Report: Ennis Rakestraw to miss regular-season finale vs Arkansas

The Missouri Tigers will not be at full strength this weekend against Arkansas, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

“Sources: Missouri star cornerback Ennis Rakestraw will miss the game at Arkansas on Friday with an injury. Rakestraw is a fourth-year senior who projects as a Top 100 NFL Draft prospect in the upcoming cycle,” Thamel tweeted.

Over four seasons in Columbia, Rakestraw has compiled 107 total tackles for the Tigers, 24 pass breakups, one sack, a forced fumble and one interception. This season, he has racked up 35 total tackles and four PBUs. He will be sorely missed by Missouri this weekend but will hope to have his services back for the bowl game in a few weeks.

The opening kickoff between the Tigers and Razorbacks is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET live on CBS. Missouri is a nine-point betting favorite, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Eli Drinkwitz reflects on his senior class

Last Saturday was senior night for Missouri and the Tigers’ veteran players were able to go out on top in their last game at Memorial Stadium, defeating Florida 33-31 in a back-and-forth battle finished off with yet another game-winning field goal from Harrison Mevis.

Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz called the game, which served as senior day, the story of the senior’s career, which he explained more in-depth following their big win.

“You look at the seniors, we got a couple of different groups, but my group that joined in started with COVID and we had some highs and lows in that season. We overachieved. The next year we kind of took a step back, fighting our way through, losing the bowl game. Last year we had the ups and downs and some very difficult losses, some close wins. And then this year to be able to just consistently overcome adversity,” Drinkwitz explained.

Drinkwitz is in the midst of his fourth season at the helm for Mizzou, leading the Tigers to a 5-5 finish in his first year followed by consecutive 6-7 seasons. But his first-ever recruiting class is now all seniors who have battled adversity, and are reaping the benefits of their hard work and dedication.

Mizzou’s win on Saturday marked their ninth of the season, giving them the best record the program has seen since 2014 with an opportunity to reach double-digit wins in their regular season finale versus Arkansas and add to it during the postseason.