COLUMBIA, Mo. – No. 23 University of Missouri football closes out its 2024 regular season slate with Senior Day on Saturday in the latest installment of the Battle Line Rivalry, presented by Shelter Insurance, against Arkansas on Faurot Field.
Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. CT, and the game will be broadcast live on SEC Network and Tiger Radio Network.
Twenty-seven Mizzou seniors are set to be honored prior to their final contest at Memorial Stadium on Saturday: Luke Bauer, JR Blood, Marcus Bryant, Luther Burden III, Marcus Carroll, Joseph Charleston, Marcus Clarke, Mookie Cooper, Corey Flagg Jr., Trey Flint, Drake Heismeyer, Cam’Ron Johnson, Tre’Vez Johnson, Chris Kreh, Jack Meyer, Joe Moore, Triston Newson, Nate Noel, Will Norris, Tyler Stephens, Mitchell Walters, and Sidney Williams as well as team captains Brady Cook, Chuck Hicks, Johnny Walker Jr., Theo Wease Jr. and Kristian Williams.
Saturday’s SEC Network broadcast will feature Taylor Zarzour, Matt Stinchcomb, and Alyssa Lang on the call. The game can also be heard on the Tiger Radio Network from LEARFIELD through the Varsity Network mobile app and Sirius XM channel 119 or 191.
HOW TO FOLLOW
Arkansas (6-5, 3-4 SEC) at [23] Missouri (8-3, 4-3 SEC)
Saturday, November 30, 2024 • 2:30 p.m. CT
Columbia, Mo. • Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium (62,621)
TELEVISION • SECN
RADIO • Tiger Radio Network from LEARFIELD
GAME NOTES • Missouri Notes • Arkansas Notes
LIVE STATS • MUTigers.com
TWITTER • @MizzouFootball
PROMOTION • Fans Encouraged to Wear Black
INTERVIEWS • Coach Drinkwitz Weekly Press Conference | Brady Cook Pre-Practice Interview | Will Norris Pre-Practice Interview | Johnny Walker Jr. Pre-Practice Interview
GAME NOTES
Missouri, which holds an 11-4 series edge, enters Saturday’s game seeking its third-straight win over Arkansas and its ninth victory over the Razorbacks in 12 Southeastern Conference meetings.
Mizzou’s senior class has compiled 31 victories over the last four seasons, including a 22-5 record on Faurot Field.
Head coach Eliah Drinkwitz notched his 36th win at Mizzou with the Tigers’ victory at Mississippi State last Saturday; He enters the regular-season finale one win away from matching Dan Devine‘s program record for wins through the first five seasons of a Mizzou head coaching tenure.
MU is seeking its first undefeated home season since it went 6-0 on Faurot Field in 2010; The Tigers also have a chance to make history with a win on Saturday to finish 7-0 at home for the first time in program history.
Heading into the game, the Tigers have won nine-straight home contests dating back to an Oct. 21, 2023 win over South Carolina; that nine-game home streak ranks as the eighth longest nationally and the third longest in the SEC.
Mizzou’s defense ranks among the nation’s best in several statistical categories, including first downs allowed (5th), 3rd down percentage (6th), passing yards allowed (18th), total defense (21st) and scoring defense (22nd).
DE Johnny Walker Jr. brings the nation’s longest active sack streak into Saturday’s game, with at least 0.5+ sacks in five-straight contests (dating back to Oct. 19 vs. Auburn).
With his 68-yard fumble return for a touchdown last Saturday at Mississippi State, S Daylan Carnell became the first Tiger to score a defensive TD in three consecutive seasons since S William Moore returned an interception for a touchdown in four-straight seasons from 2005-08.
The Tigers lead the SEC and rank seventh nationally in average time of possession (33:08) while also ranking second and tied for 15th, respectively, in fewest turnovers lost (9).
QB Brady Cook (8,558) ranks fourth on the Tigers’ all-time passing yardage list and enters Saturday’s game 241 yards behind Brad Smith for the No. 3 spot on MU’s career chart.
WR Luther Burden III (2,252) is 63 yards shy of breaking into the Tigers’ all-time top five for receiving yards; The junior has recorded a reception in 33 consecutive games, which is tied for the second-longest streak in Mizzou history.
Burden III ranks third in the SEC in receptions per game (5.45), while RB Nate Noel‘s 5.30 yards per carry is tied for the fifth best yards per rush average in the conference.
ARKANSAS AT A GLANCE
Missouri has dominated the Battle Line Rivalry with Arkansas, winning nine of the last 11 meetings dating back to the Tigers’ 38-7 rout in the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 1, 2008.
In spite of the lopsided record in favor of Mizzou, the Tigers have claimed several close victories over the Razorbacks since joining the SEC in 2012; Including its vacated 2016 win in Columbia, MU has picked up wins decided by seven points or less in five of its eight victories in the series over the same stretch.
In their nine wins over Arkansas since the 2007 season, the Tigers have averaged 36.0 points per contest, while allowing an average of just 20.3 ppg.
FEROCIOUS ON FAUROT
Missouri enters its final home game of the 2024 season with a perfect 6-0 record on Faurot Field this fall.
With a victory against Arkansas, Mizzou would notch its first 7-0 home finish, as well as its 15th perfect home slate on Faurot Field — and its first since 2010.
The Tigers have won 14 of their last 15 home games overall, dating back to a November 19, 2022 victory over New Mexico State.
Mizzou has owned its home turf in recent years against non-conference competition, winning each of its last 19 non-SEC games on Faurot Field since an October 21, 2017 victory over Idaho.
MU eclipsed the program record for consecutive non-conference home wins with its victory over Boston College on September 14.
Overall, the Tigers are 330-195-19 in 99 seasons at Memorial Stadium.
THE DRIVE FOR NINE
The Tigers enter their final regular-season contest with the opportunity to make history by securing their ninth victory.
Missouri’s 11-2 season just a year ago represented the ninth time in program history – and the first since 2014 – the Tigers reached the nine-win mark.
A ninth victory this season would give MU back-to-back nine-win seasons for the first time since 2013-14 and for just the third time in program history (2013-14 & 2007-08).
STREAKING TIGERS
DE Johnny Walker Jr. registered a sack for the fifth consecutive game Saturday at Mississippi State, raising his season total to a team-best 6.5.
Walker Jr.’s string of at least 0.5+ sacks in five-straight games is the longest current streak nationally.
Below is a breakdown of the other SEC players with such a streak
SEC Active Sack Streak
(Consecutive games with at least 0.5+ sacks)
NO. PLAYER TEAM GAMES
1. Johnny Walker Jr. Mizzou 5
2. Landon Jackson Arkansas 4
Suntarine Perkins Ole Miss 4
Princely Umanmielen Ole Miss 4
Walker Jr. (15.5) moved up to the No. 18 spot on Mizzou’s career sacks chart, matching the career totals of C.J. Mosley and Ziggy Hood.
In addition to Walker’s streak, Mizzou’s wide receiver duo of Luther Burden III and Theo Wease Jr. turned in big afternoons at MSU to extend streaks of their own.
Burden III recorded a reception in his 33rd consecutive contest with his seven catches for 91 yards; that represents the 16th longest current streak in the FBS, as well as the longest streak by a Tiger since Chase Coffman‘s school-record 43-game streak from Oct. 29, 2005 through Dec. 30, 2008.
His streak is also tied for the second-longest in Mizzou history, matching Justin Gage‘s 33-game streak from Sept. 2, 2000 through Nov. 23, 2002.
Wease Jr. has logged a catch in 25 consecutive contests, including all 24 games in which he has played as a Tiger.
The pair are one of just three duos nationally with at least one reception in 25+ consecutive games, joining Brant Kuith and Money Parks of Utah and Joey Hobert and Kole Wilson of Texas State.
FOLLOW THE TIGERS
For all the latest information on Mizzou Athletics, please visit MUTigers.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Tigers on X , Instagram and Facebook.
