Questions ahead of Mizzou’s top-15 matchup in Oxford

Ahead of No. 13 Mizzou’s matchup with No. 9 Mississippi, there are plenty of intriguing questions surrounding a top-15 matchup in Oxford.

Thursday night’s injury report heading into Saturday will likely elevate some players to bigger roles, while one is expected to make his full return. Meanwhile, defensively, the Tigers are going against their toughest quarterback yet on the road, three weeks after playing Kamario Taylor.

The game is right around the corner, and there are still a few things worth talking about ahead of Saturday. Here are four questions for Mizzou as it takes on Mississippi.

With Brett Norfleet doubtful, what’s next for the tight end room?

Let’s be honest, Mizzou’s tight end room hasn’t received the opportunities and production that was anticipated headed into this season. When targeted in the passing game, Brett Norfleet accounts for 14 of the room’s 15 targets. The other going to Jordon Harris. 

On Thursday night, per Pete Thamel of ESPN, among the most significant changes on the Tigers’ injury report was Norfleet being downgraded from questionable to doubtful ahead of Saturday.

And with Gavin Hoffman out as well, if Norfleet doesn’t suit up, it would just leave Harris and Jude James as remaining options in terms of players who have received playing time in the room. Harris is predominantly a run blocker, with 200 of his 223 offensive snaps coming this season being in pass or run blocking situations, while James has been on the field for just 69 offensive snaps. 

If Mizzou is going to target the tight ends at all in the passing game, both Harris and James are going to have to step up in big ways. James will likely be asked to take on Nofleet’s run-blocking snaps as well. 

But against Ole Miss, it presents an opportunity for the tight end room to thrive. In four of the Rebel’s five games this season, an opposing tight end has gone for over 30 yards receiving. That may not seem like much, but the last MU tight end to do that was Oct. 11, 2025, against Alabama.

The opportunities will be there for Harris and James if Norfleet is out, but it’s an interesting situation to watch for on Saturday.

And with Jeremiah Beasley being designated the same status as Norfleet, who is up next?

Linebacker Jeremiah Beasley is also doubtful for Saturday afternoon and Robert Woodyard Jr. is questionable. In terms of usage so far this season, he’s 19th in the team’s defensive snaps (110), which ranks third in the linebacker room. He saw an uptick in snaps against Florida (30) with both Robert Woodyard Jr. and Nicholas Rodriguez battling injury, and saw 11 snaps vs. Texas A&M.

So, who will be up next to play alongside Woodyard, Rodriguez, and Chris McClellan?

On Week 7’s depth chart, Brian Huff was listed as the alternate alongside Beasley. He’s played just three snaps in SEC play, but Bobby Washington Jr. also played six snaps against A&M, and specifically was used as a QB spy per Eli Drinkwitz postgame. Washington could be used in that same role, but if Beasley can’t go, the Tigers will be reaching deeper into their depth to fill the void.

What difference could Darris Smith in a return?

Darris Smith tried to give it a go against Texas A&M, but wasn’t quite ready, playing just five snaps. His status for Saturday is upgraded to probable, signaling his return in Oxford. 

The last time we saw Smith in a full game came in Lawrence against Kansas, and he was extremely effective, generating eight pressures. Mizzou was credited with 40 on the night, per PFF. Since then, Mizzou’s pressure total as a team has been 12, 8, 17, and 17. But, for the first time since Week 2, the Tigers are trending towards having their full pass rush arsenal back of Smith, Langden Kitchen, and Daeden Hopkins. 

Mizzou is going up against a quarterback, whose statistics alter when pressured. Per PFF, Trinidad Chambliss has an adjusted completion percentage of just 58.8%, compared to 76.5 when kept clean. This ranks 10th among SEC quarterbacks. Getting pressure on Chambliss is a must and having Smith back is a step forward to that.

Speaking of Chambliss, how will Mizzou’s defense hold up against this style of QB?

Mizzou has played an interesting slate of quarterbacks so far this season, but with Chambliss trending towards a first-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft, this will be the toughest quarterback the Tigers will play so far this season.

The last time the Tigers played on the road against Mississippi State, Taylor put stress on the entire defense. Chambliss can do the exact same thing, arguably better. He possesses the ability to attack every level of the field, but also has nine completions of 20-plus yards, seven big-time throws in that range.

“He’s able to extend plays, he’s got a really quick release, he see’s the field really well and throws with anticipations,” Drinkwitz said. “All those things are hallmarks of a good quarterback.”

 Fortunately, Mizzou’s defense has taken steps forward the past few weeks. From Matthew Gustafson’s Tiger Talk Notes and Quotes: Ole Miss Edition

(Eli Drinkwitz)On the defensive improvement over the past two weeks:“Those guys are playing really, really hard, very physical in the trenches and tackling really well, which I think is the hallmark of a really good defense. I’ve been impressed with these these past two games. This game’s a whole new challenge; it’s a totally different challenge with the quarterback, the running back, wide receiver, and the tempo. So we have to transition from patting ourselves in the back to getting our cleats in the ground and getting set and making sure we’re ready to go.”

Now, they will play a quarterback that can generate explosive plays, . The results weren’t great the first time, but they’ll get another chance to stop one of college football’s best quarterbacks.