide.

The Tigers (6-1, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) and Alabama (5-2, 2-2) have met seven times, with the Tide winning each of the past five matchups.

With these two SEC programs about to go head to head again, let’s take a look back at the last time MU beat ‘Bama ... and how they match up this weekend.

The last Mizzou victory over ‘Bama

On Sept. 8, 1975, the Al Onofrio-led Tigers shocked 63,000 at Legion Field in Birmingham, Ala. — and the rest of the college football universe — with a 20-7 upset of the then-No. 2-ranked Crimson Tide.

On the radio, Glenn Campbell’s “Rhinestone Cowboy” topped the Billboard Top 100 chart. At the box office, Steven Spielberg’s “Jaws” was a new release.

That Crimson Tide team — coached by the legendary Paul “Bear” Bryant — had lost just twice in the previous two seasons combined (both times against Notre Dame — in the 1973 Sugar Bowl and ‘74 Orange Bowl).

And then the Tigers waltzed into Legion Field and snapped ‘Bama’s 22-game regular-season win streak.

Missouri entered the game as a three-touchdown underdog. But the visitors silenced the Alabama-partisan crowd by taking a 20-0 advantage into halftime.

The Tigers’ 6-foot-1, 225-pound tailback, Tony Galbreath, finished the day with 120 yards and a touchdown on 32 carries. He had 89 yards and the TD by intermission.

As a team, the Tigers rushed a jaw-dropping 64 times and gained 206 yards on the ground. Alabama, meanwhile, managed just 31 yards on 34 carries. Missouri’s offense finished with 257 total yards to the Crimson Tide’s 118.

MU’s upset launched the unranked Tigers to No. 5 in the AP Top 25 the following week.

But despite that taste of early-season success, Mizzou spiraled down the stretch and finished 6-5.

Alabama played to a perfect record after that 0-1 start, finishing the year 11-1 as the No. 3-ranked team in the country.

Which brings us to Saturday’s game

Since that seismic upset in 1975, Mizzou hasn’t scored more than 20 points in a game against Alabama.

In fact, the Crimson Tide have outscored MU 199-72 in those five contests. The Tigers have never won at Bryant-Denny Stadium, the site of Saturday’s game.

This year’s Alabama team has a different feel, of course. It’s led not by longtime coaching great Nick Saban, but by Saban’s successor, Kalen DeBoer.

The Crimson Tide have already lost twice this season, falling to Vanderbilt and Tennessee, but their historic dominance at Bryant-Denny could come into play Saturday.

The stadium ranks among the nation’s seven largest, with a capacity of 101,821, and the atmosphere inside is predictably impressive. Alabama’s lost just twice there since 2019.

The key for the Tigers will be starting fast in hopes of quieting the noise. Missouri failed to do so a few weeks ago at Texas A&M and that game spiraled out of control: The Tigers turned the ball over on downs on their opening possession en route to a blowout 41-10 loss.

Mizzou faces some big question marks, especially on offense, for Saturday’s road game. Starting quarterback Brady Cook and leading rusher Nate Noel are both listed as doubtful to play because of injuries.

In relief of Cook this past weekend against Auburn, backup QB Drew Pyne went 10-for-21 for 78 yards. He struggled with his accuracy and had limited success moving the offense.

Whether it’s Cook or Pyne leading the offense against the Crimson Tide on Saturday, a win at Alabama would be huge.

Not only because it’s been 49 long years since Mizzou last came out on top against Alabama, but because an SEC victory in one of college football’s toughest settings could help reshape the Tigers’ College Football Playoff aspirations.

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