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Starting as the St. Petersburg Bowl in 2008, the Gasparilla Bowl will feature two new teams in 2022. Wake Forest is making their seventh consecutive bowl game under head coach Dave Clawson. Missouri is making their second consecutive bowl under Elijah Drinkwitz.
When: Friday, December 23rd @ 6:30 PM ET
Where: Tampa, Florida
Who: Wake Forest vs Missouri
Spread & Total: Wake Forest -2.5; O/U 58.5
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Tale of the Tape: Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Expectations for the Wake Forest football season took a backseat when news broke of star quarterback Sam Hartman having a non-football medical condition. The timeline was indefinite. However, thankfully, Hartman returned after the first game. Hartman threw for over 300 yards in eight of his 11 games played. Wake Forest ranked as high as 10th in the AP polls. However, they struggled to close the season. At 6-1, Wake lost four of their last five games. Eight of Hartman’s 11 turnovers came in that five game span.
Wake Forest’s defense is susceptible to the pass. Their pass defense is bottom-15 in yards per game, and their 28 passing touchdowns surrendered ranks 126th of 131 FBS programs.
Transfer Portal Departures:
RB Christian Turner (second most carries (128) and yards (516); leads team with seven touchdowns)
RB Quinton Cooley (third-string back)
CB Gavin Holmes (nine pass breakups)
Players to Know: QB Sam Hartman
Missed time due to a non-football related medical condition. 14th nationally with 3,421 passing yards. 35 passing touchdowns ranked tied for the 5th most in the country
DT Kobie Turner
Second-Team All-ACC Defensive Team. Forced two fumbles (one recovery). Eight of 34 tackles were for loss.
Tale of the Tape: Missouri Tigers
Missouri’s defense is the catalyst of this team. Playing in the SEC West, Missouri went 3-5 in conference play, but allowed just 25.6 PPG. That includes a terrible performance in Knoxville, giving up 66 points. They sacked the opposing quarterback 36 times, tied for the 15th most nationally and second most in the SEC, only trailing Arkansas and tied with Alabama.
Offensively, Missouri was at the bottom of the conference. They averaged just 20.4 PPG in conference play, finishing 12th of 14 teams. Their point differential also finished 12th in conference, only beating out Vanderbilt and Auburn. Missouri will also be out star wideout Dominic Lovett. Lovett accounts for 25.3%/33.1%/23.1% of the team’s receptions, yards, and touchdowns.
Transfer Portal Departures:
WR Dominic Lovett (Leading receiver in receptions (56) and yards (846))
OT Hyrin White
Player to Know: DL Isaiah McGuire
Second Team All-SEC Team. 39 total tackles (13 for loss) and seven sacks for his senior season
DB Kris Abrams-Draine
40 total tackles. 13 pass breakups led the team.
Bowl Game Trends:
- Wake Forest head coach Dave Clawson is 4-2 in bowl games at the school
- Since joining the SEC in 2012, Missouri is 2-3 in bowl games, losing last three
Game Synopsis:
Coach Clawson announced the Gasparilla Bowl will be Sam Hartman’s final game as a Demon Deacon, whether it’s the NFL Draft or the transfer portal. Both teams will be without starters: Wake without secondary pieces and two of their top three running backs. For Missouri, they are without star receiver Dominic Lovett, who transferred to Georgia, and DJ Coleman, who has the second most sacks on the team. Missouri averaged 20.6 PPG in their seven contests against bowl eligible Power Five teams (2-5). Keep an eye on Luther Burden III for Missouri; he scored six of the 13 passing touchdowns. Hartman ends his run at Wake with a bowl victory.
Bowl Mania Pick To Win: Wake Forest
Bowl Mania Confidence: 33/43
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