No. 25 Missouri handed the Gators (45-17) their first loss of 2026 and an early reality check for Jon Sumrall. Florida running back Jadan Baugh watched a five-game streak of 100-yard rushing performances come to an end in the same outing. His response the following day turned into one of the takeaways from a tough road game.
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The result dropped the Gators to 4-1 overall and 2-1 in the SEC. Baugh, who entered the game among the nation’s leading rushers and in the Heisman conversation, finished with 12 carries for 13 yards. His long gain was 12 yards, and he did not score a rushing touchdown.
“He’s [Baugh] like, ‘Coach, I’m sorry. I won’t let that ever happen again. I didn’t play my best,’” Sumrall shared the details during Monday’s presser. “I love Jadan because he owned it and he’s ready to move forward.” Baugh had texted Sumrall the day before, on October 4, to apologize for the performance and to say it would not happen again.
Baugh had built a strong body of work before Missouri. He carried around 600 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns into the week, which led the country in rushing scores. The Missouri outing was an instant break from that early form.
That ownership did not start just with the text. Late in the fourth quarter, Sumrall had already gone to Baugh on the sideline. He put a hand on the running back’s helmet and told him the result did not change how he felt about him or who he was. The Sunday message aligns with the standard Sumrall had already set in the moment.
“Hats off to Missouri. They played really good today. We did not, and that was an earned loss by us. They are a good football team. They didn’t need our help,” Sumrall said after the game. “But we did not play to our standard. Embarrassing performance in every phase. Starts with the coaching, starts with me,” he added.
Missouri finished with 11 tackles for loss and three sacks, and Kensley Louidor-Faustin was credited with 3.5 tackles for loss while helping slow the run. Baugh absorbed several negative plays once the initial gain was made.
Sumrall later noted that different players and different issues contributed to the defeat, so the 13-yard outing was not framed as the sole reason Florida lost.
Florida managed 325 total yards, including only 42 rushing yards on 25 carries. The Gators also drew eight penalties for 80 yards. On defense, they allowed 560 yards. Safety Bryce Thornton was unavailable after a lower-body issue that showed up in pregame warmups, and wide receiver Vernell Brown III was also out. Those absences and the overall breakdowns gave Missouri room to pull away.
Missouri scored 35 consecutive points after the teams were tied 10-10. Austin Simmons threw for 340 yards and two touchdowns. Once that lead grew, Florida’s chances to settle into a run game became limited.
Baugh’s low numbers do not erase the production that put him on the national radar. After five games, he sits at 95 carries for 613 yards and 11 touchdowns. The Missouri night was the clear low point of his season so far, yet the quick apology showed the maturity Sumrall wants from a featured back.
The Heisman odds also took a sharp turn after the result. Baugh entered the week around +1000 and fourth on major boards following the Ole Miss performance. The 13-yard outing and the loss moved him outside the top 15 in updated markets.
Florida’s path forward includes Texas, Georgia, and Oklahoma as the clearest tests. Baugh cannot rewrite what happened in Columbia, but the promise he made will face those games soon.