Missouri football at Arkansas scouting report, score prediction

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

It’s the end of the line for the regular season.

Missouri football will play for the final time before its bowl game Saturday when the Tigers take on Arkansas in the Battle Line Rivalry matchup in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The game is scheduled to kick off at 2:30 p.m. and will air on SEC Network.

Mizzou (7-4, 3-4 SEC) needs a win to finish the year .500 in SEC play. The Tigers lost to Oklahoma this past Saturday on the road and moved to 0-4 on the year against ranked SEC teams.

Arkansas (2-9, 0-7) fired head coach Sam Pittman early in his sixth season with the program. Bobby Petrino, the former head coach and offensive coordinator, has held the interim tag since then but is yet to win a game.

It’s a trophy game, as the winner of the matchup will get to keep the 180-pound behemoth of a prize. Mizzou has won the past three games between the teams and is 9-2 in the series since joining the SEC.

Here is what you need to know about Arkansas before Saturday’s regular-season finale in Northwest Arkansas:

Who will play QB for Arkansas against Missouri football? Undetermined

Arkansas is undecided at the quarterback position this weekend.

Petrino said Monday that either Taylen Green, who has started every game for the Razorbacks this season, or redshirt freshman KJ Jackson will start against the Tigers. The team is yet to make an official decision.

Green left Arkansas’ game against Texas with an injury, and although he was cleared to return, Petrino opted to stick with Jackson for the remainder of the game.

This would be the last game of Green’s collegiate career. He has passed for 2,655 yards and rushed for 773 more. He has 27 total touchdowns on the year. Green also has 11 interceptions.

Jackson could return to Fayetteville in 2026. He was 16-for-29 passing for 206 yards and a touchdown against Texas.

Mizzou should be able to lean on run game

It might be Ahmad Hardy time.

Arkansas’ defense has been backbreaking.

The Razorbacks have allowed 432.3 yards of offense per game this season. That, by nearly 40 full yards per game, is the worst mark in the SEC.

Of that total, 173.5 yards per game have come on the ground, which makes Arkansas the second-worst run defense in the league. The only team with a worse total is Mississippi State, which allowed Hardy to run for 300 yards on Nov. 15.

Hardy has rushed for 1,403 yards this season. He needs 225 to break the Mizzou single-season record set by Cody Schrader in 2023.

That is not out of reach this week.

2-9 Arkansas has a … positive point differential?

The Razorbacks have lost nine straight games since handling Alabama A&M and Arkansas State to open the season.

Nine straight losses, and yet … they have scored more points than they have allowed this season.

Let’s repeat that: Arkansas has a +3 point differential with a 2-9 record.

Other than a blowout against Notre Dame, the Razorbacks have lost their other four games by a combined 41 points, or 5.1 points per game. They’ve lost six one-score games, including five by a field goal or less.

That is astounding. Almost impossible.

So, if this one gets close, don’t panic. That’s sorta what this Arkansas team does.

Big test coming for Mizzou defense

Arkansas has been abysmal stopping teams from scoring.

But the Razorbacks can score in a hurry. Petrino’s offense has eclipsed 30 points in eight of their 11 games this year.

Arkansas has a running back, Mike Washington, who is averaging 6.5 yards per carry and has eclipsed 1,000 yards on the season. The Hogs have a receiver, O’Mega Blake, with 53 catches for 707 yards.

Now, there isn’t much left to play for in Fayetteville. But there hasn’t been much quit in this team, and there are plenty of playmakers that Mizzou will have to watch out for.

Score prediction: Missouri 38, Arkansas 31

Mizzou’s offense better wake up and find some rhythm, because the Hogs can score.

Look, Missouri should win this game. Arkansas has become quite excellent at losing one-score games. But don’t let the record fool you. The Razorbacks can keep this competitive.

Hardy, to us, is the difference maker. We don’t see Arkansas stopping him. If he gets going, Missouri leaves Fayetteville with an 8-4 record.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Score prediction, scouting report for Missouri football at Arkansas

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos