COLUMBIA, Mo. - Brian Smith doesn't like having to use his depth as much as has this season.
Yet that's the situation with five wrestlers out injured Missouri's wrestling coach finds himself in. But even with the injuries, No. 5 Missouri (2-0) has started the season on a high note.
Missouri beat No. 6 Virginia Tech 23-19 on Nov. 20, then placed nine wrestlers in the top three at the Northern Iowa Open on Dec. 3. The Tigers were without starters 125-pounder Barlow McGhee, 141-pounder Matt Manley, 149-pounder Lavion Mayes, 174-pounder Dylan Wisman and 184-pounder Willie Miklus that day.
Mayes is in the concussion protocol and won't be available for Missouri's dual at No. 4 Ohio State today, but Smith said Wisman should be good to go. Smith did not disclose Manley's and McGhee's injuries, but anticipates them being back in the coming weeks. McGhee is weighing in but Smith was still unsure Tuesday if he would be ready.
Miklus is out with a knee injury suffered against Virginia Tech. Smith is unsure if it is season-ending, but said Miklus will be out for an extended period of time.
Among those stepping up have been 125-pounder Aaron Asaad, 141-pounder Zach Synon and 157-pounder Luke Fortuna.
"They get the step in the lineup, Synon's been in the lineup for a couple matches and done well, so he's making the most of the opportunity," Smith said. "Synon's been a starter for the team for a few years, so for him he wants the spot so he's approaching it the right way.
"Aaron Asaad's done a really good job with some of the opens and competed well against (Third-ranked Joey) Dance at Virginia Tech, so he's a kid that wants to be in the lineup so he's battling for a spot. That's the good thing, we've seen at the open this past weekend some of our younger guys like Luke Fortuna and Connor Flynn really battling well."
Flynn's only loss at the UNI Open was to two-time NCAA champion and top-ranked 165-pounder Isaiah Martinez of Illinois. Martinez also took down Missouri's Daniel Lewis in the finals, 7-4. Lewis recorded three falls and a major decision that day. It was also the only loss Lewis has taken in his 6-1 start.
Fortuna made it to the finals of the 157-pound weight class before teammate Joey LaVallee bested him 6-1. LaVallee is ranked sixth in his weight class. He is 7-0 on the season.
"Joey LaVallee is on a roll right now, just looks real tough," Smith said. "There are matches that really where we saw LaValle just getting after it, that's the way he's been trained with him opening up and beating a kid in a major decision, that's important."
For LaVallee, though, winning his weight class at the UNI Open was not his top priority.
"It was just honestly, like it's a bonus to win and stuff, but it's just how am I wrestling," LaVallee said. "Like when I got there how I was performing and not just the win. The win's a bonus, but how's my wrestling's going? And my goal going into the tournament was attack, attack, attack work on things in the room, especially on my individual drills.
"It all matters in March when the MAC Conference comes around, the NCAA Tournament, that's our main goal and that's where I want to perform our best at."
Redshirt freshman 133-pounder Jaydin Eierman also finished atop his weight class that day. Eierman beat Illinois' Dylan Duncan 6-3 in the finals after winning by a decision, major decision and technical fall earlier in the day.
"I'm getting a lot more confident in my shots, we worked on it all summer, so my offense is coming around more and more so that's a big confidence booster heading into Ohio State," Eierman said. "I'd love to see how this matchup is going go, you know he's straight in your face and I'm going to be outside, you know moving, faking I think it's going to clash really well and to see how it goes it's going to be really good."
Eierman is 5-0 and the ninth-ranked 133-pound wrestler. He gets Ohio State's 2015 NCAA champion and third-ranked Nathan Tomasello today.
Getting tested early is how he wants to start a season.
"I always feel that, you know it's always an early-season test to see where you're at," Eierman said. "You know, J'den (Cox) after my tournament he came up to me after the tournament is like, 'You know we have a lot of things to work on, it's still early in the season but I always said national champions aren't made in November and December, they're made in March when it comes time to go.'"
The senior Cox is also 5-0 on the season and finished first in the 197-pound class at the UNI Open. He won all three of his matches by fall that day, and beat Old Dominion's Kevin Beazley 5-0 and Virginia Tech's Jared Haught 2-0 earlier in the year.
With his reputation as the top wrestler in his class, a two-time NCAA champion and bronze medalist at the 2016 Rio Olympics, opponents have played it safe so far to minimize the total points Cox could score. Cox decided to be more aggressive to counter the opponents getting defensive.
"He's opening up more, he just said it, 'I'm going to go and wrestle,'' Smith said Cox told him before the UNI Open, "and when he goes and wrestles he's pretty darn good."