Remember back in the day when teams only needed two starting cornerbacks? Man, those were the days. But they’re gone now. No different than flip phones and the Walkman.
Defenses are using five and six defensive backs regularly now. Mizzou’s official depth chart listed five defensive backs as the “starting lineup.”
The same is true on offense. Fullbacks are on life support. Teams take the field with one tight end, one running back and three wide receivers on the field the vast majority of snaps. According to SEC Stat Cat, the Tigers used “11 personnel” (one tight end, one running back, three receivers) on roughly 63 percent of their total snaps, and approximately 66 percent of their passing plays.