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 Jones 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 Nicholson, 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 the 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 really got tempo. As a collective unit, we have to get in line and get set up so we can be effective." - Columbia Daily Tribune