Missouri Tigers football vs. Florida Gators: TV, kickoff, betting line, five things
The Missouri Tigers finally defeated the Kentucky Wildcats, overcoming some demons along with the ‘Cats five-game winning streak against them.
MU coach Eliah Drinkwitz used that history as motivation throughout the week, and his Tigers responded with a 20-10 victory.
Now the Tigers bring a two-game winning streak into The Swamp as they take on No. 10 Florida. There are a number of points to keep an eye this week, including COVID-19 within the Florida program, as Mizzou’s looks for its third straight win.
Here’s a look at this week’s game.
THE DETAILS
Kickoff: 6:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, Florida
TV: SEC Network Alternate
Betting line: Florida by 12.5
Radio: KMBZ (98.1 FM)
FIVE THINGS
- Mizzou looking to tack on. When the Tigers started the 2020 season 0-2, it looked like it was shaping up to be a long season in Drinkwitz’s first season. It was a Year 0-type situation amid a pandemic and a slew of other off-field hardships. But nope, Drinkwitz’s Tigers have strung together a two-game win streak over LSU and Kentucky. Don’t look now, but a win over an unknown Florida team isn’t out of the question.
- Florida struggling with COVID-19. The Gators haven’t played a game since Oct. 10, when they lost to Texas A&M 41-38. A spike in COVID cases shut down the program Oct. 13 and they’ve been working remotely since. UF coach Dan Mullen, among players and coaches, tested positive for the novel coronavirus. Florida plans to be back in the facilities Monday for practice. It’s unknown how they’ll look after the long layoff, so keep an eye out for their COVID situation.
- Florida’s Kyle combo is deadly. UF quarterback Kyle Trask is likely one of the best quarterbacks Mizzou will see this season. And he has a dangerous weapon in tight end Kyle Pitts. Pitts is up to a whopping seven touchdowns this season, including 17 receptions and 274 yards. Trask has thrown for 996 yards, 14 touchdowns to just one interception. Mizzou’s secondary is going to have a busy week prepping for them.
- Mizzou climbing up in the polls ... kind of. After a two-game winning streak, the Tigers are getting some love in the polls. They picked up 25 votes in the Amway Coaches poll. However, Mizzou didn’t get a single vote in the AP Top 25 poll. There are discrepancies all the time between the coaches’ and media polls. The Tigers will get more respect if they beat Florida.
- Some positive history for Mizzou. While the Tigers were trying to overcome their history over Kentucky, their history has been relatively solid against the Gators. Mizzou’s 5-4 all-time against UF, 4-4 since joining the SEC. The Tigers have won two of the last three vs. UF, including the 2018 blowout at The Swamp.
Souichi Terada
The Kansas City Star