Polling PowerMizzou: Defensive MVP

Prior to the start of fall camp 2013, PowerMizzou.com is taking the pulse of Tiger fans. We conducted a series of polls on our premium message board over the past week. This week, we will publicize and analyze the results of those polls.

We asked our subscribers, who will be the Tigers' defensive MVP this season? Here are the results.

Like the offensive poll, a small number of players dominated the voting. Four players accounted for 94.46% of the 325 votes cast.


The winner was junior defensive end Kony Ealy, who picked up 115 votes. Ealy finished his sophomore season with 37 tackles, including ten behind the line of scrimmage, which put him third on the team. Ealy started ten games in the 2012 season. He had 3.5 sacks, five quarterback hurries and seven passes broken up.


Second in our poll was senior cornerback E.J. Gaines, who checked in with 96 votes. Gaines was fourth on the team a year ago with 74 tackles and broke up 11 passes.


Linebacker Andrew Wilson, who led the Tigers with 79 tackles and broke up four passes as a junior, got 65 votes, an even 20 percent. Opposite Ealy, defensive end Michael Sam nabbed 32 votes to finish fourth. Sam was Mizzou's leading sack man with 4.5 a season ago.


Defensive tackles Matt Hoch and Lucas Vincent got eight and four votes, respectively. Eight of the nine players listed in our poll got at least one vote.

Coming tomorrow: Game of the Year