Missouri linebacker Christopher lets his game do the talking
COLUMBIA | Brock Christopher doesn’t play John Wayne so much as he is John Wayne.
A little swagger to the hips, but none off the lips. The strong, mostly silent type.
“You can’t lead without making plays,” said Christopher, Missouri’s starting middle linebacker.
Christopher, a senior, has started more games as a Tiger than any other defender, except defensive end Stryker Sulak. Both will start their 27th game tonight.
“You can’t talk if you don’t walk the walk,” Christopher said.
Christopher is The Quiet Man (appropriate, considering that’s the title of a John Wayne movie) of Mizzou. Odd, considering he is a communications major.
“I’m the type of guy that just tries to do the right things on and off the field,” Christopher said, one of three starters — with wide receiver Tommy Saunders and long snapper Beau Brinkley — from Kearney.
“But being a three-year starter on defense, I know I’ve got to open my mouth.”
Hey, not really. Leading by example works just fine. Christopher had eight tackles, 1 1/2 for nine yards in losses, a sack and a pass breakup against Illinois.
“I’m just not a real flamboyant person,” Christopher said, adding dryly: “Like my good friend Sean Weatherspoon might be.”
Weatherspoon is one of Missouri’s most animated and talkative defenders, like Christopher a linebacker.
Weatherspoon had nine tackles, one for loss, and two interceptions, one for a touchdown, against Illinois.
“We were all on the sideline talking about, you know, ‘Someone really needs to make a play here,’ and I just wanted to be that guy to step up and do the best I could,” Weatherspoon said.
Turning his attention to tonight’s expected mismatch, Weatherspoon said:
“We just have to go out there and prepare just as if SEMO was Illinois, just take it one week at a time and try to become that national championship team that we can be.”
Weatherspoon, a junior, might not be around after this season if he chooses to jump to the NFL early.
Is Christopher daring to dream of a pro future as well?
“We’ll see,” he said. “Not right now. We’ve got too many expectations on this team. We want to take care of that right now.”
Southeast Missouri at No. 6 Missouri
•When/where: 6 tonight at Memorial Stadium, Columbia
•TV/radio: Pay-per-view on Comcast (call 816-795-1100, Ch. 698), Everest (Order on screen, Ch. 808), Time Warner (Order on screen, Ch. 400), DirecTV (order on screen, Ch. 785) and Dish Network (order on screen, Ch. 452); KMBZ (980 AM)
•The Line: None
Other story lines1 Will Jeremy Maclin and William Moore play? They shouldn’t need to. Missouri can win without them. But the expectation is that Maclin (ankle sprain) will play and Moore (sprained foot) won’t.
2 How long will it take before starting quarterback Chase Daniel calls it a game for Missouri? “In a dream scenario, hopefully halftime,” Daniel said. “All things have to go right for that to happen. We have to execute our offense at a high level. … Hopefully we build a lead up by halftime and Chase Patton or Blaine (Gabbert), whoever is two or three (at quarterback), can get some snaps.” Or both.
3 Derrick Washington’s goal. If this is the blowout that’s expected, Washington may need 100 yards rushing in the first half to meet his goal of running for 100 yards in every game this season. Jimmy Jackson and De’Vion Moore are likely to get most of the carries in the second half.
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