Five Questions: Oklahoma vs Missouri
Welcome to Five Questions, a weekly article featuring insights from experts on the Oklahoma Sooners’ upcoming opponents. For week thirteen, Payton Guthrie spoke with Sammy Stava, writer for Rock M Nation, about what to expect from the Missouri Tigers against the Oklahoma Sooners as both teams start the ending stretch of the 2025 season.
FIVE QUESTIONS: OKLAHOMA VS. Missouri
Payton Guthrie - The Missouri Tigers are sitting at 7- 3 so far. Has the season lived up to pre-season expectations?
Sammy Stava - A 7-3 record through 10 games sounds about right for this Mizzou team. The Tigers have beaten the teams they’re supposed to beat but couldn’t quite breakthrough against Alabama, Vanderbilt, and Texas A&M.
Simply put -- Missouri is a good, but not great team. It’s kind of a disappointment that this team isn’t a College Football Playoff contender but not all that surprising. The over/under for this team in the preseason was set at 7.5 wins and they were picked 12th in the SEC preseason poll.
Payton Guthrie - What should OU fans expect to see when Missouri has the ball?
Sammy Stava - Expect a run-oriented offense when this current Mizzou team has the ball. That’s especially when true freshman QB Matt Zollers is expected to get the start and running back Ahmad Hardy leads the SEC in rushing yards. Hardy is coming off a 300-yard, 3 TD performance against Mississippi State and was recently named SEC Offensive Player of the Week.
For Missouri to have a chance to win in this one, they’ll need to rely heavily on the running game, and their backup RB Jamal Roberts provides great depth at the position.
Payton Guthrie - How will the Missouri Tigers attack the Sooners' offense?
Sammy Stava - Missouri’s defensive line unit will try to make John Mateer as uncomfortable as possible. Mizzou’s pass rush has been consistently good all season led by former five-star and Georgia transfer Damon Wilson leading the way. While the Tigers’ secondary was a weakness earlier this season, they have been improving as cornerback Toriano Pride Jr. was recently named SEC Defensive Player of the Week with a pick-6 against Mississippi State. The defense will need to be on their “A” game if Mizzou has any hopes of pulling off the upset.
Payton Guthrie - How do you see the game unfolding
Sammy Stava - On the road in Norman is going to be too much of a tall task for this Mizzou team. I think Missouri will make this game competitive, but the Sooners and John Mateer will be too much in the end. A low scoring game but Oklahoma will make the winning plays.
Payton Guthrie - Score Prediction?
Sammy Stava - 24-20 OU.