SHREVEPORT, Louisiana (Ticker) -- Missouri and Arkansas meet for the first time in 40 years when they match up at the MainStay Independence Bowl.
Despite being from neighboring states, the Tigers and Razorbacks have met just three times, with Missouri holding a 2-1 advantage. The teams have not faced each other since Missouri posted a 7-6 triumph at Little Rock in 1963.
The Tigers (8-4) opened their season with four straight victories but have alternated losses and wins since. Missouri ended its regular season with a 45-7 home rout of Iowa State on November 29.
The Tigers, who went 4-4 in Big 12 Conference action, are playing in a bowl game for the first time since 1998, when it beat West Virginia in the Insight Bowl.
Sophomore quarterback Brad Smith needs only 178 passing yards to become the first player in NCAA history to twice surpass 2,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in a season. Senior Zack Abron has run for 1,018 yards, giving the Tigers two 1,000 rushers in the same season for the first time.
The Razorbacks (8-4) split their eight Southeastern Conference games and rank seventh nationally in rushing yards per game (237.08). Missouri is eighth (236.25).
Arkansas had a streaky regular season, winning its first four games, then losing three in a row, then winning four straight before getting routed at Louisiana State, 55-24, on Thanksgiving weekend.
Razorbacks quarterback Matt Jones has gained 1,868 yards in the air and 633 on the ground, while Cedric Cobbs has rushed for 1,179 yards on just 200 carries.
All-American offensive tackle Shawn Andrews, who was suffering from a sinus infection, was not cleared to play by doctors. Published reports also claimed that Andrews, projected as a first-round NFL draft pick, would have been declared academically ineligible for the game.
