Missouri prepares for road test against Iowa State
Missouri is coming off a bounce-back win over Kansas State after dropping the previous two games.
Published Nov. 19, 2010
The Missouri football team will head to Ames, Iowa, on Saturday in an effort to improve upon its 8-2 record. Missouri will take on a 5-6 Iowa State team that has lost two straight but return home where it's 4-2 this year.
One of those two losses at Iowa State's home Jack Trice Stadium was a near-upset of Nebraska two weeks ago. The Cyclones forced overtime with the Huskers and matched their score in the first overtime, only to fail on a gutsy two-point conversion for the win.
The 31-30 loss for Iowa State looks great when compared to Missouri’s 31-17 loss to Nebraska three weeks ago. Coach Gary Pinkel is never one to underestimate an opponent, especially with that comparative score working against them.
"Paul Rhodes has done a really good job with that program in a short amount of time,” Pinkel said. “They're a team that went to the last play against Nebraska, a team that dominated us. So it's certainly going to be a challenge for us."
After a bounce-back win over Kansas State at home, Missouri will have to prove themselves on the road where they are 1-2 with two straight losses. Dropping back-to-back games at Nebraska and Texas Tech last time they traveled makes this final road test all the more important.
Evening out the road record will take a solid performance from the Tiger offense, as its defense has struggled in away contests. Junior quarterback Blaine Gabbert said he's preparing for Iowa State’s straight-up style of defense.
"They don't blitz a lot,” Gabbert said. “They take coverage and make you drive. You have to execute your offense at high level to score points against them."
The Cyclone offense will have its own list of challenges Saturday as they will go without starting quarterback Austen Arnaud. The senior suffered a collegiate career-ending injury at Colorado last week and will require total knee reconstruction.
The Missouri defense has little time to learn the backup quarterback’s style of play. Senior free safety Jarrell Harrison speaks on behalf of the Tiger secondary in explaining the challenge that a new quarterback will present.
"It's definitely more difficult because you don't know (the backup's) tendencies, the type of reads he uses,” Harrison said. “Does he use one receiver or does he use multiple reads? We have to pick up the things that we can from the film and it is difficult to do that."
Harrison and company boast the second best red zone defense in the nation, 57 percent, as well as the top pass rush and scoring defense in the Big 12.
Sophomore defensive end Brad Madison is having a breakout year for that Missouri pass rush. The bench player has recorded a team-high 6.5 quarterback sacks in 10 games. Four other Tigers have also posted three sacks or more.
As for the scoring defense, the Tigers have allowed 17.5 points per game thus far, which is 10th nationally.
Missouri holds a 59-34-9 edge in the series history that dates all the way back to 1896. The Tigers look for their fourth straight win over the Cyclones in the teams’ 103rd meeting.
Kickoff in Ames, Iowa, is scheduled for 6 p.m. Saturday. Both teams will battle near-freezing temperatures forecasted for the nighttime game.