Missouri will face Army without the school's all-time single-season rushing leader on Wednesday night. Eli Drinkwitz said on Tuesday morning that Tyler Badie would not play in the Armed Forces Bowl. But it's not a player opt out.
Badie was the nation's third-leading rusher, racking up 1,604 yards on 268 carries, the most among Power Five running backs. He had another 330 yards receiving on 54 catches and scored 20 total touchdowns during his lone season as Missouri's lead back.
“If anyone tells you that we thought he was going to have about 2,000 combined yards rushing and receiving, we’d be stretching the truth," running backs coach Curtis Luper said on Sunday. "People are saying you’re too small, and I think he started the season with a chip on his shoulder because he had some questions to answer from people. Could he carry the load, could he handle the pounding in the SEC. I think he answered those questions, and he’s a joy to coach.
"Just a joy to come into the room every single day. He’s one of the ones that stayed, that stuck it out. He could have transferred. He played his role, he got better every year, and when his time came, he answered the bell."
Badie accounted for 74.7 percent of Missouri's rushing yards this season and 39.1 pecent of its total offensive yards from scrimmage. Without Badie, Missouri will get a chance to see what it has behind him on the depth chart. The Tigers could turn to any of four running backs who combined for 393 rushing yards on 73 carries. Michael Cox (18 carries), Elijah Young (24), Dawson Downing (9) and B.J. Harris (22) all carried the ball for the Tigers this season. Drinkwitz said Downing will draw the start.
"You can get an additional 10, 15 practices, which you normally would not get," Luper said. "So I’ve seen a lot from my players, saw a lot from my players during the season and last during practice, and then obviously in fall. So 300 touches, almost 2,000 yards, that’s tough to replace."
Badie isn't the only Tiger who won't play. Senior cornerback Akayleb Evans has already opted out of the game. Missouri released an injury report on Monday night that listed defensive lineman Akial Byers, offensive linemen Bobby Lawrence and Zeke Powell, tight end Niko Hea and safety Martez Manuel as out. That means Mizzou is playing the Black Knights without five starters. The Tigers are particularly thin at tight end, where Daniel Parker Jr. and Messiah Swinson transferred after the final regular season game. True freshman Ryan Hoerstkamp is likely to receive the bulk of that work.
Drinkwitz also announced a quarterback change Tuesday. Redshirt freshman Brady Cook will make his first career start behind center instead of Connor Bazelak. Cook has appeared in four games so far this season. He has 18 of 23 passes for 103 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for 39 yards.
Drinkwitz has maintained since the end of the regular season that Missouri would hold an open competition for the starting quarterback spot. Bazelak started all 11 games in which he was healthy this season but struggled down the stretch. Across the Tigers' final four games of the regular season, Bazelak threw four touchdowns compared to six interceptions. During the team's loss at Arkansas on Nov. 26, he completed just 10 of 26 passes for 65 yards and an interception before being replaced by Cook.
If Bazelak does not play Wednesday, Missouri will take the field without each of its four team captains.
Badie had said following the regular season finale — he did no interviews this year other than after games — that he planned to play in the bowl game. Drinkwitz also told the media multiple times since that game that he expected his leading rusher to play.
"We anticipate him giving it a go in the bowl game,” Drinkwitz said the day Mizzou accepted its bowl bid. “So, very excited about his competitive spirit.”
Without him, Missouri has to replace one of the country's most valuable players.
"I think he’s been five wins valuable. I don’t know that we have five wins if it’s not for Tyler Badie," Drinkwitz said prior to the Florida game when Missouri was 5-and-5. "And you think about the Central Michigan game, the fourth quarter, when he's able to break the long run and set us up to win the game. And again, you get to the Vanderbilt game, where they've cut it down to three, hand him the ball and he goes 78 yards. And then, again, missed plays in the fourth quarter that allowed the game to get a lot closer than it needed to be, and then Tyler's able to run us down the field, and we’re able to take a knee. So I think all those plays are really definitive of how much of an impact he’s had for us.”
Missouri opened as a 2.5-point underdog in the game that kicks off at 7:00 Wednesday night. Army is now favored by 5.5 points.
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