After being dismantled by No. 1 LSU in Baton Rouge, the Razorbacks will take on the Missouri Tigers at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock to finish the 2019 season Friday afternoon.
The Hogs have lost three straight years to Missouri and are looking to avoid another disappointing 2-10 season. On the other hand, the ‘scrappy’ Tigers are 5-6 and are eager for their sixth win of the season, despite no bowl to play for.
“They’re a good, solid football team across the board,” Interim Head Coach Barry Lunney Jr said. “Obviously they have a lot to play for as well.”
The Tigers have had a rocky season losing to Wyoming, Vandy, Tennessee and Kentucky, while being blown out by ranked teams in Georgia and Florida. Their season is highlighted by victories over South Carolina and Ole Miss.
“They’ve lost some very competitive football games, close physical football games,” Lunney said. “Obviously they’ve had some issues and some challenges on the road. So have we.”
After facing former Arkansas quarterback Ty Storey against Western Kentucky a few weeks back, the Razorbacks will face another former Hog this Friday in wide receiver Jonathan Nance. He opted to redshirt after playing four games in 2018 to maintain eligibility to play another year.
Missouri hasn't been great at putting points on the board this season but Nance has been a big part of when they do. He's the team's leading receiver with 420 yards on 28 catches with three touchdowns. Their top target in the end zone however has been tight end Albert Okwuegbunam–he has six scores.
“It’s not necessarily ground breaking or earth shattering news we’re playing a guy that used to play for us,” said Lunney when asked about Nance. “Jon (Nance) did some good things for us. We wish him the best and have always been rooting for him except when we play against him.”
Missouri’s offense is ran by former Clemson quarterback and graduate transfer Kelley Bryant who was sought after by many teams including Arkansas before joining the Tigers. Bryant is a dual threat QB with 242 yards rushing and 2215 yards passing.
“He’s obviously a dangerous quarterback. He can beat you with his arms and he can beat you with his legs,” Lunney said. “He’s a playmaker and he’s got a good cast around him. So it’ll be a great challenge for us on Friday.
Despite having talent in the arguably the most valuable position in the game, the Tigers offense isn’t spectacular. Missouri ranks seventh and tenth in the SEC for passing and rushing yards respectively. The Tigers rank second to last in the SEC in red zone conversions which is actually worse than the Hogs, they only score a touchdown on 50% of red zone trips and that drops down to 38% on the road.
Missouri's rushing attack ranks no. 82 in the nation led by junior Larry Roundtree and sophomore Tyler Badie.
What makes Missouri competitive is their defense. They rank in the top half in total defense in the SEC and rank third against the pass. The Tigers have allowed 188 passing yards per game compared to 223 passing yards allowed for Arkansas. Missouri has allowed just one team to post more than 30 points this season and it was Wyoming in game one.
“This is a physical football team. I mean, they’re scrappy they play physical, very aggressive,” said Lunney when asked about the Tigers’ defense. “They take on the identity of their head coach (Barry Odom) who you know is a former linebacker.”
The Tigers' top tackler, linebacker Nick Bolton, has amassed 98 total tackles this season, just eight tackles more than Razorback De'Jon Harris, and leads the SEC in that stat.
Arkansas will host the Tigers at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, Arkansas. Despite recent animosity for playing at War Memorial stadium amongst Razorback players, one still remains gratified to play there.
“I always loved the Little Rock game, the Little Rock game is one of my favorite games of the year,” said junior quarterback Jack Lindsey when asked about going to Little Rock. “The Little Rock fans they do a great job, it’s always a really fun atmosphere.”
Friday's kickoff against the Tigers is at 1:30 and you can find the game on CBS.
