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Matchup Preview: Mizzou vs. Arkansas

When the SEC initially paired Missouri and Arkansas as annual, end-of-season rivals and dubbed the game the "Battle Line Rivarly," it felt a bit forced. But across the past two seasons, some personnel crossover has brought quite a bit of juice to the matchup.

The primary storyline, of course, is former Missouri head coach Barry Odom now coordinating the Arkansas defense. Odom spent four seasons at Missouri before being fired and replaced by Eli Drinkwitz, an Arkansas native. Odom brought former Missouri linebacker Michael Scherer, now the Razorback linebackers coach, with him to Fayetteville, and during the offseason, two Missouri defensive linemen transferred to Arkansas to reunite with their former head coach: defensive tackle Markell Utsey and defensive end Tre Williams.

During the week, Drinkwitz and the Missouri players said there isn't any bad blood toward Odom or their former teammates. But the familiarity has added some motivation to this matchup. Missouri is embracing the fact that this isn't just another game. The team moved the obnoxiously tall Battle Line trophy to the team locker room for the week, and a graphic on the video board that greets visitors to the lobby of the south endzone complex reminds them that the trophy has resided in Columbia for 1,835 days (as of Thursday).

“I feel like I came to Mizzou at the perfect time, because I feel like before it wasn’t much of a rivalry,” Missouri safety Martez Maunel said. “But now that coach Odom’s there and Tre’s there and Utsey’s there, you can feel more of the tension, more of the rivalry, and I think that’s a lot of fun.”

When the Tigers and Razorbacks meet Friday, Arkansas will try to reclaim the trophy for the first time since 2016 and reach eight wins for the first time since 2015. Missouri will look to clinch a winning record. Here's everything you need to know to get set for the matchup.

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Kickoff Information

Time: 2:30 p.m.

Location: Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium; Fayetteville, Arkansas

TV: CBS (Noah Eagle, Aaron Murray, Rick Neuheisel)

Radio: Tiger Radio Network (Mike Kelly, Howard Richards, Chris Gervino)

Spread: Arkansas -14.5

Series history: Missouri leads 9-3

Last Meeting: Missouri won 50-48 last season

By the Numbers

2021 Offensive Statistics
Missouri Arkansas

30.8

Points/game

31.3

419.9

Total yards/game

442.4

247.5

Passing yards/game

220.1

172.4

Rushing yards/game

222.3

2021 Defensive Statistics
Missouri Arkansas

34.7

Points/game

24.6

446.6

Total yards/game

376.5

211.9

Passing yards/game

228.7

234.7

Rushing yards/game

147.7

Mizzou Injury Report

* Questionable:

CB Akayleb Evans

TE Daniel Parker Jr.

OL Hyrin White

RB Elijah Young

*Out:

CB Ish Burdine

DB Shawn Robinson

DB Chris Shearin

OL Bobby Lawrence

Inside the Matchups

When Missouri has the ball:

There's no longer a question about who will start at quarterback for Missouri after Connor Bazelak did enough to guide the Tigers to a win over Florida. But it remains to be seen how effective Bazelak will be. Bazelak, who threw for 380 yards against Arkansas a season ago, started the year strong but has struggled over the past couple months. In his past six starts, Bazelak has averaged 6.61 yards per attempt (compared to 7.79 in his first five) while throwing seven interceptions and six touchdowns. He has also been clearly limited by injury from a mobility standpoint. The main thing Bazelak did well against Florida was not turn the ball over, which will be key against Arkansas. Odom's defense hasn't been as interception-happy a year ago, but the Razorbacks have still picked off 10 passes this season.

As usual, we'd expect Missouri's offensive game plan to revolved around Tyler Badie. The star tailback ranks second nationally in scrimmage yards and has scored 17 touchdowns on the season. If the Tigers can get Badie free, it would make everything else easier. Badie is averaging 204.2 total yards per game in Missouri's wins this season compared to 99.0 in the team's losses.

It wouldn't come as a surprise if Odom and Arkansas prioritize stopping Badie, as Florida did last week. The Razorbacks have gotten better against the run as the season has progressed, holding their past five opponents to 135 rushing yards or fewer. if that's the case, Drinkwitz needs to find a way to use the attention being paid to Badie to create favorable matchups elsewhere, and Missouri needs those players to execute.

ADVANTAGE: Missouri

When Arkansas has the ball:

The Missouri coaching staff raved about Arkansas quarterback K.J. Jefferson, who made his first career start against the Tigers a season ago and passed for 273 yards and three touchdowns. Defensive coordinator Steve Wilks even compared him to Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, citing his size and strength.

The Tigers will have to contain Jefferson both through the air and on the ground. Jefferson has completed 66.0 percent of his passes on the season, throwing 20 touchdowns and three interceptions. He's also rushed for 496 yards and five scores. Missouri's vastly improved run defense did a solid job containing Emory Jones on the ground a week ago, so that should bode well.

But Jefferson is not the only player the Tigers will need to slow down on the ground. Arkansas rotates three tailbacks, with Trelon Smith getting the most work. Smith has rushed for 555 yards and five scores on the season. Former Missouri commit Dominique Johnson has also had a nice season, totaling 479 yards on the ground and eight total touchdowns. Missouri's defensive turnaround on the ground has been remarkable and can no longer be called fluky, but the Tigers will need to make sure their early-season issues don't arise again.

The Arkansas passing attack revolves around receiver Treylon Burks. Burks torched Missouri for 206 yards and a score last season. This year, his 975 receiving yards rank third in the SEC and his 10 scores through the air rank second. Burks has lined up in the slot on 211 of 284 passing plays this season, per Pro Football Focus, which means we'll likely see a lot of Kris Abrams-Draine matched up on him. That's probably the best-case scenario for Missouri, as the rest of the cornerback room is currently beat up. Ennis Rakestraw is out for the season, Chris Shearin and Ish Burdine won't play Saturday and Akayleb Evans is listed as questionable with a soft tissue injury.

ADVANTAGE: Arkansas

Special teams

Drinkwitz went out of his way to praise Arkansas special teams coordinator Scott Fountain during his weekly press conference. Drinkwitz noted that Arkansas not only pulled off a successful fake field goal last week against Alabama, which went for a touchdown, the Razorbacks moved the chains with a fake field goal against Missouri last season. Arkansas has also been solid in both the kicking and return games this year. Razorback kicker Cam Little has made all 39 of his extra point attempts and 17 of 21 field goals, including a long of 51 yards. Arkansas ranks No. 33 nationally in punt return average, and returner Nathan Parodi returned one to the house against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

Missouri's special teams have also been solid all season. Kicker Harrison Mevis missed a field goal that likely would have won the game at the end of the fourth quarter last week, but he's still been superb on the year, converting all 40 extra points and 17 of 19 field goals. Kickoff man Sean Koetting rarely allows a return. The Tigers have also blocked two kicks and returned a kickoff for a touchdown during the course of the season.

ADVANTAGE: Draw

Missouri kicker Harrison Mevis was named the SEC special teams player of the week after making three field goals against Florida.
Missouri kicker Harrison Mevis was named the SEC special teams player of the week after making three field goals against Florida. (Denny Medley/USA Today)

Missouri's keys to the game

1. Stop the run.

This continues to be the top priority for the Missouri defense. The Tigers turnaround on the ground has been nothing short of remarkable. During the first nine games of the season, the defense gave up an average of 271 yards rushing. In the past two, that number has plummeted to 75. If Missouri can keep that trend up against Arkansas, it would put a lot of stress on Jefferson's arm. Arkansas ranks 13th nationally in rushing at 222.3 yards per game.

2. Don't let Burks beat you.

If the Tiger defense is indeed able to slow down the Arkansas ground game, containing Burks will be the next key. It's rare to see a passing game lean as heavily on one receiver as the Razorbacks' does on Burks. Burks has 60 catches for 994 yards and 10 touchdowns on the season. No other Arkansas pass-catcher has more than 20 catches or two touchdowns, and none have reached 300 yards. Look for Missouri to employ a lot of one-high looks with the safety providing help on Burks. If another receiver beats you in man coverage, so be it.

3. Win the turnover battle.

Arkansas has done a good job of taking care of the ball this season. The Razorback offense only has eight giveaways, the fewest in the SEC and tied for the fifth-best nationally. As a team, Arkansas has only lost the turnover battle in one game this season. As a result, it will be important for Bazelak and Missouri to avoid giving Arkansas an extra possession with a turnover. That really means avoiding the type of interceptions that Bazelak has struggled with for part of this season, as Missouri has only lost one fumble on the season. No surprise, the turnover margin has been a fairly reliable indicator of success for the Tigers on the year. They are 0-3 when losing the turnover battle and 6-2 when even or positive.

WATCH — Opposition Research presented by Edward Jones: Arkansas

Numbers to Know

5: Consecutive wins by Missouri over Arkansas.

31: Straight games with at least one catch for Burks.

193: Yards needed for Badie to pass Devin West for the most prolific single-season rushing total in school history.

7.78: Yards per carry averaged by Badie in the fourth quarter/overtime. Badie's yards per carry average increases with each quarter.

2.05: Yards per carry allowed by the Missouri defense in its past two games after surrendering 6.16 during the first nine.

PowerMizzou predictions

Gabe DeArmond: This game is usually closer than people think it's going to be. I think this year is similar. I also think there are some people in Fayetteville who want to win this game pretty badly. I think it will be a fight, but they'll get their wish. 33-28 Razorbacks.

Mitchell Forde: I agree that the spread on this game seems too large. I would be surprised if it's not a one-possession game at some point in the fourth quarter. I do give Arkansas the edge, though. I think Odom will sell out to stop Badie and make Bazelak beat them through the air, and I'm not sure he can. I also don't know if Missouri can slow down Burks for the entire 60 minutes. I think he gets free for at least one big play, and that might be the difference. Arkansas 35, Missouri 27.


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