Despite posting their lowest grade of the season, by a decent margin, the Tigers got the job done and secured their first Southeastern Conference win of the season thanks to the help of a strong defensive outing.
The game was tight from start to finish, and it wasn’t until the fourth quarter that Mizzou had the game won. While South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers was able to find guys open through the air, one thing wasn’t working all night: The Run Game.
“Come together and play ball,” defensive lineman Chris McClellan said after the game. “Stop the run, have some fun.”
Missouri allowed a whopping -9 rush yards through the entire game against the Gamecocks. Yep, you heard that right. Against Lousiana, the Tigers allowed 117 passing yards but 84 of those yards came on a single touchdown run from Zylan Perry. Prior to that, 31 rushing yards to Kansas. Are you noticing a pattern?
The run defense has been dominant all season for the Tigers, and aside from the whole defense doing its part against the run game, a couple players have been key contributors as to why the run defense is so dominant.
Captain and senior defensive lineman Zion Young was a dominant force, once again. He posted a 73.5 PFF grade in run defense and had two stops. On first and 15 in South Carolina’s second drive of the game, Young had a clutch tackle for loss, bringing up second and 16, and surging energy through a sold out Memorial Stadium.
“I feel pretty good,” Young said after leading his team to -9 rushing yards against South Carolina. “The way we practice, you know, we built for moments like that. We cherish moments like that.”
Senior defensive lineman Sterling Webb posted the best rushing defense PFF grade for the Tigers (75.0) and added a sack.
While the Tigers were so dominant in the ‘run defense’ category, the defense got burned a few times resulting in big time plays for the Gamecocks.
“I’m really proud of the way they played defense in the second half, especially after the deep ball. To get a sack right there, push them back,” Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz said after the game. “But I mean when we watch the tape tomorrow, I’m going to be on the secondary coaches. I mean we gave up 290 total offense and 300 of it was passing. It’s ridiculous.”
Josiah Trotter (4), Stephen Hall (2), Triston Newson (2) and Young (2) led the charge in the run game on Saturday, each making multiple plays in the run game. Trotter also led the team in tackles with 11.
While the West Virgnia transfer led the team in tackles on the day, he also was a main culprit of getting burned in coverage. Trotter allowed eight receptions on eight targets and over 100 yards of pass offense.
Trotter wasn’t the only victim to a strong Sellers passing performance as cornerbacks Toriano Pride, Stephen Hall and Drey Norwood also allowed numerous pass catches.
There were some bright spots to the pass defense, including five total sacks by the Tigers. Nicholas Rodriguez, who only took 17 of 55 total snaps, took full advantage of his time on the field, posting a sack and the highest defensive PFF grade on the team (80.6).
“It’s trusting our training, trust in our coaches and most importantly, trusting the person next to you,” Rodriguez said after the game.“One play at a time, you know, your best play could be your next play.”