A key position has boosted Mizzou football as the Tigers look to tack on to win streak
Look back a few weeks ago in the Missouri Tigers’ 2020 season. Before the winning streak and before MU coach Eliah Drinkwitz’s team started to gain national prominence.
The Tigers were coming off a 35-12 loss to a ranked Tennessee team and appeared like they had some major issues along the defensive line. The Vols rushed for 232 yards as the MU front failed to get into the backfield with any consistency.
Mizzou’s struggles were evident by looking at film: Players were jumping gaps and were undisciplined. During the first two games, guys were caught out of position instead of letting the team make tackles, defensive lineman Tre Williams said.
That hasn’t been the case over the past two games as the MU defensive linemen turned in a pair of stellar performances against LSU and Kentucky.
The Mizzou defense as a whole turned in its most complete performance of 2020 against the Wildcats. Despite the UK offense primed to turn up the physicality, the Tigers’ front dominated the opposition as the ‘Cats mustered just 145 total yards in a 20-10 MU win. Williams said they look to bring that momentum against another ranked SEC opponent in facing No. 10 Florida at 6:30 p.m. Saturday in Gainesville, Florida.
“As a team, everybody’s just buying into the system,” Williams said. “You go back and look at some of the highlight tape, you see a lot of guys, there’re so many people around the ball. D-linemen, (defensive backs), everybody’s around the ball because we’re playing as a team. It’s not that individual perspective that they have.”
Perhaps most impressively, the Tigers have turned in their best days missing key players along the defensive line. Defensive tackle Kobie Whiteside was chosen preseason second-team All-SEC. But he hasn’t played the past two games as he battles a right leg injury and won’t be re-evaluated until the Nov. 7 off-week.
Darius Robinson also has also been out, because of a right knee injury, and is a key depth piece who had garnered meaningful snaps.
Those injuries have meant Mizzou has had to shuffle players on the defensive line. After starting the season at BUCK linebacker — a relatively new addition in defensive coordinator Ryan Walters’ scheme this season — Williams has moved over to defensive end. Markell Utsey has had to go from more of a nose tackle position to a spot where he takes on more double teams.
Arguably the most surprising player has been Trajan Jeffcoat, who re-joined the team during preseason camp. He leads the Tigers with three sacks, including one in each of Mizzou’s first three games. Jeffcoat’s listed as the starter at that BUCK linebacker spot on the depth chart and has generated consistent pressure, pacing MU with five quarterback hurries.
“It’s just that the D-line as a whole, yeah we got some guys down,” Williams said. “But it just gives opportunity for other guys to step up. If you guys saw practice today, it’s just a lot of guys stepping up, a lot of guys playing hard, a lot of guys being technically sound. That’s why we won against Kentucky.”
Walters switched Mizzou’s scheme to a 4-2-5 base set last year, but he’s had to adjust based off of his personnel in 2020. That’s led to the emergence of the BUCK linebacker, a hybrid role on the line who can rush the passer but also drop back in coverage because they don’t have their hand on the ground like a traditional lineman.
Mizzou’s defense is engineered, Utsey said, for the linebackers to finish plays. That’s where preseason All-American Nick Bolton has shined, averaging 10.8 tackles per game. Bolton has said he’s able to succeed because the defensive line absorbs double teams, freeing him and others up to gang tackle the ball-carrier.
“My thing is just everybody doing their job, everybody on the defense being bought in, especially the front seven,” Utsey said. “Everybody just being where they need to be at the right time and just chime in. Not being selfish and just doing their job.”
Mizzou’s success has been orchestrated through a team effort as it battled in differing styles over its winning streak. The Tigers outperformed LSU in a shootout; they also outlasted and pounded the Wildcats in a physical slugfest.
That’s started in the trenches, though. And the Tigers have complemented a pleasant surprise in its stout offensive line with a defensive line, while missing key contributors, have emerged as a rowdy threat to the opposition.
“It’s different when you’re hoping for something and it’s different when you’re expecting something,” Williams said. “We’re putting the work in. The preparation is nice. So we’re expecting these wins. Everything we’re doing at practice is showing up out there on the stage.”