Andrew Wilson will reflect on his career at Mizzou at some point -- just not anytime soon
COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Andrew Wilson isn't looking
back. Not yet.
The Missouri football team's redshirt
senior middle linebacker doesn't have time for that just yet. There
will be time for that eventually. Ain't nobody got time for that
now.
"Career's not done, man," Wilson says. "So not
yet. People keep telling me to take the time and reflect and stuff, but I
haven't done that yet."
The 6-foot-3, 240-pound
middle 'backer has been a key part of Mizzou's 11-1 Southeastern
Conference East Division champion squad and his focus right now is on
Auburn and what he needs to do to help his team win the SEC championship
game on Saturday in Atlanta.
Wilson said he watched
90 minutes of Auburn film on Sunday night and two more hours on Monday
before meeting with reporters at the team's weekly media session,
something he does so rarely that even the media relations department
folks were giving him some grief.
Then, naturally, he
was asked a question about his lack of talking.
"I'm not an overly talkative leader but I feel like I
say what needs to be said when it needs to be said," he says, "and I
don't yell a lot but I do what needs to be
done."
Figuring out a way to slow down the running
attack of No. 3 Auburn (11-1, 7-1 SEC) is what needs to be done. War
Eagle has scored at least 30 points in eight consecutive games and is
averaging 318.3 yards on the ground per contest, which ranks first in
the 14-team SEC and fifth overall among FBS schools.
"It's giving us headaches right now," Mizzou
defensive coordinator Dave Steckel said of Auburn's rushing attack.
"It's a great offense. The scheme's great. It's very imaginative and
confusing. ... We have a lot of work cut out for us."
Wilson will be put on the spot Saturday in
Atlanta, similar to how he was last week against Texas
A&M and quarterback Johnny Manziel.
The
three-year starter recorded eight tackles, including two for losses, and
had one pass break-up against the Aggies. His two tackles for losses
came in the two series immediately after A&M had tied the score
at 21-21 early in the fourth quarter.
Those plays
helped set the tone as the defense stepped up
late.
"Andrew Wilson is a really good physical player
who has done a really good job," Mizzou coach Gary Pinkel says. "He's
had a great year. He's a captain and a leader
also."
Steckel says: "I think Andrew's the ultimate
student of the game and because he studies football so much he's
progressed and gotten really good fundamentally and knows his schemes
really well."
Wilson has certainly made his mark at
Mizzou.
He led the team in tackles as a sophomore and
a junior and leads the Tigers again this fall with 87 -- 14
ahead of the next closest player, safety Braylon Webb. Wilson also has
six tackles for losses, three pass break-ups, two quarterback hurries
and one fumble recovery.
And countless big hits.
Wilson was honored with the Tigers' Team Hammer
Award for the most big hits in 2010, 2011, 2012 and again in 2013.
"We might get a play where Andrew flies down and
knocks a guy out," linebacker Donovan Bonner says. "It fuels us. It
fuels the sideline. Everyone. Coaches. Everyone involved. He's been
doing that for years. It seems like 10 years. He's been doing that for
four or five years now. He's a great
player."
Wilson's father, Jay, was also a great
player at Mizzou from 1980-83. He was an All-Big Eight linebacker in
1983 and left the school as Mizzou's career tackle record holder with
323, which now ranks 12th.
The younger Wilson was
informed on Monday that he's closing in on his dad's mark. Andrew, with
306 tackles in his Mizzou career, needs 17 more to move past his father
and has two games to do it.
"I'm not really thinking
about that," Wilson says.
While the middle
linebacker isn't ready to reflect on his career just yet, he knows he's
fortunate that he's been a part of this incredible run this season.
He bleeds black and gold and has been one of the
driving forces this fall in the Tigers' SEC East title and berth in the
SEC championship game.
"It's huge, man," Wilson
says. "I've been a Mizzou fan my whole life so it's awesome to get to do
this while I'm here."
You can
follow Nate Latsch on Twitter (@natelatsch) or email him at
natelatsch@gmail.com.
