Behind Enemy Lines: Q&A with Missouri Football Writer
Jack Soble, a football writer for the Columbia Missourian, answered our questions in preparation for the Gasparilla Bowl matchup between Wake Forest and Missouri. Soble can be followed on Twitter @jacksoble56. Read his answers below:
What players, on either side of the ball, are most impactful for Missouri?
"Offensively, Missouri’s most impactful player entered the transfer portal last week — Dominic Lovett. He was their offensive MVP all season, and it wasn't particularly close. He had 846 yards in the SEC. He's gone.
With Lovett gone, one Missouri’s best offensive weapons is QB Brady Cook running the ball. Don't be fooled looking at him. He is an outstanding runner. He's a tough guy who will fight for every extra yard. He's physical. He's tough to bring down for a quarterback. They've started to use him more in the design run game. They started to get him moving outside the pocket to help an offensive line that has looked a little bit overmatched this season.
READ: Wake Forest Football vs Missouri - Line, Preview and Predictions
The other big offensive weapon for Missouri is WR Luther Burden. Five-star recruit, top five in the country. You can see everything is there for him. When he gets the ball in his hands, he is incredibly hard to tackle. He will run through you, he will run around you, he will pass you. The issue with Burton this year is that he's still very raw as a pure receiver. So he's struggled getting open downfield against some of the good teams. He hasn't really been too much of a factor in the downfield passing game.
Defensively, Kris Abrams-Draine from Alabama. He is in his second year playing corner, he was a receiver when he came into the program. He has really turned into one of the best cornerbacks in the SEC. He is a PBU machine.
Ty'Ron Hopper is the big playmaker in the middle of the field. They got him as a transfer from Florida last year."
Are there any major players out due to the transfer portal or injury?
"Injuries, the one that comes to mind is OL EJ Ndoma-Ogar, who had started a couple games for the Tigers down the stretch at right guard and was playing pretty well before he got rolled up on. He recently had surgery, he's gonna be out.
Safety Joseph Charleston missed the last game of the regular season against Arkansas, but they expect him back. WR Barrett Banister also missed the Arkansas game, but they expect him back for the bowl game.
In terms of opt outs, they're definitely losing DL DJ Coleman, DL Isaiah McGuire and DB Martez Manuel. The guys they could lose are safety Jaylon Carlies and DL Darius Robinson."
With Wake Forest’s dynamic offense, what schemes or approach will Missouri bring to combat that?
"The place Mizzou has run into trouble has been if a team has an elite slot receiver, that's where the system can kind of struggle. The basic principle is that they have a guy who plays a star position. It's basically a glorified hybrid safety linebacker who will play in the box against heavy formations and will play out in the slot against wide formations. It's great.
READ: Texas lands Wake Forest transfer DB Gavin Holmes
If a team is reliant on tight end play, he'll cover tight ends. It's great if it's a team who's reliant on the run game and the play action game. And it's great if a team is reliant on outside receiver play because they're outside corners — Ennis Rakestraw and Abrams-Draine — have been excellent this year.
Where they've gotten into trouble is against a team like Tennessee who has two great slot receivers. They got burned down the field in the slot. The key to beating this defense is elite slot receiver play."
What are some of the keys to the Missouri offense overpowering Wake’s defense?
"Don't screw up. I guess it sounds simple, but QB Brady Cook has made a lot of great plays with his arm and his legs. The mess ups have been what gets him into trouble. He threw two key interceptions against Florida that probably cost them the game.
If he's playing mistake-free football, if he's running the offense, if he's making plays within the scheme — and the occasional play where he'll scramble and find someone down the field — he's good. He’s good both inside and outside of structure. He's just gotta refrain from those back-breaking mistakes."
What’s the vibe around the team, turning the season around in the back half and making a bowl game?
"It totally depends on who you ask. If you ask a pessimist, they will say this has been a season of missed opportunities. And Missouri probably should be better than the record than the record is right now. But they aren't because they’ve blown games at the end. People will point to Auburn, in addition to getting blown out by Kansas State and Tennessee.
On the other hand, they looked dead in the water in terms of making a bowl game. After the bye week, Missouri was 2-4, and they finished strong. They beat South Carolina on the road and beat a decent Arkansas team. They eked out a rivalry game and they got bowl eligible. So the optimist will tell you that they finished strong and they look good for next season."
What about the fanbase? Will they travel for the bowl game?
"They will not. Mizzou doesn’t travel super well."
READ: Wake Forest transfer RB Quinton Cooley commits to Liberty
Score Prediction?
"It’s not going to be normal, I’ll tell you that. I don’t think Mizzou has played a normal game this season. If Carlies ends up playing this bowl game, that's going to be pretty huge because they don't really have any depth [in the secondary].
The key is going to be Mizzou’s secondary against Wake’s pass offense. If Missouri’s pass corners are at the top of their game, which I expect them to be, that will go a long way. Wake’s pass rush will test how far Mizzou’s offensive line has come. It’ll be interesting to see how Missouri holds up against an uncommon opponent.
I have no clue who's gonna win this game. I'm not going to pretend to know that answer. It should be fun and weird. Perfect bowl season.
27-24, either team."
Follow @DeaconsDaily on Twitter and Instagram for more Wake Forest content
Essex is the lead football writer and a managing editor for Deacons Daily. Essex served as the Sports Editor for the Old Gold & Black for two years, in addition to roles as a beat and feature writer.