Mizzou football vs. Arkansas: Five things to know about regular-season finale
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Mizzou closes regular season at Arkansas on Saturday; oddsmakers list them -2.5.
- Arkansas sustains nine-game skid despite top-30 offense and high yardage totals.
- Mizzou will target Arkansas' porous defense, weak run stop with standout RB Ahmad Hardy
Mizzou football’s regular season comes to an end this Saturday in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
The Tigers are facing an Arkansas (2-9, 0-7 SEC) team that hasn’t experienced a win since early September.
The Razorbacks have lost nine straight after a 2-0 start, and they fired head coach Sam Pittman after the 56–13 home loss to Notre Dame. The firing brought a revival of the Bobby Petrino era; he was named interim head coach 13 years after his infamous firing at Arkansas.
Quite the time in Fayetteville, isn’t it?
For Arkansas, the season finale is just the last hurdle to get through before working out the long-term coaching plan. For Mizzou, though, it’s an opportunity to end the season on a high note in the Battle Line Rivalry.
The Tigers began the year 5-0 and had dreams of making the College Football Playoff, but now they’ll turn their attention to whatever their bowl assignment is ... after Saturday’s game, that is.
Here’s what you need to know about the matchup.
Mizzou vs. Arkansas: Game details
Kickoff: 2:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium
TV: SEC Network
Radio: KMBZ (980) in Kansas City, KCMQ (96.7 or 103.1) in Columbia
Betting line: Mizzou is a 2.5-point favorite (via FanDuel).
Over/under: 58.5
Five things to know before kickoff
1. Arkansas has lost a bunch of one-score games. The Razorbacks opened the season 2-0, scoring 50-plus points in each win. But they’ve since been limping to the end of the season. In their nine-game losing streak, five of those games have been one-score losses ... against some ranked teams, too. They lost 41-35 to Ole Miss, 34-31 to Tennessee and 45-42 to Texas A&M. The other two one-score losses were 32-31 to Memphis and 23-22 to LSU.
2. Despite the losses, Arkansas’ offense actually holds up well. The Razorbacks are 2-9, without a single SEC win, but they rank in the top 30 of all FBS teams in several offensive categories. Their 473.8 yards per game rank 11th nationally, and their 34.4 points per game come in at 23rd. The Arkansas passing game ranks 29th with an average of 270 yards, and the team is 20th in rushing with 203.8 yards per game.
So, what’s the issue? Well...
3. This defense is one of the worst in college football. It’s not an exaggeration. Arkansas ranks 124th in total defense, allowing 432.3 total yards per game. Saturday could be a great opportunity for Mizzou running back Ahmad Hardy to put an exclamation on his historic season. The Razorbacks are 102nd in FBS in rushing yards allowed per game — 173.5. They have given up 34.1 points per contest.
4. Speaking of Hardy, he has some competition on the other side. There’s no doubt Hardy has been the best running back in the SEC this season, but the Razorbacks have their own standout dominating the run game. Mike Washington Jr., a transfer from New Mexico State, is third in the SEC with 1,018 rushing yards this season. He averages 6.5 yards per carry.
5. Bobby Petrino says Arkansas “probably won’t announce” Saturday’s starting quarterback. Razorbacks quarterback Taylen Green left last week’s game against Texas with a hamstring injury. He was relieved by freshman KJ Jackson (206 passing yards, passing touchdown, rushing touchdown). Green has been cleared to return, but Petrino didn’t give reporters a clear answer on what to expect at his weekly news conference.
“We’ve got to play it out in practice and make sure everybody’s in good shape,” Petrino said. “We probably won’t even announce it. We’ll just work it and see who’s ready to go.”
