Missouri Tigers vs. Wake Forest Demon Deacons: Bowl prediction, TV, line, kickoff

Missouri takes on Wake Forest on Friday in the Gasparilla Bowl in Tampa, Fla. Kickoff on ESPN is 5:30 p.m. Central.

Before getting to a game prediction, here are some of the greatest performances by the Missouri Tigers in bowl games:

1968 ... Terry McMillan: The Tigers thumped Alabama 35-10 in the Gator Bowl with McMillan, the quarterback, running for three touchdowns. He was named the game’s MVP in the game that resulted in the Crimson Tide’s worst bowl loss at the time.

2005 ... Brad Smith: Gary Pinkel’s team got off to a slow start, falling behind South Carolina 21-0 in the Independence Bowl. Then Smith heated up. He passed for one touchdown and rushed for three more, accounting for 432 of Missouri’s 504 yards in a 38-31 victory.

2008 ... Tony Temple: The running back from Kansas City ran wild in a 38-7 victory over Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl. Temple set school bowl records for 281 rushing yards and four touchdowns. His 11.7 yards per carry are the most by a Tigers’ back in any game with at least 20 attempts.

2010 ... Blaine Gabbert: The Tigers fell to Iowa 27-24 in the Insight Bowl, but Gabbert put up huge numbers, completing 41 of 57 passes for 434 yards.

Who comes up big for the Tigers against Wake Forest? Let’s go with freshman wide receiver Luther Burden.

With Mizzou missing some of its top defensive players — and the Demon Deacons being a more offensive-minded team — this could be a game where points and yards come in bunches. The Tigers look to get the ball in Burden’s hands in several ways and he could take full advantage of the opportunity.

Prediction: Missouri 35-33

Line: Wake Forest by 1 1/2

2022 record on picks (straight up): 9-2

2022 record against the spread: 7-3

The details

Kickoff: 5:30 p.m. (Central)

Where: Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Fla.

TV: ESPN

Radio: KMBZ (98.1 FM)