I haven't watched Mizzou this season but I've seen a few articles indicating that the DL has been disappointing relative to expectations and the past few years.
We all know coach Kool is a stud, but I think this just further backs that and speaks volumes to his coaching ability.
Full article here: Mizzou?s pass rush off to frustrating start under new scheme | The Kansas City Star
We all know coach Kool is a stud, but I think this just further backs that and speaks volumes to his coaching ability.
Missouri is tied for last in the Football Bowl Subdivision with one sack this season, an unsettling statistic for a fanbase accustomed to a disruptive defense.
Senior defensive tackle Josh Augusta smothered Eastern Michigan quarterback Todd Porter for a 5-yard loss Saturday and has three of the 3 1/2 tackles for a loss credited to Mizzou defensive linemen this season, a big-play drought that is perhaps the most vexing development during coach Barry Odom’s first two games.
It can be attributed, in part, to a philosophical shift.
“We play gaps, and we make sure our guys have gap integrity,” new defensive coordinator DeMontie Cross said. “I don’t know this for a fact, but I think those guys (in previous seasons) were just able to cut it loose all the time. …
“That’s not how we play.”
Since 2005, Mizzou only finished outside the FBS top 50 in sacks per game three times and only once in tackles for loss per game. The Tigers’ defensive line also had 12 players drafted into the NFL, including four first-round picks, during former coach Gary Pinkel’s 15-year tenure.
Under former defensive line coach Craig Kuligowski, the fabled architect of “D-Line Zou,” the front four relied more on instincts, making one or two quick reads and charging upfield off the snap.
Former Tigers defensive end Michael Sam, an All-American and co-Southeastern Conference defensive player as a senior in 2014, doesn’t seem to accept the new gap scheme as an explanation for the drop in sacks.
“Plenty of guys under (Kuligowski) had gap integrity and got sacks!!! Two of them were D-Line All-Americans,” Sam posted on Twitter on Wednesday.
Full article here: Mizzou?s pass rush off to frustrating start under new scheme | The Kansas City Star