Monday takeaway: Assessing the potential replacements at QB, LB
After starting quarterback Kelly Bryant left Missouri’s win over Troy late in the second quarter due to a left knee injury, Tiger fans waited nearly all day Sunday for an injury update. When it arrived, the news on Bryant was positive — but it was accompanied by a devastating, unexpected report.
Missouri classified Bryant’s injury as a sprain to his left knee. According to a team spokesperson, he is expected to participate in team activities this week. Whether he suits up for Saturday's game against Ole Miss, of course, still remains to be seen. Senior linebacker Cale Garrett, meanwhile, will undergo surgery for an injury to his pectoral tendon on Tuesday. He is expected to miss the remainder of the year.
So, with Missouri’s quarterback at least at risk to miss some playing time and the proverbial quarterback of the defense done for the season, let’s take a look at who might replace them.
On the offensive side of the ball, we already have our answer. Redshirt sophomore Taylor Powell stepped in for Bryant in the second half and completed six of eight passes. Powell has now appeared in six games in his college career and completed 13 of 30 total throws for 208 yards. He has never thrown a touchdown or an interception.
As was the case Saturday, Missouri fans have only ever seen Powell when a game is already out of reach, and usually alongside the second-string offense. However, after the Troy game, players and coaches expressed confidence that Powell can step in and run the starting offense if need be.
“I have the utmost trust in him,” sophomore wide receiver Jalen Knox said of Powell. “I feel like if he’s needed to go in there and needs to play, I feel like he’d go in there and get the job done for us and we don’t need to worry about him.”
Head coach Barry Odom said the coaching staff kept the offensive game plan fairly basic when Powell was in the game Saturday. He quipped that offensive coordinator Derek Dooley only called “like three plays,” and said he told Dooley to focus on running the clock rather than letting Powell air the ball out.
However, Powell did make a few impressive plays. He hit sophomore Kam Scott on a quick timing route for an 18-yard gain, and he scrambled to his right in the face of pressure and completed another pass to tight end Niko Hea.
“It wasn’t a fair assessment on what he can do,” Odom said after the game Saturday. “... I’ve seen him enough in practice, but we need to get him, as we have the last couple weeks as the backup, he gets a lot of reps, so now the game reps, if we get to that we expect him to play at a high level.”
While it may be difficult to get an accurate read on what Powell could do with the full playbook at his disposal, he displayed decent accuracy against Troy. Powell completed all six passes that traveled less than 20 yards downfield. This season, he is eight-for-13 on such passes. He has only attempted two passes of 20 yards or more and both have fallen incomplete.
Asked about Powell, his teammates most frequently mentioned his self-confidence and knowledge of the playbook. Odom said that the coaching staff won’t have to adjust its play-calling at all if Powell lines up behind center. Players also admitted that there is one big difference between Bryant and Powell. Powell isn’t a statue in the pocket by any means, but he is nowhere near as mobile as Bryant.
“Obviously there’s things Taylor can’t do that Kelly can do running the ball and things like that with his feet,” center Trystan Colon-Castillo said. “But confidence wise, I think Taylor — if you told me Taylor is starting quarterback next week, I wouldn’t be like, ah, s--t. Nah, I’d be pretty okay with it. But obviously having Kelly back, a playmaker like that, would be great for us.”
While Powell will likely take more snaps than usual with the first-team offense during practice this week, he said the uncertainty of whether he could have to start a game with Bryant banged up won’t affect his mindset.
“Nothing changes preparation wise,” he said. “If coach tells me I’m the starter I’m the starter. If not, I’m the backup and I’m still going to prepare the same.”
“It’d be awesome to go out there for four quarters, have the full playbook at disposal. I’ll be excited if that’s the opportunity.”
Garrett’s replacement at middle linebacker is not as clear, especially since junior Aubrey Miller is also expected to miss the remainder of the season due to a knee injury. However, there appear to be two main contenders for the spot: sophomore Cameron Wilkins and junior Jamal Brooks. At least initially, it wouldn’t be a surprise if both players saw an uptick in reps with the first team as Missouri attempts to replace the four-year starter.
Brooks has the edge in experience, especially at the middle linebacker spot. He has mainly served as a special teams stalwart through his first two-and-a-half seasons, but he has also played 48 defensive snaps across three games this year, according to Pro Football Focus. He has logged eight total tackles. Wilkins missed the first game of the season due to injury but has played 68 snaps in his three games of action. He has seen action at both of Missouri’s two linebacker spots and recorded 13 tackles on the season.
Both Wilkins and Brooks saw plenty of action in the second half Saturday, with Brooks recording two tackles in 11 snaps and Wilkins recording four stops in 28. Pro Football Focus issued Brooks a grade of 79.7 for the performance — making him the third-highest graded Missouri defender in the game — and Wilkins a grade of 71.2
One other possibility is that sophomore weakside linebacker Nick Bolton slides into Garrett's middle linebacker spot, leaving either Wilkins or Brooks to replace him. Regardless, look for Bolton to take over as the signal-caller of the defense. Bolton has had a breakout year in his first season as a starter, totaling 32 tackles and two interceptions, and Garrett has said that he knows all the calls.
“He’s like a second Mike, almost, with the knowledge that he has and making the checks,” Garrett said during fall camp. “Usually I only have to set the front and he can take care of the rest. He can set the front, too.”
Replacing Garrett will be a daunting task that will undoubtedly also fall to the other 10 players on the field for the defense. The four-year starter finished tied for the SEC lead in solo tackles last season with 68. In five games this year, he recorded 39 tackles (30 solo), three interceptions and a sack. Against Troy, he became the first Missouri defensive player ever to score three touchdowns in as many games.
“He’s the heart and soul of our team,” Odom said after the game.