Missouri-Toledo college football preview
When/where: 11 a.m. Saturday at the Glass Bowl in Toledo, Ohio
TV/radio: ESPN; KMBZ (980 AM, 98.1 FM)
The series: Missouri leads 1-0
The line: Missouri by 4
MISSOURI (1-0)
Date | Opponent | Result/time |
Aug. 30 | South Dakota State | W, 38-18 |
Saturday | at Toledo | 11 a.m. |
Sept. 13 | Central Florida | 11 a.m. |
Sept. 20 | Indiana | TBA |
Sept. 27 | at South Carolina | TBA |
Oct. 11 | Georgia | TBA |
Oct. 18 | at Florida | TBA |
Oct. 25 | Vanderbilt | TBA |
Nov. 1 | Kentucky | TBA |
Nov. 15 | at Texas A&M | TBA |
Nov. 22 | at Tennessee | TBA |
Nov. 28 | Arkansas | 1:30 p.m. |
TOLEDO (1-0)
Date | Opponent | Result/time |
Aug. 30 | New Hampshire | W, 54-20 |
Saturday | Missouri | 11 a.m. |
Sept. 12 | at Cincinnati | 7 p.m. |
Sept. 20 | Ball State | TBA |
Sept. 27 | Central Michigan | TBA |
Oct. 4 | at Western Michigan | 7 p.m. |
Oct. 11 | at Iowa State | 3:30 p.m. |
Oct. 25 | Massachusetts | 2 p.m. |
Nov. 4 | at Kent State | 8 p.m. |
Nov. 11 | at Northern Illinois | 8 p.m. |
Nov. 19 | Bowling Green | 8 p.m. |
Nov. 28 | at Eastern Michigan | TBA |
What’s at stake
National prestige, a spot in the rankings and a 2-0 start for the seventh time since 2006. No. 24 Missouri wants to prove that 2012’s 5-7 disaster was the aberration, not 2013’s 12-2 marvel. A loss, even against a very good Toledo team on the road, tarnishes the respect the Tigers have worked so hard to gain.
Cheers if …
Missouri wins. The Tigers showed vulnerability against South Dakota State, and Toledo represents a step up in competition. Enough questions swirl around Gary Pinkel’s squad, which features many fresh faces, so returning to Columbia with a win would be a huge confidence boost.
Jeers if …
The run game gets bottled up and the passing continues to struggle. Missouri failed to top 200 yards rushing only three times last season. At Georgia and against South Carolina, that was easily forgiven and, perhaps, even expected. Toledo also kept the Tigers’ ground game in check. If it happens again, it could result in a loss.
Three things about Toledo
1 Junior quarterback Phillip Ely is the real deal. He is an Alabama transfer and went 24 of 34 for 337 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions in his Rockets debut. His poise combined with a passing game that relies on timing and getting the ball out quickly could negate Missouri’s pass rush.
2 Another reason Missouri’s defensive line is in for a potentially rugged fight is a Rockets offensive line that returns four starters. The Tigers didn’t manage a sack in last season’s meeting, something second-team All-Mid-American Conference center Greg Mancz and third-team all-conference left guard Jeff Myers hope to duplicate.
3 The Rockets’ defense returns five of its top six tacklers from 2013, including senior linebacker Junior Sylvestre. He finished with 118 tackles last season and recorded a team-high nine against New Hampshire, including one of Toledo’s nine tackles for a loss.
Key matchup
Missouri’s secondary vs. Toledo’s passing game. It’s easy to forget, but the Tigers allowed the most passing yards in the Southeastern Conference last season. Part of that was a product of frequently having a lead, but it’s concerning after South Dakota State backup quarterback Zach Lujan went 21 of 28 for 239 yards last week.
MISSOURI OFFENSE
P | No. | Player | Ht. | Wt. | Yr. |
WR | 21 | Bud Sasser | 6-2 | 220 | Sr. |
WR | 88 | Jimmie Hunt | 6-0 | 205 | Sr. |
LT | 65 | Mitch Morse | 6-6 | 305 | Sr. |
LG | 70 | Anthony Gatti | 6-6 | 305 | Sr. |
C | 77 | Evan Boehm | 6-3 | 320 | Jr. |
RG | 73 | Mitch L. Hall | 6-5 | 310 | Jr. |
RT | 60 | Connor McGovern | 6-4 | 300 | Jr. |
TE | 80 | Sean Culkin | 6-6 | 245 | So. |
WR | 8 | Darius White | 6-3 | 205 | Sr. |
QB | 7 | Maty Mauk | 6-0 | 195 | So. |
TB | 32 | Russell Hansbrough | 5-9 | 190 | Jr. |
K | 99 | Andrew Baggett | 6-1 | 215 | Jr. |
MISSOURI DEFENSE
P | No. | Player | Ht. | Wt. | Yr. |
DE | 33 | Markus Golden | 6-3 | 260 | Sr. |
DT | 89 | Matt Hoch | 6-5 | 295 | Sr. |
NG | 96 | Lucas Vincent | 6-2 | 300 | Sr. |
DE | 56 | Shane Ray | 6-3 | 245 | Jr. |
LB | 10 | Kentrell Brothers | 6-1 | 240 | Jr. |
LB | 30 | Michael Scherer | 6-3 | 230 | So. |
LB | 25 | Donavin Newsom | 6-2 | 230 | So. |
CB | 1 | John Gibson | 6-0 | 190 | So. |
SS | 9 | Braylon Webb | 6-0 | 200 | Sr. |
FS | 21 | Ian Simon | 6-0 | 195 | Jr. |
CB | 11 | Aarion Penton | 5-10 | 185 | So. |
P | 92 | Christian Brinser | 6-2 | 195 | Sr. |
TOLEDO OFFENSE
P | No. | Player | Ht. | Wt. | Yr. |
WR | 9 | Alonzo Russell | 6-4 | 205 | Jr. |
WR | 14 | Justin Olack | 6-4 | 220 | Sr. |
LT | 56 | Josh Hendershot | 6-4 | 295 | Sr. |
LG | 54 | Jeff Myers | 6-3 | 290 | Sr. |
C | 75 | Greg Mancz | 6-5 | 300 | Sr. |
RG | 57 | Robert Lisowski | 6-4 | 292 | Sr. |
RT | 65 | Chase Nelson | 6-8 | 315 | Sr. |
TE | 15 | Alex Zmolik | 6-5 | 245 | Jr. |
WR | 4 | Corey Jones | 5-8 | 165 | So. |
QB | 12 | Phillip Ely | 6-1 | 202 | Jr. |
RB | 3 | Kareem Hunt | 5-11 | 215 | So. |
K | 85 | Jeremiah Detmer | 5-8 | 180 | Sr. |
TOLEDO DEFENSE
P | No. | Player | Ht. | Wt. | Yr. |
DE | 99 | Allen Covington | 6-2 | 275 | Jr. |
NG | 97 | Orion Jones | 6-2 | 285 | Jr. |
DT | 52 | Marquise Moore | 6-1 | 300 | So. |
DE | 43 | Trent Voss | 6-3 | 220 | Jr. |
LB | 31 | Zach Quinn | 6-3 | 225 | Fr. |
LB | 55 | Ray Bush | 6-3 | 235 | Sr. |
LB | 33 | Junior Sylvestre | 6-0 | 222 | Sr. |
CB | 5 | Christian Dukes | 5-9 | 185 | Jr. |
S | 4 | Jordan Haden | 5-11 | 210 | Sr. |
S | 8 | Chaz Whittaker | 6-2 | 200 | Jr. |
CB | 20 | Juwan Haynes | 6-0 | 190 | Jr. |
P | 48 | Nick Ellis | 5-11 | 170 | So. |
Tod Palmer’s pick: Missouri 34-27
It seems like a mismatch, the reigning SEC East champions versus a team that finished third in the MAC West division last season. While Toledo is only 7-14 all time against ranked teams, the Rockets are 5-2 versus ranked opponents in the Glass Bowl. The Tigers are in for a tussle.
| Tod Palmer, tpalmer@kcstar.com
This story was originally published September 4, 2014 at 12:41 PM with the headline "Missouri-Toledo college football preview."