Opponent preview: Missouri’s special teams

STARKVILLE, Miss. — The Mississippi State football team will finish the regular season on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT against the Missouri Tigers at Davis Wade Stadium. The game will air on SEC Network Alternate.

Missouri enters Saturday’s game ranked second in the Southeastern Conference in field goals made, sixth in net punting, fourth in kickoff returns and fifth in punt returns.

Freshman kicker Harrison Mevis has made 16 of his 19 field goal attempts, including three from 50-plus yards. His 16 made field goals ranks tied for seventh in the nation. He has also made all 25 of his extra-point kicks. Two weeks, Mevis made all five of his field goals, including a 32-yard walk-off field goal to seal Missouri’s 50-48 win over Arkansas. He earned SEC special teams player of the week honors. Mevis is also semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award, which is presented annually to the nation’s top kicker.

Handling the punting duties is graduate transfer punter Grant McKinnis, who has made 36 punts for 1,547 yards (43.0 average). He also has a net average of 40.7.

Junior running back Tyler Badie has returned 13 kickoffs for 163 yards (12.5 average). Redshirt sophomore Cade Musser has returned three punts for 25 yards (8.3), freshman wide receiver Kris Abrams-Draine has returned four punts for nine yards (2.3).