Missouri will head into Saturday’s Homecoming matchup with Florida missing both of its starting EDGE defenders.
Darris Smith and Langden Kitchen were officially ruled out on Friday night’s SEC availability report ahead of the 2:30 p.m. CT kickoff at Mizzou. Eli Drinkwitz had listed both players as questionable on Wednesday and Thursday, but the final update shut the door on their availability.
Smith is set to miss his second straight game because of a lingering ankle injury he suffered in Missouri’s 27-17 win over Troy in Week 3. The 6-foot-5, 265-pound fifth-year player from Baxley, Ga., was on the field for only 13 snaps in that game. Through three appearances, he has 5 tackles, 2 tackles for loss and 12 pressures.
Kitchen’s absence is a little different. The former Division II transfer from Northwest Missouri State had started Missouri’s first four games before leaving last Saturday’s 31-24 loss to Mississippi State with a lower-body injury. He has posted eight tackles, three tackles for loss, a sack and seven pressures.
With both starters out, Daeden Hopkins and Jaden Jones are the most likely options on the edge for Missouri. Hopkins, a sophomore from Hermann, Mo., was one of the few bright spots against Mississippi State, finishing with 3.5 sacks. He now has 6 sacks and 20 total pressures on the season.
Missouri’s injury report otherwise stayed mostly unchanged. Running backs Ahmad Hardy and Malae Fonoti, tight end Gavin Hoffman, offensive lineman Josh Atkins and defensive back JaDon Blair remain out. Linebacker Bobby Washington Jr., who had been listed as questionable, was removed from the report Friday night.
Florida’s update brought only minor movement. Receiver Vernell Brown III was downgraded to doubtful, while receiver Bailey Stockton moved up to probable.
The matchup comes with Missouri sitting at 3-1 overall, 0-1 in SEC play and No. 25 in both major polls after the Mississippi State loss. Florida enters at 4-0, 2-0 in the league and No. 8 in both polls after its 52-28 win over Ole Miss.
The SEC began requiring availability reports in 2024. Teams must submit them three days before conference games, then update them daily before releasing a final report 90 minutes before kickoff. Players are labeled available, probable, questionable, doubtful or out before game day, then available, game time decision or out on game day.
The league also attaches fines for late or inaccurate reports, with football penalties ranging from $25,000 to $100,000.
In Other News...
Missouris Offense Is Suddenly Passing An Early SEC Stress Test
Missouris offense has already been tested in a way that says plenty about where this team might be headed in SEC play. Even with injuries and a reshuffled cast around it, the Tigers have been moving the ball with real purpose, a notable development in a league where early defensive pressure tends to expose any weakness fast. The bigger picture around college football this fall has included all kinds of offensive identities, from old-school schemes winning at Northwestern to Texas leaning on defense, but Missouris improvement has stood out because it has come while the roster has been forced to adapt.
The challenge is still part performance, part personnel. Running back Ahmad Hardy has not played this season after a gunshot injury, which has pushed more responsibility onto transfer quarterback Austin Simmons and a group of new receivers. Even with that burden, Missouri has found ways to keep the attack on schedule and productive, a good sign for a team trying to prove its offense can hold up as SEC defenses get tougher and the season wears on. [Read more 🡒]
Florida Injury Update Could Matter More To Mizzou Fans Than Expected
Floridas receiving picture got a little clearer this week, and for Missouri fans, it is worth watching even though the Tigers are already past that matchup. Gators coach Jon Sumrall said Vernell Brown III, who hurt his knee in Week 4 and sat out the Week 5 game against Mizzou, has been cleared to practice and run after an MRI showed no long-term damage.
The part that still matters is what comes next. Browns status for Floridas Week 6 home game against South Carolina is still up in the air, and while he is moving around again, the final hurdle is whether he can do enough of the sharper work that comes with game action. Missouri got the version of Florida without him, but this update suggests the Gators may still be sorting out how soon he can return to a real role. [Read more 🡒]
Mizzou Defense Just Silenced A Major SEC Concern
Missouris 45-17 win over Florida was about more than another lopsided SEC result. It also came with a sharp answer to one of the leagues more persistent concerns, as the Tigers defense kept Floridas ground game from ever settling in and made the Gators play uphill for most of the afternoon. Missouri was cleaner at the point of attack, better on the perimeter and more reliable in space, the kind of performance that can change how a defense is viewed over the long haul.
Jadan Baughs early burst offered Florida a brief sense of possibility, but Missouri quickly took that away by closing off the outside-zone lanes and finishing tackles with much more authority than it had shown at times earlier this season. For a defense that had been waiting for a statement against the run, this was the kind of tape coaches can point to with real satisfaction, even if the bigger question now is whether it can stack another outing like it. [Read more 🡒]