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Watch: Kansas Football Releases Missouri Pregame Hype Video Featuring Aqib Talib
Brett Davis-Imagn Images

As the Kansas Jayhawks get set to face off against the Missouri Tigers on the gridiron for the first time since 2011, the KU football social media team is doing their part to get Jayhawk fans excited for this latest edition of the Border Showdown.

On Friday night, the team released a pregame hype video that had Kansas fans raving on social media. Not only did it feature photos and videos from some of the most memorable matchups in the more-than-130-year history of one of college football’s oldest rivalries, it was also narrated by an all-time KU great.

Former All-American cornerback and Kansas Ring of Honor recipient Aqib Talib provided the voiceover work that really brought the video to life right from the beginning.

“The bus ride from Kansas to Columbia, Missouri, is 166 miles long,” said Talib in the opening seconds of the video. “It’s 40 miles to the state line and then don’t ask about nothing after that … It’s been about 5,033 days since the last time we saw Missouri. To be honest, I could go another 5,000 days without seeing them boys and be straight.”

Talib was the perfect choice for this video. As one of the most competitive players to ever put on a Jayhawk uniform who wasn’t afraid to talk trash with opposing teams, I can think of no one better to preview this heated rivalry than him.

Talib played admirably in several games against Missouri during his time at KU.  

On Oct. 29, 2005, Talib (a redshirt freshman at the time) helped secure a 13-3 win over the Tigers in Lawrence thanks to a key interception he had late in the third quarter which set up the KU offense to take the go-ahead lead on the ensuing possession.

In a 42-17 loss to Missouri on Nov. 25, 2006, Talib finished with a 42-yard touchdown catch and had four pass breakups on the defensive side. He entered the game leading the country in passes defended.  

Talib also had six total tackles in the unforgettable 2007 game at Arrowhead Stadium where both teams were ranked top five in the country with a trip to the Big 12 title game and (potentially) the national championship on the line.

Talib knows this rivalry and how much it means to both fanbases – and how at the end of the day it’s not about individual stats, it’s about who wins and who loses.

“This one of those games where you lace ‘em up now and ask questions later,” Talib said. “One of those games where only one stat matters: the win.”


This article first appeared on Kansas Jayhawks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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