Missouri Football: Previewing the Miami (OH) Matchup

The Missouri Tigers football team will kick off the 2011 college football season with a match-up against the Miami (OH) Redhawks.

Missouri will try to win 10 or more games for the fourth time in the last five seasons. The Redhawks will be looking for their second consecutive season of 10+ wins.

The game features a Missouri team that lost its starting quarterback, Blaine Gabbert, to the NFL. They’ll need replacement James Franklin to step up and have a big year.

That’s the major storyline for Saturday’s game, but there will be plenty of other things to watch for.

Here’s a preview of Saturday’s match-up between the Big 12 and the MAC.

James Franklin, QB

Franklin has some big shoes to fill with Blaine Gabbert gone.

But, he has the potential to exceed every expectation placed on him.

He’s poised off the field and a quote machine for the media. He’s not going to lose his cool during a game, meaning the Tigers have a strong leader to look to for guidance.

He’ll lead the Tigers to a successful 2011 season.

T.J. Moe and Michael Egnew

Moe and Egnew were two major breakout players in college football in 2010.

They both return in 2011, looking to improve on their great 2010 seasons.

Egnew could end up being the best tight end in college this year and Moe should continue to be a solid target for Franklin.

Key Players for Miami (OH)

Austin Boucher and Zac Dysert look to lead the Redhawks from the quarterback position in 2011.

Dysert will be the starter, returning from a season in which he threw for more than 2,400 yards.

However, in place of an injured Dysert, Boucher stepped in and had a solid stretch of games, throwing for more than 1,000 yards.

Meanwhile, Nick Harwell will lead the receiving corps after posting 871 yards and six touchdowns a season ago.

The Dysert/Harwell combo will be something for the Missouri defense to watch out for.

Last Year for Mizzou

In 2010, the Tigers finished with a record of 10-3.

That season culminated with a loss to Iowa in the Insight Bowl.

The Tigers’ only two regular season losses came at Nebraska and at Texas Tech.

Last Year for Miami (OH)

The Redhawks finished 10-4 last season, defeating Northern Illinois in the MAC Championship game.

Two of their losses came against ranked teams, Florida and Missouri.

They ended their season with a bowl victory against Middle Tennessee in the GoDaddy.com Bowl.

Miami's Big Turnaround

In 2009, the Redhawks finished the season with a record of 1-11.

They followed that up with an impressive 10-4 record in 2010.

That marked the first time a team had ever gone from one win to double-digit wins in the span of one year.

The turnaround landed coach Mike Haywood a new job at Pitt, but he has since been fired from that job.

Series History

Mizzou and Miami (OH) have only played one previous time. That meeting was last season in Missouri.

The Tigers won that contest by a score of 51-13.

TV Listings/Game Time

Game time: 11:10 a.m. Central time

TV: Fox Sports Midwest

Final Score Prediction

The Redhawks are a program that is heading in the right direction, but they still have no shot of beating the Tigers.

Mizzou is nationally-ranked and is trying to earn a surprise BCS berth. They won't let Miami (OH) come in and ruin things for them in Week One.

Prediction: Mizzou 45, Miami (OH) 10