COLUMBIA, MO. • With dozens of players to evaluate in Saturday’s preseason scrimmage, Missouri defensive coordinator DeMontie Cross knows exactly what he wants to watch first and foremost.
“Tackling,” he said.
That’s good, because he didn’t see much last fall.
The Tigers gave up the most yards per game in the Southeastern Conference last season, and while multiple factors contributed to the team’s sudden defensive demise, shoddy tackling was a consistent problem. That’s how you lose a game by 26 points when you gain 740 yards on offense, as the Tigers did at Tennessee on Nov.