Mizzou loses linebacker, defensive end to season-ending injuries
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Missouri linebacker Khalil Jacobs and defensive end Joe Moore III will both miss the rest of the 2024 season with injuries, coach Eli Drinkwitz said Tuesday.
The losses of two established rotational defensive players will further test the Tigers’ depth on that side of the ball.
Jacobs, who transferred in over the offseason from South Alabama on the heels of the hiring of defensive coordinator Corey Batoon from that school, has played 139 defensive snaps so far this season, appearing in every game.
Jacobs’ athleticism made him a natural fit in Mizzou’s third-down packages. As a blitzer, he registered two sacks and five total pressures on opposing quarterbacks.
On the depth chart, Jacobs fell behind Triston Newson at the outside linebacker position. Newson missed MU’s last game with an injury but is expected to return for Saturday’s game against Auburn, Drinkwitz said.
Newson’s absence and Jacobs leaving the Tigers’ game at Massachusetts in the third quarter gave freshman Nicholas Rodriguez an expanded role. Rodriguez and second-year linebacker Brayshawn Littlejohn are among those most likely to see more action.
With Newson wearing a non-contact jersey at Tuesday’s practice, Rodriguez took some reps with the MU starters.
Wide receiver Luther Burden III, who left Saturday’s game with a shoulder injury, was also wearing a non-contact jersey at practice but is expected to play this weekend.
Moore had played 74 snaps this season before his injury, which kept him out of the UMass game. In the “joker†defensive end role behind starter Johnny Walker Jr., he’d produced six pressures this season.
Five-star freshman Williams Nwaneri saw more action with Moore out against the Minutemen and may wind up burning his redshirt if needed to continue filling in there. Second-year defensive end Jahkai Lang is also a candidate for added snaps.
But at Tuesday’s practice, Nwaneri was wearing the usual practice garb of scout team players — who are often redshirting or not appearing in games — which may be an indication that he’s not in line for an immediate promotion and Lang will instead get the nod.
Moore’s injury further depletes Missouri’s depth at defensive end — the Tigers lost Georgia transfer Darris Smith to a season-ending injury during preseason camp.
'We're certainly gonna miss those guys,' Mizzou coach Eli Drinkwitz on 2 season-ending injuries
BenFred: Did Auburn coach Hugh Freeze just give Mizzou a gift? And other SEC thoughts
College football teams often take on the personality of a head coach.
This can be good or bad.
See Auburn for an example of the latter.
Auburn has become the SEC’s most generous team, turning over gobs of fumbles and throwing a staggering number of interceptions.
Auburn coach Hugh Freeze also is a great gift giver.
He provides bulletin-board material for opponents every time he talks. Like his team, which has a league-worst turnover differential — minus-11! — Freeze can really hand out free momentum.
“I know everybody has their rankings of coaches,†Freeze said this week during his news conference, beginning an incredible back-handed compliment of No. 19 Mizzou. “The better talent you have, the better coach you are, for sure. To me, some of the better coaching jobs are done with those lesser rosters in recruiting. You look at people like (Mizzou’s) Eli (Drinkwitz) and (Kentucky’s Mark) Stoops and, heck, (Vanderbilt’s) Clark Lea now, too, who are doing incredible jobs at their respective programs with the kids they’ve had.â€
What Freeze will defend as a compliment of Drinkwitz also is a bit of a jab at Mizzou’s players. ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ will receive the message. What they do about it? That’s up to them.
I don’t think Freeze was intentionally firing up Mizzou. I think this was another Freudian Freeze slip, like when he said less than a week after losing to Arkansas that Auburn would win that game 9 times out of 9. (Sure thing, Coach.)
I don’t think Freeze thinks Mizzou should be a program that can compete with his program in terms of talent level on the field, at least not if he gets Auburn where he thinks he can if he’s given the time. If that doesn’t tick off Mizzou players, that’s a problem.
Auburn is a beatable opponent. In fact, every team Mizzou faces the rest of its season has flaws in addition to a game or two they would love to have back. Those teams are viewing Mizzou in the exact same way. That’s what happens when you get your teeth kicked in at Texas A&M and fail to respond after a few early calls go against you. Pummeling UMass doesn’t change it. Responding better against SEC opposition could.
Auburn: Like I said, Auburn has quite literally given some games away. Six lost fumbles rank second-worst in the SEC. Nine interceptions thrown, including six by starting quarterback Payton Thorne, are the most in the SEC, by three.
Auburn’s minus-11 turnover margin is worst in the SEC, by eight turnovers. Auburn’s 31-13 loss at Georgia was a small win because of no fumbles lost or interceptions thrown.
When Freeze’s team isn’t beating itself, it’s a tougher out.
No. 7 Alabama: After barely finishing a massive win against Georgia, Alabama flopped at Vanderbilt and then barely beat South Carolina at home. That makes three consecutive games for new Tide coach Kalen DeBoer that have been decided by a touchdown or less after being up in the air in the final moments.
Since the second quarter of that big win against Georgia began, Alabama has been outscored 99-82. Still a really good team. But maybe not the fully operational death star we once thought.
Oklahoma: The Red River Rivalry was so rough on Oklahoma the Sooners went from No. 18 to unranked after taking a 34-3 whipping in Dallas. Oklahoma’s offense can be found in the conference’s bottom in pretty much every notable category: 24.3 points per game (15th), 122 rushing yards per game (16th), 165.7 passing yards per game (16th) and a third-down conversion rate of 26.8% (16th).
South Carolina: The Gamecocks have allowed the most sacks in the SEC (26) along with the most tackles for loss (53), which is 10 more than the next-worst SEC team in preventing TFLs (Oklahoma). The old adage says this league is won and lost in the trenches, and South Carolina’s offensive line struggles are pulling down a team with a disruptive defense and creative quarterback.
Mississippi State: Where’s the D? Not in Starkville. The Bulldogs, losers of five straight, are allowing an SEC-worst 33.2 points per game, an SEC-worst 201.9 rushing yards per game, an SEC-worst 264 passing yards per game, and an SEC-worst opponent third-down conversion rate (46.8%).
The only MSU opponent that has not scored at least 30 points against this defense, home or away, is Eastern Kentucky.
Arkansas: The resilient Hogs proved there is life after losing to Texas A&M. They stunned Tennessee after but will still face three top 20 teams before coming to CoMo: No. 8 LSU, No. 18 Ole Miss and No.1 Texas.
Other than Freeze’s free motivation and maybe some Auburn fumbles and/or picks, gifts are going to be hard to come by moving forward. Mizzou no longer gets the benefit of the doubt unless the Tigers earn it back.
But there are winnable games left on this schedule, and no team in the SEC not named Texas feels unbeatable entering this season’s second half.
How 2nd-year Mizzou players Joshua Manning, Brett Norfleet made key contributions to latest win
COLUMBIA, Mo. — The rhythm came from the background vocals, so to speak.
Rhythm was one of the things Missouri was after in its weekend win over Massachusetts, and with the Minutemen not putting up much resistance, the stage belonged to the Tigers.
The goal for Mizzou was to find its offensive identity after a wan showing against Texas A&M, a composition that coach Eli Drinkwitz described before the game as “playing with rhythm, controlling the tempo of the game, having an attacking style of offense.â€
MU, of course, won the game 45-3. The Tigers had 22 first downs to UMass’ 13 and gained nearly twice as many yards per play — both of which show they had the requisite control and attack to dominate an inferior opponent.
But as the second half rolled around in Amherst, Massachusetts, Drinkwitz thought the search for rhythm needed a little evolution.
“We had run the ball really effectively,†Drinkwitz said, “and I just told Kirby (Moore, Mizzou’s offensive coordinator), I wanted to see us throw the football. I want to see us try to get into some rhythm throwing the ball and let Brady get in there, just sit in the pocket and go through his reads.â€
From there, quarterback Brady Cook found a couple of targets who haven’t been among the offense’s usual headliners for big plays.
“We threw it to Josh Manning on the first one — he just took it 70, so that was awesome,†Drinkwitz said.
In his postgame excitement, the fifth-year coach may have exaggerated a little bit: Cook did connect with wideout Joshua Manning for a catch-and-run that the second-year receiver turned into a long touchdown, but it was a 63-yard score, not 70.
Considering that Manning entered the game with 58 career receiving yards, it was a big play that stands out early in his collegiate development.
Another second-year player was part of the aerial rhythm: tight end Brett Norfleet.
“The second drive, we just wanted to do the same thing, and Brett happened to be the recipient of those open throws,†Drinkwitz said.
The throws in question were back-to-back strikes from Cook to the tight end. First came a 36-yard connection up the seam, where Norfleet had acres of space and advanced the ball to the 8-yard line. Immediately after, Norfleet opened himself up in the back of the end zone for his first touchdown of the season.
Norfleet finished with three catches for 48 yards, a career high in yardage. And while it was a play after the result was already decided, it could also go down as an important one for the young tight end.
Norfleet suffered a shoulder injury in the Tigers’ season-opening win against Murray State and missed their game against Buffalo. He’s been wearing a brace during games and seemed, at times, to be missing some of the physicality and athleticism that are core parts of his game and position.
“That was huge. Brett needed it,†Cook said. “He’s been banged up, out, in, back and he’s finally looking explosive, fast. I know he’s pumped up.â€
Among the young players who made notable contributions was safety Caleb Flagg, who closed out the game with Missouri’s defensive backups. Late in the fourth quarter, he forced a fumble on a well-aimed hit that was icing on the cake for the Tigers’ goal of controlling the game.
Flagg, who transferred to MU from Houston Christian this offseason alongside his brother, Corey Jr., made it a two-takeaway kind of day for the Flagg family: Corey recorded an interception in the first half.
“Man, I told you guys he was a dog,†Corey said about his younger brother. “The more opportunities he gets, I’m sure he’s going to keep making plays.â€
Mizzou men’s hoops picked 13th in SEC
In a sign that the external reputation of Missouri men’s basketball remains rather tarnished by last season’s winless run through conference play, the Tigers were picked to finish 13th out of 16 teams in the Southeastern Conference during the upcoming 2023-2024 college hoops season.
The media poll results are the harshest preseason prediction that coach Dennis Gates has received as he enters his third year at the helm. Last season, Mizzou was predicted to finish ninth and ahead of Gates’ debut season, media tabbed the Tigers for 11th — though there were only 14 teams in the conference for both of those campaigns.
Missouri vastly underachieved its predicted mark last season, with injuries and an historic losing streak dragging the Tigers to a last-place finish. In the 2022-23 season, they were a surprise fourth-place program.
At No. 13 in this year’s preseason poll, Mizzou is ahead of only Louisiana State, SEC newcomer Oklahoma and Vanderbilt. Mississippi State, South Carolina and Georgia occupy the three spots ahead of MU.
Alabama was predicted as the league winner with star Mark Sears named the preseason player of the year.
Missouri did not have any representatives on the three preseason All-SEC teams, which had five players each.
The Tigers didn’t have any preseason all-conference players last year, either, though there were only two all-league teams at the time.
Mizzou men's basketball predicted to finish 13th in SEC preseason poll
COLUMBIA, Mo. — In a sign that the external reputation of Missouri men’s basketball remains rather tarnished by last season’s winless run through conference play, the Tigers were picked to finish 13th out of 16 teams in the Southeastern Conference during the upcoming 2023-2024 college hoops season.
The media poll results are the harshest preseason prediction that coach Dennis Gates has received as he enters his third year at the helm. Last season, Mizzou was predicted to finish ninth and ahead of Gates’ debut season, media tabbed the Tigers for 11th — though there were only 14 teams in the conference for both of those campaigns.
Missouri vastly underachieved its predicted mark last season, with injuries and an historic losing streak dragging the Tigers to a last-place finish. In the 2022-23 season, they were a surprise fourth-place program.
At No. 13 in this year’s preseason poll, Mizzou is ahead of only Louisiana State, SEC newcomer Oklahoma and Vanderbilt. Mississippi State, South Carolina and Georgia occupy the three spots ahead of MU.
Alabama was predicted as the league winner with star Mark Sears named the preseason player of the year.
Missouri did not have any representatives on the three preseason All-SEC teams, which had five players each.
The Tigers didn’t have any preseason all-conference players last year, either, though there were only two all-league teams at the time.
Mizzou football snapshots: Snap counts, PFF grades from Tigers' win over Massachusetts
This will be brief, or at least briefer than normal.Â
Missouri's Saturday win over UMass was comfortable and therefore went about as expected. The Tigers enjoyed a chance to recover against minimal opposition and in that, they got something that they needed.
But because that victory came against one of the weakest programs in the Football Bowl Subdivision, it doesn't mean a whole lot, especially from an analytical perspective — hence why this week's look at advanced stats will be an efficient one.Â
And frankly, the snap counts might be the most interesting part.
In case you aren't already aware: These grades come from PFF — not this writer. They're at times misaligned with what happened on the field. They're certainly not worth getting worked up about.
PFF grades are based on NFL standards: 90-100 is elite, 85-89 is Pro Bowl caliber, 70-84 is starter level, 60-69 means backup, and anything between 0-59 is replaceable. Because this isn't the NFL, you can shift those labels as you see fit.
Offensive line
LT Marcus Bryant, 45 snaps, 64.5
LT Jayven Richardson, 18 snaps, 57.5
LG Mitchell Walters, 36 snaps, 58.4
LG Cayden Green, 35 snaps, 60.7
LG Logan Reichert, 18 snaps, 55.8
C Connor Tollison, 39 snaps, 68.2
C Drake Heismeyer, 17 snaps, 62.5
C Talan Chandler, 7 snaps, 38.6
RG Cam'Ron Johnson, 45 snaps, 65.7
RT Armand Membou, 45 snaps, 65.7
RT Tristan Wilson, 18 snaps, 54.9
There's a lot going on here, which will be the case for most of this piece because of depth players getting cameos and run outs. One of the more important baselines established by this position group is that Mizzou's starters were on the field for 45 snaps — keep that in mind as this goes.
In that sense, Green did not play a starter's full workload at left guard. Walters, who has also taken snaps at right guard and right tackle this season, filled in at left guard for some series. That could be a bit of competitive juice added to the left side of the O-line after its struggles this season.
Wilson, Johnson and Bryant were the only linemen to allow a pressure, and Bryant was deemed responsible for the only sack.
Quarterback
Brady Cook, 45 snaps, 67.5
Drew Pyne, 18 snaps, 45.5
Cook was 14 for 19, his second-highest completion percentage of het season, even with two drops by MU wide receivers. Pyne was three for five with one throw that PFF ruled turnover-worthy.
Cook targeted receivers wen they were 9.9 yards downfield on average, which is right around his typical mark. When he threw deep, he was two for five.
When UMass blitzed — which was on just four dropbacks — Cook torched the Minutemen for three completions, 52 yards and a touchdown.
Running back
Marcus Carroll, 24 snaps, 82.3
Jamal Roberts, 17 snaps, 58.5
Kewan Lacy, 12 snaps, 60.8
Tavorus Jones, 10 snaps, 67.6
Consider that hierarchy to be the depth chart under primary running back Nate Noel, who missed the game with back tightness.
Mizzou's running backs ran the ball 24 times on zone plays and eight times with gap schemes, indicating that younger backs got valuable reps in the Tigers' preferred system.
Carroll averaged 2.8 yards after contact per attempt, and Lacy wasn't far off at 2.57.
Wide receivers/tight ends
WR Theo Wease Jr., 34 snaps, 71.7
TE Jordon Harris, 32 snaps, 51.8
WR Mookie Cooper, 31 snaps, 56.8
TE Brett Norfleet, 29 snaps, 73.6
WR Joshua Manning, 27 snaps, 66.7
WR Marquis Johnson, 23 snaps, 55.0
WR Luther Burden III, 23 snaps, 91.3
TE Tyler Stephens, 17 snaps, 56.4
WR Daniel Blood, 11 snaps, 54.7
WR Mekhi Miller, 11 snaps, 44.4
WR James Madison II, 4 snaps, 60.2
TE Jude James, 4 snaps, 59.5
WR Courtney Crutchfield, 4 snaps, 60.1
That's a lot of names. But only Burden, Manning, Norfleet, Wease and Cooper received multiple targets.
Burden and Miller were assigned a drop each. Burden forced four missed tackles.Â
Defensive line
DE Zion Young, 28 snaps, 57.4
DT Chris McClellan, 26 snaps, 92.7
DE Johnny Walker Jr., 26 snaps, 68.5
DT Jalen Marshall, 21 snaps, 72.8
DT Kristian Williams, 20 snaps, 60.6
DT Sam Williams, 19 snaps, 61.3
DT Sterling Webb, 19 snaps, 74.7
DE Eddie Kelly Jr., 17 snaps, 65.6
DE Williams Nwaneri, 16 snaps, 59.5
DE Jahkai Lang, 16 snaps, 65.6
DE Jaylen Brown, 13 snaps, 54.8
DT Elias Williams, 5 snaps, 67.2
That would be just about every scholarship defensive lineman getting into the game in some capacity. Depth usage aside, the defensive tackle rotation seems to be wide open in that it has expanded — though Marquis Gracial was left out of it against UMass.Â
Webb generated a team-high five pressures, while Lang and Young were the only other linemen to create multiple.
Nwaneri is now up to 30 snaps played this season in two appearances.
Linebackers
Nicholas Rodriguez, 34 snaps, 69.6
Khalil Jacobs, 24 snaps, 66.9
Chuck Hicks, 21 snaps, 70.7
Corey Flagg Jr., 19 snaps, 72.1
Jeremiah Beasley, 11 snaps, 65.8
If you had Rodriguez finishing second among defensive players in snaps or first in tackles on your bingo card, well, that would have been an effective bingo card. PFF graded him as the Tigers' best run defender, likely because of his tackles and ability to adequately fill gaps. Rodriguez did not miss a tackle.
The balance and usage of this group will be interesting to watch going forward, particularly if injuries become a factor. Outside linebacker Triston Newson missed Saturday's game with an undisclosed injury while Jacobs left in the third quarter — and there isn't much depth at the position behind them.
Defensive backs
CB Dreyden Norwood, 39 snaps, 56.9
S Marvin Burks Jr., 24 snaps, 70.2
STAR Daylan Carnell, 31 snaps, 71.2
S Tre'Vez Johnson, 27 snaps, 66.5
S Joseph Charleston, 26 snaps, 67.7
STAR Sidney Williams Sr., 25 snaps, 69.8
CB Toriano Pride Jr., 23 snaps, 51.2
CB Nicholas Deloach Jr., 20 snaps, 59.1
S Caleb Flagg, 18 snaps, 92.1
CB Ja'Marion Wayne, 17 snaps, 71.6
CB Shamar McNeil, 15 snaps, 48.6
S Trajen Greco, 11 snaps, 71.4
CB Marcus Clarke, 9 snaps, 53.0
S Phillip Roche, 8 snaps, 68.7
Once again, Deloach and Pride played a very similar number of snaps at cornerback as they compete to start alongside Norwood. Neither were especially convincing, which was true of the corners room at large: The trio of Norwood, Deloach and Pride all finished with coverage grades below 60. ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ were targeted seven times and allowed four catches.
Williams, Johnson, Clarke and Charleston were the only defensive backs to rush the passer at any point in the game.Â
Mizzou coach Eli Drinkwitz wanted team to 'respond.' He says they did
'We responded': Mizzou quarterback Brady Cook on win over Massachusetts
Young players get chances to shine in No. 21 Mizzou's victory over Massachusetts
AMHERST, Mass. — Saturday afternoon in Massachusetts looked a little bit like Monday night football.
Not the NFL’s prime-time product, to be clear, but Missouri’s weekly intrasquad scrimmage and practice designed to highlight younger players by giving them some competitive reps that has gone by the same name.
The No. 21 Tigers blew out UMass 45-3 on Saturday, which — combined with a couple of injuries and absences — created quite a bit of opportunity for the kids to cook.
Some of them did.
Asked what he made of the shifts logged by the players deeper on Mizzou’s depth chart, coach Eli Drinkwitz was happy to disagree with the premise of the question.
“I don’t know that they’re lower down on the depth chart,†he said. “I told them, ‘Go out there and play, and if you make plays, you’re going to play.’ That’s ‘always compete.’â€
And always competing is a core tenet of the MU program.
Young players were featured in especially key roles on defense.
Redshirt freshman Nicholas Deloach Jr. started at cornerback for the second straight game. Freshman defensive back Trajen Greco, who has carved out a special teams role, made one solo tackle.
The most impressive of the bunch was linebacker Nicholas Rodriguez. With outside linebacker Triston Newson out for the game because of an undisclosed injury, Rodriguez stepped into the rotation. And when Khalil Jacobs, who started for Newson, left the game in the third quarter because of an injury, Rodriguez’ role grew again.
“Nick Rodriguez, man, was playing — I don’t know how many tackles he ended up with, but he really played well,†Drinkwitz said.
The answer is nine tackles, which was the most of anyone on the Mizzou defense. The four-star recruit out of St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Florida was moving around well throughout the defense.
“The thing about Nick is he does that every day in practice,†linebacker Corey Flagg Jr. said. “He’s consistent in doing his job. He listens to (linebackers) Coach DJ (Smith). He’s fine-eyed and detailed in doing his job. Great kid. Played in South Florida, played tough high school football, so I know he can ball.â€
Flagg began his college career at Miami, Rodriguez’s hometown, so he knows about the football talent in that part of the country.
Closer to the line of scrimmage, highly touted freshman Williams Nwaneri played an expanded role too because of an injury higher up the depth chart. With No. 2 defensive end Joe Moore III out, Nwaneri stepped into the rotation at that position.
It was just the five-star freshman’s second collegiate appearance, and after struggling to secure playing time, he had his moments against UMass. In the third quarter, Nwaneri leaped on Minuteman quarterback Taisun Phommachanh from behind, dragging the veteran signal-caller down for his first career sack.
Nwaneri remains on track to redshirt, barring Moore’s injury being a significant one — but getting on the stat sheet against Massachusetts makes his progression at least a little bit tangible.
On the offensive side of the ball, yet another injury opened up opportunities for youngsters. Primary tailback Nate Noel was a late scratch because of back tightness, which made Marcus Carroll the primary rusher, and he ran for 91 yards and three touchdowns.
Still, in relief of him, redshirt freshman Jamal Roberts and true freshman Kewan Lacy both got their share of touches.
Roberts has been seeing the field regularly this season, mostly in third-down situations for his ability to pass protect. He took three carries for 7 yards against the Minutemen.
Lacy, another highly regarded prospect who likely will wind up redshirting this season, earned more work as reserves took over the back stretch of the game, finishing with six carries for 41 yards and a reception.
“It’s good to see them boys go out there and tote the rock like that, man, because them guys, they really do deserve it,†Carroll said.