Missouri Football: Fourth quarter predictions
The Missouri Tigers are in pretty good shape right now—great shape, compared to the 2016 season. Entering the fourth quarter with an overall record of 6-3 will be a solid accomplishment.
At this juncture, Missouri will be in the “meat and potatoes” area of its schedule. The last three games will be against SEC opponents, and the Tigers will have their work cut-out, if they plan to reclaim the division crown.
The last three games on Mizzou’s slate are Tennessee, Vanderbilt, and Arkansas. I can see the Tigers legitimately finishing this quarter with nothing more than one loss.
Will Mizzou really finish the season with an overall 8-4 record (4-3 SEC)? Let’s see if my gut feeling changes by the end of this posting.
Tennessee Volunteers
This will be the Tigers’ last home game of the regular season. In 2016, Tennessee smacked Missouri in the mouth and never looked back, embarrassing the Tigers 63-37.
Missouri Tigers Football
This year will prove differently. At this point, quarterback Drew Lock has settled down significantly in the Tigers’ offensive strategy, and makes better reads, and has had more time with his receivers. In addition, the Tigers’ run game has improved from last year, as well.
More great news for Missouri, is that the defensive line has become a more cohesive unit, and shows a greater resemblance of “D-line Zou,” which will be key in keeping the Vols honest this time around.
I like how Mizzou is able to keep the game close, while remaining competitive, as they close-out their home schedule with a win over Tennessee, 34 to 27.
Vanderbilt Commodores
Missouri will travel to Nashville in its second-to-last road game of the season. In 2016, Mizzou spared itself the embarrassment of losing to an equally as bad Vandy team.
Once again, this matchup between the Tigers and Commodores will pay dividends for Missouri. Ever since former head coach James Franklin departed Vandy for Penn State, the program has been in decline.
Missouri’s coaching staff will really show that it’s underrated. The Missouri defensive line will again create disruptions up front, while putting consistent pressure on the quarterback.
Drew Lock will again make some dynamic plays to his receivers, and the running game will again bare its nasty teeth.
By halftime in this game, the score will be close. I am liking the way Mizzou looks at this point of the contest. In the second half, the Tigers will pull away from the Commodores by the end of the third quarter, before Mizzou decides to hand over the game to its running backs and drain the clock.
I’m taking the Tigers in this game, 33 to 21.
Arkansas Razorbacks
This is the game that I’ve wrestled with predicting if the Tigers will win, or lose a close one to the Razorbacks. Arkansas will treat this game with the hostility of a revenge game, after the Tigers wrapped up their 2016 season with a close win over Arkansas.
Arkansas is still a relevant team in the division, and will also be competing for the division title. The Razorbacks gave the Tigers a hard time on offense in 2016, and they will likely put up a good battle as they edge the Tigers in a close one.
Unfortunately, Missouri will take a close, inverted loss this time around, 28 to 24.
Conclusion
The good news for Missouri, is they will finish the season on the positive side of the win-loss column, with a too-early prediction of an 8-4 season, 4-3 in the SEC, and will be bowl eligible.
Once the season kicks off, I will refer to these posts as we compare my official quarterly picks with the preseason version.