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For every Tiger game day this year, we'll get you up to speed before kickoff in Game Day Central. We'll catch you up on all the news of the week, hit on the keys of the game, provide audio and video previews and offer up some predictions. Here is everything you need to know about game against Ole Miss.
KICKOFF INFORMATION
TIME: 6:00 p.m. Central
LOCATION: Memorial Stadium (capacity 62,621), Columbia, MO
TV: ESPN2 (Jason Benetti, Rod Gilmore/Quint Kessenich)
RADIO: Tiger Radio Network -- Click here for a list of affiliates
POINT SPREAD: Mizzou by 12
SERIES: Mizzou leads 6-1
LAST MEETING: Mizzou won 24-10 in 2013
AUDIO PREVIEW
GAME WEEK HEADLINES
Following the Future | Look at QB, LB replacements | Monday Morning Thoughts |
Garrett out for the season | Week Six Depth Chart | Who's next to commit? |
Video: Dooley & Bryant | Media Day Notebook | Odom's press conference |
Wilkins takes center stage | Scantlebury: An Ode to Cale Garrett |
Macadoodle's Mailbag | Inside the takeaway tear | Podcast previews Ole Miss |
Stars & Starters: Mizzou vs Ole Miss | Walljasper: What Just Happened? |
Inside the Matchups | Billiards on Broadway presents The Chamber
BREAKING DOWN THE MATCHUPS
When Missouri has the ball:
Missouri’s offensive game plan will of course depend on the health of quarterback Kelly Bryant. If Bryant is able to start and is not limited, he could be in for a big day. Ole Miss has not been good defensively this season, especially against the pass. The Rebels rank No. 113 nationally allowing an average of nearly 300 yards per game through the air. Bryant looked good when he was on the field against Troy last week, and he should be able to carry that over if he’s close to 100 percent. If Bryant does not play, this matchup becomes more difficult for Missouri. The Tigers would likely lean heavily on tailbacks Larry Rountree III and Tyler Badie if that is the case, but Ole Miss has been much better against the run this season, holding opponents to 99.3 yards per game on the ground. (It’s worth noting that some of that may be due to the fact that opponents haven’t tried to run the ball a ton against the Rebels since their pass defense has been so bad.) Missouri’s offensive line has been inconsistent at best at creating holes in the running game so far this season. If Taylor Powell gets the start at quarterback, that will need to improve. ADVANTAGE: Missouri
When Ole Miss has the ball
The Rebel offense started out the season with an abysmal performance against Memphis but has since been rejuvenated by the emergence of quarterback John Rhys Plumlee. Plumlee hasn’t thrown the ball as much as initial starter Matt Corral, who could also factor into the game plan, but his rushing ability has made Ole Miss’ ground game much more potent. The Rebels have topped 200 rushing yards in four of their past five games. They racked up 413 yards and averaged 9.4 yards per carry in last week’s win over Vanderbilt. Plumlee rushed for 165 yards of those yards on 22 carries. Tailback Scottie Phillips will likely get the majority of the snaps in the Ole Miss backfield, but watch out for freshmen Snoop Connor and Jerrion Ealy who are averaging 7.4 and 8.2 yards per carry, respectively. Missouri has suffocated opponents’ rushing attacks since giving up 297 yards on the ground to Wyoming in Week One, but it’s fair to wonder how much the loss of middle linebacker Cale Garrett will hurt the defense. ADVANTAGE: Missouri
KEYS TO A MISSOURI WIN
1. Get the ground game going. Even if Kelly Bryant does play, the coaching staff won’t want him to drop back and throw 40 times in this game. Look for the Tiger offense to ride Rountree with shorter pass plays sprinkled in. Of course, for that to happen, the offensive line needs to do a better job of generating push at the point of attack. If the front five is able to do that, this feels like it could be one of those games where Rountree gets 20-plus carries and wears out the opposing defense by the fourth quarter.
2. Limit explosive running plays. Twice during his weekly press conference Tuesday, Odom stressed the importance of tackling. The team’s 13 missed tackles against Wyoming were a major factor in the Cowboys scoring on rushing plays of 61 and 75 yards. Ole Miss has shown similar explosiveness on the ground; against Vanderbilt, the Rebels had four rushing touchdowns longer than 20 yards, including a 78-yarder and an 83-yarder. Without Garrett on the field to erase some of his teammates’ mistakes in the front six, wrapping up and keeping a routine rushing play from turning into a big gain will be critical.
3. Capitalize in the red zone. Missouri fans may have gotten used to it over the past four weeks, but it’s probably not wise to count on a touchdown or two each game to come from the defense, especially now that Garrett is out. Instead, when the offense gets opportunities to put touchdowns on the board, it needs to capitalize. Missouri performed well in the red zone against Troy, scoring four touchdowns in five trips, but on the season the Tigers have struggled in that area. The offense has found the end zone of 15 of 26 trips for the season. That touchdown rate of 57.7 percent is tied for 84th nationally.
GAME DAY PROP BETS*
*You cannot actually bet on these and even if you can, we are not encouraging you to do so. This is for entertainment purposes only.
John Rhys Plumlee 75 yards rushing — Mitchell under, Gabe under
Cam Wilkins 7.5 tackles — Mitchell under, Gabe under
Mizzou 2.5 takeaways — Mitchell under, Gabe under
Kelly Bryant 4.5 rushing attempts — Mitchell under, Gabe under
Attendance 58000 — Mitchell over, Gabe over
POWERMIZZOU PREDICTIONS
Mitchell Forde: For obvious reasons, I don’t feel nearly as confident about a Missouri win in this matchup as I did a week ago. It’s nearly impossible to replace everything Garrett brought to the defense, and one missed gap or tackle against Ole Miss can result in a touchdown. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Rebels break a couple big plays, but in the end, I think Missouri wears down the Rebels along both lines of scrimmage. Missouri 33, Ole Miss 17
Player of the game: Larry Rountree III
Gabe DeArmond: I haven't seen Missouri stressed in the fourth quarter in more than a month. What if they are? How will the Tigers react? Ole Miss is better than most thought it would be. This is the third toughest game left on Mizzou's schedule and maybe the worst one to lose Cale Garrett for. The Rebels are going to make some plays and are going to score more against the Tigers than the previous four teams have. Missouri has, it would seem, a quarterback who will be less than 100% and the run game may not be as big a factor as we thought. The area where Ole Miss struggles the most? Pass defense. This is a game the Tiger receivers and passing game have to lift everyone else up a little bit. It won't be a blowout, but Mizzou will get the job done. Missouri 37, Ole Miss 27
Missouri Player of the Game: Kam Scott
