Missouri has young, talented players (call them Cadillacs) on defensive line
Missouri trotted out an interesting defensive line group for Arkansas State’s second drive of the third quarter during last week’s game in Jonesboro, Ark.
With the Red Wolves backed up on their own 6-yard line and nursing a 17-10 lead, the Tigers deployed redshirt freshman Walter Brady at defensive end with three true freshmen — Terry Beckner Jr., Olathe North graduate Josh Moore and Nate Howard — rounding out the front four.
“There was some communication about that on the headsets,” first-year Missouri defensive coordinator Barry Odom said.
It wasn’t a planned series, but it worked out well as the Tigers forced a quick three-and-out with Brady stuffing Arkansas State running back Michael Gordon for a 5-yard loss on second down.
Missouri tied the game on the ensuing drive and went on to win 27-20.
“They’re young guys, but they’ve got a lot of ability,” Tigers coach Gary Pinkel said. “The people we are going to play against is going to crank up a little bit. Different programs, so we’ve got a long way to go, but it’s neat that we’re getting a lot of work and they’re doing some good things when they go in.”
Of course, Pinkel also admitted that he wasn’t thrilled with putting so much youth on the field at one time.
“I didn’t know that until afterwards, and I wasn’t real happy with that, because you don’t want to be in that situation,” he said. “But we also have some players that are playing at a really high level being young guys. That’s really helped us, especially coming off all the guys we lost.”
Missouri has lost seven full- or part-time starters up front in the last two seasons. Defensive ends Kony Ealy, Michael Sam, Shane Ray and Markus Golden were NFL Draft picks, while tackles Lucas Vincent and Matt Hoch brought experience to the interior.
The Tigers also lost junior Harold Brantley for the season when he was injured in a car wreck in June, but the next wave of talent for the defensive line seems to be holding up well.
“I think that they’re doing a really good job, but I think they can get way, way better,” defensive-line coach Craig Kuligowski said. “I think that in terms of talent, especially this last recruiting class, these guys are Cadillacs. We’ve just got to make sure we’ve got enough gas to fill up the Cadillac, right? These guys are pretty good, but we just got to keep driving them and pushing them and I think they’ll be really special.”
To reach Tod Palmer, call 816-234-4389 or send email to tpalmer@kcstar.com. Follow him on Twitter at @todpalmer.
Connecticut at No. 22 Missouri
▪ WHEN: 11 a.m. Saturday
▪ WHERE: Memorial Stadium, Columbia
▪ TV: ESPN
Three story lines
1. Nation’s best: Through two games, Missouri linebacker Kentrell Brothers leads the nation with 32 tackles. He’s recorded a career-high 16 tackles in wins against Southeast Missouri and Arkansas State and also has three tackles for a loss, two interceptions and a blocked punt.
2. At a loss: Missouri leads the nation in tackles for a loss through two games with 25. Sophomore defensive end Charles Harris is tied for second nationally with six tackles for a loss on the season. The Tigers’ defense has forced a negative play on 18 percent of the opponents’ 139 snaps this season. MU’s 15 tackles for a loss at Arkansas State were the most since 2002.
3. Not in a rush: Entering the season’s third game, Missouri still doesn’t have a player with 100 yards rushing. Sophomore tailback Ish Witter, who has 25 carries for 83 yards, and junior quarterback Maty Mauk, 16 carries for 83 yards, lead the Tigers’ struggling ground game.
This story was originally published September 18, 2015 at 10:51 AM with the headline "Missouri has young, talented players (call them Cadillacs) on defensive line."