During Missouri's game against South Carolina, inside linebackers coach Vernon Hargreaves never had to substitute starters Cale Garrett and Terez Hall out of the game. That was okay with Hargreaves. He said Garrett, the team’s starting middle linebacker, and Hall, who starts on the weak side, don’t take kindly to being removed from a game.
“If I take them off the field, they’ll try to kill me,” Hargreaves joked Tuesday.
Garrett and Hall didn’t play every single defensive snap against South Carolina — each took the field for 71 of the Gamecocks’ 81 offensive plays — but they only went to the sideline when Missouri employed its dime personnel, which swaps out the linebackers in favor of more defensive backs. None of the backups listed behind Garrett or Hall on the Tiger depth chart played a defensive snap. Likewise, the third starter in Missouri’s linebacking corps, senior Brandon Lee, played 67 snaps. His backup, Ronnell Perkins, played one.
Garrett stopped short of admitting he gets upset when Hargreaves removes him from games, but he did say he takes pride in being able to take the field for however many snaps the coaching staff asks him to play.
“I want to take care of my body, hydrate, prepare in a way to where I can play every snap,” Garrett said. “I want to be in good enough shape. If I’m not in good enough shape to play every snap, then I think that’s kind of on me, because the competitor in me wants to play every snap.”
That Herculean workload shouldered by Hall and Garrett illustrates their importance to the Missouri defense. Hall is the only player on the Missouri defense who has topped 300 snaps through the team’s first five games. He’s played 302. Garrett isn’t far behind; at 293 snaps, he ranks third on the defense, one behind cornerback Adam Sparks.
Against South Carolina, Hall racked up 11 tackles, including three for loss, both of which led the team. Garrett finished second with eight stops. Hall also notched Missouri’s only sack in the game. While Garrett didn’t record a sack, he was the Tigers’ most effective pass rusher, hitting Michael Scarnecchia four times. The entire defensive line combined to do so three times.
Garrett said the same competitive streak that drives him to play as many snaps as possible allows he and Hall to fuel one another by making big plays. For instance, seeing Hall snuff out a jet sweep run by South Carolina wide receiver in the first quarter and stop it for a loss of six yards made Garrett hungry to make an important play of his own.
“Whenever something needs to be done, just being competitors, we both want to be that guy that’s going to make the play,” Garrett said. “If he makes the play, I’m not mad that I didn’t make it, I’m super happy for him. ... We both want to make the play and we both want to step up in big situations.”
Missouri’s run defense has been stout all season, and the two linebackers certainly deserve some of the credit for that. Garrett led Missouri in tackles a season ago, and through five games this year, he ranks first again. Hall is tied for second. The Tigers rank No. 15 nationally against the run, allowing an average of 107.4 yards per game on the ground. But the pass-rushing ability exhibited by Hall and Garrett against South Carolina will be just as important to the Tigers’ defensive success in the future.
Missouri has struggled mightily to pressure opposing quarterbacks this season, which has contributed to the team’s lackluster pass defense. As a result, defensive coordinator Ryan Walters said the unit implemented more blitzes for linebackers and defensive backs during the bye week. Because of South Carolina’s typical alignment, Garrett was best-positioned to blitz on Saturday.
According to Pro Football Focus, the Missouri defense hurried Scarnecchia on 15 of his 36 pass attempts. Garrett was credited for seven of those hurries. When he didn’t face pressure, Scarnecchia completed 71.4 percent of his passes and earned a passer rating of 130.7. When the Tigers were able to rush him, his completion percentage dipped to 33.3 percent, and his passer rating fell to 69.0.
Head coach Barry Odom said the Tigers will continue to look to the linebackers to generate pressure in the future.
“We've got to, because right now we’re not winning consistently with four guys (rushing),” Odom said. “... I thought the other day they had enough pressure for most of the game to allow us to play better defense. And I think some of that was the linebackers coming.”
At some point this season, Hargreaves knows he’s going to have to upset Garrett and Hall by allotting some snaps to their backups. He wants to make sure he doesn’t wear the duo down. But don't expect either player to be on the sidelines for long. Hargreaves acknowledged that it’s difficult to take away two consistent playmakers from a unit that has lacked them this season, even just for a snap.
“The reality is is that when I feel really comfortable with the other guys that I’m going to put in, then I’ll put them in,” Hargreaves said. “I need to manage (Garrett and Hall) probably a little bit better, and I will throughout the second half of the season. But as it stands right now, they give us the best opportunity to win.”
“I want those guys in the game as long as they can (play),” Odom said. “If they need a spell, then let’s get them out and get the next guy in. But right now, they’ve earned the snaps they’re getting.”
