Missouri Tigers football vs. Army: Armed Forces Bowl prediction, time, TV, odds
.JPG "Missouri quarterback Brady Cook (12) throws the ball against Arkansas during an NCAA college football game Friday, Nov. 26, 2021, in Fayetteville, Ark. (AP Photo/Michael Woods)")
THE DETAILS
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Central time Wednesday
Where: Amon G. Carter Stadium, Fort Worth, Texas
TV: ESPN
Radio: KMBZ (98.1 FM)
The line: Army by 7
Mizzou injuries: DL Akial Byers, TE Niko Hea, OL Bobby Lawrence, DB Martez Manuel, OL Zeke Powell, out
PREDICTION
The Missouri Tigers (6-6) are set to make their first bowl game appearance since 2018 on Wednesday night in the Armed Forces Bowl, where they’ll face Army (8-4).
The Black Knights and their triple option offense spell trouble for a Mizzou team down three defensive starters. Defensive lineman Akial Byers and safety Martez Manuel were both listed as out on an injury report released Monday. Though not as huge of a loss given Army’s reliance on the run, cornerback Akayleb Evans opted out to focus on preparing for the NFL Draft.
Byers started all but two games for the Tigers this season, recording 23 tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss. Manuel led the team with 77 tackles and also posted 4.5 sacks. Mizzou showed improvement defending the run as the year progressed, so Army, which averages 286.4 rushing yards per game and has scored an FBS-high 44 touchdowns on the ground, is expected to be a big test. Without those two guys, it’s that much more difficult of one.
On the offensive side of the ball, Mizzou is without its star running back Tyler Badie, who declared for the NFL Draft, its top three options at tight end (starter Daniel Parker Jr. and Messiah Swinson both transferred) and is missing some pieces on the offensive line. MU coach Eliah Drinkwitz said Tuesday that Brady Cook would start at quarterback over Connor Bazelak and Tyler Macon.
The Black Knights eat up the clock on offense, holding onto the ball for just under 36 minutes per game — the second most of any team in the country — so Cook will need to generate some explosive plays in order for Missouri to have a chance in this game.
Army has a top-15 run defense that’s limited opponents to 110.8 rushing yards per game. Tigers backup Dawson Downing only had 10 attempts and recorded 83 rushing yards during the regular season.
As is probably clear by now, this isn’t an ideal matchup for Missouri. Though the run defense has made strides, I’m not sure that’ll matter much against a team like Army, and I don’t see the offense able to make the most of limited chances to keep up.
Army 34, Missouri 28
This story was originally published December 22, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
