Now that we've reached the conclusion of the 2023 regular season it is time to hand out a position-by-position report card for Missouri's defense and special teams.
Defensive line: The biggest question on this side of the ball was how was the EDGE group going to do with the departure of Isaiah McGuire, DJ Coleman, Trajan Jeffcoat and Arden Walker, the team's top four defensive ends.
Well, the hope was that because the team returned its top eight defensive tackles it could benefit from the experience in the middle and even take one of those tackles and move them to the outside, and that's what the team did with Darius Robinson and it was a home run, to say the least.
Robinson's numbers were up across the board this season with the 6-foot-5, 296-pounder racking up 41 tackles and leading the team in tackles for loss (12) and sacks (7.5).
He had a couple of weekly honors such as being the SEC Defensive Player of the Week for Week 7, as well as being the SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week for Week 11. He also has accepted his invitation to the Senior Bowl and has a good chance of adding an All-SEC selection to the resume when postseason honors are awarded.
If you called him the best player on the defense you wouldn’t be wrong.
Johnny Walker was the starter opposite Robinson at defensive end and what he was going to do was a little bit more of a question mark compared to Robinson's position change. If Robinson didn't do well at defensive end, he could just go back to defensive tackle, but for Walker that wasn't the case. He kind of had to show up, and he did.
He proved to be a legit pass-rushing threat with his four sacks (t-second on the team) to go along with his 41 tackles, eight tackles for loss and two forced fumbles.
Nyles Gaddy, a Jackson State transfer, tied with Walker in sacks to go with 21 tackles and four tackles for loss. He's been a nice depth addition to the group as one of the first defensive ends off the bench.
Arizona State transfer Joe Moore and Northwestern transfer Austin Firestone played well in spot minutes with the former racking up 13 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack, while the latter had two tackles, a tackle for loss and a sack.
Firestone improved significantly throughout the fall, with the former Wildcat initially being a practice squad member. His sack against Vandy was the finishing touches on the Tigers' fifth straight win to start the season.
In the interior, Josh Landry had a good season and probably surprised a few people with his ascension up the depth chart. Last year, he was the fifth defensive tackle and is now one of the team's better run-stoppers. He led defensive tackles in tackles with 32 and had 2.5 tackles for loss as well.
Kristian Williams had 20 tackles, two pass deflections, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and led interior tackles with four tackles for loss.
Realus George led the group in sacks with 2.5 to go along with 24 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, a pass deflection and a forced fumble.
Jay Jernigan had 18 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery returned for a touchdown. He was named the SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week for Week 13.
If you were to compare the 2022 defensive line to the 2023 unit, the numbers are almost identical.
The 2023 unit racked up 21.5 sacks (61% of the team's total sacks) and 38 tackles for loss (49% of the team's total tackles for loss) while last season's unit had 22 sacks and 44 tackles for loss.
Mizzou ranks 12th in sacks with 35 and 2.92 per game, and 26th in tackles for loss with 77 and 6.5 per game.
Major props go to EDGE coach Kevin Peoples, who is a semifinalist for the Broyles Award given to the nation's best assistant coach.
The defensive line was probably the most consistent level of the defense and helped spearhead the team's 39th-ranked defense (347.1 yards per game allowed) and 30th-ranked run defense (125 yards per game allowed). GRADE: A-
Linebackers: Ty'Ron Hopper's numbers are slightly down from his 2022 numbers which saw rack up 68 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, four pass deflections, an interception and a forced fumble.
He had 55 tackles, six tackles for loss, three sacks and three pass deflections this season.
Despite the drop in numbers head coach Eli Drinkwitz has said multiple times that he's had to play a bigger role this year in year two of Blake Baker's defense. Also, couple that with starting MIKE Chad Bailey being in and out of the lineup, and Hopper's role grew even more.
He did have his struggles, though. Particularly in tackling. Something that not only plagued him but the entire defense at times during the season. He was t-second among SEC defenders in missed tackles with 17.
Despite that, Hopper is undoubtedly one of the faces of this defense, and his presence is missed when he's not on the field. He's another good candidate for an All-SEC selection.
Bailey played well when in the lineup, but a core injury that heavily limited him in fall camp never went away and limited him to five games. He recorded 17 tackles, a tackle for loss, a sack, a pass deflection and a forced fumble.
Chuck Hicks replaced Bailey as the MIKE and started eight of 12 games.
He played well and racked up the second-most tackles for loss on the team with 10. He also had 49 tackles, a pass deflection and a forced fumble.
His best game came in the regular season finale against Arkansas when he recorded six tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and a forced fumble.
Triston Newson was a player who had a stellar spring camp but then kind of had some struggles through fall camp and early in the season, but towards the end of the season he really started to come on.
In Week 13, with Hopper out for the second week in a row, Newson had a breakout game with 15 tackles, two tackles for loss and two fumble recoveries en route to Co-SEC Defensive Player of the Week honors.
It was a bounce back performance for both Hicks and Newson, who had poor outings versus Florida the week before.
Missed tackling and the struggles in pass coverage plagued this group the most. Behind Hopper in missed tackles was Hicks, who had 13, and Newson t-eighth with five.
The unit allowed 50 receptions on 63 targets for 553 yards and three touchdowns.
However, it was still a solid group despite Bailey being in and out of the lineup and Hopper missing the last two games of the regular season. GRADE: B
Secondary: Arguably, the best player on defense is cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine. Again, he or Robinson would be great picks for that claim.
Last season, he was second in the conference in pass deflections and now he ends the regular season No. 1 with 11. He also added 46 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, four interceptions and a fumble.
He allowed 25 receptions for 327 yards and four touchdowns on 50 targets.
Abrams-Draine said he got a third-round draft grade last year and that's largely why he returned in 2023. He's likely boosted that stock a great deal.
He will join Robinson at the Senior Bowl.
Opposite of him is Ennis Rakestraw, who makes up the other half of one of college football's best cornerback duos, if not the best.
Rakestraw has garnered top-two-round draft buzz and rightfully so, after posting 35 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and four pass deflections. He dealt with a groin injury that sidelined him for three games, but when he was on the field, not much got by him.
He allowed 18 receptions for 197 yards and a touchdown on 28 targets.
In reality, the Tigers had more of a 1A and 1B situation at corner than a No. 1 and No. 2 with Abrams-Draine and Rakestraw.
Dreyden Norwood was the one stepping into the lineup when Rakestraw was out and he racked up 17 tackles, three pass deflections and a fumble recovery in 11 games.
If Abrams-Draine and Rakestraw declare for the draft, he's got a pretty good shot to start next season.
At STAR, Daylan Carnell stepped in and seamlessly filled the spot formerly held by Martez Manuel at the position and really was a stat sheet stuffer.
He had 48 tackles, five tackles for loss, two sacks, seven pass deflections (second on the team), a forced fumble and an interception returned for a touchdown.
Safety Jaylon Carlies, the team's leading tackler a season ago, finished with the third-most at 53 to go with 3.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions, a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
The Hard-hitting safety, Joseph Charleston, led the team in tackles with 60 and also added 0.5 tackles for loss, four pass deflections and a forced fumble.
Florida safety transfer Tre'Vez Johnson was one of the team's most impactful transfers and instantly became a key contributor to this unit. He played in all 12 games and started two, recording 40 tackles and a tackle for loss.
Florida State safety transfer Sidney Williams also had some quality reps when his number was called, and he racked up 22 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and a pair of sacks.
The team was also able to get some good work from true freshmen safeties Marvin Burks and Phillip Roche, with both players burning their redshirts.
Burks had 16 tackles, a tackle for loss, a sack and a forced fumble. He's the only freshman on all four special teams units.
Roche had nine tackles, a tackle for loss, a sack and a forced fumble.
The safeties struggled at times, especially in the middle of the season with giving up some deep balls, but those issues didn't last long. However, the safety group was another group that struggled with tackling. Carlies was t-third with Carnell on the team in missed tackles with 12 while Charleston wasn’t too far behind with 10.
The secondary helped lead the 63rd pass defense, allowing 222.2 yards per game. That's a 19-spot decrease from its ranking a year ago, although it only gave up 12 more yards than the 2022 team.
Overall, the safeties usually held up their end of the bargain, but it's pretty clear the cornerbacks were leading the way. GRADE: B+
Special Teams: It was deja vu with this group. Just like last season, people were expecting this unit to be one of Missouri's strengths entering this season because there was no way kicker Harrison Mevis would miss six or more field goals again. Well, it happened. "The Thiccer Kicker" missed six field goals in the first seven games, starting the year 11-of-17. He also missed a PAT for the first time in his career in Week 2.
However, he'd bounce back and convert on 13 straight attempts to finish 24 of 30 (80%) on the season.
He's also responsible for two game-winners. An SEC record 61-yarder versus then-No. 15 Kansas State in Week 3 and a 30-yarder versus Florida in Week 12.
The kickoff returned unit averaged 19.15 yards per return, which ranks 81st in the FBS.
Six players had at least one kickoff return, but Marquis "Speedy" Johnson led the group with seven returns for an average of 20.9 yards per return.
The unit was better on kickoff defense, allowing 19.04 yards per return, which ranks 54th.
Also, in Mevis' first year as the kickoff specialist, he had numbers comparable to Sean Koetting's from a year ago, who had 51 of his 65 kickoffs be touchbacks, with two going out of bounds. Mevis had 45 of his 65 kickoffs be touchbacks.
The punting situation was consistently inconsistent all season. Towson transfer Riley Williams started the first three games before being usurped by Luke Bauer, who held the job from Weeks 4-11 before the former reclaimed it for the final two weeks.
Bauer averaged 42.1 yards per punt on 22 attempts, but he will be best known for his passing touchdown to Johnson on a fake punt against then-No. 24 Kentucky in the Tigers' 38-17 Week 7 win.
Williams averaged 40 yards per punt on 20 attempts.
Mizzou ranks 67th in punt returns, averaging 8.7 yards per return on eight returns (all by Luther Burden III), but jumped 73 spots from last season's ranking at this time in punt return defense to No. 54, allowing 6.78 yards per return.
It's a trade-off from a year ago. Last season, the Tigers had a punt return for a touchdown and allowed one. This season, it didn't allow one, but it didn't have one itself.
It wasn’t a great year from special teams. There was definitely some tweaks needed but it never got to the point where it truly affected games negatively. It actually won the Tigers two games at the horn. GRADE: B
Coaching: There's a reason Blake Baker's name is starting to be mentioned for other coordinating jobs and that's because for the second year in a row, he has led a top 40 defense.
At the end of the 2022 regular season, Mizzou had the 28th-ranked defense at 337.1 yards per game and 57th-ranked scoring defense at 25 points per game before it would finish with the 34th-ranked defense at 339.9 yards per game and the 56th-ranked scoring defense at 25.2 points per game.
Currently, the team is 39th in defense and 42nd in scoring defense at 22.33 points per game allowed.
The defense was allowed to play a little more aggressively this year because A) it's in year two of Baker’s scheme and B) the offense gave them support to do so.
Baker dialed up some unique pressure and blitz packages that had most opponents reeling and the team's defensive performances versus Tennessee and Arkansas were some of the best called games for Missouri in some time.
The defense allowed 30 points just three times all season and only allowed three teams to get 400 or more yards in a game.
This is with the aforementioned injuries at linebacker and no proven players at defensive end coming into the year.
Erik Link's special teams unit had its issues this year like it did last year.
But again, the unit never cost them the game it did the opposite and won the team two games. GRADE: A-
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