Missouri vs Wake Forest: 2022 Gasparilla Bowl preview, TV schedule

Can Missouri win a bowl game for the first time in 8 years? Will the Tigers be able to match Wake Forest’s offense in the 2022 Gasparilla Bowl? Can Brady Cook COOK without his primary offensive weapon? Can a solid rushing game for the Tigers help them keep pace with a Wake Forest offense?

TV Schedule: December 23rd, 6:30 P.M. on ESPN

Location: Raymond James Stadium

The Wake Forest Demon Deacons enter the 2022 Gasparilla Bowl with a record of 7-5. Their five losses on the season have come against NC State, Louisville, Duke, North Carolina, and Clemson. The Demon Deacons started off the season with a record of 3-0 before losing in a double overtime shootout to Clemson.

While the loss to the Tigers was tough, they rebounded a week later beating a solid Florida State team. Going into the better part of October, it seemed like the Demon Deacons would be one of the top teams in the ACC. After two straight victories against Army and Boston College, that narrative changed quickly.

They would lose to Louisville as the 10th-ranked team in the country, behind a Malik Cunningham show and lots of bad turnovers from Wake Forest. The week after, they would lose to NC State, as the rushing attack couldn’t support Wake Forest QB, Sam Hartman, at all, only having 17 total yards.

The Demon Deacons would continue their losing streak, losing to the Tar Heels in a game where they allowed more than 500 total offensive yards. Wake Forest finally put the losing streak to bed by beating a Syracuse team that was going down the same path, but was looking way worse.

To finish the regular season, the Demon Deacons couldn’t stop the Duke Blue Devils’ offense and weren’t able to prove that they were at least above average in the ACC this season. The Demon Deacons could have ended the season as one of the best teams in college football.

With talents like Sam Hartman at QB, this team had a shot to be notable this season (not saying they were gonna end up making the playoff). Still, this team faulted during the stretch of the season and is gonna end up in the 2022 Gasparilla Bowl.

I am really happy that Missouri made a bowl this season. They started the season off with an easy win against Louisiana Tech before getting bounced by future Big 12 conference winner, Kansas State. They finished off 75 percent on their non-conference schedule by beating Abilene Christian in a tune-up game.

In their first SEC game of the season, they lost to Auburn in an overtime game where I thought their bowl fates were decided.

The next week they almost beat the best team in the country, Georgia, as the Bulldogs’ offense stalled in the red zone among other issues. Honestly, there were the closest to beating Georgia. A week later, they almost beat Florida but couldn’t get a drive going in the last minutes to tie the game.

In a battle of two bottom SEC teams, they beat Vanderbilt by three, despite not winning in the second half. The week after, they beat South Carolina as the offense struggled mightily. They couldn’t keep things going as they would lose to Kentucky and be blown out by a way better Tennessee team.

Despite two straight losses, South Carolina’s win turned things around for the Tigers. Although it would take beating Arkansas, Missouri had a chance to be bowl-eligible this season. After beating and blowing out New Mexico State, a win against Arkansas would give the team a fun winter break trip. The second offensive struggle by the Razorbacks in the second half allowed Missouri to beat them.

If the Missouri Tigers want to win the 2022 Gasparilla Bowl, they will need to stop this Wake Forest offense, specifically the passing game. Wake Forest is 10th in the country in passing yards. The passing defense for the Tigers is somewhat solid. They only allow 210 passing yards per game, which is 39th in the country.

A lot of what this will come down to is whether Missouri can get to Sam Hartman in the backfield. The Tigers have around a 10 percent sack rate, which is 9th in the league. Their ability to take advantage of this average offensive line will be the difference between a victory and a loss.

This Tigers secondary will not be able to stop Wake Forest playmakers. A.T. Perry will have a day in this bowl game. Creating for pressure is gonna be tough for the Tigers as Isaiah McGuire and DJ Coleman are opting out of this bowl for the NFL draft.

This Wake Forest defense is very weak and bad. They have allowed 31 points per game, which is 100th in the country. Addtionally, they have allowed more than 250 yards per game. Wake Forest’s defense will allow points to the Tigers in this game, but due to the lack of firepower on the Tigers’ side, it will be pretty hard for them to win this game.

The rushing game for the Tigers will need to be hot if they want to win this game. Cody Schrader and Brady Cook will need to run laps around a Wake Forest rush defense that is pretty solid. Basically, with all the opt-outs on both sides of the ball for Missouri, Brady Cook will need to put on a show if they want to beat Wake Forest.

2022 Gasparilla Bowl Prediction: Wake Forest: 24 Missouri: 21

In this bowl game, Wake Forest’s offense will have a solid day. Due to the amount of talent not playing in this game, I don’t think that the Tigers will find a way to win. I don’t really see a way for Cook and Co. to match the Demon Deacons, as leading wide receiver Dominic Lovett will be missing this game.

Due to the amount of fight this team has had all season, I really want the Tigers to win this game. , Unfortunately, I don’t see a way that the Tigers will be able to put in the offensive firepower to win this game.