What to watch for, keys to victory, prediction for Mizzou football vs. Florida

Florida at Missouri

When: 11 a.m. Saturday

Where: Memorial Stadium, Columbia

TV: ESPN2

Radio: KMBZ (98.1 FM)

The line: Missouri by 3  1/2

The lowdown: After a disastrous start to Barry Odom’s second year as coach, Missouri has a chance to go bowling after two consecutive wins over Idaho and Connecticut and a favorable schedule to close the season. The Tigers offense has been clicking and Drew Lock has looked like an all-conference quarterback the past four games. The defense has had two strong games but now has to prove it against better competition. The Gators are coming off a 42-7 loss to Georgia and parted ways with coach Jim McElwain shortly after. Defensive coordinator Randy Shannon will be the interim coach.

Missouri keys to success: Keep up the strong play on defense. Missouri’s defensive line has come alive in recent weeks. The return of nose tackle A.J. Logan has allowed Terry Beckner Jr. to be a bigger factor in the pass rush, which opens things up for the rest of the defense. If Missouri’s pass rush can keep up the strong play, the offense should be score enough to keep Missouri’s bowl hopes alive.

Florida keys to success: Focus on the game. The Gators will be without top running back Malik Davis and linebacker Kylan Johnson in addition to having a new coach. If they let the distractions into the locker room then the Gators will have their heads in all the wrong places. Florida needs to treat it like any other game and block out the noise if it wants to be in the game.

Key matchup: Missouri’s pass rush against Florida’s offensive line. Shannon was non-committal on Wednesday’s SEC coaches conference call as to who will start at quarterback Saturday. Missouri’s defensive line has played better over the past few weeks and can really give a defense fits when it’s playing to its full potential. Beckner has been very disruptive and Logan continues to take double-teams since his return. If the strong play holds it could be a long day for the Gators offense.

Prediction: Missouri 35, Florida 21. The Tigers got blown out last year at LSU after Les Miles was filed and shutout in 2014 after Todd Gurley was suspended right before its game against Georgia. The third time’s the charm. Look for Lock and Beckner to continue their strong play and Missouri going into its last three games needing two wins to secure bowl eligibility.

This story was originally published November 1, 2017 at 5:13 PM with the headline "What to watch for, keys to victory, prediction for Mizzou football vs. Florida."