Mizzou football head coach Eli Drinkwitz talks about defensive coordinator Corey Batoon on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, after a win over Boston College in Columbia, Mo. (Video by Mizzou Network, used with permission of Mizzou Athletics)
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Pick a number between three and five, inclusive.
If you chose three, four or five, you’re correct: Missouri lined up with that many defensive linemen at some point in Saturday’s 27-21 win over Boston College.
The then-No. 6 Tigers threw a handful of different looks in the trenches against the Eagles and dual-threat quarterback Thomas Castellanos, sifting through options as it became more comfortable to corral the scrambler.
There were a handful of negative firsts that came in the game for Mizzou’s defense under new coordinator Corey Batoon, but they were the kind of firsts that were inevitable and often occur before the third game of the season, as was their contest Saturday: first points allowed, first penalty, first opposition drive into the red zone.
There were clear successes: game-changing interceptions by safety Tre’Vez Johnson and cornerback Dreyden Norwood, sacks by transfer linebackers Khalil Jacobs and Corey Flagg Jr.
And there were mishaps: Two blown coverages gifted the Eagles lengthy passing touchdowns.
“I know Corey (Batoon) is disappointed,†MU coach Eli Drinkwitz said after rattling off some of those shortcomings.
But to be clear, that’s the defensive coordinator’s own emotion. Drinkwitz was quite pleased with how his offseason addition handled a test against a much more dynamic offense than Missouri had seen through its first two games.
“Cool as a cucumber, man. Nothing phases him,†Drinkwitz said. “Just up there dialing up great calls. He did lose it a little bit on the last coverage bust, but he’s a vet. Can’t say enough great things about him and the calming presence and the tactical advantages that he gives us.â€
Tactically, Saturday’s game seemed to revolve around stopping the run. Boston College mixed in multiple running backs around Castellanos’ own rushing capability, using some read plays alongside scrambles and traditional handoffs.
Mizzou’s initial game plan seemed to involve using five down linemen on some first downs, swapping hybrid safety Daylan Carnell for an extra defensive tackle — that’s the personnel package Batoon used on the first play from scrimmage. The vast majority of the time, the Tigers were in their base 4-2-5 defense, while the 3-1-7 prowler package made its fair share of appearances on third downs.
In terms of taking away Boston College’s rushing ability, though, early returns weren’t particularly positive.
Castellanos ran for 21 yards in the first quarter, with the Eagles’ running backs combining for another 24. The BC quarterback wasn’t forgoing the passing game to pick up those yards either, completing 4 of 7 passes for 38 yards in the opening period.
And in the second quarter, his ability to play off schedule broke the Missouri defense. He fumbled a snap, sending the ball to the turf before picking it back up — certainly an example of the script being tossed out on a given play.
The moment of backfield chaos drew Mizzou’s defensive shell inward toward the line of scrimmage. That was helpful for some positions — say, linebackers — but for the secondary that had dropped back into pass coverage, it was costly.
Not one but two Boston College receivers broke over the top of the MU defense as a result, giving an improvising Castellanos a choice between whom he wanted to give a touchdown. His pass was a tad underthrown, but it didn’t matter: The Eagles were off to the races and showing off what makes that style of quarterback tough to defend.
“It’s hard,†Johnson, the safety with the interception, said. “Him being such a good runner, you've got to also have your eyes in the backfield for the quarterback. He created a lot of confusion, a lot of problems. But like I said, game plan, went out and executed and came out with a win.â€
The game plan, as far as it pertained to Castellanos, seemed to evolve as the game went. Flushing him from the pocket came with its own consequences.
“Any time you rush past an athletic quarterback like that, then you’re playing with 10,†Drinkwitz said. “We felt like we had an advantage if we could keep him in the pocket.â€
So that’s what the Tigers did. When rushing four, MU’s defensive line seemed to pull back at times — filling space more than trying to play tag in and out of the pocket. When Jacobs sacked Castellanos in the third quarter, it was off an unblocked blitz. The frequency of those calls wasn’t immediately available after the game, but the eye test suggests Mizzou was rather sparing in how often it sent extra pressure.
It worked as the game went on. In the second quarter, Castellanos’ legs netted no yards. He lost 12 in the third and gained only 7 yards in the fourth.
After posting 45 rushing yards as a team in the first quarter, Boston College finished with 49 overall.
“The main thing was stopping the run and get after the quarterback,†Johnson said. “Our third thing was create takeaways, and I think we did all three of those.â€
Winning a ranked matchup in Week 3 bodes well for Missouri for a variety of reasons, but its defensive performance against Castellanos in particular could pay dividends down the road. What the Tigers figured out against his style might be necessary against the other mobile quarterbacks along the schedule — like Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia in a week’s time.
“Disappointed that we gave up that many points, but (Batoon) did a really good job keeping our guys focused for a very difficult contain,†Drinkwitz said. “Really, the next week’s quarterback is gonna be real similar.â€
Mizzou football head coach Eli Drinkwitz talks about defensive coordinator Corey Batoon on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, after a win over Boston C…
Missouri cornerback Dreyden Norwood, right, is greeted by teammates after he intercepted a pass in the second half of the Tigers’ victory over Boston College on Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, in Columbia, Mo.