A good Thanksgiving meal wouldn’t be complete without a cooked ham. The No. 9 Missouri football team was happy to oblige, pummeling the Arkansas Razorbacks 48-14.

The defense was dominant, allowing 87 yards and no points during the first three quarters. Arkansas tallied only 98 yards passing, as the Tigers’ secondary kept the Razorback receivers in check. Part of the Tigers’ dominance was due to the injury to Arkansas redshirt senior quarterback KJ Jefferson in the first quarter. Junior linebacker Triston Newson patrolled the middle of the field all game, racking up 15 tackles including two for a loss as well as a fumble recovery.

“What a performance tonight by our defense,” head coach Eliah Drinkwitz said.

Missouri found success in creating turnovers, recovering five Razorback fumbles. All of these takeaways gave the Tigers position in Arkansas territory, resulting in 17 points.

The Tigers dominated the ground, racking up 259 yards on the ground. Graduate running back Cody Schrader continued his dominant season, with 217 rushing yards on 27 carries and a touchdown. This ground control allowed Missouri to keep control of the ball, tallying up 21:12 minutes of ball possession in the first half, compared to 8:48 for Arkansas. 

“It’s time to talk about [Cody Schrader] being the best player in the country,” Drinkwitz said.

The Tigers’ pass game was extremely slow, with junior Brady Cook completing only 12-20 passes for 112 yards. However, Cook combined for a pair of touchdown passes to freshman tight end Brett Norfleet. 

But this domination came complete with both teams’ tempers flaring.

Late in the second quarter, Missouri faced a third-and-12 from the Arkansas 16. After a Cook incompletion, a roughing the passer penalty was assessed to the Razorbacks. Players gathered at the Arkansas sideline, with words exchanged between the two parties. 

On the very next play, things boiled over and resulted in three ejections. On the Missouri side, sophomore offensive tackle Armand Membou was removed alongside two players for the Razorbacks: Zach Williams and Eric Gregory.

A total of six unsportsmanlike or personal foul penalties were called on both teams.

“We were here to play football,” Drinkwitz said. “They were here to fight.”

The Tigers finish the regular season 10-2, their best record through 12 games since 2014. However, since they failed to make the SEC championship, their next challenge will be a bowl game. While its opponent has yet to be determined, Missouri is likely to receive a New Year’s Six bid.

“We’re a team built on underdogs,” Drinkwitz said. “We’re the story that people should be happy to be behind.”

Edited by Chase Gemes | cgemes@themaneater.com  Copy edited by Sterling Sewell | sewell@themaneater.com