Immunoglobulin M, or IgM, is the human body’s largest antibody and the immune system’s first response to infections. For Missouri football this past regular season, its defense often played the role of IgM when opposing offenses posed a threat.
So what led to the 8-4 Tigers posting a historically good defensive season?
Last season marked defensive coordinator Corey Batoon’s first season with Missouri, and his unit was the 17th best in Division l in terms of yards allowed per game. The Tigers’ defense improved to 10th best in Division l in the 2025 season, easily the pinnacle of head coach Eliah Drinkwitz’s tenure.
A handful of Missouri’s successes in that phase of the game can be attributed to having star veterans at each level of the field.
Three defenders earned All-Southeastern Conference honors in redshirt sophomore linebacker Josiah Trotter (First Team), senior edge rusher Zion Young (First Team) and junior edge rusher Damon Wilson ll (Second Team). Senior defensive tackle Chris McClellan also contributed to the defensive line’s success. Outside of the All-SEC trio in the front seven, the Tigers’ secondary also had skilled individuals, despite pass defense being the unit’s biggest flaw.
Starting at cornerback, senior Toriano Pride Jr. proved to be a weapon on the boundary, especially to close the season. The St. Louis native totaled 23 tackles, four pass breakups and two interceptions across 12 games.
Moving to the safeties, redshirt sophomore Santana Banner, junior Marvin Burks Jr. and graduate Daylan Carnell made up a formidable last line of defense. They combined for 132 tackles, eight tackles for loss, three interceptions and eight pass breakups.
All three levels of the defense came together to post the second-best defense in the conference in terms of yards allowed per game. Missouri faced four of the top eight offenses in the SEC in total yards per game and held each team to below its season average.
Some of the Tigers’ best defensive outings this season went unrewarded. They held Vanderbilt to 265 total yards and 17 points in Week 9, over 200 yards below its season average. In a critical Week 13 matchup with Oklahoma, the defense held the Sooners to 17 points and 276 total yards.
Inconsistent offensive performances held Missouri out of games it could’ve won too often. The offense actually outgained opponents in yardage in three of its four losses, meaning stalled drives and turnovers were the main causes for shortcomings. But could the defense have done more to contribute to winning?
Looking for faults from the defense as a whole against upper-echelon competition, the Tigers could not force turnovers against top teams in the SEC.
Throughout the 12-game schedule, the Tigers ranked 109th in Division l for average opponent turnovers, with 0.9 forced per game. In their four losses this season, they forced three turnovers.
Few turnovers weren’t because of a lack of opportunity. Missouri’s defenders struggled to catch errant passes thrown their way and force fumbles on ball carriers.
No team has the perfect defense, and the Tigers were surely up to par with any offense it faced. But a flawed offense and special teams made their impressive numbers all for naught.
Drinkwitz and his staff are now tasked with replacing a plethora of departing talent to sustain the defense’s 2025 regular-season numbers.
On the defensive line, McClellan and Young have both exhausted their eligibility, and Wilson has a strong case to go to the NFL draft early.
Trotter, though only a redshirt sophomore, is also draft-eligible, and losing the signal caller of the defense is never easy to replace.
Moving to the secondary, safeties Jalen Catalon and Carnell have exhausted their eligibility, while the starting boundary cornerback duo of Drey Norwood and Pride Jr. are also moving on.
Missouri had some promising underclassmen like sophomore linebacker Nicholas Rodriguez and freshman edge rusher Daeden Hopkins, but a deep dive into the transfer portal will likely be needed to refurbish Missouri’s defense.
The No. 25-ranked Tigers’ germ-dispelling defense will take the field one last time this season Dec. 27, against No. 20 Virginia in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl.
