The Missouri Tigers face a tough matchup on Saturday night against the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Quarterback Kamario Taylor has been one of the best signal callers in the SEC this season, and one of Missouri's best pass rushers is still on the injury report.
During the game against Troy, Smith was caught at the bottom of the pile and tweaked his lower half. He went to the injury tent and to the locker room, but returned for a single play in the second half.
The Columbia Daily Tribune reported that Smith was being helped to the Missouri locker room with a limp in the first quarter last week.
On the SEC injury report, Smith was listed as questionable on Wednesday and remained questionable on Thursday. It is unclear if the Tigers pass rusher will be ready to go when the team takes the field in Starkville.
If Smith is unable to go, the starting defensive ends will likely be Daeden Hopkins and Langden Kitchen. Hopkins has two sacks this season and is one of the SEC's best pass rushers in win rate so far this season. Kitchen has also been toward the top of the league in pressure rate when he is on the field.
The Tigers' key to this matchup is to win off the ball with their pass rush. Mississippi State has allowed pressure on a quarter of their dropbacks this season. While Taylor has played well, if Mizzou can get into his face and force questionable decisions, they could rattle the game plan for the Bulldogs.
Kitchen and Hopkins are toward the top of the conference in pressure rate. If Smith is limited or out entirely, the pair will need to continue to get to the quarterback early and often.
Taylor also escapes the pocket, and Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz praised him for his ability to keep his eyes downfield when scrambling. The Tigers' secondary will have to play disciplined and not abandon their assignment, allowing the big play.
The other most concerning name on the injury report is Tigers running back Ahmad Hardy. The Tigers ball carrier was shot in the leg back in May and has not fully recovered from the incident.
Hardy remains out of the Missouri lineup against Mississippi State, and the last update for a potential return was estimated to be in mid-October . Nothing is confirmed as to Hardy's return yet. Once again, it will be Jamal Roberts to carry the majority of the load in Missouri's SEC opener.
Roberts has been a steady back while the Tigers get Hardy healthy. Missouri is hoping to get their two-headed monster backfield healthy again this season.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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