Dolezal: Mizzou offense to be too much for Huskers

The Missouri Tigers host the Nebraska Cornhuskers in a game that will be nationally televised by ESPN. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:15 p.m. Saturday night at Faurot Field in Columbia. The game will go a long way in setting the order of the teams in the North Division of the Big 12 Conference.

Missouri is 4-0 on the year, with wins over Illinois, Mississippi, Western Michigan and Illinois State. While those teams will not be mistaken for squads that will be playing in the BCS Championship Series, it represents a good start to 2007 for the Tigers.

Gary Pinkel leads the Tigers. Pinkel has had a less than impressive career in Columbia. He is 41-35 in his seventh season as the coach of the Tigers. The Huskers lead the all-time series 63-34-3. The coach that has his team better prepared will put his team in front of the conference race in this key matchup.

Missouri is known for a big-play offense. The catalyst is quarterback Chase Daniel (6-feet, 225 pounds, Junior). Daniel has good running skills and throws the ball extremely well. So far in 2007, Daniel is 116 of 174 (65.9 percent) throwing the ball with 13 touchdowns and four interceptions.

Daniels averages 327.8 yards passing per game. He also averages 29 yards rushing per contest. The biggest skill that Daniel has on the field is his leadership. If he plays well, the Husker defense will have a long evening.

The ground attack of the Tigers averages exactly 200 yards per contest. Tailback Tony Temple (5-9, 205, Sr.) has the ability to score from anywhere on the field. Temple averages 101 yards of total offense per game. He leads the team with 353 yards rushing this season and four touchdowns, including three on the ground. Four Tigers average at least 29 yards rushing per contest this year. That balance will test the Blackshirts.

The Tigers have tremendous depth and balance in their passing game. A pair of tight ends with great bloodlines will be the biggest challenge for the Husker secondary to keep in check. Martin Rucker (6-6, 255, Sr.) is a huge target with deep speed at tight end. Martin is the younger brother of former Nebraska defensive end Mike Rucker, who has had a long and storied NFL career with the Carolina Panthers. Martin Rucker leads Missouri with 29 receptions for 330 yards this season.

His partner, Chase Coffman (6-6, 245, Jr.) is also a major talent. Coffman's father, Paul, was a star at Kansas State and had a solid career in the NFL as a tight end, primarily with the Green Bay Packers. Chase Coffman has 18 catches in 2007, one of five Tigers with at least 10 grabs this year.

Wide receiver William Franklin (6-2, 205, Sr.) is the deep threat in the passing game. He leads Missouri with 16.4 yards per catch and four touchdowns. Jeremy Maclin (6-1, 200, Fr.) rounds out the receiving corps with 21 catches, good for second on the team.

The offensive line has the job of giving Daniel time to pick apart the secondary of the opponent. As a group, the Tiger offensive line has allowed only five sacks in 188 pass attempts this season.

Missouri has a very big offensive line. No Tiger is under 6-3 and 305 pounds from tackle to tackle. Left tackle Tyler Luellen (6-7, 310, Sr.) and right tackle Colin Brown (6-8, 325, Jr.) do a solid job of keeping pass rushers from coming off the edge.

Missouri averages nearly 6-6 and 314 pounds across the front line.

The Missouri defense is not as strong as the talented Tiger offense. The Tiger defense gives up 434.5 yards per game of total offense, including 275.8 yards per contest through the air. The 4-3 defensive look is led by a pair of linebackers.

On the weakside, Sean Weatherspoon (6-1, 240, So.) leads the team with 38 total tackles. Middle linebacker Brock Christopher (6-2, 245, Jr.) is second on the team with 34 stops.

The big-play man on the defensive line is end Stryker Sulak (6-5, 250, Jr.). Sulak has three sacks in leading the team with 4.5 tackles for losses. The defensive line may be vulnerable to the running game if the Huskers can find a consistent offensive rhythm.

The Tiger secondary will give up a great deal of yards. Strong safety Justin Garrett (6-2, 210, Jr.) has a pair of interceptions, as does free safety William Moore (6-1, 220, Jr.). At a cornerback spot is Darnell Terrell (6-3, 205, Sr.). His size will be important if Missouri is going to contain a very balanced Nebraska passing attack.

Cornelius "Pig" Brown (5-11, 205, Sr.) is always around the ball. He and Moore each have 33 tackles in the secondary. Brown also is a demon as a punt blocker.

On special teams, Jeff Wolfert (6-2, 185, Jr.) is only 5 of 9 on field goals (55.6 percent). He is perfect on 21 extra point attempts. Punter Adam Crossett (6-3, 225, Sr.) has been a weak link for the Tigers, averaging only 33.8 yards on 15 punts. With the solid Tiger offense, Crossett does not have to punt often.

Maclin is a home run hitter in the return game, averaging 16.7 yards on 12 punt returns including two touchdowns. The Husker coverage units must be sure tacklers on Saturday night.

Nebraska will be thoroughly tested by the Tigers. Both defenses will give up some some points. If the Huskers are to win, they will have to run the ball effectively and keep the ball away from Missouri. That also will mean the Big Red cannot lose the turnover battle.

Missouri will have a raucous crowd behind them that will help the Tigers to a 37-24 win over Nebraska.

Jim Dolezal is a local Husker football fanatic as well as a part-time sports writer for the Telegram. He will analyze the Huskers' opposition from a hometown perspective every Thursday throughout the season.