Tigers and Hogs, oh my!
Happy New Year from Dallas!
Now, it’s time for business.
Take away the comparisons and peripheral distractions for a minute. Take away the fact that Gary Pinkel has extended his contract at Mizzou while Arkansas is playing under interim Coach Reggie Herring after the departure of Houston Nutt. Take away this past week’s negative focus on Arkansas’ Darren McFadden, who has been deemed eligible to play. Take away any smack-talk.
Take away all of that, and you have two teams with high-profile players and high-level playing potential. When they clash today in the Cotton Bowl, that may be all that matters.
So how do they stack up?
Start with McFadden and the almost-equally dangerous Felix Jones, Arkansas’ dynamic running duo. McFadden averages 143.8 rushing yards per game, and Jones averages 9.1 yards per carry. Combined, the two have amassed 2,842 rushing yards on the year and 26 touchdowns. How do you stop that?
“Stopping them is not what you do,” says Mizzou defensive lineman and team captain Lorenzo Williams. “You contain them and try to get them out of their running game.”
That’s easier said than done, even though the Tiger defense has come on strong and gives up only 118.85 yards rushing per game. To make things even trickier, McFadden sometimes lines up in the “Wild Hog” formation to take snaps and pass, run or hand the ball off. Williams shows respect: “Dude ran it for almost 1,800 yards this year.”
On the flipside, Mizzou’s passing attack vs. Arkansas’ aggressive man coverage will be worth watching. “They’re very physical,” Pinkel says of the Arkansas defense. “They play a lot of bump and run, and it can be a challenge getting the ball into the middle.”
Mizzou’s seventh-ranked passing offense has been impressive this season. Second-team All-America quarterback Chase Daniel has passed for 4,170 yards and 33 touchdowns, and he spreads the ball around. First-team All-America tight end Martin Rucker has an NCAA-leading 81 catches; wide receiver Jeremy Maclin (also an all-purpose first-team All-American) has 77; tight end Chase Coffman has 51. How well will Arkansas’ 36th-ranked pass defense perform against those varied weapons? And how much will leading rusher Tony Temple (68.9 yards per game) open the passing game with success on the ground?
Mizzou will be missing a few players. Early season defensive leader Pig Brown remains injured, although second-team All-America safety William Moore has risen to the occasion in his absence. Backup receiver Greg Bracey was suspended from the team. Fellow receiver Danario Alexander went down with a knee injury in the Big 12 game and will remain on the sidelines.
Chase Daniel says he isn’t too worried. He still has plenty of weapons. “We still have more than any team in the country from my perspective,” he says.
Leave a comment
Note: Comments are moderated. If published, comments may be edited for length, style and clarity.