Injuries to Jacobs, Moore Open up Playing Time for Younger Talent

With the season-ending injuries to two veterans on the defense, two freshman now have an opportunity at more snaps.

Sept. 7, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers defensive end Williams Nwaneri (6) walking off the field after Missouri's week 2 win over Buffalo at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. / Matt Guzman/MissouriOnSI

The burning question after the announcement linebacker Khalil Jacobs and defensive end Joe Moore's injury was who would be filling in their shoes. It appears as if two freshman are primed to fill in their roles.

At the defensive end spot, former 5-star freshman Williams Nwaneri saw a signigicant snap increase with Moore out against the UMass Minutemen. He saw 16 snaps and recoreded his first career sack, one of three in the game.

Linebacker Nicholas Rodriguez, who stepped in for Jacobs and linebacker Triston Newson who was also out, put on an impressive performance. He finished with nine tackles without missing a single one-on-one opportunity. His understanding of tackling angles were apparent as well.

Both freshman will now be expected to step into a larger role and other Tigers recognize that. Defensive tackle Chris McClellan, a stand out so far on the defensive line, knows both Rodriguez and Nwaneri will be vital to the roster moving forward.

“We got some young guys that were expecting to step up, like Nicholas Rodriguez. He played a phenomenal game this past weekend and obviously Will [Nwaneril] is coming along,” McClellan said. “We have some young guys that I feel are going to step up.”

Rodriguez specifically stood out to the rest of the Tiger defense. His nine tackles against the Minutemen is the second most tackles in a single game this season, behind safety Marvin Burks 12-tackle outing against Vanderbilt. Head coach Eli Drinkwitz, when making a decision on who will fill the role of the Jacobs, saw enough in Rodriguez's performance to throw his name in the ring.

“I think Nick did a really nice job of responding to the opportunity,” Drinkwitz said. “Nick came in and prepared well all week.”

Because of his preparation and performance, Rodriguez won the Tigers Defensive Player of the Week award. So far this season, majority of his snaps have come on special teams. His hard work in that area, as well as practice performances, built up to his team-leading performance.

“I thought he did a really nice job,” Drinkwitz said. “We've been utilizing him on special teams to try to prepare him for this opportunity.”

The Tigers have a plethora of young talent, including Rodriguez. Because of the experienced players on the roster, finding playing time for many of their freshman players has been challenging. Rodriguez has now showed he's capable of playing, making it hard for him to not get more reps.

“I think there's several young guys that we've felt like we needed to get them going and he's certainly one of them,” Drinkwitz said.

Nwaneri, the former No. 1 player in the country, has not seen as much of the field as many would have hoped. He came into a position group with four upper-classmen, which made it an immediate challenge to overcome them. With Moore out, Nwaneri looks primed to jump into that role.

As a whole, the youth of the team made a significant mark in the UMass matchup. Safety Trajen Greco made a notable tackle and linebacker Jeremiah Beasley and defensive lineman Elias Williams and Jaylen Brown saw some field time. It was valuable experience for the group of freshman, but they also were able to contribute.

"[I'm] really proud of the young guys who got the opportunity to play for the way that they came in and contributed a lot of first for a lot of those guys," Drinkwitz said.

Read More Missouri Tigers News:

Mizzou Loses Two Defensive Players to Season-Ending Injuries
Bowl Projections for Mizzou Football Ahead of Week 8
Kickoff Time and TV Network To Be Determined for Mizzou at Alabama