Iowa Offense vs. Missouri Defense
| Category | Iowa O: Stat | Iowa O: Rank | Missouri D: Stat | Missouri D: Rank | Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rushing Yards | 142 | 76 | 146.92 | 56 |  |
| Passing Yards | 237.42 | 45 | 203.75 | 38 | - |
| Passing Efficiency | 158.38 | 10 | 108.2 | 10 | - |
| Sacks | 1.67 | 43 | 3.08 | 6 | |
| Total Yards | 379.42 | 61 | 350.67 | 42 | - |
| Scoring | 29.08 | 49 | 18 | 6 | + |
| Turnovers | 9 | 1 | 27 | 19 | - |
| 3rd Down Conversion | 45.58 | 26 | 39.06 | 55 |  |
| Red Zone % | 0.89 | 11 | 0.55 | 1 | - |
Missouri has a very aggressive and effective defense. They do give up some yardage, but capitalize on big plays and are devastating in the redzone. As a result, the Tigers are allowing less than 20 points per game.
The reason the defense is so effective is that they generate a lot of pressure by being aggressive with blitzes. They average over 3 sacks per game. The pressure also lead to takeaways and easy to defend short passes.
The key for Iowa will be to extremely effective on first down. KOK needs to keep Missouri off-balance and Iowa on track for third-and-short. Missouri's only weakness has been against the run, so Coker will need to have a big game. Nebraska's Roy Helu Jr. ran for over 300 yards in the Huskers victory over Missouri.
Overall Advantage: Missouri
Iowa Defense vs. Missouri Offense
| Category | Iowa D: Stat | Iowa D: Rank | Missouri O: Stat | Missouri O: Rank | Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rushing Yards | 103.5 | 6 | 162.92 | 48 | + |
| Passing Yards | 213.58 | 55 | 238.17 | 43 | - |
| Passing Efficiency | 112.46 | 18 | 126.54 | 68 | + |
| Sacks | 1.67 | 82 | 1.67 | 43 | |
| Total Yards | 317.08 | 15 | 401.08 | 45 | |
| Scoring | 23 | 7 | 30.33 | 44 | |
| Turnovers | 22 | 48 | 16 | 18 | |
| 3rd Down Conversion | 38.95 | 53 | 37.13 | 82 | |
| Red Zone % | 0.76 | 24 | 0.88 | 16 | - |
Missouri's offense all starts with quarterback Blaine Gabbert. He's not extremely mobile, but is effective running the ball when appropriate. He also spreads the ball around very well. Missouri has 14 players with a reception this year, though there are 4 guys that get the majority of the balls. A lot of the passes are quick throws on short routes. So, I would imagine that Missouri will have some success moving the ball down the field against Iowa's defense. The Tigers haven't been great on 3rd down however, so it will be important that Iowa gets them off the field when given the opportunity.
Missouri use multiple running backs, but none are really a huge threat, though the all average over 5 yards per carry. And as I mentioned, Gabbert will run the ball, but is not anything like Denard Robinson or even Terrelle Pryor.
Overall Advantage: Iowa
Iowa Special Teams vs. Missouri Special Teams
| Category | Iowa ST: Stat | Iowa ST: Rank | Missouri ST: Stat | Missouri ST: Rank | Advantage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kick Returns | 24.68 | 15 | 21.93 | 60 | + |
| Punt Returns | 8.95 | 47 | 6.4 | 85 | |
| Net Punting | 38.15 | 30 | 38.9 | 14 | - |
| Field Goals | 12/15 | - | 16/18 | - | |
Grant Ressel is a very good kicker. He is 42 of 45 on field goals in his career and 16 of 18 this year. He missed one early in the season against Illinois and then his only other miss was one from 54 yards out. If that game turns out to be close, he could be Missouri's biggest advantage.
Overall Advantage: Missouri