A lot is at stake for No. 9 Missouri on Friday as they aim to secure a New Year’s Six bowl bid. They will look to close out their regular season with a victory over Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The red zone offenses of both MU and UArk have proven to be efficient coming into this matchup.
Photo Cred: Columbia Daily Tribune
Missouri’s Red Zone Offense
The Tigers claim the top rank in red zone offense nationally, boasting a scoring percentage of .979%. Under Kirby Moore’s guidance, the offense has registered 11 passing touchdowns and 18 rushing touchdowns in the red zone over 11 games. Kicker Harrison Mevis has also contributed 18 successful field goals beyond the 20-yard line.
In their recent 33-31 victory over Florida, Eliah Drinkwitz’s team scored 16 points in the red zone this past Saturday. Quarterback Brady Cook had a crucial one-yard rushing touchdown and Mevis made three field goals, the last being a game-winning 30-yarder with five seconds left. The Tigers also secured two touchdowns in their 36-7 win over Tennessee a couple of weeks ago. Running back Cody Schrader rushed for a seven-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Cook also ran for a three-yard touchdown to give Missouri a 19-7 lead to begin the second half. Mevis later drilled a 23-yard field goal to extend MU’s lead to 22-7 with 2:38 remaining in the third quarter.
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Moore’s offense showcases considerable talent. Cook has amassed 3,077 yards and 18 touchdowns heading into MU’s regular-season finale. Luther Burden III leads the Tigers’ receiving charts with 1,142 yards and eight touchdowns, which is good for eighth in the country. The WR is coming off a strong performance against the Gators, with 158 yards on nine receptions. Schrader has stood out as the rushing leader for Missouri, with a spectacular 1,272 yards and 12 touchdowns. The St. Louis, Missouri native is currently the sixth-leading rusher in the nation. In Mizzou’s victory over the Volunteers, the Truman State transfer finished with the third-most single-game all-purpose yards in school history with 321 (205 rushing yards and 116 receiving yards).
Arkansas’ Red Zone Offense
The Razorbacks also exhibit consistency in red zone scoring, currently ranking 15th in the country. Sam Pittman’s team has recorded 16 passing touchdowns, five rushing touchdowns, and 11 field goals (made by K Cam Little) when entering the red zone.
In their 44-20 victory over Florida International (FIU) this past weekend, Arkansas scored two red zone touchdowns. One of them was a 10-yard touchdown pass by QB KJ Jefferson to WR Jaedon Wilson at the beginning of the game. Jefferson also connected with Tyrone Broden for a four-yard touchdown pass, putting UArk up 14-13 with just under 12 minutes remaining in the first half. The Razorbacks previously had two red zone touchdowns in their 39-36 overtime victory against Florida a few weeks ago as well. RB AJ Green caught an eight-yard touchdown pass at the start of the game, while Jefferson found Broden for a four-yard touchdown to win the game in overtime.
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Missouri faces a challenge against Arkansas’ offense despite the latter holding a 4-7 overall record. Jefferson leads the Razorbacks offense with 2,106 yards and 19 touchdowns, adding 187 yards and three touchdowns in the recent game against FIU. The Sardis, Mississippi native also leads the team in rushing with 432 yards and two touchdowns. Senior Andrew Armstrong is UArk’s leading receiver with 724 yards and four touchdowns. He put up two touchdowns in the Razorbacks’ 28-6 victory over Kent State back in September. Isaac TeSlaa is another receiving threat with 317 yards and two touchdowns through 11 games.
Game Time
Missouri will kick off against Arkansas on Friday at 3:00 P.M. CT at Donald W. Reynolds Stadium, with the game broadcast on CBS.
