Photo Courtesy: CDT Steve Litterini
By DaVince “Dino” Wright
Game Info
Missouri Tigers vs Army Black Knights
Wednesday – December 22 – 7:00 p.m.
TV: ESPN
Amon G. Carter Stadium – Ft. Worth, TX
Records Before the Game
Missouri Tigers (6-6)
Army Black Knight (8-4)
This game is basically the Army invitational game. Army is 3-0 in their Armed Forces Bowl appearances. Army is 4-0 in Dallas based bowls and is looking to keep the streak alive. Missouri is looking for their 10th win against service academies. Tonight, will be the night to break a streak between these two teams. This will be a good one.
Snack Rating
It’s Wednesday night in Ft. Worth and this bowl game wouldn’t be the game to watch if some good ‘ole Texas barbeque isn’t on the menu. You will need some brisket, potato salad, baked beans and smoked sausage for this one. The snack meter for this game is a 10! There’s a lot at stake!
Missouri Tigers
Missouri ended their 2021 season with a loss to then #25 Arkansas on the road. In their last five games, Missouri is 3-2 with wins over Florida, South Carolina and Vanderbilt. The Tigers are led by sophomore quarterback Connor Bazelak. He has 2548 passing yards with 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He’s young and has made some crucial mistakes this season turning the ball over. Running back Tyler Badie has earned his stripes this season. He has carried this team running the ball. He has 1604 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns. He’s averaging 6.0 yards a carry. Wide out Tauskie Dove will be the key on offense. Keep an eye on these three players.
Army Black Knights
Everyone in the country knows that Army is going to run the ball. The Army offense averages 268.4 yards a game. The offense averages 33.6 points a game and 92% of their scores are rushes from the quarterback and running backs. Quarterback Christian Anderson has 653 passing yards and five touchdowns all season long. The key to the Army offense is their offensive line. These guys are tough, physical and mobile. The offense is balanced because of how they trap block and open holes for ball carriers. On the defensive side, the Black Knight defense gives up 22 points per game while Missouri gives up 34 points per game.
Prediction
ESPN has the the Black Knights with a 51.3% chance of winning this game. I’m taking Army by 10! The Tiger defense gets tired way too fast to keep this one close going into the 4th quarter.
Final Score
Black Knights – 27
Tigers – 17
