Preview: Mizzou football faces 'unbelievable defensive talent' against No. 7 Texas

Missouri (6-2, 3-2 Southeastern Conference), seeded No. 18 in the initial CFP rankings, hosts No. 7 Texas (6-2, 3-2) at Faurot Field at 11 a.m. Saturday. The Longhorns come into Columbia undefeated against ranked opponents and the Tigers are undefeated at Faurot Field. On Saturday, something will have to give.

The Tigers, who have battled consistent injuries this season between Ahmad Hardy, Darris Smith and more, are at their healthiest with just three Tigers listed out on Wednesday's SEC Student-Athlete Availability Report. Texas, however, is in the midst of battling injuries with five starters listed as questionable and several key players already ruled out.

Missouri's coach Eli Drinkwitz made it clear Tuesday that regardless of Texas' injuries, their defense is still elite.

"They have an unbelievable defensive talent, defensive team, defensive scheme, defensive coaches," Drinkwitz said during Tuesday's press conference. "Coach (Will) Muschamp has done a terrific job there, instilling his personality and his scheme, which is very multiple. They've got elite pass rushers, they've got elite run stoppers, elite linebackers and they're a really good football team. Regardless, they have a ton of competitive depth. So whoever plays, you don't really notice a difference in what they're trying to do."

Who plays on the defensive end is still up in the air as defensive starters in edge Colin Simmons, defensive backs Kade Phillips and Graceson Littleton are listed as questionable.

Texas has been without Simmons since Oct. 17 and is 2-0 against Ole Miss and Mississippi State in his absence. Despite its recent success, getting him and his country-leading 10.5 sacks back for what would be the Longhorns first road game without him could be crucial.

Phillips and Littleton, who have started nearly every game for Texas this season, rank fifth and sixth in tackles and top-three in pass breakups. Saturday would be their first missed game of the season.

Regardless, Texas' defense is still overpowered and ranks near the top in many SEC catergories: first in touchdowns allowed, first in yards per play, second in passing yards per game, third in sacks and fourth in rushing yards per game. The contest will be the first game the Tigers face an SEC team that is currently top seven in rushing yards allowed per game.

"Oh man, they're physical up front," Jamal Roberts said Tuesday. "Just a good defense, one of the best fronts that I've seen so far and they're gonna come after it. They got some good movements up front and they're physical. They got some good size up front as well."

The Tigers' starting running back has been one of the top running backs in the country this season, ranking first in carries (190) and third in yards (1,005), but Texas is poised to be the most difficult challenge yet. Alongside Roberts in the backfield will be Hardy in his return to Faurot Field.

Oct 25, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Missouri Tigers running back Ahmad Hardy (29) runs with the ball against the Vanderbilt Commodores during the first half at FirstBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Hardy had two rushes for five yards in his first game back against Arkansas, but Drinkwitz anticipates more action from last year's All-American this week.

"He's been great... bounce back has been good. I think for us, it's continued to clearly define what his role can be for us," Drinkwitz said. "Where can we utilize him without throwing off the rhythm of what we've already established offensively with with Jamal? I think you'll see more of a rotation than what we were last week."

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The game will be no easy task for quarterback Austin Simmons either, who has not played against this formidable of a pass defense this season. Simmons is one of the leading SEC quarterbacks with 1,952 passing yards, 16 touchdowns and two interceptions this season.

A large portion of the challenges the offense will face comes from the Longhorns' starting linebackers Rasheem Biles and Justin Cryer. Biles has a team-second 60 tackles and four sacks while leading the team in interceptions with three. Cryer is third in tackles with 46 and has added a sack, an interception and a team-second four pass deflections.

"I think Coach Muschamp's system has always been very linebacker friendly because of his aggressive style and downhill nature. Those guys don't think a lot; they just react. It's more complicated than see ball, hit ball, but that's what they're doing," Drinkwitz said. "He utilizes them in a lot of different ways, from club fronts to simulated pressures to read and react and protecting with run stunts that allow penetration of A and B gaps and linebackers to flow over the top. As an offense, you have to kind of prepare for it and got to try to stay ahead of the chains, eliminate negative yardage runs."

Manning and more: Texas' offense

Defensively, the Tigers still have a large task ahead of them, particularly in defending quarterback Arch Manning. Manning can do the most damage against the Tigers with his arm power, throwing a pass for at least 42 yards in every contest this season. Allowing deep balls has been a persistent problem for Missouri this year, particularly at the start of the season.

Although Manning is a well-known figure with a strong arm, he is far from a perfect quarterback. He's thrown seven interceptions this season and is the second most sacked quarterback in the SEC. In games against top-25 opponents, which Texas is 3-0 in, Manning has thrown two touchdowns and four interceptions in those games. Despite Manning's weaknesses in turning the ball over, Drinkwitz is well aware of his talent.

"I think with every quarterback, it can't just be one one size fits all. You can't just say we're going to pressure him all game," Drinkwitz said. "Mississippi State was doing that, and then late in the game, he got a one-on-one matchup to put the game away with a dagger throw on the inside fade. You can't just play drop coverage because he does a great job with scrambling. So you're going to have to intermix what you do within the realm of what we do. The challenge is (to) figure out what we do, get a plan, play with great fundamentals, play with great execution and effort, let the chips fall where they may."

Manning's two top targets, Ryan Wingo and Cam Coleman are both questionable ahead of Saturday's contest. Wingo exited last week's matchup against Mississippi State due to a quad and shoulder injury, while Coleman was sidelined after a second-quarter shoulder injury. Wingo leads the Longhorns in receiving yards and receptions and Coleman leads the team with seven receiving touchdowns.

Arch Manning and Cam Coleman — Oct 17, 2026; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns wide receiver Cam Coleman (8) and quarterback Arch Manning (16) react after Coleman caught a touchdown pass from Manning during the second half against the Florida Gators at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"The injury stuff, nobody controls that — you have to have to plan for them to play," Drinkwitz said. "I think they're both really talented vertically down the field because they both have elite speed and size. The ball skills are really good, they put a ton of pressure on you.

"If you give them soft coverage, they can catch and run, play press. They can outside release and rip by you. If you play it often outside, then you push them to the post, which is probably Arch's as best throw. So difficult challenge. They both are game wreckers, in my opinion, because they can wreck the scoreboard on a single play."

Texas will officially be without running back Hollywood Smothers during Saturday's contest. Although Texas ranks 13th in the SEC in rushing yards per game, Smothers ranks second on the team in carries (69), yards (283) and touchdowns (two).

Offensive lineman Trevor Goosby, tight end Nick Townsend and edge Richard Wesley are also out against Missouri on Saturday.

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