Game week for Mizzou Tigers: Here’s the Gasparilla Bowl line, time, TV vs. Wake Forest
.jpg "Brady Cook of Mizzou, left, and Sam Hartman of Wake Forest will quarterback their respective teams in the Gasparilla Bowl in Tampa, Fla.")
Missouri’s fast finish assured a bowl for the Tigers, and now it’s game week: Mizzou faces Wake Forest on Friday in Tampa, Fla., at the Gasparilla Bowl.
It’s the first football meeting between the schools.
The Missouri program is no stranger to postseason play. The Tigers have appeared in 34 bowls. That’s the same number as Iowa, TCU and Virginia Tech. All but the Hokies will extend their list this season.
Mizzou’s first postseason appearance came in 1924. It wasn’t a bowl game, but a game called the Los Angeles Christmas Festival. It was played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and USC won 20-7.
The Tigers are appearing in a bowl for the second straight year, but they’ve been bowl-eligible in all three years under coach Eli Drinkwitz. Missouri didn’t play in a postseason game two years ago because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last year, Mizzou lost to Army 24-22 in the Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, Texas.
With a victory, Missouri (6-6) would climb above .500.
“Winning this game means everything,” Tigers defensive tackle Darius Robinson said.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Missouri-Wake Forest matchup:
Who isn’t playing for Missouri (transfer portal edition):: Wide receiver Dominic Lovett, who was named first-team All-SEC, has been the biggest surprise among the group of Tigers who have entered the transfer portal. Also, punter Jack Stonehouse said he’s looking for a new opportunity.
Who isn’t playing for Missouri (NFL Draft edition): Among those not playing in this bowl while looking ahead to the NFL Draft are safety Martez Manuel and defensive ends Isaiah McGuire and D.J. Coleman. Those are big losses for the Tigers. But they present an opportunity for players like defensive lineman Arden Walker, a redshirt freshman who made his career first start against Arkansas. “It’s basically my time,” Walker said.
Where will Sam Hartman play next season?: The Wake Forest quarterback isn’t sure. He might enter the draft or transfer to another school. But Hartman has said he will not return to Wake Forest after the Gasparilla Bowl. A carrot for him against Missouri: Hartman has 107 career touchdown passes. He needs one more to own the ACC record outright.
Power Five power: This is the 14th Gasparilla Bowl. The first 10 were played at Tropicana Field in nearby St. Petersburg; the bowl has been played at Raymond James Stadium since 2018. Along the way, the Gasparilla has had tie-ins with several conferences, but this will be the first edition featuring two Power Five programs. It will be difficult to top last year’s attendance record: 63,699 saw Central Florida defeat Florida.
The details
Kickoff: Friday, 5:30 p.m. (Central)
Where: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Fla.
TV: ESPN
Radio: KMBZ (98.1 FM)
Line: Wake Forest by 1