Fragile Missouri Tigers Defense Needs To Lead Charge Against Wildcats

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The members of the Missouri defense will tell you that whatever frustration mounts on the field from week to week is better left on the field, so as to not interfere with preparation for the next opponent's offense.

But you still have to wonder how many times the wounds have been licked, in an effort to do nothing more than temporarily soothe the pain inflicted by the Baylor Bears.

The sort of sting that accompanied the Tigers' loss last Saturday doesn't subside without a fight. It brought about the ensuing week's worth of incessant media scrutiny and speculation, which was nicely fueled by head coach Gary Pinkel's reportedly intense closed-door "conversation" with his team the day following the collapse to the previously lifeless Bears.

But Pinkel wasn't alone. Senior linebacker Sean Weatherspoon , unanimously considered to be the vocal leader of the MU defense, asserted his leadership by initiating some in-house tongue-lashing of his own. 

Refraining from naming names, Weatherspoon called out several of his younger defensive mates for not emulating the preparation methods and work ethic of Missouri's more experienced players. He also cited a noticeably lax mindset as one of the contributors to a disturbing "loosey-goosey" attitude on the eve of the Baylor game.

"We know that we got young guys on this team and it's our job to get those guys moving in the right direction," Weatherspoon said Monday, referring to the duties of the defense's elder statesmen. "It's kind of odd to me, because when I came in, I looked at the older guys and wanted to be just like them. Whatever they were doing to be on that field, that's something I wanted to do.

"Right now, we're not seeing that. I can't put my finger on it, but I can tell you this—we're still going to keep preparing and go out there and practice hard."

Potential cohesiveness issues aside, Missouri's defensive preparation for its next opponent, Kansas State, began with putting the Baylor game in the rear view mirror, but it presumably included focusing on a number of troublesome areas.

Other than correcting the fundamental breakdowns that led to nearly 20 missed tackles against Baylor, the Tigers must also plug up a leaky pass defense that allowed two passes of 50 yards or more, and could arguably be to blame for this week's unflattering chatter surrounding the defense.

"Giving up that many yards in a game is unacceptable," cornerback Kevin Rutland said at MU's recent media session. "I think the only way to go is up right now."

Maybe so. But in order to heal its bruised psyche and restore morale against the Wildcats, the MU defense will have to first and foremost excel at what it has done well for most of this season: stopping the run.

The ying to Baylor's yang, Kansas State takes pride in running the ball right at opponents—nearly to the point at which the game plan defies the dominant aerial mentality of Big 12 offenses.

Unlike the Bears, who were content to substitute their running game for a horizontal, screen-based passing game en route to record-setting day through the air, Kansas State won't deviate from trying to pick up huge chunks of yards on the ground. 

Terribly one-dimensional, the Wildcats, led by their old-school mentor, Bill Snyder, have run the ball 427 times, nearly twice as much as they have thrown it (234). More so, only seven teams in the country have attempted to run the ball more than KSU. The Wildcats, with 1,097 yards for the season, have the NCAA's 16th-best running attack.

"They've got a tough running game," Weatherspoon said. "They're going to come out and run the ball at you—that's just what they do...they're going to try to run the ball down our throat, and as the front seven, you live for those games."

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