Week 13 preview: Mizzou at Mississippi State
STARKVILLE, Miss. (KMIZ)
The Mizzou football team will wrap up the regular season on Saturday against Mississippi State. The Tigers will kickoff against the Bulldogs at 2:30 p.m. from Davis Wade Stadium.
Mizzou is 5-4 on the season after winning three of its last four games. Meanwhile, Mississippi State is 2-7. The Bulldogs haven't won a game since Nov. 7 against Vanderbilt.
Viewing information: Saturday, Dec. 19 / 2:30 p.m. on SEC Network Alternate
Spread: -1
Over/Under: 49
Winning Percentage Prediction (via ESPN): Mizzou (54.9%) Mississippi State (45.1%)
Andrew's pick:
Mizzou: 45 | Mississippi State: 28
"Alright - I'm down 47 points overall to Nathalie and one game head-to-head, so I need to make a splash with this pick. Here we go. Mizzou's defense hasn't stopped anyone lately, so I expect the Bulldogs to put up some points (through the air because they only average 23 yards a game on the ground). With that said - I understand Miss. State is only averaging 17 points a game this season, and 28 points would be the most the Bulldogs have scored since Week 1. Work with me here folks! Offensively - I think Mizzou is going to put up some points (like the Tigers did against Vanderbilt and Arkansas). Last week - the Tigers ran for just 22 yards. I'd expect Larry Rountree to pass that number in the first quarter against Miss State. QB Connor Bazelak should have no problem against a team that gave up two touchdowns to Vanderbilt. Mizzou is low on scholarship players - just 54 - but I believe Eli Drinkwitz will rally his group together for one more big win to end the regular season."
Nathalie's pick:
Mizzou: 24 | Mississippi State: 17
“We love to see the meeting of the first-year SEC head coaches. While both are equally hilarious, Eli Drinkwitz does have the edge over Mike Leach in his first year. Mizzou currently sits at 5-4, while the Bulldogs are 2-7 on the season. But this is a game where the win/loss column really doesn’t say too much to me. We are at the end of a grueling, all-SEC schedule. Both teams are tired. Both teams are banged up and that’s a variable that you’ll need to consider. After all, Missouri only has 54 scholarship players available for this one. However, you heard it here first: Larry Rountree III is going to make this season his second with 1,000 rushing yards. He has 851 yards right now and I don’t see Mississippi State stopping that man. On the defensive side of things, I really don’t see that much of an issue. Although it is a harsh change in style from just one week ago against Georgia, the Bulldogs have struggled to get points on the board all year long, just averaging about 17 points per game. I have a vibe, a feeling that the Tigers aren’t going to leave Drinkwitz hanging on the last regular-season game of the year.”
The Standings (whoever has the lowest score at the end of the season wins):
Andrew: +246
Nathalie: +199
Week by Week Standings:
Andrew: 4 | Nathalie: 5
