Missouri Tigers release injury report ahead of Armed Forces Bowl vs. Army
The Missouri Tigers will have their hands full with Army’s triple option offense in the Armed Forces Bowl on Wednesday.
On Monday, Mizzou released its official injury report heading into the contest the Tigers will be without a few key players heading into the matchup.
“#Mizzou safety Martez Manuel, defensive tackle Akial Byers, tight end Niko Hea and offensive linemen Bobby Lawrence and Zeke Powell are all out for the Armed Forces Bowl, per the team’s injury report,” Wilson Moore, who covers the team for the Columbia Missourian tweeted.
The Missouri Tigers will face an unprecedented task when Jeff Monken and the Black Knights bring their signature triple option offense to the table.
Army boasts a 57-43 record under Jeff Monken. The Black Knights rush for 286.4 yards per game, the second-best rushing attack in the NCAA behind Air Force’s absurd 340.8 rushing yards per game.
The entire point of the offense is to limit Missouri’s chances offensively and grind out long possessions.
Though the Missouri Tigers defense showed improvement in the latter part of the season, it allows 228.8 rush yards per game and ranks 125th in the nation in rush defense.
Mizzou defensive linemen Darius Robinson feels like his group is up for the daunting task, while admitting they have struggled to stop rush heavy teams this season.
“We’ve struggled with the run in the past,” Robinson said.” Now, we’ve definitely picked up in the run game. I definitely feel like it’ll be a good challenge for everybody.”
Who will play quarterback for Missouri Tigers vs. Army?
Mizou head coach Eli Drinkwitz is keeping everything on the table when it comes to the quarterback position heading into Wednesday’s bowl game.
The trio of Connor Bazelak, Tyler Macon and Brady Cook all spent time with the first-team offense while preparing for the Black Knights’ defense.
Bazelak has the most experience by far, so starting another quarterback for the Missouri Tigers would feel a bit odd, but Drinkwitz is leaving the decision a mystery until kickoff.