Missouri's Ahmad Hardy Makes Season Debut vs. Arkansas After Recovery From Being Shot at Concert

Missouri running back Ahmad Hardy made his season debut on Saturday in the Tigers' 34-10 win over Arkansas after recovering from a gunshot wound suffered in May.

Hardy recorded three carries for 42 yards. Jamal Roberts served as Missouri's top running back on Saturday, rushing for 138 yards and one touchdown on 23 carries as Hardy slowly ramps up his workload.

ESPN's Pete Thamel reported Thursday that Hardy was expected to play and receive "a handful of carries" during the Tigers' conference matchup against Arkansas.

Thamel noted Hardy returned to practice this week leading up to the game "after dealing with the injury complications of being struck by a bullet in May."

Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz told ESPN's Marty Smith Friday that the bullet Hardy was struck by remains lodged in his body.

Missouri announced on May 11 that Hardy "was the victim of shooting at a concert" and underwent surgery. It did not have a timeline for his return at that time but noted he was "in stable condition."

Drinkwitz told reporters in July the running back was "medically clear" and anticipated to "make a recovery."

Thamel noted Drinkwitz has since remained "cautious in his public statements" and "indicated there's no blueprint for a player returning from injuries related to a gunshot wound."

Hardy was one of the best running backs in the country last season as a consensus All-American and Doak Walker Award finalist. He ran for 1,649 yards and 16 touchdowns while averaging 6.4 yards per attempt.

The Tigers turned to Roberts in his place this season. Roberts had also been excellent leading into Saturday's game with 867 rushing yards, 105 receiving yards and eight touchdowns.

Missouri is now off to a 6-2 start this season and is 3-2 in the conference with a number of difficult games remaining, including ones against Texas, Georgia and Kentucky.