Report: Missouri leading tackler Ty'Ron Hopper out vs. Florida with ankle injury

The Missouri Tigers are coming off a huge victory over the Tennessee Volunteers, and a huge showdown against the Florida Gators awaits them in Week 12.

Unfortunately, linebacker Ty’ron Hopper won’t be on the field this weekend. After suffering an ankle injury against the Volunteers, ESPN’s Pete Thamel revealed the disappointing news on Missouri’s leading tackler.

Source: Missouri leading tackler Ty’Ron Hopper will not play against Florida this week after injuring his ankle against Tennessee. The No. 9 Tigers have already lost starting linebacker Chad Bailey for the year in recent weeks. The Tigers host the Gators on ESPN at 7:30 pm.

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) November 17, 2023

“Source: Missouri leading tackler Ty’Ron Hopper will not play against Florida this week after injuring his ankle against Tennessee. The No. 9 Tigers have already lost starting linebacker Chad Bailey for the year in recent weeks,” Thamel posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “The Tigers host the Gators on ESPN at 7:30 pm.”

Moreover, Hopper gingerly left the field in the second quarter of Missouri’s victory over Tennessee. After a brief visit to the team’s medical tent, the redshirt senior linebacker eventually headed back to the locker room and did not return to the game.

Throughout the season, Ty’Ron Hopper has been essential to Missouri’s defensive success this year, as he is the team leader in total tackles with 53. He also has three sacks to go along with three passes defended on the season.

It’s unclear when he will make his return to action, but Hopper being unable to go against Florida will be a massive blow to a Missouri defense that is already without another starting linebacker in Chad Bailey.

Eli Drinkwitz makes joke about Connor Stalions, figuring out Tennessee plays

Meanwhile, Eli Drinkwitz couldn’t help himself. After Missouri’s convincing 36-7 win over Tennessee on Saturday, the Tigers’ head coach raved about his team’s defensive gameplan while tossing in a slight jab at Michigan’s ongoing scandal.

“We had some of their keys. Jake Olsen, one of our analysts, had identified a couple of tendencies that they had — not signals, not Connor Stalions,” Drinkwitz said with a smile. “But, we had identified a couple of things that we felt like were going to be crucial for us.

“Coach [Kevin Peoples] and Coach [DJ] Smith and Coach [Al] Davis had a really good plan. We went to a sub-package, three-down front, and we kind of chopped up their front a little bit.”

Alas, Drinkwitz is allowed to be slightly boastful after the Tigers’ win. His team handled their business against the Vols.

“Our team came out, we wanted to stand on business last night,” Drinkwitz said during his postgame interview with CBS’ Jenny Dell. “We had some unfinished business from last year. And we came out and took care of business… Great win. Our defense kicked their ass tonight.”

On3’s Justin Rudolph contributed to this article.