If Missouri football beat the Arkansas Razorbacks and retained the Battle Line Trophy for a sixth consecutive season on Friday night, there’s no doubt that this narrative would be different.
It would have been about the Tigers’ much improved defense, one that allowed them to stick around in a road matchup against No. 25-ranked Arkansas, at least for a half. It would have been about senior running back Tyler Badie capping off a standout senior season with a 219-yard afternoon, in which he broke the Tigers’ single-season rushing record.
Instead, the conversation will inevitably surround redshirt sophomore quarterback Connor Bazelak and his contributions Friday afternoon: 65 yards and one interception on 10-26 passing. It will be about an offense that didn’t threaten the Razorbacks’ end zone for much of the game. Most importantly, it will be about the Tigers handing the Battle Line Trophy to Arkansas without putting up much of a fight.
“We talked about getting to the bowl game last week and how exciting that was,” Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz said. “Today’s about us not finding a way to get it done.”
Missouri lost 34-17 at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Arkansas, but several deeper issues underlie the final score. The biggest of which may be the growing gap between a defense that has improved week after week and an offense that hasn’t matched it.
On Friday night, defensive coordinator Steve Wilks’ unit conceded 10 points through Arkansas’ first eight drives. However, the offense mustered just six points of its own during that span.
The Tigers trailed by just four points at halftime, but early in the third quarter, the metaphorical dam broke. They allowed two touchdowns in the span of five plays and 1:27 of gametime. Two of those five plays were receptions of 52 and 55 yards, and Missouri’s offense didn’t have the firepower to recover from a deficit that large.
“We came out in the third quarter and gave up a couple explosive plays,” Drinkwitz said. “We were never able to sustain rhythm offensively.”
The last time Arkansas and Missouri matched up, sophomore kicker Harrison Mevis nailed a 32-yard game-winning field goal in a game that involved over 1,200 combined yards of offense and 98 combined points.
For an entire half, the latest iteration of the Battle Line Rivalry seemed to be on track to be a defensive showdown as opposed to the offensive shootout it was a year ago. The Tigers’ defense is now one that bends, but doesn’t break. Missouri gave up over 250 yards on the ground three times in its four October games, but has allowed over 150 yards on the ground just once since then.
Graduate linebacker Blaze Alldredge made his presence known throughout the afternoon. He forced a fumble with just over two minutes remaining in the first quarter, which eventually set Missouri up for its first three points of the game. When a 49-yard run by junior wide receiver Treylon Burks put the Hogs up in the red zone, Alldredge played a role in both ensuing plays and helped force the Razorbacks to settle for a field goal.
The problem in Missouri’s lopsided loss was its offense. The playchart read like a broken record: punt, punt, downs, field goal, punt, field goal, punt, punt, punt.
The defense needed help from the offense to turn its production into tangible points. But that help never came. Bazelak’s passes rarely found their intended targets as the Tigers finished with just 316 yards of total offense.
“The defense played lights out,” graduate wide receiver Keke Chism said. “We had a lot of opportunities to make plays and take control of the game when it was a one-score game. From an execution standpoint, we weren’t able to get it done.”
Missouri put its first points on the board with 13:27 remaining in the second quarter thanks to a Mevis 46-yard field goal. The Tigers held Arkansas scoreless through its first three offensive possessions, but the defense started to show its cracks when sophomore quarterback KJ Jefferson and the Razorbacks’ offense generated an eight-play, 76-yard touchdown drive.
After Arkansas blew the game open in the second half, its offense continued to hum. A 55-yard reception here and 46-yard play there resulted in several backbreaking moments throughout the second half.
Like much of the season, most of Missouri’s offense came through Mevis. On Friday, he went a perfect three-for-three on field goals, with makes from 41, 46 and 49 yards. The Tigers’ lone touchdown came courtesy of Badie, who finished the night with 219 rushing yards and a touchdown in the closing moments of an already decided contest.
“It’s not just about me,” Badie said. “I just wanted to focus on this team and being able to be the best version of myself for this team.”
On Friday, Missouri showcased its offensive flaws in a nationally televised matchup. It entered the afternoon as underdogs, hung around for a half and then faded quietly into the cold Arkansas night. Most notably, it allowed the Battle Line Trophy to leave its home in Columbia for the first time since 2015.
“I don’t think that anybody is happy,” Alldredge said. “I think the standard is higher, but at the end of the day we’re going to keep pushing … It’s a process to build a program, especially in the SEC, and not every program can attain overnight success.”
The loss ended the Tigers’ regular season, in which they finished 6-6. Missouri will play in a bowl game to close out the year, but won’t know its opponent until bowl bids are made in the coming weeks.
Edited by Mason Arneson, marneson@themaneater.com
