Missouri-South Dakota State football preview

When/where: 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Memorial Stadium in Columbia

TV/radio: ESPNU; KMBZ (980 AM, 98.1 FM)

The series: First meeting

The line: Off

MISSOURI (0-0)

SOUTH DAKOTA STATE (0-0)

What’s at stake

Missouri has won 12 consecutive season openers and is 13-0 all-time against Football Championship Subdivision opponents. The Tigers, who are ranked No. 24 by the Associated Press and sit just outside the coaches’ top 25, hope to establish solid footing for the 2014 season much like last season’s 58-14 win against Murray State kicked off a run to the SEC East title.

Cheers if ...

Missouri’s passing game clicks. The Tigers haven’t looked sharp throwing the football at times during preseason practice. Sophomore quarterback Maty Mauk completed only 12 of 31 passes for 131 yards during the final two scrimmages. Missouri should physically dominate South Dakota State in the passing game, both in protection and down the field.

Jeers if ...

South Dakota State is allowed to control the game’s tempo with its run game. The Jackrabbits are led by senior running back Zach Zenner, who is only the second running back in FCS with two 2,000-yard seasons. South Dakota State’s playoff run last season was predicated on a punishing performance by its offensive line. Still, there’s no way the Tigers should get overmatched in the trenches.

Three things about South Dakota State

1 The Jackrabbits are 0-6 in the last six seasons against FBS competition, but South Dakota State played Minnesota tough in 2009 (16-13), hung with Nebraska in 2010 (17-3) and kept it close at Kansas in 2012 (31-17).

2 Zenner is a two-time consensus All-American after rushing for 2,044 yards and 13 touchdowns as a sophomore in 2012 and following up with 2,015 yards and 23 touchdowns as a junior. He has six 200-yard games in the last two seasons, including a 202-yard performance at Nebraska last season.

3 South Dakota State will have the more experienced quarterback. Senior Austin Sumner has started 34 games in three seasons for the Jackrabbits. He completed nearly 60 percent of his passes last season, 240 of 408, for 2,999 with 19 touchdowns and only eight interceptions in 14 games as a junior.

Key matchup

Missouri’s offensive line vs. South Dakota State’s defensive line. The Jackrabbits, including senior starting nose tackle Auston LaBlance from Kansas City’s University Academy, don’t have much depth in the trenches, while Missouri wants to set a tone. The Tigers deployed a punishing ground game last season and there’s no better time than the season opener to begin re-establishing a similar identity. Junior Evan Boehm returns at center, but the rest of the line is in flux with new positions or personnel. Building chemistry (and staying healthy) will be key.

MISSOURI OFFENSE

MISSOURI DEFENSE

SOUTH DAKOTA STATE OFFENSE

SOUTH DAKOTA STATE DEFENSE

Tod Palmer’s pick: Missouri 45-10

Missouri shouldn’t have any trouble handling South Dakota State. The Tigers are going to be the far more athletic team, which should pave the way for a rout. Historically, Missouri has dominated FCS opponents, winning by an average margin of 49-10 in 13 previous meetings. Since coach Gary Pinkel arrived in 2001, that average margin is roughly 51-8 in 10 games.

| Tod Palmer, tpalmer@kcstar.com

This story was originally published August 28, 2014 at 1:35 PM with the headline "Missouri-South Dakota State football preview."