Missouri safety Marvin Burks Jr. (1) celebrates a defensive stop in the third quarter of a game against Auburn on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, at Faurot Field in Columbia. (CAL TOBIAS/ROCK M NATION)
The Mizzou defense lost five NFL players and a coordinator last year. They might be better this year.
Entering the 2024 season, all eyes rested on new defensive coordinator Corey Batoon and the Mizzou Tiger defense. They were by far the biggest question to be answered for a team that had (and still has) playoff aspirations. The unit lost five players to the NFL draft, including a first round defensive lineman and a second round cornerback, as well as defensive coordinator Blake Baker, who took more money to move home to Louisiana.
Fans and football experts alike rightfully questioned the talent and cohesion of the defense that lost so much leadership from a solid unit in 2023. Fast forward seven games and a tremendous defensive performance in a win over Auburn, and the Tigers are squarely in the middle of Corey Batoon’s first season at the helm of the defense. So how have Batoon’s boys performed early in his tenure? We’ll issue a mid-season report card broken down into three areas:
Secondary performance
Front seven performance
Total defense
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Dreydon Norwood leads Batoon’s secondary.
Secondary performance
If the defense was the side of the ball most questioned during the Mizzou off season, then the secondary was certainly the position group with the most question marks within the defense. The Tigers lost three defensive backs to the NFL last spring including both starting cornerbacks and a starting safety.
Replacements for all that lost talent include transfer Toriano Pride Jr., and redshirt freshman Nicholas Deloach, who have split reps at one cornerback spot. While both players have had their moments, the fact that neither has won the full-time job shows that neither are playing as well as the coaching staff would hope. Dreydon Norwood has held down the other side of the field and has been reliable while sophomore Marvin Burks has taken over at safety for Jaylon Carlies to mixed results.
As for overall production this season versus last season, let’s look at the stats:
One thing to take under advisement with these stats is that Mizzou has yet to play a truly high-powered passing offense so far this season. By this point last year, Mizzou had faced Heisman winner Jayden Daniels. However, at first glance, defensive production from the secondary in the passing game looks better than 2023’s vaunted squad.
In fact, Mizzou’s 2024 passing yards per game sits at 23rd in the nation. Last year’s talented unit finished ranked 46th. Additionally, this year’s secondary ranks 12th nationally in passing first downs per game at 7.7 while last year’s secondary was 37th. Finally, this year’s team seems a bit more ballhawkish than last year’s secondary, with five interceptions through seven games, to just four last year (and two of those came against LSU and Jayden Daniels!)
The one thing last year’s team did better than this year’s team is not give up the long pass play. Last year’s team gave up fewer yards per pass attempt and fewer yards per completion, which can be attributed to the 2024 secondary’s penchant for one or two blown coverages a game. These consistent coverage busts have probably overly impacted negative perceptions of the unit this year, but the 2024 secondary compares quite favorably to last year’s talented group despite an easier schedule. Props to cornerbacks coach Al Pogue and safeties coach Jacob Yoro.
Grade: B
Missouri players celebrate recovering a fumble in the first half of a game against Auburn on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, at Faurot Field in Columbia. (CAL TOBIAS/ROCK M NATION)
Front seven performance
The Tigers front seven had even more talent to replace this past off season in first round pick Darius Robinson, third-round linebacker Ty’ron Hopper, starting linebacker Chad Bailey and three rotational defensive tackles in Realus George, Jayden Jernigan and Josh Landry. Replacements for those very large holes have included incumbents Chuck Hicks and Tristan Newson at linebacker along with transfers Corey Flagg and the recently injured Khalil Jacobs. Up front, Zion Young and Eddie Kelly, Jr. have combined to attempt filling Darius Robinson’s shoes while Florida transfer Chris McClellan has solidified the middle of the field with returner Kristian Williams.
As for overall production this season versus last season, let’s look at the stats:
When comparing last year’s trench unit to the 2024 version, two things stick out. First, the current version of the Mizzou defense is better defending the run. As with the secondary, we’ll issue the Jayden Daniels caveat, but the 2023 squad also didn’t get housed on all sides of the ball by Texas A&M so those two games probably even themselves out. However, this team gives up fewer yards per game, fewer yards per carry and fewer rushing first downs than the 2023 front seven, which has gone a long way in creating the success this unit has enjoyed overall.
The one area where this unit shows deficiency over last year’s group, unsurprisingly, is their ability to create sacks and tackles for loss. Last year’s squad ranked 8th nationally in sack rate, meaning the percentage of passing plays where they generated a sack. This year’s team still ranks pretty well nationally at 22nd, but they are a full percentage point lower than last year’s unit.
All things considered, especially based on the fact that the Tigers had to replace four rotational defensive linemen, two starting linebackers and their defensive end coach in the off-season, this year’s front seven stacks up pretty well. Shuffling in several transfers as well as developing younger players like Jakhai Lang, Marquis Gracial and Williams Nwaneri has caused less of a drop off than might have been expected from such a senior-laden group last year. Ideally, the Tiger defense would generate more sacks and tackles for loss which could help prevent some coverage busts by the inexperienced secondary, but the front seven’s success against the run helps counter that deficiency quite well.
Grade: B+
Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Tiger defense has smothered the opposition so far in 2024.
Total defense
Taking a look at the front half or back half of the defense in a vacuum actually gives you less than half the picture. Because defenses rely on all moving parts working in conjunction, it’s important to evaluate the unit’s production as a whole. Here’s how they stack up to last year’s defense:
Initial reaction: Whoa, that is a lot of green under 2024. Once again, for those in the back, yes the schedule of opposing offenses has been easier thus far than in 2023. But the stark improvement in points per game, yards per game, and most notably, third down efficacy, are truly impressive. Here’s how this year’s defense ranks nationally in some of these areas:
12th in points per game (28th last year)
13th in opponent yards per game (38th last year)
8th in red zone attempts per game (28th last year)
6th nationally in first downs per game (31 last year)
4th in third down conversions (65th last year)
8th in conversion percentage (53rd last year)
It doesn’t matter if Mizzou had played South Alaska Sisters of the Poor for seven straight games to start 2024, those are truly some impressive national rankings.
The most-eye catching area that Corey Batoon has improved in this year has been third down conversions. This defense gets off the field and it gets off the field fast. A 28% third-down conversion rate is elite. Not only is this defense forcing punts and getting possession back ASAP, it is setting the offense up with excellent field position on a regular basis. In fact, Mizzou’s average starting field position of their own 32 yard line is three full yards better than last year’s excellent 29 yard line. This creates an extra 0.3 starting expected points per drive (1.602) for the 2024 offense over the 2023 offense (1.31).
Grade: A
Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Johnny Walker, Jr. needs to to increase his havoc rate.
Final grade
Mizzou fans didn’t quite know what to expect out of the Tiger defense coming into the season. A new defensive play caller and seven new starters created many unknowns for the unit. Seven games into Corey Batoon’s nascent Mizzou career, it’s safe to say that he has made a positive impact on the way the Tiger defense approaches each game. Blake Baker’s tenure was highlighted by blitzing and havoc, while Batoon’s style seems more measured and strategic.
While the 2024 defense has yet to reach the excellent sack and tackle-for-loss numbers that punctuated Baker defenses, Batoon’s ability to get his unit off the field more than makes up for any deficiencies they might have behind the line of scrimmage. Even though the 2024 Tigers haven’t played the high level of offenses like 2023, the overall excellence of the unit on third downs and in the red zone has more than indicated that Corey Batoon is not only on the right track, but has passed his midterms with flying colors.
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