Houston native Jeff Gettys made his first career tackles Saturday night as the sixth-ranked Missouri Tigers won a wild shootout 52-42 with No. 20 Illinois.
Gettys teamed with Steve Redmond to tackle Illinois’ Vontae Davis on his first play with the kickoff team. Missouri led 7-0 at the time after Derrick Washington’s 7-yard touchdown run.
Gettys’ second tackle came right before halftime when he and Tru Vaughns brought down beefy 274-pound Michael Hoomanawanui. The Tigers led 31-13.
Gettys, who started on the kickoff, kickoff return, PAT and field goal units, was also blocking for Jeremy Maclin when he raced 99 yards for a touchdown on a second-quarter kick return.
Missouri and Illinois combined for 92 points and 1,081 yards. Mizzou linebacker Sean Weatherspoon had two late takeaways, including an interception return for a touchdown, to help seal the Tigers’ victory.