It will be a different look for the Missouri Tigers.
Tyler Badie, an All-American running back this season for the Tigers (6-6), will sit out tonight’s Armed Forces Bowl against the Army Black Knights (8-4) in Fort Worth, Texas. The game will start at 7 p.m. (ESPN).
Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz announced the decision Tuesday at a bowl press conference.
“He’s had an outstanding season for us, he’s given everything he’s got for Mizzou,” Drinkwitz said. “He’s a tremendous competitor.
“He wants to play in this game, but as coaches, we have to step back and protect our players for their future.”
Badie ran for 1,607 yards (6.0 avg.) and 14 touchdowns this season. He also caught a team-high 54 passes for 330 yards and four scores.
The conversations to sit Badie tonight started last week. Drinkwitz said it was a coaching staff decision for Badie not to play.
“We didn’t want to have him pick between his future and this football team,” Drinkwitz said. “If we asked him to play, he would play. But we cannot do that to that young man, as a program, we’re not going to do that.”
“As a coach, sometimes you have to make decisions for the best of the young man, not for yourself.”
After the decision was announced Tuesday, Badie made it official he was going to declare for the NFL Draft.
“After much thought and consideration, I have decided to pursue the next chapter of my career and declare for the 2022 NFL Draft,” Badie posted on Instagram.
Dawson Downing will get the start in place of Badie. The graduate student had 10 carries for 83 yards during the regular season.
“Dawson Downing is a tremendous football player,” Drinkwitz said.
Drinkwitz also mentioned Michael Cox, BJ Harris and Elijah Young as other Tigers who could see time in the backfield tonight. The foursome have combined for 427 yards on 74 carries this season.
“They’re not Tyler Badie, but we don’t expect them to be,” he said. “We want them to be the best versions of themselves.”
The other big change for the offense will be at quarterback. Brady Cook will get the start behind center instead of Connor Bazelak.
“He’s had an outstanding last two weeks of practice,” Drinkwitz said. “Everybody competed for it, but it’s his opportunity to play.”
Cook, a redshirt freshman, played in four games this season, all in a reserve role. He completed 19-of-24 passes for 107 yards and a touchdown.
Bazelak, a redshirt sophomore, was 246-of-377 for 2,548 yards and 10 touchdowns to go along with 11 interceptions in 11 games. Tyler Macon got the other start at quarterback this season, drawing the assignment against Georgia.
“The competition has been wide-open, everybody has done what they could,” Drinkwitz said.
Army coach Jeff Monken said his team can’t worry about who starts at quarterback for Missouri.
“They’re talented enough in every area that we can’t really get into one quarterback or another quarterback,” he said Tuesday. “Just really trying to have a defense that’s prepared to defend them in general.”
The Army defense is led by linebacker Andre Carter II, a third-team AP All-American. The 6-foot-7 junior has 14.5 sacks this season and 16.5 tackles for loss.
The Missouri offense will also be without tight end Niko Hea and linemen Zeke Powell and Bobby Lawrence due to injuries. Hea and Lawrence both started one game this season.
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