COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) Michael Sam has reason to sing right now.
Missouri's
fifth-year defensive end, who tends to stretch his vocal chords during
practices to the amusement of teammates, has recorded all six of his
sacks this season in the last two games, twice earning Southeastern
Conference honors as defensive lineman of the week. He's tied for the
most sacks in the SEC and leads the league with 10 tackles for loss.
An
undersized lineman at 6-foot-2, 255 pounds, Sam witnessed several peers
enjoy the limelight before they headed to the NFL. Now, Sam's starting
to pull back the curtain on himself.
"Sean Weatherspoon was here;
he was a loud kid himself," defensive line coach Craig Kuligowski said.
"When he was a freshman, it was kind of annoying. Like, 'Who's this
guy?' And then by the time he was a senior, 'Well, that's Sean.' And
Mike's just the same way. He does bring the energy up. You can kind of
know where he is in the building just by opening your ears."
Sam's
sacks represented half of the defensive line's total in wins against
Arkansas State and Vanderbilt, opponents whom No. 25 Missouri (5-0, 1-0)
defeated by an average of 22.5 points. The Tigers already have equaled
their win total from 2012, and the line is a primary reason despite the
loss of second-team All-SEC tackle Sheldon Richardson to the New York
Jets.
The team now enters its game at No. 7 Georgia (4-1, 3-0) on
a high note, while opposing quarterback Aaron Murray will have to
figure out a way to nurse his injury-depleted Bulldogs to a win.
"We know how it is," nose guard Lucas Vincent said. "That's not a good place to be."
Through
three games, however, Missouri's picture wasn't as rosy. Coach Gary
Pinkel and players deflected questions about the pass rush after
garnering only three sacks, all against FCS foe Murray State.
There
were bright spots, including interception returns by ends Kony Ealy and
Markus Golden, both of whom earned defensive lineman of the week
honors, too. And part of the issue could have been attributed to
quarterbacks willing to quickly throw the football away. But that was an
obvious consolation to players compared to the lack of the sacks.
"All
season they've been doing a very good job of pressuring the
quarterback," defensive coordinator Dave Steckel said. "And I think in
the last two weeks, that pressure is now translating into sacks."
Despite
their record, the Tigers rank only 11th in the conference in yards
allowed, yielding 412.4 per game or 21.7 more than a year ago. They're
also allowing 22.4 points, good for fourth in the SEC, but in a year
when offense is up across the league.
The team is relying on a
rotation of 10 players on the line. Steckel said the depth allows
coaches to become more imaginative in their play calling and their
alignments.
"I'm sitting on the sideline and watching Vandy
playing, and they're looking a little tired out there," said Vincent,
the nose guard. "I'm like, 'I'm not that tired at all. Either I'm in
really good shape, or this rotation's really coming in clutch.'"
Georgia
coach Mark Richt says his team will be prepared for the dual threat of
strength and speed that makes the Tigers' defensive line difficult to
contain.
"They don't have a bunch of big, old, fat bodies," he
said. "They're broad and all that, but they're pretty lean, muscle-mass
looking guys. Defensively, they don't do a lot of stuff, but what they
do there, they do well."
