Arkansas closes out regular season on the road

Arkansas closes out regular season on the road

Razorbacks take on Missouri with bowl bid at stake

By the Evening Times News Staff

sports@theeveningtimes.com

This afternoon at 2:30 p.m., the Arkansas Razorbacks (7-4) will take on the Missouri Tigers (38) on the road at Faurot Field in Columbia, Missouri. The game will be broadcast on CBS.

It’s supposed to be the Hogs’ new rivalry game, a new Thanksgiving weekend tradition to replace the traditional “Battle of the Boot” with LSU.

But this year, there doesn’t appear to be, at least on paper, much of rivalry, thanks to the Tigers’ subpar record and on-the-field performance. But the Hogs still have plenty to play for, as an 8-4 record will be a much more enticing resume for a potential bowl game than a 7-5 mark. For Missouri, that ship has sailed, thanks to a losing record, meaning the Tigers will be playing only for pride and a chance to play spoiler for the Hogs.

The teams are going in different directions. Arkansas used an offensive explosion to outscore and defeat Mississippi State, 58-42, this past Saturday (includinf running back Rawleigh Williams III rushing for 205 yards and a touchdown while the Razorbacks gained 661 yards of total offense), while Missouri was on the losing end of a shootout in Knoxville as the Tigers dropped 63-37 to Tennessee. Quarterback Drew Lock threw for 320 yards and a touchdown but was intercepted twice in the loss.

When Arkansas is balanced like the Razorbacks were against Mississippi State, they are hard to stop. Quarterback Austin Allen was on point, throwing for 303 yards and two touchdowns, but the story was the running game, which pounded out 357 yards on the ground. Williams is capable of having big games like this, especially against a Missouri defense that is 118th in the nation, allowing 239.91 rushing yards per game.

Stopping the run has been a problem for the Razorbacks defense, but they catch a break as Missouri running back Damarea Crockett will be out serving a suspension after being arrested this past weekend..

The Tigers will miss the abilities of Crockett running the ball, but Ish Witter will take his place after also having a big game against Tennessee, rushing for 163 yards and a touchdown. Missouri will have some success on the ground, as the Razorbacks allow 216.45 rushing yards per game. That will open up the passing game for Lock, who has been one of the few bright spots in a down year for Missouri.

The Tigers defense, once a staple for the team, has been underperformed this season to say the least. If the Tigers are to have any chance, they’ll have to stop Williams.