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Missouri will play the final game of its regular season without the guy that has become its best player. Freshman running back Damarea Crockett was arrested on Sunday morning and will not play this week against Arkansas.

If you have an arrest during the season, they’re suspended for at least the next game," head coach Barry Odom said. "Kids make mistakes and I’ve got to use every one of them that I can as a teachable moment

Crockett is coming off a career day at Tennessee. He ran for 225 yards against the Volunteers on Saturday night, bringing his season total to 1,062. Both are freshman school records.

"Damarea’s done a lot of great things and he’s going to have a tremendous future. He realizes one decision obviously effects this football program and effects him. It’s the discipline of doing everything right every day.

In the absence of Crockett, Ish Witter and Natereace Strong will carry the bulk of the load. Odom said Alex Ross would also get some work in practice leading up to the game.

"I thought Nate did some good things the other day for sure. I think he’s got really a bright future ahead of him. He’s got size, he’s got speed, he’s getting an understanding of the tempo and the pace of the game," Odom said. "I’m proud of what Ish has done this year. He’s fought through some injuries and he runs with more energy and purpose than what he has."

WATCH: BARRY ODOM PRESS CONFERENCE | MISSOURI PLAYER VIDEO INTERVIEWS

Witter ran for a career-best 163 yards on Saturday and had two touchdowns for the first time in his college career. Strong ran eight times for 39 yards, including 23 on his first carry of the night.

"I was in the game and he broke that big one on the right side," offensive guard Kevin Pendleton said. "I saw him running, I didn't even know he was in the game. It was awesome and I'm proud of him. He's learned his way all throughout the season and gotten better each day out here. He's ready to take on a big role and I'm excited to see it."

"You've seen Ish play, you've seen Natereace play. They're gonna carry the weight," Drew Lock said. "There's no letdown for us."

Odom met with the team on Sunday afternoon to discuss Crockett's situation and to make a point to the rest of his players.

"We've got to be able to put the team first," Pendleton said. "The team's bigger than you. It doesn't matter what situation you're in, who's fault it was, what it is, you can't put yourself in that situation. He's gonna learn from that, the rest of the young guys are going to learn from it. The older guys are going to learn from it because that's on us too. As an older guy to know that we had guys out at 4 a.m., that's not good. That's not a good look for the leaders on this team."

Missouri will honor 16 seniors on Saturday, including five who will start their final game at Faurot Field (Sean Culkin, Rickey Hatley, John Gibson, Aarion Penton and Donavin Newsom).

"Last time being on Faurot Field, man," Hatley said. "Just trying to have fun all week with my teammates, just go out with a win."

"I care about tho guys and I’ve said a number of times I’ll owe them forever," Odom said. "We’ll have a personal relationship for the rest of their lives. I want to have success for them. I’ve said that for a couple weeks here and that hasn’t changed."

But Odom offered another player the chance to walk out of the tunnel and be honored in what might be his final home game. Junior defensive end Charles Harris is projected by many to be a first-round pick in the NFL Draft and could opt to skip his senior season.

"Charles and I talked about it. We’ve had a few good conversations here the last weeks. I want what’s best for him," Odom said. "If it’s he’s gone then that’s gonna be the right decision. If he comes back, then I’m gonna start a chant, ‘One more year.’"

Harris said he did not want to be part of the ceremony on Saturday, though he could change his mind during the week.

"I'm supposed to let him know by tomorrow I guess," Harris said. "It's not my senior day. I'm not really a senior, not technically. That's their day, it's not my day at all. No attention to me, it's all attention toward them."

The junior from Kansas City said he has not made a decision about whether to come back next season at this point.

"I'm really debating it. I'm definitely considering coming back," he said. "My teammates, the class that I came with, I want to go out with the same class. Eric Beisel, Anthony Sherrils, AJ Logan, all them guys I came in with.

"Just wanting to finish with those guys, go out with a bang with them. I think we'd have a great defense if I came back, an unstoppable defense."

Harris was headed to Missouri Western to play basketball before Gary Pinkel and Andy Hill offered him Missouri's final scholarship just days before National Signing Day in the Class of 2013. He now has nine sacks this season and 18 for his career, leaving him one shy of tying Lorenzo Williams and Shane Ray in the school's all-time top five.

"I didn't think it would happen so soon," Harris said. "I feel like it would have happened my last year, my last go-round just with the guys I was behind, all the great guys in front of me. But I knew it was coming surely but slowly."

Speaking of lightly recruiting players, redshirt freshman center Jonah Dubinski had exactly one FBS offer coming out of Rock Bridge High School two years ago. He was set to visit the Air Force Academy in the last month before signing day when he changed course.

"Just something special," he said. "I grew up watching Mizzou football and I always wanted to play football here. Senior year of high school I was thinking about it and I was like, 'Man, I can if I want to. There's no rule that says I can't come here and try to earn my spot. That's what I decided to do."

So Dubinski shunned an offer from Air Force and a few FCS schools to walk on at Mizzou. After that, he just had to convince his parents.

"We worked a little deal. I kind of work to pay my way a little bit," Dubinski said. "They're not exactly ecstatic when you turn down a full ride scholarship, but we worked it out."

On Saturday, he started in place of the injured Samson Bailey and was on the field for all 117 offensive snaps.

"I think I was nervous up until the second we touched the field in pre-warmups," Dubinski said. "Then I was just like, this is football. No matter where it is, how many people in the stands, it's just football."

"I was super excited for him," Lock said. "He's from Missouri, he's played against the same high school teams I've played against. I'm standing back there five yards behind him at the University of Tennessee in front of 108 thousand. Me and him were playing in this state in front of maybe five thousand at one point. It was pretty cool to see him out there."

Dubinski helped anchor an offense that put up 740 yards, the most ever for a Missouri team against an FBS opponent.

"We weren't plus-one so it didn't go quite as well as we wanted to," he said. "It was a good day. There was a lot we could have done better. We could have put another 100 yards on there if we would have executed some stuff."

Dubinski said he didn't know how many snaps the offense played until Glen Elarbee told him on the plane back to Columbia.

"If you would have told me at the beginning of the year that Jonah played that many (snaps) in one ballgame, I’d probably scratch my head a little bit," Odom said. "It means a lot to him. I think he’s got without question a role moving forward with this program that he can be a good player."

And maybe even one that's on scholarship.

"I've thought about it a little bit but I just try to stay focused," he said. "Me and my friends joke about it a lot, but it's just like if you get to play that will all take care of itself. Just focus on getting as good as you can as fast as you can."

Crockett isn't the only Arkansas native who won't get the chance to face his home state team on Saturday. Freshman defensive tackle Markell Utsey will miss the game after suffering a knee injury against Tennessee. Odom said the Tigers are awaiting results of an MRI to determine the extent of the damage, but Utsey has already been ruled out for this weekend.

"Markell is 307 pounds and got great quickness and strength for a freshman," Odom said. "He’s going to be a really good player."

Sam Bailey is day-to-day with an ankle injury. Bailey got hurt in the first half against Vanderbilt and did not play at Tennessee.

The game will kick off at 1:30 Central time on Friday afternoon. It will be televised by CBS with Brad Nessler, Gary Danielson and John Schriffer on the call.