Army beat Missouri to win the Armed Forces Bowl. Five thoughts and analysis of the game, and what it all means.
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Armed Forces Bowl: 5 Things That Matter
Final Score: Army 24, Missouri 22
CFN Prediction: Missouri 27, Army 21
Line: Army -9, o/u: 54
5. The running backs came through
Missouri had the two big storylines with starting quarterback Connor Bazelak benched, and with star running back Tyler Badie opting out. As it turned out, neither thing might have mattered all that much.
More on Part One in a moment. As far as Part Two the replacements did their jobs.
Elijah Young was quick, ripping off a game-high 75 yards. Dawson Downing ran for 69 yards. QB Brady Cook was dangerous with 53 yards. Badie would’ve made more of a difference, but the Tigers averaged well over five yards per carry.
On the other side, this was the Jakobi Buchanan show.
He only ran for 68 yards and a score on 21 carries, but he was the battering ram who kept converting on fourth downs and pushed through the Mizzou defensive front all game long.
He didn’t fumble. Army didn’t turn the ball over. However, Downing …
NEXT: The most frustrating game possible – for Missouri
4. The most frustrating game possible – for Missouri
Missouri has SEC talent.
It has the better all-around players, the better athletes, and the parts that should’ve been able to push past Army – and they almost did.
If you had told the Missouri coaches that Army would outgain the Tigers by 16 rushing yards, they’d have assumed it was an easy win.
Missouri’s offensive line destroyed Army’s defensive front – almost.
There were chances to keep drives alive – but Army’s D came through on a few huge fourth downs.
There were chances in the first half to put the game away – but Army’s D came through with a few huge stops. The…
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