Arkansas Football Aims to Spoil Missouri’s Dream Season

Fort Smith Southwest Times Record

Arkansas football will try to end a disappointing season with its biggest exclamation point, spoiling Black Friday and a dream 2023 for their rivals to the north.

The Razorbacks (4-7, 1-6 SEC) will host No. 9 Missouri (9-2, 5-2) Friday (3 p.m. CT, CBS) for their final game of the season. Arkansas won’t play in a bowl game this year, but it can create positive momentum for 2024 and give head coach Sam Pittman a needed boost in his first game since athletic director Hunter Yurachek announced he would remain the Hogs’ head coach next season.

The Razorbacks are 2-7 against the Tigers since Missouri entered the SEC in 2014. Missouri won last year’s meeting 29-27.

Here are four things to watch from the Missouri matchup and a score prediction.

Which Arkansas defense shows up?

The Razorbacks were one of the most-improved defenses in the country through the first eight games, but the ship is leaking a bit to close the season. Arkansas has given up 101 points over its last three games, and even FIU was able to cause some problems for Travis Williams’ unit.

Things get significantly more challenging this week against Missouri, who is 32nd in the country in points per game (32.8) and 19th in total offense. The Arkansas secondary will have its hands full against receivers Luther Burden III and Theo Wease Jr., while former walk-on Cody Schrader leads the entire SEC in rushing yards.

All season, Arkansas has been most successful when its defensive line is causing havoc in the backfield. The Hogs need big games from defensive linemen Trajan Jeffcoat and Landon Jackson to keep Missouri quarterback Brady Cook out of rhythm.

Isaiah Augustave looks for an encore

Rocket Sanders and Rashod Dubinion are both out this week after suffering injuries that require surgery against FIU. With two running backs out, Isaiah Augustave features to have another big workload.

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The freshman from Florida ran for 101 yards on just 14 carries last week in his first meaningful playing time of the season. Yes, it was against lesser competition, but Augustave provided explosiveness Arkansas hasn’t had coming out of the backfield all season.

Arkansas still has experienced backs in AJ Green and Dominique Johnson, but it might be time to hand the keys to a talented freshman with all sorts of momentum.

Turnovers will be key

Arkansas must take care of the football if it wants to pull off the upset. Both teams rank 31st in the country in turnover margin, and Missouri has a trio of defensive stars in Kris Abrams-Draine, Ty’Ron Hopper and Darius Robinson. Abrams-Draine is tied 12th nationally with four interceptions.

On the other side, no team has scored more defensive touchdowns this season than Arkansas. Dwight McGlothern has been a ball hawk all season, and Arkansas hopes to have freshman cornerback Jaylon Braxton back this week after missing the FIU game with a shoulder sprain.

Two fourth-year coaches can make a statement

Missouri’s Eliah Drinkwitz and Arkansas’ Sam Pittman were hired during the same offseason. While Pittman had immediate success, Drinkwitz has slowly built Missouri to its status as a top-10 team this year.

Saturday is a massive opportunity for both coaches to secure a rivalry win and build momentum. Drinkwitz, who used to coach at Springdale High School, is trying to win 10 games at Missouri for the first time and assert the Tigers as the dominant program in the Battle Line Rivalry.

Pittman is desperate for a strong close to a disappointing season. A win over Missouri could signal to the college football world that despite their respective records, the gap between the Tigers and Hogs isn’t as wide as many might perceive.

Prediction: Missouri 38, Arkansas 20

The Tigers are seven-point favorites on the road, but that feels too low considering how poorly the Hogs have played in Fayetteville this season. The Tigers have arguably the biggest collection of offensive talent in the SEC aside from LSU, who scored 34 against the Razorbacks. Arkansas will keep it close through the first half, but Missouri proves too explosive and runs away to give Drinkwitz a 10-win season.

2023-11-23 10:12:50
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