Defensive confidence and depth remain under scrutiny

For the SMU game, Costner and Courtney were reported out, Hillman doubtful and Hardy questionable; a headline claiming Hillman and Hardy were ruled out remains unverified because the article was unavailable. Agard is out for the season, Baxter and Flores remain unavailable, and Britton has taken on more defensive-line responsibility after Hammond’s season-ending injury.