Mizzou Linebacker earns SEC Honors after performance at Oklahoma

Missouri linebacker Triston Newson earned Co-SEC Defensive Player of the Week following the Tigers’ win over the Oklahoma Sooners.

Newson posted 10 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble in the Tigers’ win. That forced fumble came at the most crucial moment of the game, with the ball knocked out of Oklahoma quarterback Jackson Arnold’s hands in the closing stages of the fourth quarter, allowing defensive player Zion Young to pick up the ball and score. This gave Missouri a 30-23 lead and seemingly saved the game, and perhaps the season, for Missouri.

“Relentless. Took over the game plan,” head coach Eli Drinkwitz said. “I mean, him and Corey Flagg were everywhere. Obviously one sack, two and a half were fumbles.

This is Newson’s second year with the Tigers, spending the early part of his collegiate career at Northeast Mississippi Community College. In his second season, Newson has secured 39 tackles and added the sack and forced fumble against the Sooners.

Newson posted 51 tackles last season in his first year at Missouri, and also added half a sack. He was forced to take a step further as injuries plagued last year’s defense, earning him a spot as one of the team’s top defenders entering this season.

The Tiger defense has emerged as one of the nation’s best after six fumbles, four of which were recovered. They allowed only 257 yards of offense and continually harassed Arnold. The Tigers currently rank tenth in the nation in yards allowed per game and are in the top-20 in points allowed per game.

“Otherwise they don’t give up anything, and they never even backed down, and just kept going,” Drinkwitz said.

Newson and the Tiger defense will have another tough matchup on Saturday, November 16 at 3:15 PM when they travel to Columbia, SC to take on the South Carolina Gamecocks.

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