A win over Arkansas won’t just send Missouri head coach Gary Pinkel’s final season out with a rivalry win - it would send Pinkel’s team to a bowl game.
How to watch Missouri vs. Arkansas on TV or online, plus 3 things to know
Don’t miss what may be Gary Pinkel’s last game on the Missouri sideline.
Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
The 5-6 Tigers will have a tall task on their hands as they attempt to claw back to .500 at the tail end of a turbulent season. A 6-5 Arkansas team that has won four of its last five games is standing in their way. The Razorbacks have been one of the nation’s most explosive teams over the past month. In that five-game stretch, they’ve averaged more than 50 points per game while recording wins over Auburn, Ole Miss and LSU. That unstoppable force will meet an immovable object this weekend; a Mizzou defense that has allowed only 17.1 points per game this season.
Pinkel will have to find a way to wind up an offense that's scored more than 13 points in just four games in 2015. Missouri has been struggling to replace the dynamic ability that the suspended Maty Mauk brought to the quarterback position, and while tailback Russell Hansbrough has improved as he's gotten healthier this year, he's still been hamstrung against opposing defenses who aren't afraid to crowd the box to stop him. Can Arkansas, a team that ranks only 87th in scoring defense, do the same?
If that’s the case, then Arkansas will be keeping the Battle Line trophy in Fayetteville this year.
How to watch, stream and listen
TV: 2:30 p.m. ET, CBS
Online streaming: CBSSports.com
Spread: Arkansas is favored by 14 points
Make friends: Get to SB Nation’s team blog chats for this game at Arkansas Fight (for, you guessed it, Arkansas fans) and Rock M Nation (for Missouri fans).
Three big things to know
1. Will Missouri quarterback Drew Lock’s growing pains continue? Lock appeared to have turned a corner in his first season as the Tigers’ starter when he threw for 244 yards in an upset win over BYU. Tennessee put the kibosh on that, holding him to just 13-for-30 passing, zero touchdowns and an interception in last week’s game. Arkansas is one of the five worst teams in the country when it comes to allowing passing yards. If Lock can’t rebound on Saturday against the Razorbacks’ soft coverage then it may be time to reassess his future as a starting QB.
2. Brandon Allen, on the other hand, is putting together the kind of season that would have him in Heisman consideration if his Hogs weren't 6-5. The senior has passed for 3,023 yards and 29 touchdowns alongside only six interceptions this season. That culminated with 406 yards and seven (!) touchdowns last week, but his momentum may be halted against the toughest defense he's faced since Alabama. The Crimson Tide limited him to 176 passing yards; can Mizzou do the same?
3. If you’re rooting against Gary Pinkel, I weep for your cold, dead heart.
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