NFL Draft Scout
Featured In/On:
*Nick Bolton, DS #2 ILB, Missouri 
Selected: Round 2, Pick 26, Overall Pick 58 by Chiefs
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Name: *Nick Bolton
College: Missouri Number: 32
Height: 5-11 Weight: 237
Position: ILB Pos2: OLB
Class/Draft Year: Jr/2021
40 Low: 4.55 40 Time: 4.60 40 High: 4.65
> Projected Round: 1-2 Stock: 
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Combine Results |
Pro Day Results |
Combine Invite: Yes
Height: 5111
Weight: 237
Zybek PD3X AKA "Official"
40 Yard Dash (ET):
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20 Yard (ET):
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225 Lb. Bench Reps:
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Dates: 03/22/21
Hand: 10 3/8 Arm: 31 7/8
Wingspan: 76 1/4
Height: 5111
Weight: 237
40 Yrd Dash: 4.60
20 Yrd Dash: 2.62
10 Yrd Dash: 1.71
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225 Lb. Bench Reps: 24
Vertical Jump: 32
Broad Jump: 09'07"
20 Yrd Shuttle: 4.50
3-Cone Drill: 7.40
40 Time Range: 4.59-4.61/Projected 4.64/+5 LBs
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Data Scout Notes: **2020: 1stC/WCamp2nd/AFCA2nd...12-21-20 - Entering 2021 NFL Draft...LottImpactSemifinalist/BednarikSemifinalist...PNagurski/PButkus/PWCamp2nd/PBednarik...2019: 1stC...1st team All-SEC, AP 1st team All-SEC w/107 TT, 9 TFL, SCK, 2 INT/returned one for a T D
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*Nick Bolton, Missouri, Player News
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Former Missouri linebacker Nick Bolton is staying in the Show-Me State. Bolton was drafted No. 58 overall by the Kansas City Chiefs on Friday night during the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft. The Tigers' highest-valued 2021 draft prospect was expected by several online projections to be picked either late in the first round or in the early-to-mid range of the second round. "I feel like I can play in the NFL and be a high-caliber player," Bolton said after Missouri's pro day last month. "So it's about proving myself right every day, believing in myself and trying to get myself in the best situation possible." The Frisco, Texas, native's stock took a major jump in 2019, starting beside Cale Garrett for Missouri. A two-interception performance against West Virginia set the table for a phenomenal year. The 5-foot-11, 237-pound Bolton earned first-team all-Southeastern Conference honors after leading the league with 8.9 tackles per game (107 total, 7.5 tackles for loss) and eight pass deflections in 12 games. - Columbia Daily Tribune
(DS#2 ILB) Jr/2021  ILB *Nick Bolton, Missouri
News Source: Columbia Daily Tribune
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Of the nine professional hopefuls to compete in the Mizzou Pro Day on Monday, six were on coach Eli Drinkwitz's Missouri football roster this past season. Two others - wide receivers Johnathon Johnson and Jonathan Nance - last played for Missouri in 2019 . Joining the eight Tiger alums was Zach Davidson, a former Division II All-American tight end at Central Missouri. Representatives from 29 of the 32 NFL teams converged at the Devine Pavilion to watch on-field drills and the bench press. They made the w alk into the Mizzou Athletics Training Complex for other combine-like exercises. Many scouts came to Columbia to get an up-close look at former Missouri linebacker Nick Bolton, a projected first- or second-round NFL Draft selection. Bolton told reporter s Monday he's had Zoom meetings with about 75% of league teams."I feel like I can play in the NFL and be a high-caliber player," Bolton said. "So it's about proving myself right every day, believing in myself and trying to get myself in the best s ituation possible." Bolton's on-field workout was led by Pittsburgh Steelers inside linebackers coach Jerry Olsavsky, who spent several minutes talking with Bolton's family and his agent, Tommy Condon. The Steelers choose at No. 24 and 55 in the draft, set for April 29 to May 1. Bolton's metrics from pro day included 40-yard dash times of 4.59 and 4.60 seconds, as well as 24 reps on the 225-pound bench press. - Columbia Daily Tribune
(DS#2 ILB) Jr/2021 ILB *Nick Bolton, Missouri
News Source: Columbia Daily Tribune
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2020 ALL-SEC FIRST TEAM (COACHES): LB Nick Bolton, Missouri,...Bolton, a Butkus Award finalist and Jason Witten Man of the Year semifinalist, earned first-team honors for the second-straight season. He becomes the first Tiger since Michael Egnew (TE, 201 0-11) to earn back-to-back AP all-conference first-team honors and the first defensive player to do so since Sean Weatherspoon (LB, 2008-09). Bolton continues to impress on the field week-in and week-out, as his 67 solo tackles lead the conference while his 95 total tackles rank fifth. He also ranks among the SEC's Top-10 in tackles per game (9.5, seventh) and tackles-for-loss (8.0, 10th). - Missouri Football
(DS#2 ILB) Jr/2021 ILB *Nick Bolton, Missouri
News Source: Missouri Football
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Mizzou linebacker Nick Bolton will forego his senior season and declare for the 2021 NFL Draft. He made his announcement on social media on Monday. Bolton also said he will not play in the upcoming Music City Bowl against Iowa. "I'm excited to chase my c hildhood dream and start preparing for the 2021 NFL Draft," Bolton said on social media. "I'm proud to be a true son!" Bolton is a projected first round pick in several early mock drafts. The junior linebacker led MU with 95 tackles this season, includin g 7.5 tackles for loss. He's currently one of five finalists for the Butkus Award, which goes to the top linebacker in the nation. - ABC TV17 News, Missouri
(DS#2 ILB) Jr/2021 ILB *Nick Bolton, Missouri
News Source: ABC TV17 News, Missouri
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With 1:34 left in the second quarter Saturday, Missouri lost its leader, its biggest star player and its most important defensive force in a game with miniscule room for error against a potent Arkansas offense. Nick Bolton, the rare junior celebrated on senior day because his NFL draft stock is so high, watched the rest of the game from the sideline after the Southeastern Conference's latest game-changing targeting penalty. Long before the Tigers finally outlasted Arkansas 50-48, Bolton was flagged for a hit on Arkansas receiver John David White in the open field. Bolton appeared to strike White in the chest and shoulder. The collision knocked the ball loose, but the play was ruled an incomplete pass. Minutes later, the penalty was confirmed by the rep lay review, meaning Mizzou's leading tackler was done for the day.The Southeastern Conference video center later confirmed to the Post-Dispatch that officials ruled that Bolton's hit was in violation of NCAA Rule 9-1-4, which is the clause of the targeting rule that states "no player shall target and make forcible contact to the head or neck area of a defenseless opponent with the helmet, forearm, hand, fist, elbow or shoulder." Fans booed the officiating crew as it jogged off the field for halft ime, but Tigers coach Eli Drinkwitz did not dispute the penalty. "I think it's the right call based on what the definition of targeting is, upward motion to the head and neck area," he said. "There was no intent to harm by Nick. He just got caught in tha t scenario. So you take the penalty, they reviewed it, they upheld it so that means that's what it was." - Post-Dispatch
(DS#2 ILB) Jr/2021 ILB *Nick Bolton, Missouri
News Source: Post-Dispatch
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2020 CHUCK BEDNARIK AWARD SEMIFINALIST: LB Nick Bolton, Missouri,...Bolton, already a semifinalist for the Butkus Award which his presented annually to the top linebacker, leads the team in tackles and ranked 23rd nationally and 13th in Power 5 in tackle s per game. He was the National Defensive Player of the Week following Mizzou's win over LSU and was the SEC Defensive Player of the Week following Mizzou's win over Kentucky. He is one of 18 semifinalists and one of three from the SEC. The winner of the 26th Chuck Bednarik Award will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show, which will be broadcast live on ESPN on January 7, 2021. - Missouri Football
(DS#2 ILB) Jr/2021 ILB *Nick Bolton, Missouri
News Source: Missouri Football
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2020 LOTT IMPACT TROPHY SEMIFINALIST: Nick Bolton, LB, Missouri,...Bolton leads the team in tackles and ranked 23rd nationally and 13th in Power 5 in tackles per game. He was the National Defensive Player of the Week following Mizzou's win over LSU and w as the SEC Defensive Player of the Week following Mizzou's win over Kentucky. - Missouri Football
(DS#2 ILB) Jr/2021 ILB *Nick Bolton, Missouri
News Source: Missouri Football
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OCT 26 SEC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Nick Bolton, LB, Missouri,...Led one of Mizzou's most impressive defensive performances in recent memory, posting seven tackles (all solo), 1.0 sack and a QB hurry as the Tigers limited Kentucky to just 145 total yards, its best ever in an SEC game, in a 20-10 win that snapped a five-game losing skid against the Wildcats...Mizzou's defense was sensational Saturday at Faurot Field, holding Kentucky's offense to 145 total yards (47 passing yards, 98 rushing yards). ..The 47 passing yards allowed was the fewest ever by an SEC opponent since Mizzou joined its new conference in 2012...Under defensive coordinator Ryan Walters, Mizzou's defense has now held an opposition to 100 or fewer passing yards six times...The Tig ers limited Kentucky's offense to only 36 plays from scrimmage overall.It stands as the fewest plays ran by an opposing team in 22 years, as Bowling Green tallied 35 total plays on Sept. 5, 1998...The 145 total yards allowed by Mizzou's defense wa s its best in a conference game since Nov. 26, 2011, when it limited Kansas to 137...Kentucky picked up just eight first downs on the day, two of which came via penalty...Bolton was the leader of the defense posting seven tackles Saturday among just 36 d efensive plays (19 percent of plays)...Mizzou had 26 tackles in the game and Bolton had seven of them (27 percent) and added a key third-down sack, Mizzou's only sack of the day...He played every defensive snap Saturday. - SEC Football
(DS#2 ILB) Jr/2021 ILB *Nick Bolton, Missouri
News Source: SEC Football
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Tennessee's easy yards were Missouri's nightmare. The Tigers often settled for a four- or five-man rush against that bulky offensive line, and the result was only two tackles for loss. Tennessee quarterback Jarrett Guarantano said the Volunteers "want to be one of the best short-yardage teams in all of college football," but they had eight runs of 10-plus yards and five passing plays of 15-plus. When runners broke free into the flat, there was no one around. "We've got to maintain gap integrity," Missou ri linebacker Nick Bolton said. "Throughout the game, I felt like we got out of the gaps a couple of times. That led to a couple of big runs down the stretch. We've got to be assignment-sound. Stay in our gaps. Be physical at the line of scrimmage." Bolt on's 17 tackles were seven more than anyone else for either team Saturday, but even he over-ran and whiffed on a tackle that led to Tennessee's third touchdown late in the first half. In another tide-turning sequence, Bolton stripped a receiver and stron g safety Martez Manuel returned it into Tennessee territory, only to have the play negated by a hands-to-the-face penalty before the pass. It was ruled an incomplete pass on the field anyway, but the penalty ensured no chance at a review that might have overturned it. Moments later, Gray ran for a 20-yard touchdown. "It was deflating as a defense," Bolton said. "We had a chance to get off the field, and we didn't." - Post-Dispatch
(DS#2 ILB) Jr/2021 ILB *Nick Bolton, Missouri
News Source: Post-Dispatch
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Missouri's back seven is full of players who can fly around the field and make it hard for most teams to beat you vertically. Thankfully, most teams aren't Alabama, which possesses maybe the best offensive line in the country and gave quarterback Mac Jon es lots of time to consistently throw accurate passes. To make matters worse, Jaylen Waddle was the one receiving many of those as part of his eight-catch, two-touchdown performance. Yet with Martez Manuel having 3 1/2 tackles for loss as well as Devin N icholson, Nick Bolton and Tyree Gillespie combining for 26 tackles, the Tigers don't have to over-rely on one position group or player (i.e. Cale Garrett) to make plays for the defense. Several guys could be the star on any given night, a good sign for t he Tigers. One fix that needs to happen fast is getting the opponent off the field on third downs: Alabama converted 9 of its 14 third-down plays. "As a whole on defense, we have to do better on third downs," Bolton said. "Also, on first downs, they real ly got tempo. As a collective unit, we have to get in line and get set up so we can be effective." - Columbia Daily Tribune
(DS#2 ILB) Jr/2021 ILB *Nick Bolton, Missouri
News Source: Columbia Daily Tribune
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Bolton's progression hasn't slowed with a new position coach, DJ Smith, who came to Missouri with Eli Drinkwitz after being on his Appalachian State staff. If anything, having fresh eyes on Bolton might be exactly what he needs in 2020, people that can n itpick what he's doing after a career season. "He looks like the guy," Missouri defensive coordinator Ryan Walters said. "Nick Bolton is Nick Bolton, and that's all he needs to be for us. He's picking up right where he left off last year and the guys beh ind him are following suit as well." With Missouri's 4-2-5 defensive system not changing, that truly means one linebacker starting spot is up for grabs, with Bolton almost guaranteed to feature for the team.Tigers such as Chad Bailey, Devin Nichol son and Aubrey Miller are competing for the starting outside linebacker position vacated by Garrett, with Cameron Wilkins and Nicholson taking over as starters for the final seven games of 2019. Whoever plays beside Bolton will draw comparisons to the Fr isco, Texas native from a year ago: an experienced player taking a larger role next to an established starter and one of the best the Tiger have to offer. "I think he looks good...the biggest thing with him is just being consistent, being more of a vocal leader and just being that same guy day in and day out," Smith said of Bolton. - Columbia Daily Tribune
(DS#2 ILB) Jr/2021 ILB *Nick Bolton, Missouri
News Source: Columbia Daily Tribune
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Missouri football fans have plenty to worry about these days. Will a COVID-19 outbreak on campus or within the locker room jeopardize the season? Will the Southeastern Conference keep pushing to play this fall? Will the Tigers' brutal schedule slow down Eliah Drinkwitz's recruiting momentum? Here's one concern fans can scratch off their list: Nick Bolton isn't going anywhere - for now. Bolton might be the best college linebacker whose team plans to play in 2020 - Alabama's Dylan Moses is his top competi tion in the SEC - but the way things have unfolded in recent weeks, nobody should have been surprised had Bolton considered sitting out the upcoming season to prepare for the NFL draft.As of Friday, nearly 80 college players had opted out for 2020 , including 13 in the Southeastern Conference. Bolton made it clear after Friday's practice: He's opting in. "Personally I've not had any conversations about opting out," he said on Zoom. "I feel I've got more to prove as a team, as a unit, this coming s eason. So I've just been taking every day trying to get a little bit better, trying to help my teammates get better and hopefully September 26, we kick off at 100 percent." - Post-Dispatch
(DS#2 ILB) Jr/2021 ILB *Nick Bolton, Missouri
News Source: Post-Dispatch
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Missouri's Nick Bolton might be the best college linebacker who appears in games this fall - he's at least in the discussion - but the way things have unfolded in recent weeks, nobody should have been surprised if he considered looking ahead to the NFL d raft and sat out the 2020 college season. As of Friday, a reported 77 players have made that decision, including 13 in the Southeastern Conference. Not Bolton. The junior linebacker said Friday he hasn't had any conversations about not playing this seaso n."I feel I've got more to prove as a team, as a unit, this coming season," he said on Zoom after Friday's practice. "So I've just been taking every day trying to get a little bit better, trying to help my teammates get better and hopefully Septem ber 26, we kick off at 100 percent." Linebackers coach D.J. Smith, a former NFL player who spent parts of four seasons with the Packers, Texans and Panthers, said he never talked to Bolton about sitting out this year. "Nick's a competitor," Smith said. " He's a grinder. And as far as I'm concerned, he's here, day in and day out, working for us to win a championship." - Post-Dispatch
(DS#2 ILB) Jr/2021 ILB *Nick Bolton, Missouri
News Source: Post-Dispatch
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2020 PRESEASON WALTER CAMP SECOND TEAM ALL-AMERICAN: LB Nick Bolton, Missouri,...Earned All-SEC First Team honors from both the league's coaches and the Associated Press after posting a team-best 107 tackles in 2019...Also added 9.0 tackles for loss, 1.0 sack, two interceptions, eight pass breakups and three quarterback hurries during his true sophomore season, developing into one of the nation's elite linebackers...His 74 solo tackles were 15 more than any other defender in the SEC. - Missouri Football
(DS#2 ILB) Jr/2021 ILB *Nick Bolton, Missouri
News Source: Missouri Football
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When a torn pectoral tendon ended what might have become an All-American season for Missouri linebacker Cale Garrett last fall, the spotlight turned to his sidekick in the middle of the defense. Nick Bolton didn't disappoint. By season's end, the sophomo re and first-year starter had become Mizzou's best player. Garrett, watching the second half from the sideline, wasn't surprised. "He's not uncomfortable being 'the guy.' He was the dude for us last year. This year he'll be the dude for them again," Garr ett said this week before reporting to training camp with the Tennessee Titans. "He's able to lead our defense. That's easy to ask of him."That's exactly what defensive coordinator Ryan Walters has asked of Bolton this offseason in Garrett's absen ce. While Bolton might have deferred to his older teammate last season, 2020 is Bolton's year to seize the stage for himself. "I told him he's getting all these preseason accolades, the fair expectation is he better have them at the end of the year," Wal ters said. "What I like about Nick is he has the same attitude as he had walking in as a true freshman, even though he has all the accolades and played at the level he played last year. He's still Nick. He's a hard worker, a very conscientious kid. He kn ows why he's here and what his goals are. I'm expecting him to play better than he played last year. "He's got guys in front of him that know what to do and will keep linemen off him. He understands ball and what we're trying to do schematically. A lot o f what we're doing is built around allowing him to make plays." - Post-Dispatch
(DS#2 ILB) Jr/2021 ILB *Nick Bolton, Missouri
News Source: Post-Dispatch
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2020 BUTKUS AWARD PRESEASON WATCH LIST: Nick Bolton, Missouri,...Was one of the nation's most dominant linebackers through the entirety of the 2019 season, despite taking on an expanded role following the injury to starting MLB Cale Garrett, who was also having an All-American caliber season at the time of his injury...Earned All-SEC First Team honors from both the league's coaches and the Associated Press after posting a team-best 107 tackles...His 107 tackles were the SEC's top-mark during the regular season, and only LSU's Jacob Phillips, who played in 15 games vs. Bolton's 12, finished ahead of Bolton on the SEC tackle chart (113 in 15 games). - Missouri Football
(DS#2 ILB) Jr/2021 ILB *Nick Bolton, Missouri
News Source: Missouri Football
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2020 BRONKO NAGURSKI TROPHY PRESEASON WATCH LIST: LB Nick Bolton, Missouri,...Bolton's 107 tackles were the SEC's top-mark during the regular season, and only LSU's Jacob Phillips, who played in 15 games vs. Bolton's 12, finished ahead of Bolton on the S EC tackle chart (113 in 15 games)...His 8.92 tackles per game were far-and-away the best mark in the league, besting Arkansas De'Jon Harris (8.42 per game)...Also added 9.0 tackles for loss, 1.0 sack, two interceptions, eight pass breakups and three quar terback hurries during his true sophomore season, developing into one of the nation's elite linebackers. - Missouri Football
(DS#2 ILB) Jr/2021 ILB *Nick Bolton, Missouri
News Source: Missouri Football
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2020 PRESEASON BEDNARIK AWARD WATCH LIST: LB Nick Bolton, Missouri,...Earned All-SEC First Team honors from both the league's coaches and the Associated Press after posting a team-best 107 tackles...His 107 tackles were the SEC's top-mark during the regu lar season, and only LSU's Jacob Phillips, who played in 15 games vs. Bolton's 12, finished ahead of Bolton on the SEC tackle chart (113 in 15 games)...His 8.92 tackles per game were far-and-away the best mark in the league, besting Arkansas De'Jon Harri s (8.42 per game)...Also added 9.0 tackles for loss, 1.0 sack, two interceptions, eight pass breakups and three quarterback hurries during his true sophomore season, developing into one of the nation's elite linebackers. - Missouri Football
(DS#2 ILB) Jr/2021 ILB *Nick Bolton, Missouri
News Source: Missouri Football
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The Tigers have a history of developing talent, and Bolton is the latest example. He was a three-star prospect coming out of high school who has become a five-star player at Missouri. And the transformation has happened rather quickly. Bolton was a conse nsus All-SEC pick as a sophomore last season after recording a whopping 107 tackles, 7.5 tackles for losses, two interceptions and eight pass break-ups. He's the total package. - Gainesville Sun
(DS#2 ILB) Jr/2021 ILB *Nick Bolton, Missouri
News Source: Gainesville Sun
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Missouri reached an agreement Sunday with Eliah Drinkwitz to take over the Tigers' once-proud football program, a person with knowledge of the hiring told The Associated Press, making Appalachian State's successful coach the second-youngest in a Power Fi ve conference. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the contract was still being drawn up and the school had not made an announcement. Drinkwitz was also being pursued by SEC rival Arkansas for its head-coaching vacancy.Tig ers athletic director Jim Sterk said he wanted to move swiftly in hiring a replacement for Barry Odom, the former player and assistant coach who went 25-25 in four seasons leading the program. Odom was fired after the Tigers finished an underwhelming 6-6 , which would have been good enough for a bowl berth had the school not been slapped with a postseason ban by the NCAA following an incident involving a rogue tutor. - AP College Football
(DS#2 ILB) Jr/2021 ILB *Nick Bolton, Missouri
News Source: AP College Football
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WEEK 2 SEC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Nick Bolton, LB, Missouri,...Led a huge defensive effort that saw the Tigers pitch a shutout until the final five minutes of the game, as part of Mizzou's dominant 38-7 win over West Virginia Saturday...Made a gam e-high 10 tackles (three tackles for loss - both film-adjusted) and added a pair of interceptions (the first two of his career) on the day, including one that he returned 20 yards for his first career touchdown in the third quarter...Bolton became the fi rst Tiger linebacker with a pair of interceptions in a game since 2015, when All-American Kentrell Brothers had two picks against Arkansas State.He was also the first Tiger since former All-American LB Sean Weatherspoon (2008 vs. Illinois) to reco rd two interceptions in a game, with at least one being returned for a score...Mizzou's defense held WVU to only 30 yards rushing on the day (with 32 yards coming in their final two drives against Tiger reserves) - that's the fewest allowed to a Power 5 opponent since 2007, when Mizzou held Texas Tech to minus-nine yards rushing in a 41-10 win...Mizzou allowed only 171 yards of offense to the Mountaineers - the fewest by any FBS opponent in the Barry Odom era, and the fewest overall by an FBS team again st Mizzou since 2013, when the Tigers limited Florida to just 151 yards of total offense in a 36-17 win. - SEC Football
(DS#2 ILB) Jr/2021 ILB *Nick Bolton, Missouri
News Source: SEC Football
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