After 'Great Starting Point,' Mizzou Defense Knows Where to Improve

The Missouri Tigers defense was a dominant force against Central Arkansas in their 61-6 win on Thursday night, holding their opponents to just 73 passing yards and forcing five three-and-outs.

Even with having a shutout until the last 30 seconds, the defense obviously still has room to grow.

“I think there's still some things that we got to do a little bit better,” head coach Eli Drinkwitz said of the defense after the game.

Without yet reviewing game footage, one of the things Drinkwitz spotted as a problem was in the unit’s gap integrity at the line of scrimmage.

"I thought (the gap integrity) was a little bit leaky," Drinkwitz said. "Didn't think we were physical enough on the perimeter. We've given up too many first-down yards on first-down runs."

There was no shortage of physicality from linebacker Josiah Trotter. Considering the family legacy and his resume as the 2024 Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year, the expectations were high for Trotter in his first game with the Tigers. With a team-leading eight total tackles, including one for loss, it seemed like Trotter was everywhere on the Tigers defense.

“I feel like it was pretty solid,” Trotter said of his performance. “(I’m) pretty hard myself on a lot of things, I feel like there's still some more plays I wish I could have made, but I feel like it was a pretty solid game, a lot of things I still have to clean up on and continue to get better at.”

Edge rusher Damon Wilson II also had a strong game, as he grabbed the team’s only two sacks on the night. The first came on a third-and-8, forcing the Bears to punt. The second caused a loss of nine yards.

"Playing teams like this, you don't really expect to take that many shots, (we're) not trying to get the quarterback injured early," Wilson said. "I wasn't really thinking about getting sacks, (I was) just doing my job."

While Wilson’s performance was a flash of what’s to come this season, the final quarter provided a flash of what’s to come in years down the line, with young players in the second or third lineup subbing in late in the third quarter.

Enter freshman linebacker Dante McClellan, who was ready and knew his moment was coming. On a third-and-12 with just three minutes left in the game, McClellan intercepted a pass and ran it 83 yards for a touchdown.

"Before that, (McClellan) literally called it out," Wilson said after the win. "He said 'I'm about to make a play. I'm gonna get a pick.' I didn't think it was gonna be a pick six."

Outside of putting points on the board, McClellan also made three tackles for the Tigers. Fellow freshman safety CJ Bass III also had three tackles in the game.

"I feel like even our young guys were locked in from first quarter to fourth quarter," Wilson said. "That's really big, big tell that you have a really mature team is what the young guys do. I feel like it was just really impressive to see those guys do their job."

Missouri Tigers safety Santana Banner completes a tackle against Central Arkansas. — Aug. 28, 2025; Columbia, MO, USA; Missouri Tigers safety Santana Banner completes a tackle against Central Arkansas with construction of the new Faurot Field North end zone behind him. | Sam Simon/MissouriOnSI

As noted by Drinkwitz, it took the first half for the Tigers defense to get ramped back up into 2024 shape. With multiple new players earning starting spots and a few young guys getting an opportunity to play, they had a small learning curve on how to play with each other against live competition that they will look to improve upon for Week 2 against rival Kansas.

“A lot of things we can continue to clean up on, continue to be better at,” Trotter said. “But, it's a great starting point for the first game for this defense.”

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