Week 11 preview: Arkansas at Mizzou
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Mizzou will host Arkansas in the annual Battle Line Rivalry game at 11 a.m. The Tigers are looking for their fifth straight win over the Razorbacks.
Former MU player and coach Barry Odom will make his return to Faurot Field. He's now the defensive coordinator at Arkansas.
Meanwhile, MU head coach Eli Drinkwitz will face the team he grew up watching. Drinkwitz grew up in Alma, Ark, which is less than an hour from Fayetteville.
Another fun storyline - Two Mid-Missouri kickers will face off against each other. - Former Helias star Vito Calvaruso kicks for Arkansas. Former Rock Bridge standout Sean Koetting kicks off for Mizzou.
MU is 4-3 on the season after two straight wins over South Carolina and Vanderbilt. Meanwhile, Arkansas is 3-5 on the year. The Hogs have lost two straight games against Florida and LSU.
Viewing information: Saturday, Dec. 5 / 11 a.m. on SEC Network
Spread: Mizzou -3
Over/Under: 52.5
Winning Percentage Prediction (via ESPN): Arkansas (39.9%) Mizzou (60.1%)
Andrew's pick:
Arkansas: 17 | Mizzou: 20
Barry Odom's defense will come to play on Saturday - there's no question. But, I don't think it'll be enough to beat the surging Tigers. Mizzou's offense might struggle at first to move the ball, but the Tigers ground game is too strong not to break through at some point. It's senior day, so Larry Rountree will be extra motivated. It's clear - these players have a ton of respect for their former head coach. But - as safety Martez Manuel said earlier this week - the players want to show their respect by treating this game like it's the Super Bowl. It's hard to count out the Tigers with that kind of mindset.
Nathalie's pick:
Arkansas 21 | Mizzou 28
“There are a lot of interesting storylines to follow in this year’s Battle Line rivalry game: Barry Odom returning to Columbia, Odom meeting his replacement, Odom’s knowledge of Mizzou, and of course the same old story of a rivalry. But, no matter which you slice it or which story you look at, the rivalry game is always a game of heart. In what a lot of people knew would be Odom’s last game as Missouri’s head coach, the Tigers went out to Fayetteville and took down the Razorbacks. But this time, I don’t think things are going to go Odom and Arkansas’ way. Mizzou is finding its identity at the right time. We’ve learned Connor Bazelak can get it done in a no frills way, especially with his tandem of runners in Larry Rountree III and Tyler Badie. The defense seems to be unstoppable as well - with the driving force of linebacker Nick Bolton. However, the whole game will hinge on how much Odom’s Razorback defense shows up. Arkansas’ secondary is no joke. In fact, it has 13 interceptions and three pick-sixes this season, which is the second best in the FBS. A lot of ways this one could go, but hey, we have a rivalry game in 2020…that’s something to cheer about, right?”
The Standings (whoever has the lowest score at the end of the season wins):
Andrew: +157
Nathalie: +143
Week by Week Standings:
Andrew: 4 | Nathalie: 3
