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Arkansas' defense is as inefficient as Missouri's offense. Can the Tigers find a rhythm?

As incredible as Arkansas' offense has been of late, the Razorbacks still only beat Auburn by eight (54-46 in OT) and Ole Miss by one (53-52 in OT) and lost to Mississippi State (51-50) because of a cratering defense. The Hogs rank only 88th in Def. S&P+ ... can Missouri's offense actually take advantage of playing a weak D for once?

Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Defense

DE
Tevin Beanum (6'4, 280, So.) -- 15.0 tackles, 4.5 TFL (2 sacks), 1 PBU
JaMichael Winston (6'4, 262, Jr.) -- 11.5 tackles, 1 TFL

DT
DeMarcus Hodge (6'1, 340, Sr.) -- 19.5 tackles, 7.0 TFL (1 sack),
Bijhon Jackson (6'2, 325, So.) -- 5.0 tackles, 1.5 TFL
Armon Watts (6'5, 304, RSFr.)

DT
Taiwan Johnson (6'2, 290, Jr.) -- 17.0 tackles, 3.5 TFL, 1 PBU, 1 FR
Hjalte Froholdt (6'4, 299, Fr.)

DE
Jeremiah Ledbetter (6'3, 280, Jr.) -- 36.0 tackles, 7.0 TFL (1.5 sacks), 1 PBU
Deatrich Wise Jr. (6'5, 272, Jr.) -- 20.0 tackles, 8.5 TFL (6 sacks), 3 PBU, 2 FF

Arkansas has been pretty decent at preventing big plays this year -- the Hogs rank 39th in IsoPPP (which measures the magnitude of successful plays) and sixth in Rushing IsoPPP.

They also rank 115th in rushing success rate allowed and 127th in passing success rate allowed. They've been as inefficient as Missouri's offense! Ole Miss and Mississippi State combined to complete 73 percent of their passes for 876 yards, eight touchdowns, and one pick. And despite 88 pass attempts in those games, Arkansas managed just three sacks.

Including UT Martin, three of Arkansas' last four opponents have produced a passer rating of at least 139. Drew Lock has only hit that mark twice -- against South Carolina and BYU. Can this be a third time?

Arkansas ranks 97th in Adj. Sack rate; Deatrich Wise has a healthy six, but no one else on the two-deep has more than two. Does that mean Missouri should come out passing instead of further trying to establish the run? Or, despite beef on the interior, do the Tigers again try to lean heavily on the run to keep pressure off of Drew Lock?

SLB
Dwayne Eugene (6'1, 235, So.) -- 8.5 tackles (QUESTIONABLE)
Karl Roesler (6'1, 255, So.) -- 8.5 tackles, 2.5 TFL (1 sack)

MLB
Brooks Ellis (6'2, 242, Jr.) -- 68.0 tackles, 5.5 TFLs (0.5 sacks), 1 INT, 2 PBU, 1 FR
Josh Harris (5'10, 220, RSFr.) -- 4.0 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 FF

WLB
Dre Greenlaw (6'0, 222, Fr.) -- 64.0 tackles, 3.5 TFLs (1 sack), 1 PBU, 2 FF
Khalia Hackett (6'2, 230, So.) -- 6.5 tackles

Arkansas had to replace its two best defensive linemen and stalwart linebacker Martrell Spaight this past offseason, and while the Hogs have indeed been pretty good at preventing big plays (especially on the ground), their big-play prevention stats certainly suggest good pursuit on the part of the linebackers. Making the tackle eight yards downfield is still better than not making the tackle, I guess. Regardless, Arkansas either doesn't attack or doesn't successfully attack like it did last year.

CB
Jared Collins (5'11, 172, Jr.) -- 31.5 tackles, 0.5 TFL, 1 INT, 8 PBU, 1 FF
Henre' Toliver (6'1, 186, So.) -- 47.0 tackles, 4.0 TFL, 1 INT, 6 PBU

FS
Josh Liddell (6'1, 210, So.) -- 34.5 tackles, 0.5 TFL, 1 INT, 2 PBU, 1 FF
Santos Ramirez (6'2, 202, RSFr.) -- 25.0 tackles, 1 INT, 3 PBU

SS
Rohan Gaines (5'11, 195, Sr.) -- 46.5 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 INT, 1 PBU
Kevin Richardson (6'0, 175, So.) -- 28.5 tackles, 1 INT, 3 PBU

CB
D.J. Dean (5'11, 202, Jr.) -- 28.0 tackles, 1.5 TFL (0.5 sacks), 2 INT, 3 PBU
Ryan Pulley (5'11, 210, Fr.) -- 5.5 tackles, 2 PBU

Arkansas' havoc rate has fallen from 20.3 percent to 14.9, 86th in the country. The secondary, however, ranks 67th. Three different cornerbacks have defensed at least five passes, and the safeties have been semi-active. But the pass rush really is a detriment, and the coverage has been glitchier than expected. Opponents have completed an incredible 67 percent of their passes in 2015 -- if an Arkansas defender isn't getting a hand on the pass, it's finding its man for a completion.

So ... is this something Missouri can take advantage of? Maybe? Mizzou will likely face pressure to keep up in a shootout (or whatever a Missouri version of a shootout is this year ... both teams in the 20s?), which could bring out the best in Drew Lock and the young receivers, or it could lead to him forcing the issue and making mistakes. This Arkansas defense can be victimized if the Missouri offense is keeping itself in control. We'll see.

Special Teams

K
Cole Hedlund (5'10, 165, RSFr.) -- 48-48 PAT, 7-10 FG under 40, 1-3 FG over 40

P
Toby Baker (6'3, 202, Jr.) -- 36 punts, 41.0 average, 16 fair caught, 19 inside 20

KO
Lane Saing (5'8, 170, So.) -- 61 kickoffs, 61.7 average, 10 touchbacks

KR
Dominique Reed (6'3, 180, Jr.) -- 8 KR, 22.9 average (long: 40)
Ryder Lucas (6'0, 189, RSFr.)

PR
D.J. Dean (5'11, 202, Jr.) -- 7 PR, 13.3 average (long: 45)
Jared Cornelius (5'11, 202, So.) -- 4 PR, 22.0 average (long: 43)

Arkansas' special teams unit hasn't been much better than Missouri's. The Tigers currently rank 108th in special teams efficiency, but the Hogs rank only 108th -- 59th in punt returns, 62nd in kickoffs, 74th in kick returns, 90th in punting, and an abysmal 118th in field goals.

It's probably asking too much for Missouri's return game to cease being a detriment this late in the season, but as long as D.J. Dean or Jared Cornelius is unable to break a strong punt return, this could still be a category in which Missouri can break even.