Mizzou football’s defense mostly set, but who is battling for starting spots?
When the Missouri Tigers’ offense all but disappeared during the second half of 2019, there was the dutiful Mizzou defense, keeping the battered squad in games that should’ve been blowouts.
The defense showed bend-but-don’t-break tendencies, allowing opponents to pick up yardage but stifling them short of the end zone. Of course, it wasn’t a perfect season defensively, with losses like Wyoming and Tennessee sticking out, in particular.
But Mizzou’s was ranked as one of the top pass defenses in the country last year — and the Tigers this season return eight starters and the same defensive coordinator in Ryan Walters. The switch to a 4-2-5 base scheme — in which a “hybrid” safety plays a flexible role — has been another of MU’s keys to succes.
Not everything’s the same this fall, though. Linebackers coach DJ Smith and secondary coach Charlie Harbison are new. The Tigers also lost important playmakers, including captain and cornerback DeMarkus Acy and defensive tackle Jordan Elliott.
With Mizzou’s continuity, though, comes hope that an only slightly retooled defense will swat down more passes and get to the quarterback more often. Some starting spots are up for grabs, and any number of talented Tigers players could step into them.
Mizzou is now just two weeks away from opening the season Sept. 26 against Alabama at Faurot Field.
Three starting spots to watch are at strong safety, middle linebacker and one of the defensive tackle positions. The rest of the defense boasts experience, whether in the premier safety tandem of Tyree Gillespie and Joshuah Bledsoe, All-American linebacker Nick Bolton or returning sacks leader Kobie Whiteside.
Here’s a look at how those crucial starting spots are shaping up.
Strong safety
It’s been a battle between sophomores Martez Manuel and Stacy Brown thus far.
Bledsoe slots in at free safety, a finesse position whose job it is to stop the opponent’s passing attack. Gillespie is a boundary safety, similar to a strong-side linebacker, but with additional responsibilities.
That leaves open the strong safety position, one Brown described as “versatile” because the player who occupies it needs to hold the edge like a defensive end, occasionally come up into the box like a linebacker and be able to drop into coverage like a regular safety.
“Making plays,” Manuel said of the position. “But also a lot of coverage too. That’s where I have an edge. I’m playing big and I’m shooting these gaps like a linebacker. But because I played free safety last year, I can cover any tight end in the country.”
Both Manuel and Brown saw playing time on special teams and in the defensive rotation last season, with Manuel making a start when Gillespie was suspended because of a targeting penalty.
While the two battle it out during camp — Brown caught the first interception of the fall — Brown said they’re not paying too much attention to who will eventually be named the starter.
“Coaches are saying there’s no set starter as of right now,” Brown said. “I feel like during the season we’re going to rotate. If somebody starts, it’s not going to mean anything because the other person might get as many reps. It’s just competition.”
Middle linebacker
It was a shame when Cale Garrett went down with a season-ending pectoral injury last season. He was having an All-America-type campaign at weakside linebacker.
Middle linebacker, meanwhile, was a revolving door.
After not playing much to begin the season, Devin Nicholson solidified his standing next to Bolton as the year went on, starting MU’s final five games.
This fall, that middle linebacker spot will likely be a mix of Nicholson, Jamal Brooks and Aubrey Miller, who the coaches have praised throughout camp. Miller played one game in 2019 before a knee injury shut him down, but he said he’s healthy and competing now.
“The biggest way to learn would be to learn firsthand from being out there and playing and stuff, so that’s always a plus,” Nicholson said. “I do feel like I’m more prepared than I was last season. Got to know the defense better, get to know my teammates better and tendencies of the other team.”
It appeared Chad Bailey was in the running for playing time, too, but a hand injury kept him out of last week’s scrimmage and will likely sideline him for another week or two. That could cost him a shot at a starting job.
Defensive tackle
Perhaps the biggest shoes to fill belong to Elliott. Opposing coaches double-teamed him often, giving teammates like Whiteside winnable one-on-one matchups in the interior.
Now it’s Whiteside’s turn to be the premier interior force on the Mizzou defensive line — and command those double-teams. Whoever starts at MU’s other defensive tackle spot will need to produce; the Tigers’ defensive line often struggled in 2019.
They’re still sifting through contenders, but experience should be a plus. Upperclassmen like Akial Byers and Markell Utsey shined during Mizzou’s first scrimmage.
Utsey and Byers were consistent in 2019, playing in all 12 games. Behind them, for depth, expect Darius Robinson — who’s lining up at tackle and end — to be a factor inside. His task: get to the QB.
“You’ve got to look at it because it’s an important part of the game,” MU defensive line coach Brick Haley said of sacks. “But what we look at is, out of every 12 passes they throw, we want to try to get two sacks. ... We do have to play the run first and get the run stopped; then we’ve got to do a better job of being great pass-rushers.