The 2021 Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl features the 8-4 Army Black Knights against the 6-6 Missouri Tigers. Here is the 2021 Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl Preview.
Army has once again found success under long-time head coach Jeff Monken. The Black Knights will be going for 9 wins for the 4th time under Monken’s leadership. Army is 3-1 in bowl games under Monken, winning the first three with a loss last year in the Liberty Bowl to West Virginia.
Army enters the game tied at 27th in the country with 33.6 points per game. They run the bulk of their offense by the run game as has been the trend in recent years. They are second in the country with 286.4 yards coming on the ground per game.
Marquel Broughton (20), photo by gwinettdailypost.com
Army will use multiple weapons in the ground game that features five different players eclipsing 300 yards rushing. Senior quarterback Christian Anderson comes in with 586 yards on the ground with 653 through the air. Tyhier Tyler will also get a lot of action with 478 on the ground. Sophomore running back Tyrell Robinson is the leader on the team in the ground attack with 603 yards.
The defense has been strong as well this year. They come in at 36 in points allowed with 22.3 per game. They rank 37th in the pass defense but 13th in rush defense. Marquel Broughton is tied for the team lead in interceptions with two and second on the team in tackles with 56.
It’s year two of the Eliah Drinkwitz era and the Tigers have made back-to-back bowl games after missing in 2019. The Music City Bowl was canceled last year, however, so this will be Drinkwitz’s first bowl game in his time at Columbia.
Sophomore quarterback Connor Bazelak didn’t show much improvement in his sophomore year as the Tigers led a relatively balanced attack between the rushing game and passing game. Both sides of the offense rank outside of the top 50. Senior running back Tyler Badie did have a breakout year, leading the SEC in rushing at 1604 yards.
Tyler Badie (Photo by saturdaydownsouth.com)
It’s the defense that’s been a massive problem for the Tigers. Missouri ranks 116 in the country in scoring defense. The passing offense has been okay at 66th in the country, allowing 232.8 yards per game. However, Army is a running team. And Missouri has been gashed against the run allowing 228.8 yards per game, good for 125th in the country.
The Tigers will need the defense to find their stride in the 13th game of the season if they want o hold Army down. Badie, Bazelak and the offense will be able to put up enough points to win a normal scoring game. It will just depend on Missouri’s ability to stop Army’s high-powered rushing game.
Unfortunately, after 12 games of proof that Missouri’s defense just can’t figure it out, it’s hard to believe the Tigers will in the postseason. More importantly, the Tigers are very susceptible to the run, which is all Army does. The Black Knights should be able to take this one.
Army Black Knights: 38, Missouri Tigers: 30
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