For those looking for the general makeup of this matchup, it's a meeting of the 96th-ranked passing offense versus the 124th-ranked passing offense. That's a good place to start here. Both teams rely on clock control and defensive efficiency to win ballgames to win games, and it paid off for the better part of the 2014 season: Minnesota finished behind Wisconsin in the Big Ten divisional standings while Missouri overcame a loss to Indiana and a Georgia beatdown to reach the SEC title game for the second straight season.
In two different conferences, these two programs are basically mirror images of one another. Minnesota was more efficient on offense, Missouri the better defensive unit. Both teams are well-coached and avoid mistakes. Neither team won the regular season's sprint or its marathon, but they did keep pace for long stretches.
So which team can force the other out of its comfort zone?
The Tigers and Golden Gophers both rank in the top-25 nationally in turnover margin, so look for whichever team that forces the most turnovers -- or, more appropriately given the matchup, avoids them -- to come out ahead. With big plays likely in short supply, this looks like a game defined by drive efficiency and execution.
Shane Ray, Missouri
In each of the past two games, Ray, the Tigers' 6-foot-3 junior pass rusher, put a late hit on an opposing quarterback. He got away with it in a win over Arkansas that sent the Tigers to the SEC Championship game. The second time around, a vicious targeting penalty after Alabama's Blake Sims tossed a touchdown pass, he was ejected from the game in Atlanta. The Tigers will need him wreaking havoc in opposing backfields -- Ray's specialty -- without the after-the-whistle repercussions.
One thing is unquestionable: Ray is one of the top pass rushers in the country, and Minnesota's offensive line will have to account for him at every turn.
Ray ranks behind only Arizona's Scooby Wright III and Washington's Hau'oli Kikaha in terms of total tackles for loss (21 in 13 games). His 12.5 sacks rank sixth nationally. Redshirt junior left tackle Josh Campion looks like he'll have his hands full.
1: Minnesota beat San Jose State 24-7 in its fourth game this season while throwing the ball just seven times. The Gophers completed one pass in that game. It went for seven yards. And while they've noticeably improved in that area from that result it offers some insight as to the types of games Minnesota can (and is willing to) win.
55: In four games against opponents ranked at the time of the game, Missouri finished the regular season with a 2-2 record. However, with close wins over Texas A&M and South Carolina and blowout losses at the hands of Georgia and Alabama, the Tigers were outscored in those games by total margin of 55 points.
This projects to be one of the lower-scoring games of the bowl season, a expectation that serves as both a compliment to these two defenses and an indictment of lackluster offenses that aim more to control clock than alter scoreboards. It's a style that suits both coaches, Jerry Kill (Minnesota) and Gary Pinkel (Missouri), and has led to 18 combined wins in 2014.
While the Golden Gophers have a knack for keeping games close -- three losses to Illinois, Ohio State and Wisconsin came by an average margin of a touchdown -- this Missouri roster features more overall talent and big-game experience. Gary Pinkel has won four of his past six bowl games, including last season's Cotton Bowl, and his defense should deliver yet another victory here.
