Mizzou-Arkansas Q&A with Jacob Scott Davis of Arkansas Fight

The Missouri Tigers (5-6, 2-5 SEC) will play for bowl eligibility in the Battle Line Rivalry on Black Friday against the Arkansas Razorbacks (6-5, 3-4 SEC).

Kick-off on Black Friday is set for 2:30 p.m. CST on CBS with Tom McCarthy (play-by-play), Rick Neuheisel (analyst), and Sherree Burruss (sideline reporter) on the call.

To get a perspective on how the Razorbacks season has gone, we talked it over with Jacob Scott Davis of Arkansas Fight to preview the upcoming game. Here’s the Q and A:

Sammy Stava: Arkansas was picked to finish 3^rd in the SEC West from the media preseason poll but the Razorbacks have seen their ups and downs coming into this one with a 6-5 record. Considering the high expectations, has this season been a disappointment – especially after their 3-0 start?

Jacob Davis: It certainly has been a disappointment when it comes to the win-loss record. Arkansas had everything they needed in their top 30 players that see the field to make a run through the SEC. Then, injuries and such hammered the roster and Arkansas couldn’t recover for some reason.

Seeing key guys like Jefferson, Catalon and Slusher go down really hurt the Hogs. But, with a chance to end the season 7-5 plus a bowl makes things feel a little better.

SS: Much of Arkansas’ struggles this season have been due to KJ Jefferson’s injury. How much better do you think the Razorbacks season would have been if he was consistently healthy all year?

JD: I think with a healthy Jefferson the Razorbacks could’ve won two more games. Likely the home games against Liberty and LSU.

SS: Arkansas has had some big wins this season (most notably Ole Miss, South Carolina, and Cincinnati), but the Razorbacks have had the puzzling losses. What happened against Texas A&M and Liberty?

JD: Boy, the Hogs sure started fast against the Aggies in Arlington but the fumble by KJ at the three took away momentum and confidence that the Razorbacks had.

It really started during the Missouri State rebound of a game. Then, when things went south they went in a hurry. This Razorback team never quits though and that’s promising for the future with their ability to fight through adversity.

SS: Mizzou fans may remember the name Raheim Sanders, who committed to the Razorbacks over the Tigers back in 2020. As a sophomore, Sanders is one of the leading rushers in the SEC. How big of a “recruiting win” was that for Pittman and what makes him such a great running back?

JD: Wow! Isn’t Sanders something special? We see why they call him Rocket and he’s quite deserving of it.

He did come to Arkansas as a wide receiver and had an adjustment in period as a freshman. Sanders took the starting role as a whole during the offseason without Dominique Johnson in the fold. First team reps helped him gain confidence and be the man that he is showing himself to be on Saturdays.

Those receiver hands do him well for catching the ball out of the backfield. He’ll wind up being a superstar in college when all is said and done.

SS: The Razorbacks came into this one as a five-point favorite (now down to three). How do you see this game playing out on Saturday? Have a final score prediction?

JD: Right now, knowing Missouri is fighting for a trophy and to be bowl eligible I see the Tigers as a dangerous upset pick.

Arkansas sits 0-5 overall all-time in games played in COMO. The Hogs only have one conference road win against Auburn this season. Can they make it two? With a very healthy Jefferson and rejuvenated defense I think Arkansas wins a close one, 21-17.

Good stuff with here with Jacob. This should be a close, tight game on Black Friday. Follow Jacob and Arkansas Fight on Twitter for Razorbacks coverage this week.