Which Big 12 offense does Missouri remind Oklahoma State of? Oklahoma? Kansas?

Missouri hasn’t been in the Big 12 conference since the 2011 season, but Oklahoma State defensive coordinator Jim Knowles thinks in some ways the Tigers never left.

Speaking to reporters ahead of Monday’s Autozone Liberty Bowl, Knowles compared Missouri’s offense to the Big 12 for a variety of reasons and said offensive coordinator Derek Dooley’s offense is very comparable to what OSU has faced all season.

“Everything looks familiar,” Knowles said. “It is about the RPO (run-pass-option) game, which entails versatility. It’s about having the ability to exploit the defense and not be locked into a certain play or a certain read. That’s what the Big 12 is; we don’t care what play was called, the weakness of the defense is over here so we’re going to go after you there. That’s how the Missouri is built, too.”

While Dooley has brought more pro concepts to Missouri’s offense since taking over for Josh Heupel, his predecessor’s scheme was an adaptation of the Air Raid, which originated at Texas Tech, another Big 12 school.

Oklahoma State’s players echoed their coordinator’s thoughts, with comparisons coming from all over the conference. Safety Malcolm Rodriguez said the Tigers’ offensive line reminds him of Oklahoma’s because of its size, while MU quarterback Drew Lock reminds him of West Virginia’s Will Grier because of his arm. Lock and Grier are considered two of the top quarterback draft prospects for April’s NFL Draft.

Linebacker Kenneth Edion-McGruder said the Tigers’ employ a lot of passing concepts that remind him of Baylor.

“It’s definitely something we’ve seen before,” he said.

Dooley wishes he could say the same about Oklahoma State.

The Cowboys’ defense is led by defensive end Jordan Brailford, who was second in the conference with nine sacks.

They might be just 6-6, but the Cowboys have had a weird season, with impressive wins over Texas and West Virginia and losses to Kansas State and Baylor. The Cowboys nearly beat No. 4 Oklahoma, losing 48-47.

“They’re very disruptive,” Dooley said. “They give you a lot of looks. They try to create a lot of negative plays. These guys have, this team especially, has played their best against the best teams. They do some things in coverage that are a little different than we’ve seen. They do some things with their fronts that are a little different than we’ve seen.”

Missouri’s offense fell flat against Texas in the 2017 Texas Bowl after scoring just 13 points. The unit goes into Monday’s game having learned from last year’s performance.

Oklahoma State’s defense is ranked No. 99 nationally in total defense, but Missouri underestimated Texas last year, too.

“We made it to a bowl game last year and we weren’t able to get the win,” said MU wideout Jonathan Johnson, a Memphis native. “We’re making sure we’re dialing in a little bit more, staying focused dead just trying to come out with a different result this year.”