The Ultimate Preview: Mizzou vs. Arkansas

It comes a week later than expected, but Missouri's much anticipated matchup with Arkansas will be played this week. The game comes with storylines aplenty, beyond just the Battle Line rivalry trophy that Missouri has won the past four seasons. Chief among them, of course, is the return of former Missouri head coach Barry Odom to Faurot Field as the Arkansas defensive coordinator. The game also pits Arkansas native Eli Drinkwitz against fellow first-year coach Sam Pittman, who spent a season as the offensive line coach Missouri, in a matchup that could determine the winner of the SEC Coach of the Year award.

Here is a everything you need to get set for the game, including matchup breakdowns, keys to the game and predictions from the PowerMizzou staff.

Time: 11 a.m.

Location: Faurot Field, Columbia, Missouri

TV: SEC Network (Dave Neal, DJ Shockley, Dawn Davenport)

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

Spread: Missouri -3

Series history: Missouri leads 8-3

Last meeting: Missouri won 24-14 last season.

When Missouri has the ball:

Odom has Arkansas' defense playing far better than the past couple seasons, when the Razorbacks might have had the worst defense from a Power Five team. Arkansas ranked No. 122 in rushing defense last season, allowing 221.5 yards per game on the group, and No. 124 (out of 130 FBS teams) in scoring, surrendering 36.8 points per contest. This year, Arkansas is allowing 179.0 yards on the ground, 248.6 yards through the air and 30.9 points per game — not exactly the Steel Curtain, but a definite improvement. The Razorbacks are led by linebacker Grant Morgan, who has racked up 104 tackles, and a pick-six through eight games.

Missouri's offense, meanwhile, broke out of a mini slump with a dominant showing against Vanderbilt. Aided by the return of starters Larry Borom and Xavier Delgado on the offensive line, the Tigers rushed for 223 yards and four touchdowns. Look for Drinkwitz to continue to feed the tailback tandem of Larry Rountree III and Tyler Badie, both in the running game and through the air. Rountree rushed for 160 yards and three touchdowns a week ago, while Badie caught seven passes for 102 yards and scored a rushing touchdown, as well.

The X-factor in this matchup will likely be ball security. Arkansas has proven adept at forcing turnovers, particularly interceptions. The Razorbacks have picked off 13 passes on the season, tied for the second-most nationally. Fortunately for Missouri, quarterback Connor Bazelak has been pretty good at taking care of the ball this season. Bazelak has thrown just two interceptions on the year. He had success against a Kentucky defensive backfield that played a similar drop-eight style, completing 21 of 30 passes for 201 yards. Arkansas will also be without defensive back Jalen Catalon, who has 86 tackles and three interceptions on the season, for the first half, as he was ejected for targeting during the second half of the Razorbacks' last game.

ADVANTAGE: Missouri

When Arkansas has the ball:

Former Florida quarterback Feleipe Franks has revived his career in Fayetteville, and brought Arkansas' offense back to life in the process. Franks has completed 68 percent of his passes on the season, throwing for 2,017 yards. Since the first game of the season, he's thrown 16 touchdowns and two one interception, plus added another score as a runner. Add in receivers Treylon Burks and Mike Woods, who have combined for 68 receptions and 10 touchdowns on the season, and the Missouri secondary will be tested. Arkansas has thrown for at least 200 yards in every game this season.

The Razorback run game took a bit of a hit this week with senior tailback Rakeem Boyd opting out. But Boyd, who rushed for more than 1,100 yards last season, has taken a backseat to Trelon Smith this year. Missouri's defense, meanwhile, has thwarted the rushing attacks of both South Carolina and Vanderbilt the past two weeks, allowing 2.9 yards per carry in that span. Missouri has benefitted from getting its defensive line back to full strength, which has opened things up for stud middle linebacker Nick Bolton. Arkansas will be a tougher test for the Tiger defense than the past two opponents, but Missouri certainly enters this matchup with plenty of momentum on that side of the ball.

ADVANTAGE: Draw

Special teams

Even though he missed a field goal last week, placekicker Harrison Mevis has continued to be reliable for Missouri in his first college season. Mevis has made 11 of 14 field goal attempts and all 18 extra points. Punter Grant McKinniss has been stellar as well, averaging 43.2 yards per boot. Arkansas' kicker AJ Reed hasn't been quite as consistent, missing four of 11 field goals and missing an extra point this season. Neither team has seen many impact plays in the return game.

ADVANTAGE: Missouri

1. Win the turnover battle. No statistic has been more important to the Razorbacks' success this season than the turnover margin. In the three games in which Arkansas has generated more turnovers than its opponent, it has not lost. Meanwhile, in the other five games, four of which have seen Arkansas come out even in the turnover margin, the team is 0-5. Bazelak taking what the defense gives him and not putting the ball in harm's way will be pivotal. That's easier said than done, however, against a veteran defense that has proven adept at reading quarterbacks' eyes.

2. Pressure Franks. Getting key contributors back on the defensive line has not only helped Missouri stop the run. The Tigers pressured Vanderbilt's quarterbacks early and often last week, recording three sacks in the game. Like most quarterbacks, Franks has been much less effective in the face of pressure this season than when he's worked from a clean pocket. According to Pro Football Focus, Franks has completed just 39.7 percent of his passes when faced with pressure, throwing three touchdowns and two interceptions. With no pressure, he's completed more than 77 percent of his throws for 14 touchdowns and two interceptions. Generating pressure with the front four has often been a weakness for the Missouri defense the past few seasons, but if the Tigers can replicate the pass rush they showed against Vanderbilt, it could go a long way Saturday.

3. Get the run game going. The easiest way to keep Bazelak from situations in which he might put the ball in harm's way would be to experience success in the running game. For the most part, as Rountree has gone this season, so has Missouri. The Tigers are 3-0 when Rountree rushes for 100 yards this season, 1-4 in all other games. As noted above, having a fully healthy offensive line should help Missouri on the ground, but also expect Odom to make stopping Rountree a priority. Drinkwitz might have to use some creativity to create rushing lanes, something he's been able to do at times this season.

17: Number of years spent Odom spent at Missouri as a player, assistant coach and head coach.

18: Number of players who will be honored by Missouri for Senior Day, which includes Bolton, a junior. Five seniors — defensive tackle Kobie Whiteside, defensive end Sci Martin, linebacker Jamal Brooks, wide receiver Micah Wilson and punter Grant McKinniss, will not partake in the festivities, signifying they plan to return for next season.

7: Consecutive games won by a Drinkwitz-coached team with a point spread of fewer than seven points. In his two seasons as a head coach, Drinkwitz has never lost such a matchup.

348: Total combined tackles on the season for Morgan, Catalon, Bumper Pool and Bolton. Those players represent four of the top seven leaders in the SEC in total tackles on the season.

10: Total points allowed by Missouri's defense across the past two weeks combined. Arkansas has not scored fewer than 21 points since its season-opener.

30: Years between Missouri running backs recording 100-yard receiving games. When he caught seven passes for 102 yards against Vanderbilt last weekend, Badie became the first Tiger back since Mike Jones in 1990 to eclipse the century mark.

Mitchell Forde: This game has transformed from a grim slog the past couple seasons to an actual rivalry feel with some juice this year. That's pretty cool. I think the two teams are fairly evenly matched, as well. But I'm siding with Missouri. The Tigers' defense is playing the best we've seen it all season, the team has momentum and it has been good in close games this season. Missouri 27, Arkansas 23.

Gabe DeArmond: Arkansas is greatly improved from last year. But Missouri is improved too and the Tigers are playing with some momentum and a better than .500 season in their sights. Give me the Tigers 28-20.

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