The words are embedded in Aarion Penton’s head. Get takeaways. Run to the ball.

“Turnovers are what we focus on,” the sophomore cornerback said. “Every time the coaches talk to us they say, ‘We need takeaways; we need to run to the ball’ … It comes natural to us.”

Penton has tallied two takeaways of his own since becoming a starter for Mizzou this fall.

He’s helped boost the team’s record turnover streak to 45 consecutive games. But the single number, which dates back seasons, doesn’t explain everything about the Mizzou secondary’s play through two weeks.

Penton and sophomore defensive back John Gibson — also a first-year starter — have combined for 15 tackles and two interceptions.

“I do not put anything past me,” Penton said. “I want the ball to be thrown to my side.

“I still have a lot of stuff to work on to be the best player I can be. John and I have a big task ahead of us, but we know we are going to get better each week and bring our best every week.”

One of the things the two will have to work on is their tackling, especially in the open field. Coach Gary Pinkel said good tackling is a key element of any great defensive unit.

“You do not think of it as being that important until you see so many missed tackles,” Pinkel said. “You want (to give up) the 16-yard gain, not the 45-yard gain. We have to improve on that, but the guys on the back end are very capable of doing that.”

While some of those defensive miscues can be attributed to rookie mistakes, cornerbacks coach Cornell Ford has been working with his young players to prepare for different situations on the field. But the 20-year coaching veteran said no player can be prepared for every potential game scenario.

“There are so many different situations, and we talk about them often, but we only have so many minutes in practice and you cannot see all of them,” Ford said. “There are going to be times in a game when things come up and that is when you have to be able to trust your fundamentals and your preparation.”

Ford said he constantly stresses the importance of turnovers to his players. His unit’s goal is to get the football away from the offense by any means possible.

“That is what the whole game is about: the football,” Ford said. “It is our job as best as we can to take it away from the offense. It is just as much our ball as the offense’s, so we are trying to steal as many balls as we can.”

It’s a confidence Ford wants to instill in his players, that the defense has just as much of a right to have the football. And when it comes to confidence, Penton makes up for his lack of experience.

“You know your opponent is going to get big plays on you sometimes, but it is how you bounce back from it,” Penton said. “You cannot let it get to you. You have to calm yourself down and focus on the next play.

“If you just trust your technique, good things will happen.”