@MizzouFootball Set for Thursday Night Showdown With Mississippi State
11/1/2015 12:30:00 PM | Football
Opponent | Location | Day/Time | Media |
---|---|---|---|
vs. #25 Mississippi State Buy Tickets | Memorial Stadium | Thursday, Nov. 5 8 p.m. | TV: ESPN |
MIZZOU RETURNS HOME TO FACE BULLDOGS
• The Missouri Tigers (4-4 overall, 1-4 in SEC play), return home after a nearly four-week hiatus, to play host to the Mississippi State Bulldogs (6-2, 2-2) in a rare Thursday night contest at Faurot Field/Memorial Stadium. Kickoff for the contest, which will be nationally-televised on ESPN, is set for 8 p.m…
• Mizzou is coming off of a bye week, which followed a tough three-game losing streak that saw the Tigers drop a trio of games in which they allowed an average of just 13.3 points per contest, with two of the defeats coming by just three points (at Georgia, Oct. 17th) and by a touchdown (at Vanderbilt, Oct. 24th). Mizzou's defense continues to lead the way, as they are highly nationally ranked in most major statistical categories, including: scoring defense (5th in NCAA/1st in SEC – 12.5 avg.), tackles for loss (6th / 2nd – 9.0 avg.), total defense (10th / 2nd – 282.1 ypg), passing yards allowed (11th / 1st – 161.6 ypg), quarterback sacks (19th / 4th – 2.88 per game), and rushing yards allowed (24th / 6th – 120.5 ypg)…
• Mississippi State will provide perhaps the biggest challenge the Mizzou defense will face all season long, as the Bulldogs bring in tow one of the most dynamic offensive attacks in the country with them. Led by Heisman Trophy candidate QB Dak Prescott, the Bulldogs rank highly in passing efficiency (14th in NCAA / 1st in SEC – 158.7 rating), passing yards per game (21st / 2nd – 295.5 avg.), and total offense (35th / 3rd – 445.1 ypg). The Bulldogs' only losses this year have been close defeats to ranked foes LSU (L, 21-19 at home on Sept. 12th) and to Texas A&M (L, 30-17 at College Station on Oct. 3rd). Mississippi State has won its last three ballgames coming in, having won three in a row at home against Troy (W, 45-17), Louisiana Tech (W, 45-20) and Kentucky (W, 42-16)…
THURSDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
• This will mark only the third time in program history that Mizzou has hosted a Thursday-night game, and the Tigers are hoping to buck the trend from the first two occasions, when #6 Colorado claimed a 6-0 win on Oct. 8, 1992, followed by a Tiger loss to #21 Nebraska (L, 27-12) on Oct. 8, 2009. Interestingly, both games featured unique weather environments, as the Colorado game was played in rain and very cold and windy conditions that was very much a factor in the low score. The Nebraska game was played amid torrential downpours that led to a power outage at Memorial Stadium, which eventually knocked out the scoreboard, a portion of the lights, and the stadium PA system…
STRENGTH VS. STRENGTH
• When Mizzou and Mississippi State square off on Thursday night, it will be a battle of strength-on-strength, putting one of the nation's top offenses against one of the nation's top defenses. Mizzou ranks in the top 25 nationally in six major defensive categories while MSU ranks in the top-25 in four major offensive categories. Most notably, Mizzou and MSU have a stark contrast in several important categories heading into Thursday's game.
- Mizzou is 5th nationally in TFLs while MSU has allowed the 12th-fewest TFLs in the nation
- Mizzou leads the SEC in scoring defense while MSU is 4th in scoring offense
- Mizzou is second in the SEC in total defense while MSU is fourth in total offense
- Mizzou is third in the SEC in pass efficiency defense while MSU is second in the SEC in pass efficiency
- Mizzou is 19th nationally in team sacks while MSU is 21st nationally in sacks allowed
- Miizzou leads the SEC in pass defense while MSU is second in the SEC in pass offense