Liberty Bowl preview, Part II: When Oklahoma State throws
On most Mizzou football game weeks, PowerMizzou gets you set for the matchup with everything you need to know in our Ultimate Preview. But given the month-plus layoff between the end of the regular season and Missouri’s matchup against Oklahoma State in the Liberty Bowl, we decided to do something a bit different. Each day between now and New Year’s Eve, we’ll take a more expansive look at every facet of the matchup.
Today, we look at the Tiger pass defense vs. the Cowboy pass offense.
When Oklahoma State throws
Oklahoma State starting quarterback Taylor Cornelius has an intriguing story. The redshirt senior walked on to the team out of high school and served as a backup behind the prolific Mason Rudolph for the past three seasons. Now that Cornelius has received his season as the starter, the results have been mixed.
Cornelius has put up solid numbers. He’s ranked No. 8 nationally in passing yardage and has thrown 28 touchdowns on the season, which ranks 12th. However, he’s completed just 59.4 percent of his passes, and he’s been prone to spells of ineptitude at various points in the year. In a loss to Kansas State, he threw for just 184 yards, no touchdowns and an interception.
Missouri’s pass defense, meanwhile, has improved, but the Tigers have struggled against worse quarterbacks than Cornelius this season. Missouri gave up 572 yards and three touchdowns to Purdue’s David Blough and 249 yards and three scores to South Carolina backup Michael Scarnecchia. In the last two games of the season, however, the Tigers held Tennessee and Arkansas to a combined 17 of 46 passing for 308 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions.
Oklahoma State’s key weapon in the passing game is sophomore wideout Tylan Wallace. Wallace finished the regular season third in the country in receiving with 1,408 yards and was named a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award, presented to the nation’s top wide receiver. Wallace will likely match up against Missouri’s DeMarkus Acy, who earned second-team all-SEC honors after a solid regular season. Receiver Tyron Johnson also had a productive season, catching 46 passes for 704 yards and five scores. Missouri will have to account for him as well as running back Chuba Hubbard, who caught 19 passes this season.
In short, Oklahoma State certainly has the weapons in the receiving game to create favorable one-on-one matchups with Missouri’s linebackers and safeties, who have struggled at times in coverage this year. But the Cowboys’ offensive success will depend on Cornelius getting them the ball.
Advantage: Oklahoma State