Missouri Tigers vs. Arkansas Razorbacks

Like many teams in the SEC, the Gators are limited at quarterback.

Missouri is part of the puzzle. The Tigers are 5-6, needing another win to lock up bowl eligibility, and are 14-point underdogs against Arkansas. A loss, though, doesn’t mean the season is over for Mizzou. “If we don’t, I have confidence the NCAA will work out all of those details”, Wright Waters, executive director of the Football Bowl Association, told The Associated Press.

Based on a few games in September, often against nonconference opponents, per-game averages don’t mean much, but 11 games into the season, the numbers come close to reflecting a team’s ability. If that happens this year, Missouri could be in a prime position to be that team. Embattled coach Dennis Franchione and his team held on for the win – A&M’s first back-to-back wins over the Longhorns since 1991-94 – and then he tendered his resignation after the game. Other 5-6 teams include Minnesota, Illinois and Kentucky.

Missouri’s had good luck with former-Toledo coaches, or at least just with Gary Pinkel.

Even with the defensive deficiencies, the Razorbacks managed – thanks to Bulldogs’ turnovers – to have a shot to win the game in its final seconds. “That’s where my focus is”. Someone with a 5-7 record is going to crash the bowls relatively soon, and it might just be this season. Quarterback Drew Lock and the Tigers now look to win today just to earn a bowl berth and salvage their campaign. “Obviously it’s not what you want. You want to be a six-win team like all the credentials are supposed to be”. Add to that the Tigers have 5 wins on the season, meaning they have to beat the Hogs in the last game of the season to give Pinkel his last bowl as a coach. Otherwise, it will be the 191st and final game of Pinkel’s career at Mizzou. He appreciated the gesture, but it was not the jubilant scene that unfolded earlier in the day at Virginia Tech, where players carried retiring coach Frank Beamer off the field after an overtime loss to nationally ranked North Carolina.

Brandon Allen looks healthy and despite y’all having numerous injuries I think his connection with Dan Enos makes him the difference maker he should have been past year. “I wouldn’t change anything else”.

“It’s always a fun time to be with the team”, McGovern said. I want to finish strong in Tiger Stadium. “It would be nice if it was that big of a game that it was always on Fridays”. So might offensive tackles Denver Kirkland and Dan Skipper, although they both could use more seasoning on the college level. He said he was first diagnosed in May.

“Lot of good kids there I really care for and wish them the best”, Chavis continued, “but not on this Saturday”. “Hopefully things will work out well”.

Missouri Tigers scored 14.9 points compared to allowed 12.5 points with point differential of 2.4. But the easier route to the postseason runs through Arkansas and its red-hot quarterback. I love the players that I’ve recruited…. I don’t have any answers for my family right now. After suffering a 5-point loss to Northern Illinois, the initial response from the team was to keep their heads up and know that winning the MAC West would still be a real possibility even though they lost control of their own destiny.

This article was written by Dave Matter from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.