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Mizzou Report Card: Defensive players in 2022

Now that we've reached the conclusion of the 2022 regular season it is time to hand out a position-by-position report card for Missouri's defense and special teams.

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Defensive Line: This position group improved significantly over how it was in 2021 with the team's 2021 Defensive Player of the Year defensive end Isaiah McGuire leading the way. McGuire recently declared for the NFL Draft after recording 39 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks and a pair of fumbles. In his last game as a Tiger, he recorded five tackles, two tackles for loss and two sacks with a separated shoulder. Defensive tackle Darius Robinson had the best season of his career racking up 31 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. Defensive end Trajan Jeffcoat had a bit of a down year, in part due to how deep this group is. He recorded 21 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack in 10 starts and 12 games played. Down from 35 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks a season ago.

The defensive line was bolstered by a number of impact transfers, most notably, Jacksonville State transfer defensive end DJ Coleman. The former two-time FCS All-American had 37 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and three forced fumbles in three starts and 12 games played. Oregon transfer Kristian Williams had 26 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, one pass deflection and a forced fumble across 12 games and nine starts at defensive tackle. He had just 14 tackles and a pass deflection a season ago. Oklahoma State transfer Jayden Jernigan had 13 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a sack in five starts and 12 games at defensive tackle. Baylor defensive end transfer Josh Landry chipped in with nine tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a fumble recovery while North Carolina defensive end transfer Tyrone Hopper racked up five tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss in 10 games.

This defensive line helped transform this run defense from the 124th-ranked run defense allowing 227.8 yards per game in 2021 to the 34th-ranked run defense allowing 127.2 yards per game.

Mizzou had 33 sacks, good for 25th in the FBS, and this group had 22.5 of those sacks. The Tigers also finished tied for eighth in tackles for loss with 7.4 tackles for loss per game and 89 total on the season. This group had 44.5 (50%) of those tackles for loss. GRADE: A

Linebackers: When Ty'Ron Hopper recorded 12 tackles and two tackles for loss against Missouri when he was still playing for Florida in 2021, Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz was hoping he could replicate more games like that as a Tiger and he did. Hopper started in all but one game this season and in his first seven starts, he had at least five or more tackles. In week 13 versus Arkansas, with bowl eligibility on the line, he racked up a season-high 11 tackles and two tackles for loss. He finished the season with 68 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, four pass deflections, an interception and a forced fumble.

Chad Bailey, who calls the defense as the MIKE had a productive season with 47 tackles, six tackles for loss, one sack, two pass deflections and a forced fumble in 10 starts. He missed weeks five and six due to injury. When Bailey was sidelined, Dameon Wilson got to start and the linebacker group didn't really miss a beat. He had a combined seven tackles and a fumble recovery in those two contests. He finished the season with 16 tackles and a fumble recovery in 11 games.

Devin Nicholson added 11 tackles and two pass deflections in 12 games.

The only reason the grade isn't higher is because Hopper, Bailey and Wilson all ranked in the top 10 in missed tackles on the team with Hopper being second with 14, Bailey being fourth with eight and Wilson in ninth with five. Mizzou as a team missed 119 which is about 9.91 missed tackles per game. GRADE: A-

Secondary: Arguably the best position group on defense probably benefitted the most from Mizzou defensive coordinator Blake Baker's version of the 4-2-5 which added another safety in the box dubbed the STAR to replace the slot cornerback.

Cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine was one of the better players on the team last season when he played in the slot and his move to the outside did nothing to change that. Abrams-Draine started in all 11 games he played in and recorded 40 tackles and an SEC-leading 13 pass deflections. Cornerback Ennis Rakestraw, who returned after missing the final eight games last season due to an ACL injury, had a great season as well. He racked up 35 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, 12 pass deflections, an interception and a fumble recovery.

Safety Martez Manuel played the STAR and seemed much more comfortable playing closer to the line of scrimmage. He finished third on the team in sacks with four and had 49 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, one pass deflection and a forced fumble. The man who will almost undoubtedly replace Manuel in the position is Daylan Carnell, who proved to have a nose for the football.

Carnell had 26 tackles, two tackles for loss, four pass deflections and led the team in fumble recoveries (two) and interceptions (three) with one of them being returned for a touchdown.

Safety Jaylon Carlies led the team in tackles with 72 to go with four tackles for loss, four pass deflections, two interceptions and a sack.

Clemson safety transfer Joseph Charleston had the most productive season of his college career and was an immediate impact player for Missouri from week one when he had an interception returned for a touchdown. He finished the season with 52 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, two pass deflections, one sack and the aforementioned interception returned for a touchdown.

Cornerback Dreyden Norwood, a Texas A&M transfer, played well in limited action and finished the season with 13 tackles, one tackle for loss, three pass deflections, an interception and a fumble recovery. Safety Jalani Williams chipped in with 11 tackles and an interception.

The team ranked 29th in pass defense last season with 206.8 yards per game and finished 44th in pass defense allowing 209.9 yards per game. A slight drop-off that is likely a result of the 460 passing yards that Tennessee hung on them. Easily, the worst game of the season for the secondary, but probably should be chalked up as simply a bad day.

The grade isn't higher because of the poor day at Tennessee and like the linebackers, there were a number of missed tackles from this group. Manuel finished with the most missed tackles at 16 while Carlies was third with 10, Carnell was sixth with six and Rakestraw was ninth with five.

Besides that, this position showed it had playmakers everywhere and that was on display almost every week. GRADE: A-

Special Teams: What many thought would be one of the Tigers' strengths coming into this season ended up being a little more negative than positive at times. Kicker Harrison Mevis was named a Preseason All-SEC first-team selection after making 92% of his field goals in 2021, but couldn't find the same success this season.

It started in week three when he missed two field goals for the first time in his career versus Abilene Christian. That was followed up by missing a 26-yard field goal at the end of regulation against Auburn that would've won Missouri the game.

He would make up for it with his best game of the season when he made all five of his field goals versus Georgia and was named SEC Special Teamer of the Week.

Mevis hadn't missed more than three field goals in a season heading into the season but finished the campaign converting 21 of 27 (77.8%) field goal attempts. He was 10 of 14 on field goal attempts less than 40 yards.

Mevis has proved time and again that he is one of the better kickers in the nation, but this season was a little bit off compared to his past seasons.

Punter and kickoff specialist Sean Koetting struggled in both aspects. He was the team's starting punter for the first three games before getting replaced by Jack Stonehouse. On kickoffs, he had 65 kicks with 51 being touchbacks and two going out of bounds.

The kickoff coverage itself only had one blunder versus Vanderbilt when it allowed Vandy to recover a normal kickoff and retain possession inside Missouri's 35-yard line. Besides that, this unit was one of the strengths of the team, as the Tigers finished as the best kickoff return unit in the FBS allowing 13.64 yards per return.

Stonehouse finished seventh in the SEC in punting average with 42.3 yards per punt on 47 attempts. He had a masterful performance at Auburn with an average of 48 yards per punt on eight punts but had issues being consistent with punting for average and hangtime.

The punt coverage probably struggled the most of any special teamer or special teams unit. It started in week one when Louisiana Tech had a punt returned for more than 40 yards and then carried over to week two against Kansas State when it allowed a punt returned for a touchdown. To the unit's credit that was the only touchdown allowed this season. The unit also allowed a decent return against Florida that led to a field goal in a one-possession loss. Will Norris' blocked punt that resulted in a 15-yard personal foul penalty also had a big impact on the Tigers' 21-17 loss to Kentucky in week 10.

Mizzou would finish ranked 127th in punt defense allowing 15.69 yards per return.

For the first two games, Abrams-Draine was handling punt return duties before ceding that to Luther Burden III and it turned out to be the right decision. Burden averaged 13.7 yards per return on 11 attempts and had one punt returned for a touchdown. Missouri would finish the season as the 18th-best punt return team averaging 12.25 yards per return. GRADE: C-

Coaching: Baker got a contract extension the same week Drinkwitz got one and for good reason.

Last season under Steve Wilks, the Tigers ranked 106th in total defense at 434.6 yards per game, 113th in scoring defense at 33.8 yards per game and 111th in first downs at 22.8 per game.

This season, Mizzou had the 28th-ranked defense at 337.1 yards per game, the 57th-ranked scoring defense at 25 points per game and the 31st-ranked defense on first down allowing just 18.33 first downs per game.

The defense was the reason the Tigers were in every game this season, except against Tennessee. Even when the defense gave up 40 points to Kansas State the defense still fought to give the offense a chance to rally. It was a similar situation in the season-finale versus Arkansas when it gave up 27 points, but still had seven sacks, 11 tackles for loss and an interception returned for a touchdown against a top-10 scoring offense.

Baker did an excellent job of embracing the 4-2-5 scheme left behind by Wilks while adding bits of pieces of his own philosophy to fit the players. Obviously, the 66 points allowed against Tennessee was a historically bad game, but that proved to be more of a one-off situation. The defense had a massive overhaul on the field with the players and Baker played everyone to just about the best of their abilities that is a large reason why Missouri is bowl-eligible. GRADE: A

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