Missouri Tigers vs. Wyoming Cowboys: Time, TV, betting line, five things to know
Missouri opens the 2019 college football season Saturday on the road.
Here is what you need to know to prepare for the game:
The details
Kickoff: 6:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: War Memorial Stadium, Laramie, Wyoming
TV: CBS Sports Network
Radio: KMBZ (98.1 FM)
The line: Missouri by 17 1/2
Five things to know
Wyoming’s offense struggled against Missouri last season: And that wasn’t an elite Missouri defense. The Pokes were without star tailback Nico Evans in Columbia and didn’t have much of a ground game without him. Now he’s gone. Missouri’s defense lost a number of key starters from the past season, but returns enough production that should be able to stifle Wyoming’s offense.
Wyoming’s defense was elite in 2018: The Pokes finished No. 19 nationally in total defense and second in the Mountain West Conference. The Pokes also lost four key starters to graduation and another three to injury in preseason camp. The defense MU will see on Saturday looks nothing like what it faced in 2018 as Craig Bohl enters a likely rebuilding season.
The stadium is high up...to say the least: The elevation of War Memorial Stadium is 7,220 feet, a statistic Wyoming’s program prides itself on. Mizzou coach Barry Odom said the Tigers’ nutritionist changed the team’s diet three weeks before the game to help combat the elevation. Will that be enough?
Mizzou should have all of its key players out there: Sophomore defensive end Trajan Jeffcoat will likely miss the game because of a sprained elbow, but MU should have all key contributors such as Albert Okweugbunam and Kelly Bryant.
Expect a lot of true freshmen to play: Odom said he plans to play them all the four-game minimum but only a handful, such as wideout Maurice Massey and tight end Niko Hea, will burn their redshirts. Assuming Mizzou has some breathing room in the second half, Odom might turn to most of his newcomers.