So, what’s the cause for the elite defense this season?

We are all well aware of the defensive issues surrounding Barry Odom’s teams in seasons past. Aside from that unfortunate game in Laramie (yech) and last weekend’s higher scoring affair, the defense is allowing under 10 points a game— 7.75 a game to be exact. So, what’s changed this year? There seems to be more variety in what the Tigers are doing on defense, and they are just playing with more confidence than ever before.

Adam Cole of the KC Star wrote an interesting story about the Tiger’s defense and chatted with head coach Barry Odom about what has caused such a sudden shift in... awesomeness?

“We’re also doing a lot of things this year that we didn’t do last year, just schematically,” Odom said. “Our guys have been great learners, but our staff has done a great job on teaching.”

Coming into the season, Missouri touted a new look on the defense, a 4-2-5 scheme, which leaves more defensive backs on the field. That has helped with the turnover margin.

Missouri (5-1, 2-0 SEC) has interceptions in four of six games and has two multi-interception games, including a three interception performance against West Virginia in Week 2.

...“They’ve worked really hard to build the trust within each other and the belief that it’s going to work,” Odom said. “When you play with confidence and you play fast, when you’re able to cut loose and go play.”

If you’d like to check out Adam’s article in full, you can click here. It’s worth a read for sure.

Time for some football accolades!

Hey, look at you, Albert O! AP Midseason All-American!

And look at you guys, Cale Garrett, Nick Bolton, and Jordan Elliott! Pro Football Focus Midseason All-Americans!

And now, on to the links! I have decided to separate them into sections for you all because there’s a lot— are you surprised? And you’re welcome.

Yesterday at Rock M

• Nate is back with a new Beyond the Box Score, the “does the Mizzou defense have a running-quarterback problem” edition.
• Football Editor Nate (welcome back, by the way) also provided us with new SEC Power Rankings!
• A day later than normal, but Producer Mitch & Bennett are back with another episode of The Fifth Down, recapping everything from Mizzou-Ole Miss to the SEC as a whole, and taking a look at the top 25 (since we’re in that group now). Give it a listen... or, if you’re more of a reader, the recap can be found here.
• Josh wrote about the uncertainty of the NCAA, and why fans should continue to buy in.
• The Rock M Hoops Triplets got together to preview the combo guards.
• Ryan’s got a new depth chart for us, and there are some changes. Richaud Floyd is (hopefully) back, but in case he’s not, he’s sharing the [or] duties with Cade Musser.
• Sammy did a Q&A with Tom Stephenson from the SB Nation site, Anchor of Gold about Saturday’s game, and it can only be described as... bleak.

More Links:

Football

• St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Matter provided a quick guide to everything he knows about the NCAA appeal. He also wrote about changing hands at punter, as well as Cale Garrett’s new role on the team.
• PowerMizzou (free): Gabe posted Audio & a transcript, while Mitchell Forde posted a Notebook from Barry Odom’s media day press conference.
• Saturday Down South: Adam Spencer took a stab at predicting the rest of the Tigers’ season.
• CBS Sports: Dennis Dodd wrote about the Tigers suddenly being in the hunt for the SEC East, and how everything hinges on that damn appeal.
• The Athletic ($$): Peter Baugh posted a mid season review of sorts, identifying everything from best and worst surprises to MVPs on both sides of the ball. If you haven’t tried out The Athletic yet, here’s a link to a seven day free trial— http://theathletic.com/freetrial. I highly recommend it.
• Anchor of Gold (the Vandy SB Nation site) did an offensive preview on “Missourah.” (NO)

Hoops

• The SEC media released their preseason poll, and SURPRISE! They’re not high on either Mizzou hoops team. The men’s team was selected 13th (!!) and the women’s team was picked to finish 9th. Can’t wait til we prove ‘em all wrong!
• Adam Cole of the KC Star wrote about how Robin Pingeton isn’t here for your “rebuilding” narrative about this season’s team.
• Owen Krucoff of the Missourian wrote about how the vaunted freshman class will usher in a new era of Mizzou Women’s Hoops.
• CBS published a ridiculous post with their preseason rankings, which was so factually inaccurate in its blurb about Mizzou that they had to edit it. You can read their hoops preview here if you’d like. Here’s Basketball Editor Matt Harris’ tweet showing a screenshot of what it used to say. Yikes.
• Check out this little look at the new freshmen that Mizzou Hoops twitter posted. Is it November 1st yet? I know it’s an exhibition, but I just can’t wait to see them play live.

Former Mizzou players in the news

• You can check out the Denver Nuggets’ SB Nation site, The Denver Stiffs, where they find themselves quite enamored with Michael Porter, Jr. Click here for their recent podcast.
• XFL news: A couple of familiar names were drafted by the St. Louis Battle Hawks! Maybe I’ll check it out after all. The Seattle Dragons also selected Jacquies Smith for their Defensive Front 7. Way to go, guys!

• If you’re looking to sign up for ESPN+, Rock M Nation now has an affiliate link: click Here for ESPN+ Now!