COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Texas and Missouri are both very much in the mix for a spot in the College Football Playoff.
That probably won't be the case by Saturday night.
The 10th-ranked Longhorns will be visiting the No. 19 Tigers for the first time since 2011, when both were members of the Big 12, in what could be described as a de facto playoff elimination game. Both already have a pair of losses, leaving them a game back of the SEC lead, and bunched up
with four other conference schools that also have designs on a late-season playoff push.
Texas (6-2, 3-2) was seventh in the initial CFP rankings released this week. The Tigers (6-2, 3-2) came in at No. 18.
“We're built for this type of stuff. We know how to do it,” said Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian, who was doing a little politicking amid election season by pointing out his team is the only one in the country with three wins over current Top 25 teams.
The road is a tough one for the Longhorns the rest of the way. They're making only their second trip out of state this season, and after a three-game homestand, have three of their last four on the road — two of those against ranked opponents.
Everything else could be moot if they can't win in Columbia for the first time since Oct. 24, 2009.
"We’re not always the prettiest team right now, but we know how to be at our best when our best is needed,” Sarkisian said.
The Tigers have similarly ping-ponged between pretty and pretty ugly. In just their last five games, they've soundly beaten Florida and Texas A&M, blew a late lead at Mississippi State, were routed 31-3 by Ole Miss and hammered Arkansas 34-10.
“I'll say I'm most proud of how we're staying together,” Missouri safety Santana Banner said. “There's been points in the season where there's been situations where we haven't played our best, and we still haven't gave up. We responded. Everyone's bought in, everybody is fighting for each other.”
Texas could be missing a number of injured players on Saturday: pass rusher Colin Simmons hasn't played the past two games with an ankle sprain yet still leads the SEC with 10 1/2 sacks; wide receivers Cam Coleman and Ryan Wingo left the Mississippi State game with injuries; primary running back Hollywood Smothers has been dealing with shoulder and knee injuries; and defensive backs Kade Phillips (groin) and Graceson Littleton (knee) could be out.
Missouri All-American running back Ahmad Hardy played last week for the first time since getting shot as an innocent bystander outside of a Mississippi concert over the summer. He played five snaps in the game, carrying the ball twice for five yards. Jamal Roberts continues to be the lead back. He ran for 138 yards against the Razorbacks, putting him over 1,000 for the season.
Missouri wide receiver Cayden Lee, like quarterback Austin Simmons a transfer from Ole Miss, leads the SEC with 756 yards receiving. But Donovan Olugbode's star has been on the rise. He caught five passes for 50 yards and his league-leading seventh score of the season in last week's win at Arkansas. Olugbode has caught at least five passes in every game but one.
“He's put in a lot of work to develop a relationship and a rapport with Austin,” Tigers coach Eli Drinkwitz said, “and he knows that there’s things he’s got to continue to work on. It’ll be a tough matchup this week, you know, depending on how they move around the corner position and who’s available.”
Texas linebacker Rasheem Biles has been the SEC co-defensive player of the week each of the last two weeks. He had eight tackles, three sacks and two forced fumbles against Mississippi State, and has become the Longhorns' top playmaker with Simmons still dealing with his ankle injury.
Texas has allowed 24 sacks this season, already surpassing the 23 it allowed all of last season. But the Longhorns are keeping drives alive thanks to quarterback Arch Manning’s running on scripted plays and scrambles. He’s run for crucial first downs that kept scoring drives going in each of the last two games, though Manning also has taken some big hits.
“You can’t just play drop coverage because he does a great job of scrambling,” Drinkwitz said. "The challenge is, you know, figure out what we do, get a plan, play with great fundamentals, play with great execution and effort, let the chips fall where they may.”
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