The Missouri Tigers’ 2024 regular season was anything but predictable.

The Finals will be no exception as the Tigers host the Arkansas Razorbacks in Week 14 with snow forecast.

Columbia, Missouri, is expected to get 1 to 3 inches of snow Saturday, according to the National Weather Service forecast Friday afternoon.

Although snow games are new territory for head coach Eli Drinkwitz and most of the Missouri roster, the Tigers have taken extra steps to prepare for the potentially inclement weather.

“The weather could be an interesting factor in this game,” head coach Eli Drinkwitz said in a press conference on Tuesday. “I’ve never attended a snow game before and it looks like we might get one of these.”

It would be the first snowfall of the year for central Missouri, but the Tigers have spent the week practicing with outside temperatures at or below 35 degrees.

“The first thing we’re going to do is practice in the weather we’re playing in,” Drinkwitz said. “We’ll be outside instead of inside all week, trying to get used to the body temperature.”

Missouri’s passing game has been limited at various points this season, with quarterback Brady Cook missing 37% of the team’s offensive shots through the first 12 games and suffering a wrist and ankle injury. The availability report no longer lists any injuries for Cook, but the weather would bring a new element.

“There are two different types of snow: dry snow and wet snow,” Drinkwitz explained. “Wet snow sticks and compacts (which) makes throwing and catching a little more difficult, it makes the ball slicker.”

Cook can only remember “one or two” snow games he attended during his high school career. Since it’s the third-year starter’s last game at Faurot Field, he doesn’t expect any outside circumstances to faze him.

“Shoot, I’m ready for anything,” Cook said. I think I’ll be so excited that I won’t care about the snow.

If Missouri has to rely on a strong rushing attack, the Tigers should be confident. In its last three games, Missouri is averaging 161 rushing yards and 1.7 rushing touchdowns. Additionally, Arkansas’ defense has allowed the third-most rushing yards in the SEC this season, averaging 366.5 yards on the ground per game.

But the Razorbacks have a deep running game that rivals Missouri’s. Four different players, including quarterback Taylen Green, have rushed for over 300 yards for Arkansas this season. Senior Ja’Quinden Jackson leads the way with 703 yards and 12 touchdowns on 131 carries.

Neither Jackson nor Green are easy to kill in the cold, with Jackson being 6-foot-1 and 250 pounds and Green being 6-foot-1 and 220 pounds.

One of the biggest challenges when playing in the snow is finding purchase on both sides of the ball and avoiding slipping. There may be some in-game adjustments needed from Missouri, but the staff wants to get a head start on equipment.

“You have to be more aware of the way you use your cleats and run because the snow will bind and have an impact on your running and sliding on the track,” Drinkwitz said. “There are some things as a team that we have already prepared for, but the reality is that is just part of the game.”

Missouri and Arkansas both already secured bowl eligibility on Saturday, but the Tigers will look to finish the season undefeated at home for the first time since 2010. Between a double-overtime win against Vanderbilt and Cook’s return from the hospital, sparking a comeback against Auburn and 28 points in the final four minutes against Oklahoma, Faurot Field has been the site of some chaotic games in 2024.

A winter wonderland could be the site of one final show to close out the Missouri season.

“If it snows in this game, there’s a first time for everything,” defensive end Johnny Walker Jr. said.

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