The much anticipated 2021 football season kicks off on Saturday as the Missouri Tigers play host to Central Michigan at 3:00 PM at Faurot Field. The Tigers could be primed for a breakout season under second year head coach Eli Drinkwitz but Mizzou must first contend with a very apt opponent in the Chippewas.
5 things Mizzou fans should know about Central Michigan
- Coach Jim McElwain has done a great job turning things around at Central Michigan. The Chippewas went 1-11 in 2018 before hiring McElwain, the former SEC coach of the year during his time at Florida. Since then, the team has made immense strides, making it to the MAC Championship game in 2019 which earned McElwain MAC coach of the year honors.
- Speaking of McElwain, it was reported by FootballScoop.com that McElwain was a candiate for the Mizzou head coaching job back in 2019 prior to the hiring of Eli Drinkwitz.
- The CMU QB Saturday will likely be former Washington Husky Jacob Sirmon. For those that don’t recall, Sirmon was formally the #1 ranked player in the state of Washington and the #6 pro-style QB back in 2018. Sirmon played sparingly for the Huskies throughout this career and, although, he has not officially been named the starter, but all signs point to him finally getting his chance at the college level.
- The Chips run the ball very well. They did lose previous 1,000 yard rusher Kobe Lewis to injury for the season, but Lew Nichols lead the team in rushing back in 2020, racking up over 500 yards in just six games. If you are looking for the team’s primary receiving target, look no further than Virginia Tech transfer Kalil Pimpleton, who led the Chips in receiving a year ago.
- Mizzou should have a field day through the air. Central Michigan ranked 120th out of 130 FBS teams against the pass a season ago. This appears to be a great opportunity for Connor Bazelak to get in rhythm with his receiving corpse. This seems like a tremendous opportunity for young players like Dominic Lovett and Mookie Cooper to get some targets as they begin to work their way into the offense.
Overall, this, obviously, is a game Missouri should win. That said, Central Michigan is not a team to be taken lightly and they are capable of making a game of it should Mizzou fail to bring its A-game. A loss would completely zap the program out of a lot of the momentum it’s been building since Drinkwitz arrived. While a win isn’t going to tell you a whole lot about the team, it will provide the necessary confidence heading into a very important game next week at Kentucky.
Mizzou vs. Central Michigan
3:00 at Faruot Field, Columbia Missouri.
Betting odds Mizzou -13.5
TV SEC Network
Tickets available at mutigers.com
