Five things to watch: Southeast Missouri State at Mizzou

Preseason All-SEC quarterback Conner Bazelak and the Missouri Tigers host SEMO on Saturday.

Photo/Associated Press

A confluence of injuries, new faces and perhaps the toughest nonconferernce slate in the Football Championship Subdivision makes Southeast Missouri State a hard team to gauge among its Ohio Valley Conference peers.

That won't change Saturday after SEMO locks up with physically superior Mizzou, which cut the Redhawks a $550,000 check for the short trek to Columbia.

Unless it can pull off the most notable upset in program history, anyway.

SEMO's former OVC rival Jacksonville State dared to dream last week and shocked Florida State 20-17  in last-second fashion.

Montana, another Top 25 FCS program, posted a Power 5 upset of its own when it shut down No. 20 Washington 13-7 two weeks ago.

SEMO (0-2), which has fallen to subdivision powers No. 1 Sam Houston and No. 7 Southern Illinois by a combined score of 99-35, appears to have a tougher road to hoe when it visits its in-state Southeastern Conference foe to end its non-OVC gauntlet.

But Mizzou (1-1), which fell to 35-28 to Kentucky last week, isn't looking ahead to its Sept. 25 road game at Boston College.

To help ensure this week's focus, Eli Drinkwitz, the Tigers' 38-year-old head coach, said in Monday's press conference that each of his players have a list of the seven FCS teams that beat a FBS team this season.

Here are five things to watch in SEMOs' fifth overall meeting with Mizzou.

Bazelak can dazzle

The Co-SEC Freshman of the Year in 2020, Missouri's young quarterback and his assortment of weapon can add problems to a SEMO defense yielding roughly 560 a game.

Connor Bazelak has completed 55 of 83 passes for 551 yards, six touchdowns and an interception and the Tigers can also keep defenses honest with a ground game that's totaled 507 yards through two games.

Reunion of ex-Jackson stars

Offensive lineman Connor Tollison helped pave the way in Jackson's Class 5 state championship run last season and linebacker Bryce Norman was equally as menacing.

Tollison is now a true freshman on Mizzou's two-deep depth chart and Norman has made an immediate impact at SEMO, totaling a team-high eight tackles in last week's loss at Sam Houston

Could the two ex-Jackson stars collide on Saturday in a raucous SEC football setting?

Will SEMO get back to full health?

Playing some of the nation's best FCS teams with a new junior college transfer quarterback (CJ Ogbonna) and several other new personnel faces is an arduous task in itself.

Doing it without a few proven commodities makes matters worse.

SEMO was without five starters last week, including defensive back Shabari Davis, linebacker Brandon Mincey and receiver Zach Smith.

Alston a big, steady target

At 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, SEMO's Aaron Alston will have the body of a SEC receiver in a SEC environment.

The Brighton, Tennessee native has continued his emergence,  leads the Redhawks in receiving with six catches for 99 yards and a touchdown and is nearing the 1,000-yard career mark.

SEMO looking for first TD vs. Mizzou

Mizzou is a 34-point favorite, per Vegas odds. SEMO has been void of a touchdown against the Tigers in all four meetings including losses in 2019 (50-0), 2015 (34-3), 2008 (52-3) and 1936 (20-0).