Jordan Rodgers puts Oklahoma on upset alert vs. Missouri

Fresh off a monstrous road victory over Alabama last weekend, No. 8 Oklahoma will try to avoid a let-down performance. That comes Saturday afternoon at home against No. 22 Missouri.

This game pits two of the best defenses in the conference against each other, as the Tigers lead the SEC in yards allowed per game (277.5), followed closely behind by the Sooners (278.4). Missouri, however, boasts a much stronger offense (thanks mostly to star running back Ahmad Hardy) than Oklahoma, which could potentially put the Sooners on upset alert this weekend.

ESPN‘s Jordan Rodgers shared a similar sentiment on Friday morning’s edition of ‘Get Up.’ There, he claimed that Missouri could pull the upset due to Oklahoma‘s less-than-stellar offensive output.

“I think they are,” Rodgers said. “Because although it was a massive win like you mentioned, the offense didn’t leave anything to be hopeful for Sooner fans. They didn’t have a play that went longer than 22 yards. They didn’t push the ball downfield at all, and this Missouri team just put up 300 yards on, albeit, a bad Mississippi State defense. Ahmad Hardy went for 300 yards on the ground, though. And it’s not like this Missouri team is pushing people around, that shouldn’t worry you.”

Rodgers tabs Ahmad Hardy as key factor in Missouri pulling the upset

“It’s that Ahmad Hardy can’t be tackled,” Rodgers said. “His comeback, his vision, and his ability to break tackles against an Oklahoma defense (that is overly aggressive) that will at times take risks and get out of gaps. That would be a concern for me if I’m an Oklahoma fan. Missouri could be a sneaky team and a wildcard to look out for. Beau Pribula, starting quarterback, is trending towards being healthy.

“I talked to Eli Drinkwitz last week. They put him through a simulated scrimmage. He felt pretty good and there’s a chance he plays. And if Ahmad Hardy can get loose, it’ll be a good test for Oklahoma’s defense.”

Hardy, who boasts 1,346 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns this season, will be a massive test for Brent Venables‘ defense, which ranks first in the conference in rush yards allowed per game (82.2 YPG). If Oklahoma can get by Missouri, it would then just have to hold off interim head coach Frank Wilson‘s LSU team to punch its first ticket to the College Football Playoff since 2019.

It’s safe to say the stakes are high this weekend in Norman. Kick-off on Saturday is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. ET. The game can be seen on ABC.