COLUMBIA, Mo. - DeMontie Cross claimed he wasn't thinking about his future prior to Missouri's final game against Arkansas. But it would be hard to blame him if he was at least a little worried he might not return as Missouri's defensive coordinator in 2017.
While the Tigers' offense went from worst in the Southeastern Conference in 2015 to one of the best in 2016, the opposite occurred for their defense. Despite returning seven starters, Missouri allowed the most total yards and second most rushing yards in conference, a year after finishing in the top three of each category in the SEC.
Every opponent besides FCS team Delaware State scored at least 17 points on the Tigers - five getting at least 35 points - a year after five teams didn't reach double-digits against Missouri.
Cross was hired from TCU after Barry Odom was elevated to head coach last December. Odom hinted he wanted to implement a read-and-react defense when he was hired to be defensive coordinator in 2015, but had Cross do it instead while Cross also served as linebackers coach. That defense is predicated to players committing to stopping the run, even if it means a dip in sacks. Odom retained safeties coach Ryan Walters, but remade the rest of the defensive coaching staff.
Former cornerbacks coach Cornell Ford was moved to running backs coach and Greg Brown was hired from Louisville. Longtime defensive line coach Craig Kuligowski, who helped create Missouri's "D-Line Zou" reputation, left for Miami. Chris Wilson was hired for that spot, but he left for the Philadelphia Eagles in January and Jackie Shipp was brought in from Arizona State.
The unit also took a hit after former starting defensive tackle Harold Brantley and All-SEC Freshman defensive end Walter Brady were dismissed the day before August camp opened.
A few defensive players admitted it was tough at times to switch to a new scheme away from what worked in the past. Redshirt junior defensive end Charles Harris, who led the SEC in tackles for loss in 2015, in particular said he was frustrated at times with him not being able to fully integrate to the new defense.
Despite the struggles with adjusting to a new scheme, the biggest problem for Missouri was missed tackles.
"Tackling was an Achilles heel all year and really that was probably the most glaring thing," Cross said. "It wasn't so much the scheme it was poor tackles and we didn't play consistent enough."
Missouri also lost sophomore defensive lineman Terry Beckner Jr. and senior linebacker Michael Scherer for the season with ACL tears after a 51-45 loss to Middle Tennessee State.
After that Homecoming upset, Odom took over play calling from Cross and changed the defense back to what he ran in 2015. Cross still was heavily involved with the defense, but Odom ultimately called the shots at that point.
Results were mixed after the change. Kentucky still rushed for 383 yards and Tennessee scored 63 points, but Missouri's pass rush improved, particular with Harris and fellow redshirt junior defensive end Marcell Frazier.
Frazier had 8.5 sacks, 6.5 coming in the last three weeks. Harris had eight sacks and 12 tackles for loss and led all SEC down linemen in tackles with 61. He is holding a press conference at noon today to announce whether he will enter the NFL Draft.
Senior cornerback Aarion Penton was another standout for the Tigers, leading the SEC with five interceptions. Redshirt senior cornerback John Gibson was second on the team with three.
Freshman Cale Garrett emerged as another bright spot for the Tigers, starting the last seven games at middle linebacker after Scherer moved to the weakside spot against Florida a week before his injury. Garrett had 47 tackles and six tackles for loss while drawing comparisons to a younger Scherer.
Former Jefferson City linebacker Joey Burkett started 11 games for the Tigers at weakside linebacker, with the only game he didn't being when Scherer moved outside. Burkett finished with 40 tackles, one tackle for loss and two interceptions, one turned into a score.
"It had it's ups and downs but it's a process and you've just got to take every day and every opportunity to get better, and learn from every mistake and the good times," Burkett said of his season. "Overall game speed and reading film I've learned what to look for on the field and off the field."
Burkett dreamed since he was a kid of a day he could start for the Tigers, and added it was everything he hoped for. He still said, though, he could get better at "everything."
Missouri loses starting defensive tackle Ricky Hatley, starting linebackers Donavin Newsom and Scherer, and defensive backs Penton and Gibson to graduation, and could also lose Harris to the draft. Senior defensive tackle Josh Augusta also was a key part of the team's defensive tackle rotation.
Other returning contributors include defensive tackle Markell Utsey, linebackers Terez Hall and Eric Beisel, and defensive backs Logan Cheadle, Anthony Sherrils, Cam Hilton, Ronnell Perkins, Thomas Wilson and DeMarkus Acy.
Odom did not indicate he would return playcalling back to Cross, so the biggest question is still if Cross returns on his $600,000 salary to essentially be a highly-paid linebackers coach, or if Missouri decides to go in another direction.
Missouri already needs a new defensive line coach after Shipp was fired Nov. 23 for an alleged altercation with a player before the Tennessee game three days before.
"Ever since (Odom) actually took control and got more involved in what we've done we've been focused on trying to make this defense better," Cross said. "We got a lot of things to fix in the off-season no matter who is calling it."