Mizzou football at West Virginia: Three-minute preview
When/where: 11 a.m. Saturday at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, W.Va.
TV/radio: Fox Sports 1; KMBZ (98.1 FM)
The series: Mizzou leads 3-2
The line: West Virginia by 10
What’s at stake
It’s not the end of the world if Mizzou falters on the road against a Mountaineers team that has played in a bowl game and been ranked in the AP poll during 13 of the last 14 seasons. But a win would certainly justify Tigers fans’ excitement about the Barry Odom era.
Cheers if ...
Missouri’s defense can keep West Virginia under 25 points — a feat only Oklahoma, TCU and K-State managed last season and all in West Virginia road games. The Mountaineers return most of an offense that scored at least 26 points in every home game last season led by senior quarterback Skyler Howard.
Jeers if ...
Missouri’s offense remains ineffective. Sophomore quarterback Drew Lock exudes renewed confidence and new offensive coordinator Josh Heupel expects the Tigers to move the football. West Virginia’s 3-3-5 can be tricky to decipher, but it’s an inexperienced group. If Mizzou can’t get untracked, it could be a harbinger of another long season.
Tod Palmer’s pick: Missouri 24-23
Missouri is making its first trip to Mogantown since 1993 and is opening the season with a true road game for the first time since 1996. The Tigers are double-digit underdogs, but that seems vastly overstated. Expect a close game.
MISSOURI (0-0)
Date | Opponent | Time |
Sept. 3 | at West Virginia | 11 a.m. |
Sept. 10 | Eastern Michigan | 6:30 p.m. |
Sept. 17 | Georgia | 6:30 p.m. |
Sept. 24 | Delaware State | TBA |
Oct. 1 | at LSU | TBA |
Oct. 15 | at Florida | TBA |
Oct. 22 | Middle Tennessee State | TBA |
Oct. 29 | Kentucky | TBA |
Nov. 5 | at South Carolina | TBA |
Nov. 12 | Vanderbilt | TBA |
Nov. 19 | at Tennessee | TBA |
Nov. 25 | Arkansas | 1:30 p.m. |
WEST VIRGINIA (0-0)
Date | Opponent | Time |
Sept. 3 | Missouri | 11 a.m. |
Sept. 10 | Youngstown State | 1 p.m. |
Sept. 24 | vs. BYU | TBA |
Oct. 1 | Kansas State | TBA |
Oct. 15 | at Texas Tech | TBA |
Oct. 22 | TCU | TBA |
Oct. 29 | at Oklahoma State | TBA |
Nov. 5 | Kansas | TBA |
Nov. 12 | at Texas | TBA |
Nov. 19 | Oklahoma | TBA |
Nov. 26 | at Iowa State | TBA |
Dec. 3 | Baylor | TBA |
Three things about West Virginia
1 The Mountaineers ranked 23rd nationally in total offense last season with a run game that churned out 228 yards per game, good for 16th in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Quarterback Skyler Howard threw for 3,145 yards, 26 touchdowns and 14 interceptions, but he only completed 54.8 percent of his passes last season.
2 Four players were drafted from West Virginia’s defense last season — including first-round pick Karl Joseph, a safety who went to the Raiders — but that leaves lots of holes for a unit that still wasn’t elite last season. Safety Dravon Askew-Henry, who was among the Mountaineers’ top returning players, suffered a torn ACL in camp and is done for the season.
3 Running back Wendell Smallwood rushed for 1,519 yards last season, which ranked 15th in FBS, but he left early for the NFL. It’s up to senior Rushel Shell, who’s been battling concussion-like symptoms, freshman Kennedy McKoy and junior Justin Crawford, the reigning national junior college player of the year, to pick up the slack.
Key matchup
Missouri’s offensive line vs. West Virginia’s front six: The Tigers had protection issues in the passing game and deployed one of the worst run games in FBS last season. Mizzou’s success in 2016 hinges greatly on left tackle Tyler Howell, left guard Kevin Pendleton, center Samson Bailey, right guard Alec Abeln and right tackle Paul Adams.
Tod Palmer: 816-234-4389, @todpalmer
This story was originally published September 1, 2016 at 3:38 PM with the headline "Mizzou football at West Virginia: Three-minute preview."