Harrison adjusts well to position switch for Mizzou football team

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Jarrell Harrison is playing linebacker for the first time since he was in sixth grade.

Whatever it takes for the No. 11 Missouri football team.

A slew of injuries at the position has forced Tigers coach Gary Pinkel to move players out of their customary positions. Harrison, a 217-pound safety, has embraced the opportunity to diversify.

The Tigers' top two linebackers, Luke Lambert and Will Ebner, have missed significant time. Lambert already has been ruled out for the seventh straight game with a knee injury, and Ebner has been bothered by a neck strain as well as broken bone in a pinky toe.

Harrison started at safety but also played both linebacker positions in Missouri's 14-0 victory at Iowa State last week. The senior had a team-leading six tackles plus a fumble recovery.

"It's kind of difficult to juggle because I didn't get any reps at safety in practice, then Saturday I'm starting at safety," Harrison said. "Those reps at linebacker were crucial though because I played there in the game too.

"It's been fun hopping back and forth."

Harrison, a native of Las Vegas, last played linebacker for the Dolphins in the Nevada Youth Football League. He primarily played quarterback in high school and got some time at defensive back during his senior season.

His first opportunity to play safety didn't come until junior college. He recorded 118 tackles and five interceptions at City College of San Francisco, earning all-conference honors in 2008.

Despite Harrison's extensive experience at playing multiple positions, Pinkel believes making the transition to linebacker may be the toughest of all.

"It's a very difficult position to play," he said. "There's so many reads and keys that these guys have to know. You have to be really, really sharp, and Jarrell is."

Linebacker Andrew Gachkar, who leads Missouri (9-2, 5-2 Big 12) with 74 tackles, said he'd need at least two weeks to make a change to safety.

"He's been so big for us, we've been depleted," Gachkar said. "He hasn't been playing linebacker and that just says how much he knows about the defense."

The defense has been the most consistent aspect of the team throughout the season. Missouri and Stanford are the only BCS schools to hold two opponents scoreless this season.

The Tigers rank second nationally inside the 20, allowing opponents to score only 53 percent of the time.

"We have a whole different confidence about us when we get down there," Gachkar said. "We get down there and say they can get a field goal but aren't going to get this touchdown."

The Tigers know as they prepare for the annual rivalry showdown Saturday against Kansas (3-8, 1-6 Big 12) in Kansas City, Mo., that they still have a chance at winning the Big 12 North with a win and a Nebraska loss to Colorado.

"It's tough not to be able to control your own destiny," Harrison said. "We can't worry about what Nebraska is doing because without this game, that game doesn't mean anything."

Missouri is looking to reach the 10-win mark for the third time in four seasons. It hasn't been easy, but it's been a total team effort.

"We just have guys that want to win," Harrison said. "When you have that, no matter how many injuries you have, you're going to be successful."