Missouri
Scouting Report: Iowa
We’ve gone through signing day, a Christmas break and most of portal season, but it’s time to get back to getting ready for the final football game of the season.
The Missouri Tigers (9-3) take on the Iowa Hawkeyes (8-4) in the Music City Bowl at 1:30 p.m. Monday (ESPN).
The Tigers enter on a two-game winning streak and looking for their second-consecutive 10-win season as they face Iowa in a rematch of the 2020 Music City Bowl that never came to be.
Iowa enters on a two-game winning streak and is playing in its 11th bowl game (and 12th bid) in the past 12 years. Iowa is 4-6 in the 10 bowl games it has played since 2014.
Missouri opened as a four-point favorite according to Circa sports but is now a 2.5-point favorite.
Here’s a glance at Iowa and what Missouri will face in the Music City Bowl.
When: 1:30 p.m., CT, Monday
Where: Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tenn.
TV: ESPN
Radio: Tiger Radio Network
The Tigers and Hawkeyes have faced off 13 times, but only once in the past 100 years.
The teams faced off every year from 1892-1896, then again in 1902 and 1903 before a series from 1906-1910.
After that, it took 100 years to match up on the gridiron again with the teams facing off in the Insight Bowl in Tempe, Arizona, in 2010.
Missouri holds a 7-6 lead in the all-time series, but Iowa won 27-24 in 2010.
Scoring offense: 28.0 (No. 69)
Scoring defense: 17.1 (No. 9)
Rushing offense: 199.8 (No. 20)
Rushing defense: 117.5 (No. 27)
Passing offense: 131.7 (No. 130)
Passing defense: 196.1 (No. 36)
Brendan Sullivan, QB
With regular starter Cade McNamara still in the transfer portal, the Hawkeyes are set to turn to junior Brendan Sullivan (6-foot-4, 220 pounds), who is returning from an ankle injury that forced sophomore Jackson Stratton (6-4, 193) into the final two games of the regular season after McNamara missed the final four games with a concussion.
Sullivan played in nine games this season, starting two and completing 24-of-35 passes for 344 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
In the three games he attempted more than five passes, Sullivan completed 22-of-33 passes for 330 yards and one touchdown with two interceptions, while rushing for 108 yards and two touchdowns on 26 attempts.
His best performance yards wise came against UCLA, the game he injured his ankle, when he completed 6-of-9 passes for 157 yards, but threw both of his interceptions.
While leading the Hawkeyes to a win against Northwestern, he completed 9-of-14 passes for 80 yards, while rushing for 40 yards and a score on eight tries. Then in a win against Wisconsin, he completed 7-of-10 passes for 93 yards and a touchdown, while rushing for 58 yards and a touchdown on nine attempts.
Kamari Moulton, Jaziun Patterson, RBs
With starting running back Kaleb Johnson missing the bowl game to prepare for the NFL draft, the Hawkeyes will turn to redshirt freshman Kamari Moulton (5-11, 206) and sophomore Jaziun Patterson (5-10, 195) to power the rushing attack that led the Hawkeyes to most of their wins this year.
Johnson took the vast majority of the carries and created the vast majority of the production this season, running for 1,537 of the team’s 2,398 rushing yards this season on 240 of the teams 463 attempts.
Moulton was next on the team with 70 attempts for 377 yards and two touchdowns, while Patterson had 54 carries for 235 yards and two touchdowns.
Moulton produced a 114-yard performance on 12 carries against Maryland, breaking a 68-yard touchdown run in the process. He also had 74 yards on nine attempts against Wisconsin and had 65 yards on 19 attempts against Illinois State.
Otherwise, he did not reach 50 yards in any of his other eight games and rushed for -4 yards on three attempts against Nebraska his last time out.
Patterson had 72 yards and a touchdown on eight attempts against Troy and 66 yards on 18 tries against Minnesota. He also rushed for 56 yards and a score on 10 tries against Wisconsin.
Otherwise, his game-high was 11 yards in his other six games, including one rush for no yards against Nebraska last time out.
Jacob Gill, WR
Gill, a 6-0, 185-pound junior, was the team’s leading receiver at 382 yards and 32 catches to go with two touchdowns.
His best performance, by far, was six catches for 138 yards against UCLA, otherwise he didn’t reach 50 yards in a game.
His other touchdown came against Illinois State when he had three catches for 46 yards. He also added four catches for 47 yards against Iowa State and five catches for 44 yards against Troy. Then his high for a game drops to 29 against Maryland.
DEFENSE
Jay Higgins, LB
Fifth-year linebacker Jay Higgins (6-2, 232) was the most productive member of the Hawkeye defense with 118 tackles, including 2.5 for loss and one sack. He also batted five passes, intercepted four more and forced two fumbles.
His interceptions came against Iowa State, Minnesota, Northwestern and Maryland. His sack came against Ohio State.
He had a run of three consecutive games, Ohio State, Washington and Michigan State, where he recorded 14 tackles in each performance, while adding 11 against Iowa State and 10 against Wisconsin.
Ethan Hurkett, DL
The 6-3, 260-pound defensive lineman led Iowa with 6.5 sacks to go with 11.5 tackles for loss.
He recorded 55 total tackles and had three tackles for loss and two sacks against both Maryland and Nebraska to end the season.
He also forced three fumbles, one against Nebraska and two against Troy.
Nick Jackson, LB
With defensive back Jermari Harris not playing as he prepares for the draft, graduate linebacker Nick Jackson (6-0, 235) leads the Hawkeye defense with seven passes batted.
He also recorded 83 tackles, including five for loss and 2.5 sacks. He intercepted one pass against Wisconsin and produced 12 tackles against UCLA and 11 each against Washington and Michigan State.
Nate Noel and Marcus Carrol vs. Iowa’s run defense
When taking Johnson leaving into consideration, the Hawkeye run defense is its best unit on the field.
The Tigers should be able to throw a bit with a more healthy Brady Cook for the first time in a handful of games, but Missouri has based its offense off the run during the final few games of the regular season and it worked very well.
To do that again, it will be strength on strength with the Iowa defense.
Mizzou’s run defense vs. Iowa’s offensive line
I don’t know how much to expect from the pair of Iowa running backs we’re likely to see, but the offensive line is still stacked and third-string running backs can look great if the offensive line gets them 4 yards before contact.
The Tiger defense that has struggled against the run this season is going to need to force Iowa to throw.
If it can, the Tigers will be in about the best position they can be.
Missouri
Four years after Dobbs, Missouri abortion fight continues in court, ballotbox
JACKSON COUNTY, Mo. (KFVS) – Four years after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and Missouri became the first state to ban abortion, Planned Parenthood is once again offering abortions.
Medication abortions are returning, too, after a Jackson County Circuit Court ruling. However, the state’s legal battle continues with court cases and a new ballot measure.
The past four years
Four years ago, Missouri politicians used a 2019 trigger law to ban abortion within 20 minutes of the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned the limited federal abortion protections of Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey.
Abortion was put on the ballot in 2024 by an initiative petition that collected more than 380,000 signatures. Missouri became the first state to end an abortion ban by a vote of the people in 2024 and established the Right to Reproductive Freedom in the state constitution.
Another vote this year
This year will mark the second time Missourians vote on abortion. In November, Missourians will once again vote on abortion on the new Amendment Three. A “yes” vote is to ban abortions.
The new ballot measure has limited exceptions for rape, incest and medical emergencies, only if performed before the 12-week gestational period. It’s set to be on the statewide ballot for the November 2026 midterm election.
Bonnie Lee with 40 Days for Life said she hopes Missourians vote in favor of new restrictions in November.
“Missouri is waking up, and we will make a difference in November,” Lee said.
Missourians will see this question on their ballot:
“Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to:
Repeal the 2024 voter-approved Amendment providing reproductive healthcare rights, including abortion through fetal viability;
Allow abortions for rape and incest (under twelve-weeks’ gestation), emergencies, and fetal anomalies;
Allow legislation regulating abortion;
Ensure parental consent for minors’ abortions;
Prohibit gender transition procedures for minors?”
A “yes” vote would essentially repeal the Amendment Three passed in November 2024. But this language may not be final. If lawyers appeal again, it can go to the Missouri Supreme Court.”
“I think voters are now seeing they didn’t know what they were voting on [in 2024]. There was a lot of misinformation, a lot of hidden information, a lot of legalese,” Lee said.
Maggie Olivia with Abortion Action Missouri said she wants the opposite outcome at the ballot box.
“I feel all the more invigorated having seen the consequences of abortion bans to do whatever it takes to stop this new abortion ban,” Olivia said.
Olivia called the new Amendment Three an overreach by Missouri politicians.
“There are some politicians in Jefferson City who don’t like the decision we just made in 2024, so they think they can muddy the waters, change the rules,” Olivia said.
Ongoing lawsuit
This month, a Jackson County Circuit Court judge issued a permanent injunction striking down several state abortion restrictions.
Planned Parenthood said the decision also clears the way for medication abortion to be available in Missouri for the first time since 2018 and allows Planned Parenthood to resume providing it.
“For too long, politicians forced patients to leave the state for an evidence-based and trusted form of abortion care. Now that care is coming home,” said Emily Wales, president and CEO of Comprehensive Health of Planned Parenthood Great Plains.
Attorney General Catherine Hanaway criticized the ruling and said she plans to appeal to the Missouri Supreme Court.
“This radical decision gives abortion providers a free pass to police themselves,” Hanaway said in a statement. “My office will expeditiously appeal this dangerous decision to the Missouri Supreme Court.”
Copyright 2026 KFVS. All rights reserved.
Missouri
Missouri ice cream shop named best in the state. Here’s why.
Watch before buying a home ice cream machine
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Think you know the best ice cream shop in Missouri? Ask ten people, and you’ll likely get ten different answers.
Cheapism, a website focused on budget living, is weighing in on the debate with its recently released list of the best ice cream shops in every state. Here’s what it selected as Missouri’s best ice cream spot:
What’s the best ice cream shop in Missouri, according to Cheapism?
The media outlet selected the winners by scouring through Reddit threads, Yelp reviews, Google ratings and local favorites to find the best ice cream shop in every state.
Factoring all of that in, the honor of Missouri’s best ice cream shop goes to Clementine’s Ice Cream in St. Louis.
Clementine’s is a locally owned artisanal ice cream shop founded in 2015, known for its “naughty” (alcohol-infused) and “nice” (nonalcoholic) offerings, as well as non-dairy options.
The company has expanded from its beginnings as a single shop to multiple locations, boasting 11 shops across the Midwest, with three more on the way.
What’s Clementine’s best ice cream flavor?
Clementine’s also landed on Food & Wine’s list of essential ice cream flavors for all 50 states with its gooey butter cake ice cream.
The magazine praised the “super creamy” texture of the cream cheese ice cream and appreciated the large chunks of Clementine’s homemade gooey butter cake mixed throughout.
What is gooey butter cake?
For those not in the know, gooey butter cake is one of the Show Me State’s best-kept secrets, with its origins tracing back to St. Louis in the 1930s.
The cake allegedly came about when a baker accidentally reversed the butter-to-flour ratio while making a batch of coffee cake, resulting in a gooey, custard-like filling. Given it was the Great Depression, the bakery decided to sell the resulting cake rather than waste it, making it a hit with locals in the process.
It became so popular, in fact, that other bakeries in the city soon began making their own versions, and an iconic Missouri treat was born.
How to find a Clementine’s near you
Clementine’s has more than a dozen locations, mostly centered around St. Louis. It also has locations in Kansas City and Bentonville, Arkansas.
A Clementine’s is scheduled to open in Columbia this summer.
Check out this map to find the nearest Clementine’s location near you:
You can also get Clementine’s shipped directly to your front door via Goldbelly.
Missouri
Missouri lawmaker pushes for more transparency from data center developments
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KFVS) – As more data centers are announced across Missouri, one state lawmaker wants to get rid of non-disclosure agreements.
Republican State Rep. Tricia Byrnes from St. Charles County organized a public hearing for Sept. 16 at the Missouri Capitol for lawmakers to discuss data center regulations. Any legislation that comes out of the hearing will have to wait until January to be introduced in the General Assembly. Byrnes said she hopes local communities take action before January.
The effort comes after Amazon and Google announced multibillion-dollar data center projects in Montgomery County, which Byrnes represents.
Montgomery County farmer Harry Cope said residents have concerns about how the projects have been handled.
“The transparency that’s gone on with all of this stuff in our county has been about like looking through muddy water,” Cope said.
Byrnes said Missourians are looking for state leaders to respond.
“Missourians should never take a bad deal. And right now, folks are waiting for Jefferson City to stand up and pay attention,” Byrnes said.
Byrnes is not proposing a complete statewide stop to data center projects. She said she wants to get rid of nondisclosure agreements for data center projects and create specific noise standards and water permits. She said she wants the process to happen in public.
Gov. Mike Kehoe, a Republican, has said he supports more data centers in Missouri, saying they are better for the economy.
“It’s about opportunity, good-paying jobs, investment in our community, better efficiency. And it’s about making sure Missouri remains on the forefront of next-generation technology,” Kehoe said.
Byrnes did not directly comment on whether Kehoe will support her legislation. She addressed a comment the governor made last week, when he implied foreign adversaries such as China are spreading misinformation about data centers.
“We have extremely intelligent people all across Missouri, and what I’m hearing now is this spin that they’re hearing stuff from China. I can tell you, no one from China asked me to have you here today,” Byrnes said.
Missouri House Democratic Leader Ashley Aune said there is an opportunity for lawmakers to craft legislation based on what Missourians want.
“I don’t have a proposal top of mind about what regulation would, should, can look like across the state. But what I will say is that we have a real opportunity to work with our voters,” Aune said.
Copyright 2026 KFVS. All rights reserved.
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