Sam Houston · W 24-3
4 tackles
The other 7 games average 6 tackles. This one was 2 below.
J.J. O'Neal
Plays like an extra linebacker near the line. The two seasons at Missouri State span two head coaches: Nick Petrino and Casey Woods. A game that shows it: 11 tackles and 1 tackle for loss against Western Kentucky — Week 6, 2026.
46 tackles · 0 sacks
Play style
Lives near the line of scrimmage as a de facto extra linebacker.
Activity vs finishing · season enumeration
What the box score actually says
46 tackles. 2 passes defended. 1 interception. 1 TFL.
Counts only, never a rate — splash-event sample sizes this small (interceptions, pass breakups, TFL) are noise as a rate and signal only as a tally.
Closest statistical matches, adjusted for opponent strength.
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Season | Team | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Missouri State | 46 | 29 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | Missouri State | 12 | 7 | 0.5 | 0.0 | -- | 1 |
| Career | 58 | 36 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 2 | 2 |
Last game (Wk 9): 4 tackles.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 8 games
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
| Wk | Opp | TKL | SOLO | TFL | SACK | INT | PD | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | L 0-50@ No. 8 Texas A&M | 2 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 2 | W 48-14vs Lindenwood | 1 | 1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 3 | L 24-30vs Marshall | 10 | 8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | |
| Wk 4 | L 24-34@ No. 22 SMU | 9 | 4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 6 | L 13-34@ Western Kentucky | 11 | 7 | 1.0 | 0.0 | — | 1 | Season-high 11 tackles |
| Wk 7 | W 24-21vs Kennesaw State | 3 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Wk 8 | L 38-61@ Delaware | 6 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Wk 9 | W 24-3vs Sam Houston | 4 | 3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | |
| Total | 46 | 29 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 1 | 2 |
Oct. 27 · W 24-3 vs Sam Houston, play by play
4 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
His game this year: taking the ball away — 1 interception, 1 forced fumble in the 8 games with play by play.
How Missouri State’s defense played that day
Sam Houston’s 9 drives: 8 stopped · 1 scored. While the game was within a score they held 6 of 7.
A defensive touchdown: his interception went 47 yards for the score. 6 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Intercepted, returned 47 yards for the score. First quarter, made it 14-7.
3 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
11 tackles, including 1 more for loss, 1 pass broken up. He hurried the quarterback once.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 10 of his 11, sacks included.
9 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
10 tackles, including 1 pass broken up.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play: 9 of his 10, sacks included.
Forced a fumble on 3rd and 1. Second quarter, down 17-10.
1 tackle.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
2 tackles.
Each small tick is one of his tackles on the play-by-play. His sacks are drawn as sacks.
Conference ranks count every player in the conference with a row in that stat, any position. Career ranks count current FBS players, from the games in our log.
Ratings of the games shown run from -18 to +13 points against an average team (SP+ rating of each opponent).
Where his impact shows up on the stat sheet
PD rate
4%2 pass breakupsInterceptions
1interceptionsTackle volume
46tackles this seasonTFL rate
2%1 TFL46 tackles · 1 for loss · 2 pass breakups · 1 interception.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 8 games
Home vs Road
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home4g | 4.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.2 |
| Road4g | 7.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.2 |
First half vs Second half
| TKL/g | TFL/g | SACK/g | PD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-76g | 6.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.3 |
| Weeks 8+2g | 5.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Casey Woods
Pass share
47.8%
236 pass / 258 run
Plays / game
61.8
8 games
Team sack rate
6.4%
265 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced, slow tempo.
Player standing · 2026
46 tackles in 8 games, about as many tackles a game as a typical FBS defensive back who plays every week.
Recognition
Production · CFB Zeitgeist Score
Unranked recruit. Now #110 at the position.
2026 is in progress.
Coaching lineage · 2025–2026
2 coachesCoaching transition mid-career: Ryan Beard → Casey Woods. Worth noting in scheme + development context.
In the portal · 2026
In transfer portal
