Mizzou football: Good news, bad news for injuries

Mizzou football linebacker Aubrey Miller Jr. expected to miss the rest of the year

Mizzou football is on a bye week, and it comes at a good time for the Tigers. They want to get healthy after playing the first month of the season.

The Tigers will return in Week 6 of the college football season to play Troy. For now, they will return some faces in practice who they have missed, but there is one player the Tigers now are prepared to be without for the remainder of the season.

Linebacker Aubrey Miller Jr. is expected to miss the rest of the year, coach Barry Odom said at Tuesday’s practice. Miller hurt his knee in the first game of the season at Wyoming, and the Tigers said at the time that he will was out indefinitely. Now, it appears to be the rest of the year.

Miller competed with Nick Bolton for the second starting linebacker spot this summer. He was close, but Bolton was able to grab the starting nod.

With the switch to a new defensive set, only two linebackers were going to crack the starting lineup, so Miller was placed on the second-team defense. The junior was expected to be the first linebacker in the rotation off the bench.

But he did have a good camp, and that is not good news that he will miss more time. Miller pushed Bolton this past camp, and the workouts improved the team. Both Bolton and Cale Garrett have been named SEC Defensive Players of the Week so far this year.

The linebacking core has been strong so far, but it takes a hit without Miller, who made two tackles in Week 1.

As for other injured players, the Tigers returned starting left tackle Yasir Durant and projected staring defensive end Trajan Jeffcoat to practice this week.

Tight end Brendan Scales and linebacker Jamie Pettway also are back at practice.