Missouri football looks like it will be without its starting tight end this week.
On Thursday, ESPN college football reporter Pete Thamel reported that Mizzou sophomore tight end Brett Norfleet has been ruled out of the Tigers’ game against Buffalo on Saturday with a shoulder injury he classified as not long term.
Sources: Missouri will be without star sophomore tight end Brett Norfleet against Buffalo on Saturday. He suffered a shoulder injury against Murray State, which is not a long-term injury. He’s considered week-to-week. Norfleet was an All-SEC freshman in 2023. pic.twitter.com/BCDJc8Uj6b
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) September 5, 2024
When Mizzou coach Eli Drinkwitz was asked during his weekly Tuesday press conference for updates on Norfleet and wide receiver Theo Wease Jr., who both left Missouri’s opener against Murray State early, he deferred to a Wednesday availability report mandated by the SEC ahead of the 2024 season.
Those availability reports, however, are only required of SEC teams ahead of conference matchups, which the Tigers’ game against the Bulls is not. MU has not yet publicly released the status of any players ahead of their game against the Bulls, nor is it required to do so.
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Norfleet was not present at the portion of MU’s practice Tuesday that is made available to the media.
That sets up an interesting next-man-up situation for the Tigers. And that’s not the only area of intrigue for the game against the Bulls (1-0).
Here are MU’s options to replace Norfleet, and two other positions we’ll be watching closely in the second game of the Tigers’ season:
Will Tyler Stephens be main tight end for Missouri football?
If there was any game you wanted Tyler Stephens to take the lead role at tight end over Norfleet, it’s against Buffalo.
That’s because Stephens transferred to Mizzou from the Bulls ahead of the 2022 season. Since then, he has been a reliable but not spectacular option, catching 12 passes for 120 yards in 26 games while being useful in blocking situations.
But the chance to go against his old team was a source of preseason excitement for the sixth-year senior.
“Just going out there on that field, you know, when we run out there, or even in warmups, and I see those guys again,” Stephens said Aug. 15, “man, it’s gonna be such a humble feeling, such a blessing.”
Mizzou also may opt to turn to Jordon Harris, who was primarily a special teams player as a rookie last season but has the size — 6-foot-4, 255 pounds — to be a useful blocker and seemingly has the athleticism to develop into a productive playmaker.
There may be sparing reps for true freshmen Jude James and Whit Hafer, both in-state products. The duo saw extensive time with the first team in fall camp as others at the position dealt with injuries, but the first players on the field are likely still Stephens and Harris.
The main question is whether or not Mizzou’s offense takes a noticeable step back without Norfleet. With the playmaking cast the Tigers have available, that shouldn’t cause too many pre-game headaches, but it’s a spot worth monitoring.
Will the lines dominate against improved opposition?
Mizzou’s offensive and defensive lines made light work of Week 1.
Week 2 marks a step up in competition, and how the Missouri lines meet the challenge is perhaps the most intriguing question of the game.
Buffalo runs a 3-3-5 with three stout starting linebackers, who combined for two sacks, five tackles for loss and 21 total sacks in the Bulls’ win over Lafayette (Pa.). Bulls graduate student Shaun Duloc alone laid down 11 hits en route to being named the MAC defensive player of the week.
The Missouri defensive front is in for a trickier week, too. Just look at the raw numbers. They make ’em beefy up in Buffalo.
The average listed size on the Bulls’ starting offensive line is 6-4½ and 314 pounds. On average, that’s about two inches and 20 pounds more to move than Murray State’s big men up front at an average of 6-2½, 294.6.
If the Tigers’ lines match their dominance from their opening game, that should be taken as an encouraging sign for the remainder of the season. If you watch anything Saturday, watch how they’re faring.
The evolution of the running back rotation
There were a lot of positives to take from the Missouri running backs against Murray State. Three of them ran home touchdowns. Five different players got productive touches. Nate Noel and Marcus Carroll, the presumed main tailback tandem, both looked like dynamic options.
But here’s the deal: We really didn’t learn much about how that rotation is going to play out moving forward.
Playing a game of hypotheticals, if Mizzou’s game against Buffalo remains competitive longer that it did against Murray State, then how will the Tigers distribute the touches?
If it’s still competitive in the second half, does either Noel or Carroll take the bulk of the carries? Is this going to stay as running back by committee when there’s a win on the line?
Noel and Carroll appear to offer Missouri the option to change up the pace and the shape of its offense while also being able to take on similar tasks and reads. But it will be intriguing to see where the touches go at crunch time. It may not happen this week, but there could be a little more to learn.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: 3 positions we’re watching as Missouri football faces Buffalo
