As the calendar turns from October to November, Texas is staring down a true gauntlet, starting in Columbia to take on the Missouri Tigers. Mizzou is sitting at 6-2 and coming off a controlling win over Arkansas on the road. Austin Simmons leads the Tigers offense, paired with an elite run game and a truly elite WR trio. On defense, it’s been an up-and-down unit but the front seven is loaded with future NFL talent. 

Missouri Tigers Offense 

The Missouri offense has been a rather inconsistent, but high ceiling unit. The Tigers sit at 51st in the country in scoring offense, just two spots ahead of the Longhorns. Austin Simmons, the Ole Miss transfer, has 16 passing TDs and just 2 INTs on the season but has struggled with his accuracy at times. Simmons is good for at least two or three “wow throws” a game, which has led to him jumping up draft boards early this season. 

Next to Simmons in the backfield, there’s plenty of future Sunday players as well. Jamal Roberts is the feature RB, already eclipsing 1,000 yards on the season and averaging 5.3 yards/carry. Ahmad Hardy, the star RB from last season, has officially returned to the field after suffering a gunshot wound in the offseason. It’s unlikely Hardy is a major part of the plan, considering he got just two carries last week but whenever he touches the ball, he can take it to the house. Whether it’s just Roberts or a combination of Roberts and Hardy, Texas’ defense will be forced to corral a bruising and explosive run game. 

As for the outside talent, it’s all about the duo of Cayden Lee and Donovan Olugbode. Lee has topped 100 yards three times this season, including an 11 catch, 156 yard, 2 TD performance against Mississippi State. Olugbode has scored in four of the last five games, only excluding the Ole Miss game where they were held to 3 points. Naeshaun Montgomery and veteran TE Brett Norflett factor into the pass game but it’s not a very deep receiving unit for the Tigers. 

Missouri Tigers Defense 

On defense, the Tigers sport a top 25 unit in the country(18.4 PPG allowed), just four spots behind Texas. They are more susceptible against the pass, ranking 92nd in the country compared to 16th in run defense. The strength against the run is easy to understand when you see the front seven personnel. Led by Daeden Hopkins, the DL will be an absolute handful for a struggling Texas OL. 

On the second level of the defense, Missouri has their best unit on that side. The LB, led by Nicholas Rodriguez and Robert Woodyard Jr., are absolutely remarkable tacklers. Rodriguez has already racked up 86 tackles on the year, leading the Tigers by a whopping 20 tackles. On the backend, it’s a veteran unit led by Santana Banner and Oregon transfer Sione Laulea. Despite the struggling numbers, it’s a talented unit that is filled with strong tacklers Texas will have to compete with. 

Missouri Tigers Overall 

Texas is walking into a tough environment to play a strong team on Saturday. Eli Drinkwitz continues to build a consistent product, largely built off one of the best run games in the country. Jamal Roberts and Ahmad Hardy are both running backs that can take over games each and every week. Austin Simmons is one of the budding stars in the game under center. Lee and Olugbode is one of the best and most versatile WR duos in the country. 

For the defense, it’s not a unit with the most household names, but they should have more. Hopkins, Rodriguez, Woodyard and more will play in the NFL for quite some time. Arch Manning will have to navigate that unit well if Texas is going to walk out of Columbia with a shot at the CFP. 

The Missouri Tigers will force Texas to win this game. It’s not a game Texas can stumble into a win or win without playing well. Arch Manning needs to play decisive and confident, the defense needs to slow an elite run game and the Texas playmakers need to create explosives while competing with a remarkable talent. If they can do it, they could have an inside track at a spot in the CFP.