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NCAA Football

Missouri vs. Indiana: Game Preview With TV Schedule

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The Missouri Tigers are slowly creeping up the college football rankings as they are winning and doing so quietly. If you’re a team like Missouri, being a quiet winner early in the season is a good thing because then you can pounce on the tough SEC unsuspectingly. The Tigers will look to sweep their non-conference schedule heading into SEC play next week.

This was supposed to be the year that the Indiana Hoosiers put it all together and started to contend for a division title. Sure, nobody expected the Hoosiers to win the loaded Big Ten East, but losing to Bowling Green in the second game of the season has everyone picking against Indiana moving forward. A win against a tough SEC foe could change that.

Missouri is in its first season in quite a bit of time without an experienced quarterback under center. Maty Mauk got some playing time when James Franklin went down with an injury last season, but the sophomore has very little starting experience — but he does have the talent needed. Mauk has been solid in his second collegiate season, passing for 647 yards and an astounding 12 touchdowns while completing 62 percent of his passes. The sophomore quarterback has already thrown more touchdown passes in 2014 than he did in all of 2013. He has also rushed for another 83 yards and a score. Bud Sasser happens to be the favorite target of the young QB, catching 12 passes for 215 yards and four touchdowns while Darius White is close behind with 10 catches for 179 yards and three scores. The run game is no slouch, either, as Russell Hansbrough has been solid with 258 yards and two touchdowns on 47 carries.

Indiana was one of the premier passing teams in the Big Ten last season, but to start the 2014 campaign, the Hoosiers have been very run-happy. Surprisingly enough, Tevin Coleman has been the main bright spot on offense, leading the fourth-ranked rushing attack in the nation with 437 yards and five touchdowns on 9.3 yards per carry in two games. Coleman isn’t the only one getting into the act as D’Angelo Roberts is also joining the impressive run game with 149 yards and a touchdown of his own. The Hoosiers average about 345 yards of rushing offense per game. Nate Sudfeld is in his second year as the team’s starting quarterback, passing for 458 yards but just one touchdown and one interception. Shane Wynn has been Sudfeld’s favorite target, catching 12 of his passes for 147 yards while J-Shun Harris caught the junior quarterback’s only touchdown pass.

Defensively, the Hoosiers have struggled a bit this season, even against lesser opponents from non-power conferences. Indiana ranks 83rd in the nation in points allowed per game with 27.5 and the Hoosiers are in the bottom half of the nation in terms of yards allowed per game with 370.5. Missouri, on the other hand, ranks 22nd in the nation, allowing just 17.3 points per game as well as proving to be a bit more impressive in opponents’ yards per game with 357.3 per contest.

Indiana will travel to Missouri to take on the Tigers at 4 p.m. EST on Saturday, Sept. 20. The game will be broadcasted on the SEC Network.

PREDICTION: Indiana 27, Missouri 39

Connor Muldowney is a columnist for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Connormuldowney, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google. You can also reach him at [email protected].

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