The Missouri Tigers have enjoyed some serious success in 2014. They’ve won some big games, been led by some incredible talent and garnered some pretty impressive awards. They fell short in a few areas, missed a couple of opportunities and struggled from time to time. But all in all, it was a great season for the Tigers.
The Missouri Tigers will need Shane Ray’s usual play in this one if they want to slow down the Gophers. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
And for the second consecutive year, it’s an amazing opportunity for icing on the cake: a good ole send off in a New Years Day Bowl Game. This year, the Citrus Bowl is the their calling. And No. 25 Minnesota is their challenger. And, believe me, this icing on the cake will be no cake walk. Minnesota can play.
Here’s our first look at the Golden Gophers, a brief over view of the few things Minnesota does best and what Missouri has to watch out for:
The Running Game: A ‘Cob’ in the Machine
There’s no question. Mizzou’s hero in 2014 was the defense. It truly is a force to be reckoned with. Boasting the SEC’s Defensive player of the year and the All-American defensive end in Shane Ray, the Tigers get after quarterbacks, torment offensive lineman, make big time tackles and create big plays. While Ray has been a shining star this year, this team does defense as a team, excelling against the pass, forcing turnovers and just flat out shutting offenses down.
David Cobb breaks tackles. The Missouri Tigers must find a way to slow him down. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
But they face a truly gigantic beast in his own right this time around in Golden Gopher running back David Cobb, who has punished rushing defenses this year.
Cobb scores touchdowns. He breaks tackles. He jukes and spins and stiff arms. He’s the true package. While he didn’t rack up as many yards as fellow Big Ten backs like Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon and Indiana’s Tevin Coleman, he is amongst the better runners in the country. The Killeen, Texas native was a thousand yard rusher this season, averaged 5.3 yards per carry and scored 13 touchdowns. It’s the second straight season he’s run for quadruple-figure yardage totals.
The 23rd ranking overall defense in Missouri will have its hands full in the Citrus Bowl. To make matters worse, Mizzou has struggled at times against good running backs. They let Indiana’s Tevin Coleman slice n’ dice ’em for 240 yards and Georgia’s Michael Chubb had a similarly awesome outing against the Tigers. In this game, Mizzou must be at its best or it could be a long day.
A Consistent Offense
Aside from the impressive Cobb, Minnesota doesn’t put up any sort of flashy numbers on offense. Its quarterback has thrown for a so-so 1,500 yards, had 10 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. Its best receiver has just 471 receiving yards. As a whole, they average just over 21 points per game, very middle of the pack.
The Gophers are clearly a run first offense. Head coach Jerry Kill has an old school approach. Play good defense, run the ball, hold on to the ball and keep the opponent’s offensive stars off the field. But the team can still make some big plays, move the ball and score points when its able to lean on its running game.
Quarterback Mitch Leinder isn’t a prolific passer, but when given time, he’s been known to make a big play or two in the game– a lot of times with his legs as well. Missouri will have to contain the running back and the quarterback here and, most importantly, keep the big long runs at bay.
The Defense That Can Create Plays
The SEC Special teams player of the year, Marcus Murphy, must be extra special at running back if the Missouri Tigers want a Citrus Bowl win. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
If one were betting on this game, it might be advised to count on a lower scoring game. That’s because Minnesota counters the Tiger defense with a strong defensive team itself. Ranked 37th in the country in overall defense, the Gophers relied heavily on their defense.
Minnesota stops strong passing offenses. And although Mizzou isn’t one of those, quarterback Maty Mauk has found his groove as of late. It will be interesting to see if the Tigers can throw vertically against a defense that doesn’t really allow big plays down field.
As for the running game, the SEC East champs would do wise to lean on Marcus Murphy and Russel Hansbrough and do so often. Minnesota is its weakest at stopping the run and the Tigers have used their runners in big ways to win games as of late.
9 times this year did Minnesota hold opponents below their scoring average, with 6 of those coming 10-points or more lower than their average.
Minnesota gets after quarterbacks too. Keep an eye out on senior defensive lineman Cameron Botticeli, who leads the team in sacks and tackles for a loss. Minnesota will stir things up on defense, and also, will create turnovers.
South Bound & Down
If the Missouri Tigers want to win this game, they’re going to need to control possession, run the ball, make a couple of big plays and also play their best rushing defensive game of the year.
The Tigers will also have to really take advantage of opportunities and play the full 60 minutes. Minnesota has shown ability to come back from big deficits this year and win games in rally mode as well.
It’s clear, Minnesota will give the Tigers plenty of trouble in this game. It will be interesting to see what kind of game coach Gary Pinkel, the QB Mauk and the Mizzou defense bring in this one. My feeling is, it will be another classic.
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