RE: On to Missouri
Sure. I'll try and keep this somewhat brief, yet informative.
As you know Mizzou had a down year last year. 5-7. Big things influenced it: We lost four of our five starting offensive linemen, as well as two key reserves at some point last year. Several of them were lost for the year. It was a disaster. In addition, our QB James Franklin had shoulder surgery on this throwing arm in the spring, and he never recooped until Fall practice started.
It was a recipe for disaster. We had a young line protecting a banged up QB. Franklin was hurt for much, if not all, of the season. His back-up, Berkstresser, who is now the #3 QB, was awful. It certainly didn't help that we played in a new league, against teams we haven't played before... Oh, and yeah... it's the toughest conference in America. 2012 was a very frustrating year for Tigers fans.
On to this season.
There was tons of consternation about the QB and OL positions. We're all hoping last week -- Granted, it was against an FCS school -- was a good sign. Our line is healthy and big (6'5" 310 on average per person). The line gave up one sack, but never really allowed any pressure. And they opened up gaping holes for the run game. James Franklin looked like the guy we saw his sophomore year when he won the starting job. His arm strength was back and he was hitting receivers in stride. Again, it's an FCS school. We'll see if it's worth a damn.
Down to the nitty gritty. A position breakdown. I saw that someone on this board mentioned that we don't recruit like Florida. That's true. We don't have the recruiting base of Florida. However, at QB and WR, we've had nothing but premium talent since Pinkel got the program moving in the right direction:
Franklin was a four-star, All State QB out of Texas. If he is healthy, he's dangerous with his feet and his arm. We all expect big things out of him, as a senior.
Henry Josey was a FROSH All American RB averaging more than 8 yards a carry two years ago. He was All Big 12 as a FR. But in one of the last games of the year, he tore every single ligament in his knee. Few people thought he'd walk normally again -- the injury was that catastrophic. (Think Marcus Lattimore.) He's proven the experts wrong and had a HUGE day last Saturday. Coach Pinkel has never given game balls at MU. He gave his first to Josey after last week's game. You can find the video on YouTube. Got me teary eyed for the kid.
Josey is splitting time with sophomore Russel Hansborough. He's short in stature like Josey, but where Josey runs away from people, Russel is more stout and likes to run to contact. He opened eyes last week.
Receiver is by FAR our deepest position. Dorial Green Beckham is a true sophomore; he was the #1 recruit at any position in the country two years ago (5-star talent). 6'6" 220 lbs. And he can jump. He will be a first round pick and has immense talent. The other receivers you'll see: Marcus Lucas, Bud Sasser, Jimmy Hunt, Darius White. They were all four-star receivers out of high school; they're on average 6'4" and 210 lbs. Another starter L'Damian Washington was only a two-star kid, but he actually starts ahead of some of this four-star talent. He too is huge. 6'5", but only around 190 lbs... he looks like a string bean.
The offensive line is coming together. It's led by our true sophomore center Evan Boehm. He was one of the top 10 linemen in his class. He also started every game last year as a true frosh in the SEC. He took his lumps at times, but he'll be a star. Everyone else on the line is solid but not spectacular. Justin Britt, our left tackle, has been a starter most of the last three years. Again, our success this year is based on how healthy these guys stay and how well they play together.
********Defensively! This is the side of the ball that concerns Tigers fans.
We lost All SEC and first round pick Sheldon Richardson at DT. Thankfully, we have some solid players in the middle, but nothing quite like him. Matt Hoch and Lucas Vincent are two big bodies who start in the middle. Hoch is 6'5" 300. Vincent is a little shorter, and has the same weight. Keep an eye out for the name Harold Brantley. He's a RSFR DT who rotates in. Super quicks; he was a running back and kick returner in high school... He's also a 300 pounder. We're eager to see if he can become a star like Sheldon was.
Defensive end is easily our deepest position on defense. That said, we need more production out of these guys. Kony Ealy and Michael Sam are the starters and they've primarily played, if not started, since their freshmen years. Ealy is a physical freak; he's 6'5" 270 lbs and can run like a deer. That said, he's not nearly as productive as many fans think he should be. Behind those two starters is Brandon Burnett, Shane Ray, and Markus Golden. All three will get rotated regularly into the game. All are speed rushers. Don't be surprised if in obvious passing downs Mizzou puts four DEs on the field. They call that their scorpion package.
Linebacker is a position in transition. We lost two long-time starters and have some youngsters stepping in. Andrew Wilson is our new Mike backer; he's played Sam the last two years -- he's also led the team in tackles the last two years. That said, he was pretty disappointing last week. I don't know if he's NOT comfortable yet, or what? But Murray State had some luck running right up the middle early in the game. Donovan Bonner is RSSr outside backer; I believe it's his first year starting, but he's been the first backer sub for at least two years. Kendrell Brothers is the other outside backer. Super athletic and exciting RSSoph. He and his back-up Darvin Ruise flashed last week... They're both young guys who play with piss and vinegar.
Our secondary, IMO, is by far the Tigers weakest position on the team. Now... It's led by a guy who's a four-year starter and has been AllBig12 and AllSEC. That's corner back EJ Gaines. He has two INTs last week. He's a true shut down corner and will be probably a second or third round draft pick.... He's the ONLY bright spot, IMO.
The rest of our secondary is VERY suspect. Randy Ponder is our other corner. He's a former walk-on, and can be burned. The third corner spot seems to rotating between three kids, Ernest Payton, John Gibson, and David Johnson. They're all sophomores and freshmen.
No one really cares for our safeties either. Braylon Webb is our FS. He can have his moments or productivity. He's tolerable. Matt White, our SS, seems to perpetually be in the doghouse with Tigers fans. He's whiffed on tackles, missed easy pass break-ups, and in general has just struggled. He's a senior this year. He played fairly well last week. We're all hoping he can be a steady player now that he's matured.
********** Special team notes:
Andrew Bagget is our kicker. At the moment, he seems wildly inconsistent. He'll make a 45 yarder and then miss an extra point. Tigers fans are worried about relying on him.... However... Bagget does have a HUGE leg and most of his kick offs result in a touch back.
Last note: Keep an eye on Marcus Murphy. He's our third string RB, and our all everything returner. I believe he was first team All SEC as a returner. He has three punt returns and one kick off return. His average on each type of return is huge as well. He could be key in this game, if the Tigers need a big play late.
|
