Mizzou’s defense made it look relatively easy to get to the quarterback through the first half of the season. Over the past two weeks, however, the Tigers have struggled to generate the same pressure, giving the Texas offense an opportunity to exploit its pass-protection vulnerabilities.
After 18 sacks through the first six games, Mizzou has managed just one over its last two contests. The Tigers have also totaled just three tackles for loss and seven quarterback hurries during that stretch.
The recent
production dip has dropped Mizzou to 11th in the SEC in total sacks. Despite the decrease, defensive ends Daeden Hopkins and Donta Simpson remain among the conference’s top five sack leaders with seven and six, respectively.
Neither has maintained that production recently. Hopkins has gone without a sack in the last two games and recorded just one quarterback hurry. Simpson has added one sack and two hurries during that span.
The bigger concern for the Tigers has been generating consistent pressure off the edge. Of the Tigers’ 19 sacks this season, nine have come from defensive tackles, 8.5 from defensive ends and 1.5 from linebacker Nic Rodriguez.
Last season, Damon Wilson II and Zion Young combined for 15.5 sacks as edge rushers, providing a tandem of production that Mizzou has yet to replicate.
Injuries have played a significant role. Hopkins has missed two games, Simpson was unavailable against Mississippi State and Darris Smith, who entered the season as the projected leader off the edge after recording four sacks in 2025, has appeared in just four games while playing fewer than 150 snaps. Smith did see an increased workload against Arkansas, recording 38 snaps, his most since playing 56 against Kansas.
The lack of production hasn’t necessarily reflected a lack of creativity from defensive coordinator Corey Batoon and his staff. Against Arkansas, Mizzou mixed four- and five-man fronts with disguised coverages. On Trajen Greco’s interception, Hopkins started inside before crossing to the outside, helping both himself and Simpson generate pressure.
Still, the numbers reflect the recent struggles. Mizzou’s sack percentage has fallen from 6.74% for the season, good for 10th in the SEC, to 3.54% over the last three weeks, ranking 12th in the conference.
The matchup against Texas presents an opportunity to reverse this trend. The Longhorns have surrendered 24 sacks this season, the third-most in the SEC, while quarterback Arch Manning has been sacked 12 times over his last three games.
Mizzou head coach Eli Drinkwitz knows generating pressure against Manning will require more than simply sending extra rushers.
“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. “You can’t just play drop coverage because he does a great job with scrambling. So you’re going to have to intermix within the realm of what we do.”
Defensive tackle Jason Dowell emphasized the importance of keeping Manning contained rather than allowing him opportunities to escape the pocket.
“He’s a phenomenal quarterback, and I can’t wait to have the opportunity to play him,” Dowell said. “But to slow him down, we have to push what we go over, just push the A and B gaps, keep him contained and be able to keep him inside where he has to make those tough throws.”
While the Tigers’ recent pass-rush production has slowed, their overall defensive performance has remained respectable. Mizzou ranks 28th nationally in opponent completion percentage, holding opposing quarterbacks to a 57.8% completion rate.
Reestablishing its edge presence could be one of the biggest factors in slowing down Manning and giving the Tigers’ defense a chance to dictate the game.
