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.

No. 9 Missouri scored 20 points and recorded 304 yards throughout the second half in their 33-31 victory over Florida on Saturday at Faurot Field. A 31-yard field goal by Harrison Mevis lifted the Tigers over the Gators after a remarkable final drive. 

Second-Half Offense

With 1:36 remaining in the game, MU began their final offensive possession with one last chance for the win. On fourth-and-17, quarterback Brady Cook completed a 27-yard pass to wide receiver Luther Burden III and got the ball into UF territory. A couple of plays later, Cook connected with WR Mehki Miller for an 11-yard reception. Cook also QB found Mookie Cooper for a 16-yard reception, which set up Mevis’ game-winning field goal with five seconds remaining.

Photo Cred: Columbia Daily Tribune

“There was confusion with what play we were going to run,” head coach Eliah Drinkwitz said. “Burden found a way to get open, and Cook found him, so we were able to execute perfectly from there.” 

During the final drive, Mevis was confident that he could score the game-winning field goal. The kicker emphasized that distance didn’t matter to him.

“It didn’t matter to me if I had to kick a long or short field goal,” Mevis said. “I always believed that if the offense puts me in a position to win the game, then I will deliver.” 

Missouri also scored a touchdown very early in the fourth quarter. Running back Cody Schrader rushed for a four-yard gain on first down. Senior WR Theo Wease Jr. followed with a 77-yard touchdown reception to give Mizzou a 30-21 lead with 13:14 remaining in the game. Kirby Moore’s offense was hot right when the second half started. Cook found Burden for a 38-yard reception in the beginning of their first offensive possession. Freshman tight end Brett Norfleet later recorded a reception for 15 yards to get to the Florida 10-yard line. On the next play, Schrader had a nine-yard rush up the middle.

Cook followed by punching the ball into the end zone for a one-yard touchdown to put the Tigers up 20-14. MU also put points on the board in their following drive. Burden had a 48-yard reception to get to the Gators’ 15-yard line on third-and-nine. Cook found Norfleet for a touchdown, but it got called back due to an ineligible receiver penalty on the TE. As a result of the call, Missouri ended up settling for a 24-yard field goal from Mevis a couple of plays later to regain the lead. 

“He (Mevis) deserves this,” Cook said. “He works so hard, and I am so happy the ball went through the uprights.”

Notable Offensive Performances

Cook finished the contest with 334 passing yards and a touchdown. The redshirt junior also tallied 11 rushing yards with a touchdown running the ball. Schrader concluded the matchup with 148 yards and a touchdown. The senior RB’s lone touchdown was a 42-yard dash in the second quarter to put the Tigers up 10-7 with 14:29 remaining in the first half.

Burden was the leader for Mizzou receivers on Saturday, as the sophomore recorded 158 yards on nine receptions. Cooper also played a key role for MU’s WR core and finished with 29 yards on three receptions. Norfleet made an impact on Missouri’s offense as well, putting up 43 yards on three receptions.

When talking about the freshman tight end, Cook had nothing but good things to say. He talked about Norfleet’s hard work and how he’s excited for Norfleet to keep developing. “I am super impressed with him (Norfleet),” Cook said. “He works so hard, and I am so happy that he is only a freshman, so he will continue to get better.”