Two of Missouri’s top defensive players are out for the Cotton Bowl due to injuries.
Following the Tigers’ arrival in Dallas on Saturday, Missouri coach Eliah Drinkwitz said at his arrival press conference that linebacker Ty’Ron Hopper and cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr. will both miss next week’s game due to injuries.
Hopper, a second-team All-SEC selection and Butkus Award finalist, ranks second on the Tigers with 55 total tackles this season, including six tackles for loss and three sacks. He suffered an ankle sprain in Missouri’s Nov. 11 win against Tennessee and missed the Tigers’ final two games of the regular season, and will be unable to return for the season finale.