Cayden Green, Robert Woodyard game-time calls for Missouri

On Wednesday the word was that all 3 were on track to play. By Saturday morning, the Mizzou injury news had gotten a lot less comfortable.

Pete Nakos

@PeteNakos

Missouri star OT Cayden Green and LB Robert Woodyard are expected to be game-time decisions against Texas A&M today, sources tell @On3. t.co/2H9fE29s8m

On3@On3

Week 6 College Football injury report📋 Latest on Josh Ford, Vernell Brown, Dylan Stewart, Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele & more. View: t.co/O6hhgsEMYU t.co/4NZq32H1z0

Green is the guy who matters most here. He's a projected Day 1 NFL Draft pick at left tackle and hasn't allowed a sack or a QB hit all season. He showed up as questionable on the first SEC availability report this week with an undisclosed injury, and CBS's Matt Zenitz reported Wednesday that Green, Woodyard and Banner were all on track to play. Moving from 'on track' to 'game-time decision' on the morning of the game is not the direction you want.

It's not just the left tackle, either. Woodyard, the Auburn transfer, has 37 tackles. Banner leads the team with 44, and 8 minutes after the Nakos report his status got murkier too.

Pete Thamel

@PeteThamel

Missouri safety Santana Banner (undisclosed) is considered a game-time decision, per a source. He's going warm-up and a decision will be made.

Pete Thamel@PeteThamel

Sources: Missouri starting edges Darris Smith and Langden Kitchen will both play against Texas A&M today. Smith has 2.0 TFLs in three games and 5.5 TFLs last year. Kitchen started four games and had 3.0 TFLs and 8 pressures this year. t.co/s3i5OzZ1aC

That would mean Missouri could be missing its top 2 tacklers plus its best offensive lineman, with only the pregame warm-up left to decide it. Banner's injury is still listed as undisclosed. The team already has safety JaDon Blair listed as out, and Kesnley Louidor-Faustin was another questionable safety on the initial report, so the secondary is thin even before Banner's decision.

The good news is up front on defense. Darris Smith and Langden Kitchen, the starting edges, were both questionable on the availability report too, and both are cleared.

Pete Thamel

@PeteThamel

Sources: Missouri starting edges Darris Smith and Langden Kitchen will both play against Texas A&M today. Smith has 2.0 TFLs in three games and 5.5 TFLs last year. Kitchen started four games and had 3.0 TFLs and 8 pressures this year.

That matters because losing both edges along with a linebacker and a safety would have opened up the whole front 7. Getting Smith and Kitchen back keeps the pass rush intact, even if the back end is still unsettled.

The setup is a classic trap game. Missouri comes in 4-1 after dropping 35 unanswered on then-No. 8 Florida in a 45-17 blowout, and now a 3-2 Aggies team comes to Faurot Field. Texas A&M has its own problems, with OL Blake Ivy ruled out and WR Mario Craver questionable. Watch the warm-ups: if Green isn't at left tackle when the first series starts, Mizzou's offense is a very different unit than the one that just ran Florida off the field.