Missouri’s top defensive player Aldon Smith is going to miss a couple of weeks with a fractured fibula. Smith was seen hobbling towards the end of Saturday night’s game as he sat out one of the plays in the Aztecs final series, but limped back in for the final play.
At first many speculated it was perhaps leg cramps and after the game Gary Pinkel said he didn’t have a chance to talk to Smith and said he wasn’t aware what had happened. Yet on his Big 12 teleconference call, Pinkel said, “Hopefully, we’ll get him back in a couple of weeks…its something you can play with…we’re in the rehabilitation process right now.”
Brad Madison will start in Smith’s place with redshirt freshman Michael Sam backing him up. The key will be to get him back in time for Nebraska in three weeks. Having Smith put pressure on NU’s freshmen quarterback Taylor Martinez will be paramount if the MU defense has a shot at slowing down the NU run game.