Mizzou’s Tyler Badie runs the ball to score a touchdown on Saturday, Oct. 9, 2021 at Faurot Field in Columbia, Mo. Badie scored three touchdowns during the game, helping MU beat Northern Texas 48-35.
With just under 12 minutes remaining in Missouri football’s game against North Texas, redshirt junior defensive end Trajan Jeffcoat tipped Mean Green sophomore quarterback Austin Aune’s pass at the line of of scrimmage. The ball landed into the hands of freshman defensive linemen Mekhi Wingo, who raced into Faurot Field’s north end zone for a 40-yards-out pick six.
“I always say I’m a running back at heart, so that was my chance right there,” Wingo said. “It was amazing, especially being able to celebrate with my teammates and especially when it was a play caused by another teammate.”
The touchdown made a positive impact on the entire defensive unit, as it strode into the end zone for the unit’s first pick six of the season.
“It was the best thing to happen to us all season because it was the first defensive touchdown,” sophomore defensive back Kris Abrams-Draine said.
The touchdown didn’t swing the momentum of the game, as it extended the Tigers’ lead to 41-14, but it served as the icing on the cake for the Tigers’ defense, especially the defensive line.
Missouri went on to defeat the Mean Green 48-35 on Homecoming to improve to .500 on the year.
“The [defensive line] played pretty well,” Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz said. “We had several negative plays, I thought they rushed the passer really well and then obviously anytime that you get a big-man touchdown, that’s a pretty good day in the offense.”
After being run over last week, the Tigers’ defense bounced back to shut down North Texas and cruised to a 31-7 halftime lead. Missouri only allowed 71 first-half rushing yards on 22 attempts.
The Tigers’ defense also recorded 10 tackles for loss, five of which came from the defensive compared to just 2 last week against Tennessee by the whole defense. Junior defensive lineman Isaiah McGuire finished with two, while Jeffcoat, Wingo, graduate defensive linemen Kobie Whiteside and redshirt freshman defensive lineman Johnny Walker Jr. finished with one apiece. Jeffcoat, McGuire and Walker also recorded a sack each, making life miserable for the Mean Green offense.
“When you get negative plays on first and second down, it forces a team to pass on third,” Wingo said. “So when you know a team is going to pass, it makes it a lot easier for the DB’s, linebackers and the [defensive] line.”
Stopping the run also helps out the offense. If a team isn’t controlling the clock by repeatedly gaining yards on the ground, it allows that side of the ball more opportunities. Because of that, Missouri controlled the time of possession (31:48 to 28:12) for the first time against an FBS opponent all season.
“It felt like we were clicking,” Wingo said. “It felt like we were playing off each other more than playing for ourselves.”
The Tigers still lost the yardage battle 491-474, but they held the Mean Green to only 186 rushing yards — the least they have given up since facing Central Michigan in Week 1. The Tigers’ 3.8 yards per carry allowed was a big swing from the 7.8 they gave up last week against Tennessee.
For Drinkwitz, today’s game was a step in the right direction, but he knows the Tigers still need to make progress.
“It wasn’t perfect,” Drinkwitz said. “We didn’t think we were going to transform into the ’85 Bears overnight. We’re working towards it, and I thought we took a big step.”
Edited by Kyle Pinnell | kpinnell@themaneater.com