Missouri made a statement in the middle of a turbulent season by beating BYU 20-16 last weekend. Now, it can send Gary Pinkel to a bowl game in his final year as head coach by beating Tennessee.
Tennessee vs. Missouri 2015: Start time, live stream, TV schedule and 3 things to know
Drew Lock came alive to lead Missouri past BYU last week, but can he have the same success against a tough Tennessee team?
The Tigers have played through offensive struggles, a suspended starting quarterback, cultural unrest and protests on campus, the announcement that Pinkel was battling lymphoma and his subsequent retirement during a 2015 season that has not lacked for storylines. They played inspired football last weekend and earned a neutral-site win over a borderline top-25 program by scoring more points in a single game than they had in well over a month. After combining for 12 points in losses to Florida, Georgia and Vanderbilt, Mizzou had a relative offensive explosion when it hung 20 on BYU.
It will take more than that to beat Tennessee. The Volunteers have only been held to fewer than 20 points once this season, and it was against an Alabama team that currently looks like the best in the nation (with all due respect to Clemson, Ohio State and anyone else you may feel indignant about). Quarterback Josh Dobbs and tailback Jalen Hurd lead a high-powered offense that averages 34 points per game and can count one-possession losses to top 10 teams Oklahoma, Florida and Alabama among their four defeats. A 5-5 Mizzou team doesn't exactly fit that profile.
The Tigers will be counting on their eighth-ranked defense and another big day from Russell Hansbrough (117 yards against BYU) to pull off the conference upset. The Vols will rely on Dobbs and Hurd to carry them to a more prestigious bowl invite than the BBVA Compass Bowl. Tennessee may be favored, but you can't count out an emotional Mizzou team this weekend.
How to watch, stream and listen
TV: 7:15 p.m. ET, ESPN2
Online streaming: WatchESPN
Spread: Tennessee is favored by 8.5 points.
Make friends: Get to SB Nation’s team blog chats for this game at Rocky Top Talk (for Tennessee fans) and Rock M Nation (for Missouri fans).
Three big things to know
1. Missouri is one win away from bowl eligibility after beating BYU, but the 5-5 Tigers don’t have it easy from here on out. After playing Tennessee this Saturday, they have to face an Arkansas team that has beaten Ole Miss and LSU in consecutive weeks. The Tigers would love to end the Pinkel era with one final bowl appearance, but they face a rough and bumpy road to get there.
2. With the exception of a 38-31 win over Georgia, Tennessee's losses may be more impressive than its wins. The Vols were a pair of late-game collapses from toppling Oklahoma and Florida and held a fourth quarter lead over Alabama. Those are three teams with real paths to the College Football Playoff late in the season. Meanwhile, their five other wins came against Bowling Green, Western Carolina, Kentucky, South Carolina and North Texas. That victory over BSGU looks stronger in hindsight, but it's clear that the Vols need a few more solid wins before they can make their case for a return to the top 25.
3. Drew Lock could be the key to a Missouri upset. The freshman quarterback looked solid in his first appearance in place of suspended passer Maty Mauk back in early October, but he had only once completed more than 50 percent of his passes in a single game until he stretched BYU for 244 yards on 19-of-28 passing. The Tiger offense needs a spark, and while a healthy Hansbrough is certainly part of that plan, an accurate Lock could be the key to getting Mizzou's bottom-five offense back on track.
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