On Monday, Missouri linebacker Cale Garrett earned the Southeastern Conference’s Defensive Player of the Week honor after his strong performance against South Carolina.
Garrett led the Tigers in total tackles and was a force in both coverage over the middle and applying pressure on the backfield. His day was highlighted, though, by a heads up fumble recovery after Gamecocks quarterback Ryan Hilinski was ruled to have thrown a backward pass that sat in the end zone until Garrett picked it up.
His importance to the defense is well-documented, and his game Saturday was exactly what Missouri needed to finally knock off South Carolina for the first time in head coach Barry Odom’s tenure.