SB Nation - Gahn McGaffie

Sunday Wrap-Up Links

Bill C. — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 14:33:47 -0000

KILLER set of links here...we've got plenty of Mizzou-Nevada and Big 12 links obviously, but make sure not to miss a) the Mizzou Volleyball recaps (HUGE win last night), and b) uhh, the shovel story. There's at least an hour's worth of reading material here.

Mizzou-Nevada Recaps!

MUtigers.com: Tigers Take Care of Wolf Pack, 31-21
The Trib: Taming the Wolves: Missouri 31, Nevada 21
The Trib: The rumbling you hear is from outside the stadium

Sure, this was a big game, but the weekend’s other entertainment included Steppenwolf, Creedence Clearwater Revisited and former Poison lead singer Bret Michaels, not to mention tonight’s world-record distance motorcycle jump at the Tigers’ team hotel. Nevada fans, cranky after two sloppy losses to open the season, certainly found other things to do last night, as a crowd of only 18,269 showed up.

In this foreign, almost emotionless environment, far from the thundering stadiums of the Big 12, Missouri managed a 31-21 victory by doing what they have done quite frequently the last four years — making fewer mistakes than the guys across the line.
KC Star: MU pulls out a 31-21 victory over Nevada
KC Star: Third-string QB left at home
Third-string quarterback Ashton Glaser was left at home, suspended allegedly for breaking curfew. In his place, wide receiver Gahn McGaffie served as the Tigers’ backup-backup quarterback.
The Missourian: Danario Alexander's big day helps Missouri football get past Nevada
The Missourian: Missouri running game struggles, but produces big plays
Campus Corner (KC Star): Offense finishes what Defense starts
PowerMizzou: Tigers stay perfect with win at Nevada
PowerMizzou: Saturday Grade Card

Fun quote from Pinkel, via Dave Matter on Twitter:

Pinkel: "I guess I should probably put our kicker on scholarship." Understatement of the night, #mizzou

Undefeated!

Post-Dispatch: Missouri off to another 4-0 start
Post-Dispatch: Little by little for MU
The Missourian: Unbeaten MU takes breather

"I don’t think anyone thought we’d be 4-0 besides, well, besides us," Missouri linebacker Andrew Gachkar said outside the visitors’ locker room at Nevada on Friday night, shortly after the Tigers outlasted the Wolf Pack 31-21 in MU’s 14th consecutive victory over a nonconference opponent. "But it’s definitely a big thing. We took care of the first part of the season. But that season’s over. Now we’ve got to go into conference play and take care of Nebraska."

But first, a bye week, a chance for Missouri to look back on its first third of the season, evaluate what worked, what didn’t and how to continue the winning. Starting with an Oct. 8 showdown with the 25th-ranked Cornhuskers (3-1) — a prime-time nationally televised matchup on ESPN — the Tigers open conference play with the most challenging three-game stretch of any team in the league. From there, MU travels to No. 16 Oklahoma State (3-1) on Oct. 17 then returns home to host No. 2 Texas on Oct. 24.
The Missourian: Missouri football team uses bye week to prepare for Nebraska

Gabbert!

Post-Dispatch (Bernie Miklasz): Gabbert, MU, Come Through
Gabbert has a chance to be special for many reasons. And here’s one: he has a short memory. So far in his career as a starter — and we’re only talking four games, against rather weak competition — Gabbert has displayed some genuine mental toughness. He shakes off bad plays, clears away his confusion, collects himself, and makes plays. When challenged, when pressed, he gets better as the game progresses. Just when you think Gabbert is teetering, and maybe about to fall apart, he holds it together. The kid had a lot of chances to cough it up in his first road game, and he didn’t. Instead, the opposite thing happened: Gabbert took command. He fought off the Wolfback, fought off the adversity, and brought his A game when the Tigers needed it. It’s a very impressive trait in a young quarterback. I won’t go into the play-by-play; MU fans already know what happened. But the Best of Gabbert was on display in that 97-yard drive in the 3rd quarter. And once he started rolling, forget about it. Nevada retreated. On four second-half scoring drives that produced two touchdowns and two FGs, Gabbert completed 9 of 13 for 162 yards (and two TDS). That’s what you want in a QB: leadership and grace under fire.

The Nevada Perspective

Reno Gazette-Journal: Missouri's plan to hem in Kaepernick works well
Reno Gazette-Journal: Nevada stuck in neutral with third loss
Reno Gazette-Journal: Lippincott fills in after Taua dislocates elbow
Reno Gazette-Journal: Ball, kick return team a bright spot for Pack
Nevada Appeal: Nevada falls to No. 21 Missouri
Nevada Sagebrush: Pack loses hard-fought home opener to No. 21 Missouri, Taua dislocates elbow
Nevada Sagebrush: Speedy summary: Missouri vs Nevada turning points
Nevada Sagebrush: Nevada vs No. 21 Missouri live blog
Modesto Bee: Missouri outlasts Nevada despite Pitman grad's touchdown

Photo Galleries!

Mizzou 2009, Part Fourteen: 2010 and Beyond

Bill C. — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 15:00:10 -0000

UPDATE: Depth Chart updated after news of Blaine Dalton's dismissal.

The season is barely over a week away, and it is impossible not to be intrigued and excited by the completely unexpected nature of 2009. We think we know what to expect from Blaine Gabbert, Danario Alexander, Andrew Jones, Andrew Gachkar, Kenji Jackson, Kevin Rutland, the lawfirm of Smith, Smith, and Coulter, and all the other guys who will be playing new roles this season, but we don't really know.

But there's an added variable of interest, at least for me, when it comes to the 2009 season: the 2010 season. We want to win another North title--as I was saying this time last year, if Mizzou wins the North in 2009, it's over ("it" being competition in the North division) for a while, thanks for playing, everybody go home. We want to win the division, make a nice bowl, prove that Mizzou is to "reload, not rebuild" stage, et cetera. But really, the single most prevalent, overriding goal of 2009 is simply to not mess up 2010 and beyond. In a major rebuilding/reloading season, Oklahoma went 7-5 in 2005, which would be like about 4-8 for Missouri, and then they won three straight Big 12 titles. It didn't matter whether OU went 5-6 or 7-5 or 10-2 that season--what mattered was that, even with the proceeding Rhett Bomar drama, they got experience, stuck together, and improved as the season progressed, and they were ready to go on a major winning streak when 2006 came around.

With that in mind, let's take a look at 2010 and 2011, and what could be in store if 2009 doesn't, in one way or another (catastrophic injuries, unexpected defection, damaged chemistry, etc.), derail the gameplan. For this exercise, we will more or less assume that the depth charts I've been projecting over the last couple of weeks come true, and we will use that assumption for the projected 2010 and 2011 depth charts.

2010

Boldface = returning (projected) starter
Asterisk = proj. number of years having started
x = no current scholarship player or known walk-on to fill the position

I'm intentionally leaving off any currently-committed recruits because Missouri has proven time and again that, while they'll almost certainly play some true freshmen, trying to figure out which ones ahead of time is a fool's game. A 2-star is almost as likely to come in and earn PT as a 4-star.

Pos.	Player	Pos	Player
QB	Blaine Gabbert (Jr.)* Jimmy Costello (Jr.) Ashton Glaser (RSFr.)	DE	Aldon Smith (So.)* Brad Madison (So.) Brayden Burnett (RSFr.)
RB	Derrick Washington (Sr.)** De'Vion Moore (Jr.) Kendial Lawrence (So.)	DT	Terrell Resonno (Jr.)* Jimmy Burge (So.) George White (So.)
WR	Jerrell Jackson (Jr.) T.J. Moe (So.) Kerwin Stricker (RSFr.)	DT	Dominique Hamilton (Jr.) Marvin Foster (RSFr.) Chris Earnhardt (Jr.)
WR	L'Damian Washington (So.) Rolandis Woodland (So.) Jaleel Clark (RSFr.)	DE	Jacquies Smith (Jr.)* Michael Sam (So./RSFr.) Marcus Malbrough (So.)
WR	Wes Kemp (Jr.)* Gahn McGaffie (So.) Brandon Gerau (Jr.)	SLB	Andrew Gachkar (Sr.)* Zaviar Gooden (So.) x
TE	Andrew Jones (Jr.)* Michael Egnew (Jr.) Alex Sanders (RSFr.)	MLB	Luke Lambert (Sr.)** Donovan Bonner (So.) Andrew Wilson (RSFr.)
LT	Elvis Fisher (Jr.)** Justin Britt (So./RSFr.) Kirk Lakebrink (Sr.)	WLB	Will Ebner (Jr.) Josh Tatum (Jr.) Tyler Crane (Jr.)
LG	Austin Wuebbels (Jr.)* Jayson Palmgren (Jr.) Mike Prince (Sr.)	CB	Carl Gettis (Sr.)*** Trey Hobson (Jr.) Kip Edwards (So.)
C	Tim Barnes (Sr.)** Travis Ruth (So.) x	CB	Kevin Rutland (Sr.)* Robert Steeples (So.) Munir Prince (Sr.)
RG	J.T. Beasley (Jr.) Daniel Jenkins (So.) Mark Hill (RSFr.)	FS	Kenji Jackson (Jr.)** Jarrell Harrison (Sr.) Tavon Bolden (RSFr.)
RT	Dan Hoch (Jr.)* Jack Meiners (So.) Chris Freeman (RSFr.)	SS	Jasper Simmons (Sr.)* Matt White (RSFr.) Randy Ponder (RSFr.)

K	Grant Ressel (Jr.)* Trey Barrow (So.)	P	Matt Grabner (Jr.) Grant Ressel (Jr.)
PR	T.J. Moe (So.)* Carl Gettis (Sr.)	KR	Jasper Simmons (Sr.)* Kendial Lawrence (So.)

This year, we enter the season with a combined seven seasons of starting experience on offense and six on defense. Next year, it looks like about 11 on offense and 13 on defense.

Notes about the depth chart:

It bears mentioning that there's no way in hell somebody doesn't transfer or quit (UPDATE: or get thrown off the team for driving while intoxicated...on campus, ahem) between now and 12 months from now. Look at some of the younger guys on the third-string, trapped behind guys just as young or younger (i.e. look at the defensive line), if you want to get some pretty good red flags in that regard.
There will also be some position changes, offense-to-defense switches, etc. I have my own ideas about who or what those changes will be, but I tried to stay as close as possible to current positions (OL and LB aside). I wanted to make as few assumptions as possible here.
THREE senior scholarship players on the offensive three-deep, and only seven on defense. This team will still be ridiculously young NEXT year.
Missouri currently has commitments from four defensive backs (five if Jimmie Hunt switches to defense), so it will be quite interesting to see how many (if any) are worked into the rotation, being that DB is about the only senior-dominated unit for 2010. I mean, that's a pretty stout rotation right there. I guess there's a potential slot available at SS, but otherwise a true freshman would have to come in and truly dominated to pass some of those experienced guys.
I can't tell you how curious I am to see L'Damian Washington and T.J. Moe in action this year (I'm just going to assume that neither redshirt). If one or both can play to at least the level that Jared Perry and Danario Alexander did as true freshmen, then this WR corps should be quite stout with Kemp and Jackson as the veterans, Washington/Moe as the third starter, and a host of other guys who will get a shot to show potential this year.
Good god, how good is the offensive line going to be in 2010 (and 2011)??

Now the schedule:

Date	Team	Comments
9/4	vs Illinois	No Juice or (probably) Benn, but...Eddie McGee!!!1!!! Mizzou will probably be favored in this one.
9/11	McNeese State	Yawn.
9/18	?	I'm curious who we aim for with this spot. Clearly it will be a home game, since it's Mizzou's turn to "host" Kansas at Arrowhead, and you have to figure it will be a non-BCS team as well (duh), but no idea whether we're aiming for a Nevada type or an Idaho type.
9/25	Miami-OH	They really haven't been very good for since Big Ben left.
10/9	Colorado	As down as I am about CU in 2009, they should be pretty experienced and potentially solid in the trenches next year. It looks like they'll still have Cody Hawkins at QB, of course, but they should be decent.
10/16	at Texas A&M	Never fun going to College Station, but this one's winnable.
10/23	Oklahoma	As Lou Brown would say, one of these days we're gonna figure out how to beat those guys.
10/30	at Nebraska	The 2009 NU offense will dictate what I think about the 2010 Huskers. No idea right now, but a trip to Lincoln is a trip to Lincoln.
11/6	at Texas Tech	Are you noticing something about the 2010 schedule yet? Only one game in Columbia after 10/23. Yikes.
11/13	Kansas State	Until Bill Snyder proves something the second time around, this is a win.
11/20	at Iowa State	Until Paul Rhoads proves something, anything at all, this is a win.
11/27	vs Kansas	Kansas loses Reesing, Meier, Briscoe (probably), Sharp, Stuckey, Thornton...pretty much every player you can name, they will be gone in 2010. KU has recruited well and looks to be in a "Mizzou 2009" situation next year (hoping to prove they reload instead of rebuild), but Mizzou will definitely have the experienced advantage in this one.

Knowing what we know, it's safe to assume that, even if Missouri wins the North in 2009, people will be picking Nebraska in 2010 (with Colorado as the sleeper), so we should just prepare for it now! Mizzou will clearly have a major role to play in the 2010 race, but a) a million things, good or bad, could happen between now and then, and b) the "almost everything on the road" home stretch is a little intimidating, even if Mizzou will potentially be favored in at least three of the five road trips.

2011

Clearly it's silly to get too worked up, one way or the other, about something that will begin 24 months into the future. But if people stay healthy and develop like Mizzou tends to develop players, then WOW is this team loaded, especially on an offensive line that will have at least three multi-year starters and return four starters overall, and on a defensive line that will be stacked and experienced...and this is without even considering Sheldon Richardson's presence.

Of course, the key to 2011 expectations will be Blaine Gabbert. At 6'5, 240, with a cannon attached to his right arm, he is exactly what pro scouts look for in a quarterback, and if he has any success at all in 2009 and 2010, people will be assuming he's going pro. If he comes back like Colt McCoy, or if he leaves like Josh Freeman, it will have a tremendous impact on expectations. There will be plenty of options if he leaves--~~Blaine Dalton,~~ maybe 2010 commit James Franklin, or of course Jimmy Costello or Ashton Glaser--but obviously the overall outlook will be clouded in part by Gabbert's decision*.

* The more I talk about this, the more I feel like I'm unleashing a monster jinx regarding Gabbert's health, so I'm goign to shut up about it now.

Pos.	Player	Pos	Player
QB	Blaine Gabbert (Sr.)** Jimmy Costello (Sr.) Ashton Glaser (So.)	DE	Aldon Smith (Jr.)** Brad Madison (Jr.) Brayden Burnett (So.)
RB	De'Vion Moore (Sr.) Kendial Lawrence (Jr.) Gilbert Moye (Sr.)	DT	Terrell Resonno (Sr.)** Jimmy Burge (Jr.) George White (Jr.)
WR	Jerrell Jackson (Sr.)* T.J. Moe (Jr.) Kerwin Stricker (So.)	DT	Dominique Hamilton (Sr.)* Marvin Foster (So.) Chris Earnhardt (Sr.)
WR	L'Damian Washington (Jr.)* Rolandis Woodland (Jr.) Jaleel Clark (So.)	DE	Jacquies Smith (Sr.)** Michael Sam (Jr./So.) Adam Burton (So.)
WR	Wes Kemp (Sr.)** Gahn McGaffie (Jr.) Brandon Gerau (Sr.)	SLB	Zaviar Gooden (Jr.) x x
TE	Andrew Jones (Sr.)** Michael Egnew (Sr.) Alex Sanders (So.)	MLB	Donovan Bonner (Jr.) Andrew Wilson (So.) x
LT	Elvis Fisher (Sr.)*** Justin Britt (Jr./So.) x	WLB	Will Ebner (Sr.)* Josh Tatum (Sr.) x
LG	Austin Wuebbels (Sr.)** Jayson Palmgren (Sr.) x	CB	Trey Hobson (Sr.) Kip Edwards (Jr.) x
C	Travis Ruth (Jr.) x x	CB	Robert Steeples (Jr.) x x
RG	J.T. Beasley (Sr.)* Daniel Jenkins (Jr.) Mark Hill (So.)	FS	Kenji Jackson (Sr.)*** Tavon Bolden (So.) x
RT	Dan Hoch (Sr.)** Jack Meiners (Jr.) Chris Freeman (So.)	SS	Matt White (So.) Randy Ponder (So.) Tony Randolph (Sr.)

K	Grant Ressel (Sr.)** Trey Barrow (Jr.)	P	Matt Grabner (Sr.)* Grant Ressel (Sr.)
PR	T.J. Moe (Jr.)* x	KR	Kendial Lawrence (Jr.) x

Sixteen seasons of starting experience on offense, 12 on defense. Solid experience everywhere, but just ridiculous experience in the trenches. Gabbert or no Gabbert, there's reason to be optimistic about the future just because of that.
As mentioned earlier, the secondary is really the only unit looking at taking a decent-sized hit this season. Same with linebackers, really, but we're all so excited about guys like Ebner, Bonner, Gooden, etc., that it seems like at least a bit less of a concern.

Date	Team	Comments
9/3	?	We can just assume that the three ?'s on the schedule will likely be filled with the usual: a BCS conference team, a decent non-BCS team, and a craptastic non-BCS team. Who those are is obviously up in the air, though I'll say this: I think ESPN and other networks will start trying harder and harder to manufacture good non-conference matchups by offering to pay both participants a decent amount of money. At some point, that will become a cost-effective thing to do, and I think you'll start seeing more matchups coming about in that way. No idea who Missouri might get paired with in such a scenario, but it might do us well to assume that it's possible to be anybody between Oregon and Miami, not just a regional matchup like Arkansas or Iowa.
9/10	?
9/17	?
9/24	Western Illinois	Yawn.
10/1	at Colorado	At the very least, CU should have a very good offensive line in 2011, whether Dan Hawkins is still there or not.
10/15	Texas A&M	All the sophomores currently on their two-deep will be seniors, so they could be pretty decent, whether Mike Sherman is still there or not (and with his ridiculously lengthy contract, he probably will be).
10/22	at Oklahoma	I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Missouri will not be favored in this one.
10/29	Nebraska	2011 is the anti-2010. Three of five down the stretch are at home, and they don't give up the home game against Kansas. Obviously we have no idea about any of the final five teams two years out, but it's certainly possible that Mizzou will be favored in all five, or at least four of them.
11/5	Texas Tech
11/12	at Kansas State
11/19	Iowa State
11/26	vs Kansas

Summary

The point of this exercise was simply to hammer home the point that Missouri will not only be playing for 2009 this year, but 2010 and 2011 as well. If recruiting continues to improve, or if a spate of injuries completely changes the outlook of the program, then these depth charts are about as far from realistic as possible, but the take-home point is simply this: if Missouri does disappoint in 2009, and clearly it's possible, it really will not affect the long-term prognosis of the program as long as the chemistry stays tight, the players stay healthy, and the players continue to improve. I really want Mizzou to shut everybody up and win another North title (and hey, throw in 10 wins for good measure), but Mizzou will likely survive long-term no matter what happens in 2009, and that's a pretty exciting thought to fall back on if things don't go as planned over the next four months.

Mizzou 2009, Part Eight: Wide Receivers and Tight Ends

Bill C. — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 15:00:11 -0000

The Three Burning Questions train keeps a-rolling...

Wide Receivers / Tight Ends

2008 Unit Ranking: #25 in the nation (#5 in the Big 12)

Projected WR Depth Chart
Danario Alexander (6'5, 215, Sr.)
Jared Perry (6'1, 180, Sr.)
Wes Kemp (6'4, 225, So.)
Jerrell Jackson (6'1, 190, So.)
T.J. Moe (6'0, 190, Fr.)?
L'Damian Washington (6'4, 175, Fr.)?
Gahn McGaffie (5'11, 185, RSFr.)
Brandon Gerau (6'0, 175, So.)
Rolandis Woodland (6'3, 200, RSFr.)

Projected TE Depth Chart
Andrew Jones (6'5, 245, So.)
Michael Egnew (6'6, 230, So.)
Jon Gissinger (6'3, 250, Sr.)

So...has a #1 WR emerged? Yes and no. By all accounts, Danario Alexander is looking faster and healthier than he has since August 2007, when, as Gabe Dearmond has pointed out multiple times, he and most press thought he was playing far better than either Will Franklin or Jeremy Maclin. (And as a reminder, a quick look at the box score from the 2007 Illinois game reminds you that the coaches kind of thought so too--Alexander had ten touches, while Maclin and Franklin combined for seven. Then Danario got hurt...for the first of many times.) If he's healthy and confident, he's competition for Dezmon Briscoe in the "pure explosiveness" department.

But, and here's where it may not be smart to pay too close attention to practice reports, Danario's had at least a little trouble catching Blaine Gabbert's passes. Simply reading this in the practice reports doesn't really worry me, but this was, at times, a bit of an issue last year too. He seems to catch the deep and intermediate balls pretty easily, but the shorter, more fired-in passes seem to give him trouble. And we throw a LOT of shorter, more fired-in passes...which, needless to say, Gabbert probably throws with quite a bit of fire. Hands are the single biggest issue with both Alexander and Wes Kemp, so while we should never read too much into practice reports (good or bad), there's at least a bit of a red flag here. It's hard to underestimate how much of a killer dropped passes can be to an offense, much less an offense led by a first-year starting quarterback.

But if Alexander doesn't struggle with the dropsies or get hurt again (one more injury, and he catches Kirk Farmer* for the career record, I think), he could absolutely be a "6-9 catches, 70-120 yards a game" type of player. And it sounds like there are enough other capable guys to benefit if Alexander's good enough to draw extra attention.

* That's my second Kirk Farmer reference in three days. What the hell?

Will a true freshman play? More than one? Really, we can look at this question from two different angles. The other angle would be, "Are the returning backup candidates holding off the new guys?" We'll start with the way the question was originally asked. It appears that two main freshmen are leading candidates for breaking into the rotation, though each has a physical liability. First, there's L'Damian Washington, who has been the most consistent freshman receiver in camp and appears to be a legitimate big-play threat. He's also holding only 180 pounds (with rocks in his pockets) on his 6-foot-4 frame. As has been mentioned many times over the last few days, Jared Perry showed up on campus weighing less than 150 pounds, and he contributed immediately. And for that matter, Brandon Banks of Kansas State STILL doesn't weigh 150 pounds. Washington looks like he might break in half with one good hit, but clearly if he's good enough to make a difference, go ahead and play him.

The other candidate is T.J. Moe, who is smart and explosive...well, he will be explosive if he can ever get back to 100% after a foot injury. He's been making his way back for months now, and I think we all assume he will play if healthy...but at some point, he needs to be 100% in practice to prove what he can do.

On the other side of the equation, how are the other potential backups doing? Will there be a need to play both freshmen? Reviews have been mixed thus far. After a nice spring, Brandon Gerau has apparently been more-or-less invisible in August...which I guess could be good or bad, depending on how you look at it. Rolandis Woodland struggled with his own dropsy issues, but it sounds like he's started to make some plays, which is a lovely sign. Gabe Dearmond has been talking up Woodland's ridiculous speed for a while now, but...well, Greg Bracey was really fast too. He hardly ever saw the field, though, because "ridiculously fast" doesn't naturally equate to "good wide receiver" (it does, however, equate to "badass res hall linebacker").

Beyond Gerau and Woodland, the other candidate to break into the rotation is Gahn McGaffie. He was threatening to lose his redshirt this time last year before injuries held him back, and while he's getting some reps in the return game, he hasn't been mentioned a whole lot in terms of receiving.

What percentage of Rucker-Coffman can Jones-Egnew be? It's easy to watch Andrew Jones and Michael Egnew play and see a poor man's version of Martin Rucker (Jones) and Chase Coffman (Egnew). Jones is the "seven yards on third-and-six" guy, a strong runner who looks for contact. Eggo is long and lean and seems to glide more than search out contact. While Egnew is still working his way back into the rotation after some offseason injuries, Jones seems to have really started to come along. He and Gabbert seem to have a pretty good connection going.

But back to the question at hand: just how much can they approximate the best tight end duo in Mizzou history? It would not be fair to compare them, as sophomores, to what Rucker and Coffman did in 2007, as a senior and a junior. But what about 2005, when Rucker was a sophomore, Coffman a freshman? That year, the two combined for 94 catches (tying for the team lead with 47 each), 1,070 yards, and 5 TDs with Brad Smith at quarterback. Can Jones and Eggo copy that? Why not? In a 12-game schedule, that's 7.8 catches per game, 11 yards per catch. At worst, I would expect 5-6 catches between them at 9-11 yards per catch, which isn't that far off. Between Jones, Jared Perry, Wes Kemp, and Derrick Washington, it appears that Blaine Gabbert has some serious bail-out options, which will be an awesome thing if bigger-play guys like Danario Alexander, L'Damian Washington, Rolandis Woodland, and Egnew can make good a handful of times a game.

Mizzou 2009, Part Three: My Guys

RPT — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 17:00:12 -0000

More photos " Photo: STL Today

Kenji Jackson: One of my guys in 2009

Browse more photos "

Part One: Blaine Gabbert and the Four-Year Precedent - Why establishing expectations is so difficult

Part Two: Putting 2008 to bed

-------

For the past two years, our colleagues at Burnt Orange Nation have run what's become one of my favorite features, a post titled "My Guys."

In essence, PB, proprietor of the site and SBN College head honcho, picks out the five guys he thinks might be flying just a little too far below the radar for his tastes. Here's how PB explains it in this year's version of My Guys:

One of my favorite pieces to read prior to each MLB season is Joe Sheehan's "My Guys" column, penned before each year to highlight those players Joe is eyeballing for a breakout season, yet who aren't receiving big time hype. Translating that to Texas football, I'm looking for those guys (limit of five) who might surprise a lot of folks with how well they play this year -- those with the highest production-to-hype ratio.

This year, I've decided to shamelessly steal emulate and honor the My Guys concept. For the first time, allow me to introduce "My Guys" for the 2009 season after the jump.

MY GUYS, 2009

Kenji Jackson -- Call me a sucker for fiery Mizzou safeties who wear No. 13. As Bill C. and I have discussed before, "Don't call me Ken-jee" Ken-jah Jackson would have been an all-American team if they composed a team of players who almost made plays in 2008. As a true freshman, he worked his way into starts against K-State, Kansas, Oklahoma and Northwestern. Despite limited time, Jackson finished seventh on the team in tackles in 2008 (despite the stat killing "DNP" against Illinois), ahead of Ziggy Hood, Luke Lambert, and Stryker Sulak, among others. In the last two seasons, the MU pass D has had no shortage of DBs willing to hit. Jackson certainly showed the ability to hit on defense and special teams in 2008, and if he can make up those couple of inches he always seemed shy of in coverage in 2008, he could be one of the most pleasant revelations for the MU defense in 2009.

Jerrell Jackson -- Not counting TE Andrew Jones, Wes Kemp was "the big get" for the receiving corps in the recruiting class of 2008. Little (if any) hype went the way of Jerrell Jackson, the 2-star athlete from Houston, until fall camp started last August (although, we have to give kudos to Ridiculous Matt/Mizzourobot, who called him as his sleeper in the class). Even though every single receiver Missouri has recruited in the last two years has made some kind of reference to being "the next Jeremy Maclin," Jackson may actually get the chance. Jackson was quiet outside of the SEMO game in 2008, but his dual threat potential has had "those in the know" salivating for the last 12 months. Missouri's success on offense over the last few years has been predicated upon depth of weapons; if teams load up on Derrick Washington and shade their coverages on Jared Perry and Danario Alexander, Jackson and Jones become prime candidates for big years.

Andrew Gachkar -- All the love for the linebacking corps is usually directed toward Sean Weatherspoon, and rightfully so. Luke Lambert may not be a star, but he's certainly a known commodity. In the spring game, new DC Dave Steckel looked committed to keeping Missouri's base 4-3 on the field rather than changing to the nickel set Missouri favored for the majority of 2008. There's always the distinct possibility that Missouri goes back to the base nickel with Carl Gettis in the slot in 2009, but that will largely depend on the play of Gachkar. Much like linebacking counterpart Will Ebner, I've raved about Gachkar's motor and pursuit. In Steckel's defense, which appears to favor pursuit above all else, Gachkar is the kind of linebacker that can make or break the system. Here's to hoping "My Guy" makes it rather than breaks it.

Aldon Smith -- I wrestled with including Smith, considering he's been seeing a lot of love from Dave Matter and Gabe DeArmond this offseason. Considering he's a "non-starter" (although he'll reportedly see significant snaps), I feel comfortable enough calling him under the radar. Practice reports have indicated that he, alongside Brian Coulter and Jacquies Smith, have created a major source of depth at defensive end. Some have gone as far to say the Coulter/Smith/Smith trio (law firm?) may be the best D-end group in recent history -- history that includes Sulak and Mizzou sackmaster Brian Smith. Good enough for Gabe and Dave means good enough for me.

Kip Edwards -- Four defensive players on My Guys, including two defensive backs? Blasphemy, right? Admittedly, this pick may be a bit of a stretch. Edwards may have a battle ahead of him to fight off Kevin Rutland, Munir Prince and Trey Hobson for the cornerback spot opposite Carl Gettis, as well as a battle to beat DeVion Moore and others for the right to return. What comes to mind for Edwards in what little I've seen of him is "fluidity." His motion in the defensive backfield seemed extremely smooth in the spring game, as he glided to pick off a telegraphed out route from Blaine Gabbert.

My Guys Second Team/Honorable Mention: Will Ebner, Gahn McGaffie, Kendial Lawrence, Josh Tatum, Zaviar Gooden

With that, I turn it to all of you in the RMN community: Who are "your guys" in 2009 and why?

Spring Football Post-Mortem: The Defense

Bill C. — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 17:00:12 -0000

Defensive Line

Yeah, it didn't take me long to fall in love with Aldon Smith, who was the most disruptive, and vocal, defensive end I saw. He, Jacquies Smith, and God Coulter all pass the eyeball test and didn't really ever find themselves out of position. It was what I hoped to see, and I saw it. Plus, it's fun having two badass DEs (J. Smith, Coulter) wearing single digits. Don't ask me why.

I watched Brad Madison and Marcus Malbrough quite a bit, and at the very least they seemed competent, though they didn't make a lot of noise. The star of the line really was #85, A. Smith. He sacked Gabbert in the redzone and unleashed a primal yell that could be heard at the Med School.

As for the defensive tackles, I was quickly reminded of how good Jaron Baston can be. He's a fun combination of smart and crazy, and I really like him as the anchor of the line. The only other DT I noticed was Dominique Hamilton, who despite having 0 tackles made a couple of nice plays beyond the almost-INT (which I'm convinced he dropped just because he didn't want to have to run the 70-80 yards of open field that were in front of him had he held on). Terrell Resonno really didn't make any noise, but that's not always necessarily a bad thing from a DT, I guess.

Linebackers

I love this unit. A lot. Maybe not as much as rptgwb, but a lot. There's really nothing more to say about Sean Weatherspoon, so I won't say anything--you know what you're getting from him. Beyond that, though, Andrew Gachkar and Luke Lambert both looked excellent--both fast and smart--and you know how much we at RMN love us some Will Ebner, who may not even get much playing time this year due to how good GACK and Lambert look. This is a strong, punishing unit of LBs, and it will absolutely be a strength of this defense. This unit replicates the personality of its defensive coordinator.

Also, as rptgwb mentioned Saturday evening, Mizzou rarely went to a nickel package because GACK seemed more than capable of lining up against a TE or slot WR. If you can get away with base 4-3 in passing situations, you can disguise what you're doing a lot more. Says me, anyway.

Defensive Backs

I really wanted to see something good out of the DBs, and I think I got my wish. At cornerback, Carl Gettis did what he always seems to do (2008 KU and NW'ern games aside)--blend into the woodwork, do nothing to get noticed, and prevent the QB from even thinking about throwing to the guy he's covering. Meanwhile, both Kevin Rutland and Kip Edwards looked awesome. Loved what I saw from them. Trey Hobson looked decent, as well. I didn't really notice anything from Munir Prince or Robert Steeples.

At safety, yeah...if not for Gettis, Kenji Jackson would be getting most of my mancrush attention. Mizzou safeties like Jason Simpson, David Overstreet, and William Moore showed a trend of looking lost their freshman years, looking decent their sophomore years, and breaking through in their junior years (and, ahem, having disappointing senior seasons). Kenji already looks like a breakout junior, only he's a true sophomore. He deserves to wear #13, as he plays EXACTLY like Pig Brown, laying back and punishing anybody who offends him by thinking about catching a ball in his neighborhood.

Beyond Jackson, if there was one thing I was disappointed about in this scrimmage, it was that the offense never really tried to attack Hardy Ricks. You know from previous posts that I don't trust him at all, and I really wanted to see him being challenged. As it was, nothing really happened in his neighborhood. He didn't do anything wrong, persay, but he also only had 0.5 tackles. Jerrell Harrison, meanwhile, looked pretty decent, but nothing really happened in his area either. If anybody looked impressive beyond KJ13, it was Mr. Zaviar Gooden, who is as physically impressive as a safety will ever be. Dude can hit. Shawn Scott made the mistake of trying to bounce a run outside, and he was not only caught, but rudely and effortlessly thrown down by Gooden.

Special Teams

We witnessed the creation of a new RMN legend/nickname on Saturday. At halftime we learned Mizzou coaches don't call this unit "Special Teams," but "Special Forces." After joking about Grant Ressel spending his offseason sniping pirates in the ocean, we set about giving everybody in this unit official titles. And then ZouDave unleashed this stream of consciousness: "So does that mean Admiral Wolfert is being replaced by Sergeant Mills? Corporal Mills? General Mi...GENERAL MILLS!!! YES!!!!"

From this point forward, Tanner Mills will heretofore be called General Mills.

With that out of the way, I can confirm that General Mills does indeed have a freaking cannon for a leg. He boomed the first kickoff of the scrimmage about six yards deep in the endzone, and the kickoffs that didn't reach the endzone hung in the air a long time. That will be a special teams strength.

As for place-kicking, Mills and all the kickers were fine. Not great, not terrible, just fine. Mills was only 2-for-4, but the ball looks good coming off his foot, and while he may not be Jeff Wolfert, he won't be Joe Tantarelli either. (Sorry, Joey Tants.) The other two kickers--Gunnysergeant Trey Barrow and Corporal Ressel--looked fine too, with Ressel looking to have at least a smidge more leg strength.

To punting, where all I can say is, Captain Jake Harry looked like crap last spring too. He was, I guess, in mid-spring form on Saturday, and I'm just going to close my eyes and convince myself that when the games are real, he'll be ready. Moving on...

...to returns, where I can confirm (shocker) that none of the potential kicker returners are in fact Jeremy Maclin. Carl Gettis (punt) and Munir Prince (kickoff) both had trouble fielding the ball, and from what I've seen and read previously, it wouldn't surprise me if the September starters were Gahn McGaffie (punt) and Kip Edwards (kickoff). No idea on their return skills, as it was basically just kicker/punter vs returner out there.

(One of these years, a kicker will fulfill my wish and attempt an onside kick against air...and celebrate upon recovery. One of these days.)

Conclusion

I'll say this much for the 2009 Missouri defense: there will not be a harder-hitting unit in the Big 12 North. This was a strength of last year's defense, and with the addition of guys like Aldon Smith, Gachkar, Ebner, and a matured version of Kenji Jackson (plus guys like Gooden waiting in the wings), it's only going to become a more pronounced strength in 2009. This unit is high on attitude and personality (at one point, Jaron Baston was dancing to the music in his head late in Saturday's scrimmage, forever earning my affection), and hopefully it will be high on production as well.

You never know how smart or consistent a defense is going to be until they play against opponents they haven't been practicing against non-stop, but I'm optimistic that despite the lost starters, this defense will play to at least the level of last year's defense, and as you may remember, last year's defense may not have been as bad as you thought.

Spring Football Post-Mortem: The Offense

Bill C. — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 19:00:13 -0000

More photos » by L.G. Patterson - AP

Missouri quarterback Blaine Gabbert scrambles for yardage during the spring Black and Gold college football scrimmage on Saturday, April 18, 2009, in Columbia, Mo. Gabbert is the probable replacement for the graduating Chase Daniel. (AP Photo/L.G. Patterson)

Browse more photos »

Because this is the last time I get to review an actual Mizzou "game" (relatively speaking) for almost five months, I'm going to take advantage and write far too many words about Saturday's B&G Game. All typical disclaimers aside--this was only one scrimmage, it was just a scrimmage, it's only spring football, you can't glean much from "Mizzou vs Mizzou" situations, etc.--there was still a lot to watch and a lot of impressions to be made on Saturday, and today we'll take a look at what the offense did.

Quarterback

If I were grading QB performances from the Black & Gold game, I'd be tempted to give an Incomplete all the way around due to the injuries in the receiving corps. Because of injuries, the 1st-string WRs were really more like 2nd-string, 2nd more like 3rd, etc. Regardless, though, the performances were a bit shaky on Saturday. Dave Matter was quick to remind us that it couldn't have been any different the previous Saturday, when Blaine Gabbert owned the proceedings, using Jerrell Jackson and Wes Kemp to pick the D apart.

In all, what I saw in Gabbert on Saturday was a QB whose receivers dropped a couple of balls, who looked good on about 80% of his passes...and who could have had as many as three of his 17 tosses picked off. He trusted his arm to make a throw it couldn't make in telegraphing a pick to Kip Edwards, and on the next throw he got flustered and threw into double coverage, getting a ball tipped and almost picked by Del Howard. Later on, he threw a ball right into the chest of Dominique "Don't Throw It to Stone Hands" Hamilton, who had dropped back in coverage. It was an uneven performance in which we saw Gabbert make all the confused mistakes you'd expect a young, new starter to make.

That said, there's plenty to like, of course. First of all, the dude really does have a freaking cannon. Nevermind the "rolling left, fling it 55 yards" toss he uncorked in the first half--he really did seem pretty accurate on his short and medium-range throws, which was good to see. And he's got some wheels. He scrambled left for a long gain in the first half, and on the play he not only showed off legs but brains. He could have taken off a second earlier, but he waited for the D-linemen to commit to going for the sack for another beat, and it opened up the left side of the field big-time. Instead of having to run horizontally for a while to get out of the reach of the D-linemen, by waiting and relying on his agility to evade the rushers, he was able to move upfield pretty much immediately. He understands the pocket extremely well for his experience level, and that's a very good thing. Now he just needs to learn which throws to make and not make.

And of course, if not for the silly touch rules (seriously, can we at least make it 2-below or something?), he'd have had a pretty easy rushing TD in the redzone.

In all, I wasn't pleased to see him make the mistakes on the three passes, but I'm going to give him a lot of benefit of doubt considering a) his running skills will be even more pronounced when it doesn't take a fingertip to blow the play dead, b) he actually has his full arsenal of receiving targets available to him, and c) Derrick Washington is on the field for more than a handful of plays.

As far as the other QBs go, as Ross mentioned Saturday evening, Jimmy Costello didn't look good at all (of course, you try going up against the #1 defense with basically the 3rd-string WRs), and Blaine Dalton and Ashton Glaser both showed that their decision-making has a ways to go. That's why they came for the spring--they'll have a leg up on where they otherwise would have been come August. They both have some decent wheels, and I guess it wouldn't totally surprise me to see Dalton having his redshirt torn off to run a more Wildcat-formation style of package, just for a change of pace. But then again, Gabbert is probably as good a runner as Dalton, so maybe not.

Running Back

Derrick Washington barely saw the field, but I saw everything I needed from him. He's still as impressive to watch as he was early last year. He always falls forward, and he takes advantage of holes that just don't really seem to exist. He's going to make a great 1-2 punch with De'Vion Moore, who showed nice speed in getting to the outside. At the very least, Moore has developed into a strong Marcus Woods-style, change-of-pace back.

In our section of the stands, we were laughing about how we still run the same slow-developing handoffs as we always have, and it's easy to get annoyed or complain about that, but, well, D-Wash rushed for 1036 yards and 17 TDs on 5.9 yards per carry last year. If you execute correctly, it doesn't really matter that the plays are slow-developing.

As rptgwb put it during the game, Gilbert Moye running the ball looked exactly like what you'd expect a QB-turned-DB-turned-RB to look like running the ball. He doesn't look entirely comfortable out there yet, but to his credit, he made some things happen and showed the D-Wash-like ability of falling forward and creating space to run when you don't see any available. He's nowhere close to Washington and Moore just yet, but if one of them gets hurt (and Kendial Lawrence isn't immediately ready), he could do at least a competent job.

Also, Shawn Scott continued solidifying his place in the Black & Gold Game Hall of Fame with another couple of good runs. Barring injuries, he'll never see the field outside of garbage time, but he's always looked good in scrimmages.

Wide Receivers / Tight Ends

There's a lot to like about Jerrell Jackson, I'll say that much. In terms of style of play, think of him as Jeremy Maclin, but with only four gears. He looked wonderful on a reverse early in the scrimmage, but Hurricane Ebner was able to just barely get a grab of his shoelaces, and it slowed him down enough that he was eventually taken down. He also showed strong ability running routes and catching balls. Assuming Jared Perry and Danario Alexander are two starters, I have to figure that Jackson is the leader for the third starting spot.

That said, Wes Kemp is still going to have a chance to overtake either Jackson or maybe Perry when all is said and done. In terms of size and skillset, he is a unique target. He could be a favorite of Gabbert's on the dig route, which accounted for at least two of his three receptions. He is a Justin Gage-style receiver (which makes sense, considering the two may have been separated at birth), and I like what I saw out of him.

I was actually pretty disappointed in what I saw out of Rolandis Woodland. He dropped an out route on the first possession of the game, and really just didn't do much with the opportunities presented to him (i.e. getting reps with the 1st and 2nd string with so many guys out). People were very wishfully hoping that he could threaten for a starting job and maybe even overtake Danario Alexander as the team's best deep threat. Well, I didn't see or read anything this spring that made me think he'll be ranked any higher than the #6 WR when everybody is healthy.

Beyond that, there wasn't much to see. Brandon Gerau actually dropped a pass, which means it's a while before he gets another chance to earn Tommy Saunders-level "LOVE that kid!" status. Andrew Jones didn't do much, but I think I know what to expect out of him at this point. I really was disappointed in not getting to see Gahn McGaffie or Michael Egnew.

Oh yeah, and kudos to Jonnie Fields, this year's official Shawn Scott Award winner for most impressive performance by a walk-on. The sophomore from Gateway Tech led all receivers with 53 yards on four receptions. He won't see the field, but he seized his moment in the spotlight, and he deserves credit for that.

Offensive Line

All I can really say for the O-line is this: there weren't many sacks, and D-Wash and De'Vion had decent room to run. I spent a lot of time watching the DEs, and while they looked really quick and strong, they still didn't do much, which says something about the OL's performance, especially that of the tackles, Elvis Fisher and Dan Hoch. I still think this unit is the best OL in the Big 12 North, and if Mizzou makes a run at its third straight North title, the OL will be the main reason why.

Summary

With guys like Gabbert, Washington, D. Moore, Gregory/Barnes/Fisher/Hoch, J. Jackson, and Kemp, not to mention Jones/Egnew, and out-of-sight-and-mind guys like Alexander and Perry, this offense still has the talent to win the North. A lot of pressure, though, is going to lie on Washington, Moore, and the O-line. I still don't see a #1 WR on the team, and it's evident that Blaine Gabbert is going to make newbie mistakes, so David Yost is going to have to know he can lean on the running games at times to settle things down. With what we saw out of Washington and Moore, both on Saturday and in 2008, that's definitely a plausible option. But the B&G Game did confirm some concerns, and we'll see what happens when this unit faces a non-Mizzou unit for the first time. Color me neither scared nor insanely optimistic. Which, really, is a pretty good place to be.

Spring Football Update: Wide Receivers and Tight Ends

Bill C. — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 18:00:12 -0000

The switch has been flipped from basketball to football, and I figure the best way to dip our toes back in the water is to revisit my 2009 Walkthrough series from January and see what has or hasn't changed since then. We move now to WRs and TEs.

We'll start with the bigger, slower guys, as I want to end with WRs.

Tight Ends

Photo from The Trib's Gerik Parmele

If Jones is the relatively known quantity, Michael Egnew is the wild card. With Danario Alexander hurt, Egnew spent the first few weeks doing a reasonably credible wide receiver impersonation before moving back down to #3 TE on the depth chart after Alexander got rolling. Egnew, who clearly needs a nickname...Eggo or something...was a solid downfield blocker and effort guy in his time on the field, but when you watch him play, you quickly start thinking two things: 1) Damn, this guy needs to put on about 20 pounds, and 2) Damn, this guy could be one ridiculously athletic tight end.

If Andrew Jones is in the Martin Rucker mold of tight end, Egnew is the longer, leaner Coffman model. That's where I'm going to stop any comparison of anybody to Coffman, but those are the roles Jones and Egnew could play if both continue to improve on the field. I'm excited about Egnew's upside, but I'm much less sure of his becoming a guaranteed contributor.

What's Changed? Not much of anything, actually. Andrew Jones is still the steady, 7-yards-on-3rd-and-6 guy who will keep the chains moving for Blaine Gabbert and the Mizzou offense. Meanwhile, Michael Egnew is getting every chance in the world to prove that he can be a viable part of this offense. Eggo (is it catching on yet?) caught eight passes for 68 yards at last Saturday's scrimmage and appears to be attempting to fill the redzone void left by Chase Coffman. News is encouraging with these two.

Also potentially encouraging: have you noticed how many times walk-on Beau Brinkley's name has been mentioned in practice reports? Quite a few. Granted, you have to take everything related to spring football with a grain of salt, but it does seem as if he could at least be a competent option if somebody above him gets hurt.

Tight ends have been the main difference between Missouri's spread attack and everybody else's. Chase Coffman and Martin Rucker added an element of size and toughness not always associated with the spread, and it made Mizzou a unique force. Clearly we have yet to find out if tight ends can be as dynamic in the Missouri offense as in years pass, but in Egnew and Jones, Gabbert will have pretty solid weapons to soften up the middle of the defense and exploit mismatches.

Expected Spring Finish
1. Andrew Jones (So)
2. Michael Egnew (So)
3. Jon Gissinger (Sr)
4. Beau Brinkley (So)

We've reviewed three units thus far and have come across only two seniors: a walk-on RB (Shawn Scott) and a TE (Giss) who doesn't contribute a whole lot on the field. Building for 2010-11, baby.

Wide Receivers

Photo from PowerMizzou's Dan Turner

There's a lot of talent, athleticism and youth in this group, and while there are a lot of candidates for #2 and #3, the difference between an okay season and a run at a third-straight North title could be the emergence of a #1.

What's Changed? In this case, not much has changed either, and that's not necessarily good. With Jared Perry and Danario Alexander out due to minor injury, lots of WRs have gotten 1st-string reps, and some have played well, particularly Jerrell Jackson and Wes Kemp. However, the hopes of finding a true #1 guy don't seem to have been met just yet.

To be sure, there are lots of names in the mix right now. We know the elders, Perry and Alexander, will be pretty reliable targets, as will Jackson. Kemp struggled with his hands in the fall, but he seems to have improved significantly. Plus, soon-to-be former walk-on Brandon Gerau has apparently done a wonderful Tommy Saunders impersonation thus far. If variety's the spice of life, then Blaine Gabbert will...

...actually, that analogy was going to suck. We'll just say Gabbert will have lots of targets. The problem is, the hands corps still needs a) a go-to guy (maybe that's Jones? Alexander?), and b) a homerun threat. Jackson is fast and may end up being that threat (when he did see action in 2008, he was playing the Maclin role, which shows that the staff does think of him as something of a dangerous runner), but the main hopes for a homerun in the spring (for me, at least) were Rolandis Woodland and Gahn McGaffie, neither of whom seem to have distinguised themselves much. By that, I mean I haven't read their names very often. Woodland had a nice, long catch in Saturday's scrimmage, and while that's encouraging, it's also the first time I've read his name this spring.

I really want to see something encouraging from the WRs at next Saturday's Black & Gold game. Aside from the obvious (QB play), that's the unit to which I'll be paying closest attention. Including Jones, Egnew and RBs, the list of decent receivers to whom Gabbert may be able to throw reliably in the fall is in the double digits. But one of the keys to a good offense is eating up larger chunks of the field whenever possible. This offense will have hands and variety, but I'm less sure about the explosiveness just yet.

Expected Spring Finish
1. Jerrell Jackson (So)
2. Danario Alexander (Sr)
3. Jared Perry (Sr)
4. Wes Kemp (So)
5. Rolandis Woodland (RSFr)
6. Brandon Gerau (So)
7. Gahn McGaffie (RSFr)

On this list we see the first two senior contributors listed at any skill position.

A 2009 Walkthrough: Special Teams

Bill C. — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 14:30:07 -0000

Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers
Tight Ends
Offensive Line
Defensive Ends
Defensive Tackles
Linebackers
Cornerbacks
Safeties

After a long weekend, it's time to wrap up this 2009 walkthrough with the special teams unit. Rarely has a special teams unit lost as much as Mizzou will lose in 2009: they have to replace quite possibly their best ever kicker, punt returner, and kick returner. Yikes. All that considered, maybe I'm not nearly pessimistic enough about this unit. There is at least some potential in the handful of replacements.

Kicker

Tanner Mills (6'2, 195, Senior)

From rptgwb during the Alamo Bowl pregame: “This just in: Tanner Mills has Josh Hamilton’s bat for a leg. Kid is CRUSHING practice FGs. Maybe life after Wolfert will be OK.”

Like most former goalies, Tanner Mills, a Rock Bridge product and former Columbia College keeper, has a cannon for a leg. He should easily handle kickoffs and PATs and give Mizzou some realistic hope of making any FG under 50 yards or so...but he is replacing the most accurate kicker in Mizzou history. The first time he misses a PAT or a chip-shot field goal will be the first time Mizzou has missed one of those since 2005. Yikes. No pressure.

That said, there is one area on which Mills can improve from Wolfert's standards: pressure kicks. In Mizzou's four losses in 2008, Wolfert was 3-for-8 on FGs. In their ten wins, 17-for-20. He missed two (one blocked) against Oklahoma State in a six-point loss. He missed one at the buzzer (blocked) against Kansas. He missed the potential game-winner against Northwestern. Now...don't mistake this for some sort of "I'm glad he's gone" sentiment--if Wolfert discovered some secret NCAA bylaw that allowed him another twelve years of eligibility because he was a diver or something, I'd do backflips in my living room. (Okay, I can't do backflips. But I'd pump my first.) Just saying that there's one area where Mills can make his presence felt in a good way.

Either way, considering what Mizzou is replacing, Mills seems like a pretty solid candidate. This isn't a "replacing Scotty Knickman with Brian Long and Alexander St. Peter in 1998" situation.

Trey Barrow (6'3, 175, RSFr)

If Mills somehow isn't the starting place-kicker in 2009, chances are Trey Barrow is. A redshirt freshman from Moberly, Barrow's got himself a pretty strong leg and at the very least seems like the likely starting PK in 2010.

Punter

Jake Harry (6'1, 190, Senior)

If you asked a Missouri fan in August what their biggest concern was for 2008, a large portion of them would have said punting. Harry was an unproven quantity, and it was cause for concern. Well...worry not. With Harry and a little help from Jeff Wolfert's righty rugby kicks, Mizzou's net punting improved from 31.5 yards in 2007 (#113 in the country) to 37.7 in 2008 (#16). Harry booted his way to a 40.7-yard average with an outstanding 10 of his 26 punts downed inside the opponent's 20. Just an outstanding, consistent effort from Harry in 2008. With an offense that probably punts more in 2009, Harry will be counted on even more.

Grant Ressel (6'1, 180, Sophomore)

Ressel got to punt once in 2008--in the SEMO blowout--and uncorked a lovely 43-yarder. With the rugby punt catching on (seriously, it became a solid weapon for quite a few teams in '08), it is quite possible that the righty (I think) Ressel takes over for Wolfert in the righty-lefty platoon when that sort of kick is deemed necessary.

And I love that punting is a platoon like right field now.

Kick Returner

De'Vion Moore (5'9, 195, Sophomore)
Gahn McGaffie (5'11, 190, RSFr)
Robert Steeples (6'1, 190, RSFr)
Kip Edwards (6'1, 185, RSFr)
Munir Prince (5'10, 185, Junior)
Drew Temple (5'10, 190, RSFr)
La'Roderick Thomas (6'0, 195, Junior)

It's always possible that a true freshman like Kendial Lawrence or TJ Moe (or, you know, Sheldon Richardson, ahem) could enter the equation at one of the return positions here, but we'll just focus on the returnees and redshirts.

One thing Mizzou's got in the return game: options. There's simply no way anybody can replace a guy like Jeremy Maclin, not only for the threat that he represented, but also for the number of times opponents decided a chip-shot kick to an up man at the 35 was a better option. Opponents will not be handing Mizzou field position like that again, so whoever wins this job will be given plenty of opportunities to prove himself. And while I won't expect any KR TD's in 2009, I do expect competence among such a big group of candidates.

My early favorites: Moore and McGaffie. For all intents and purposes, Moore is basically a slightly faster Marcus Woods, while McGaffie is a bit of an unknown. I'm not sure how fast McGaffie is, but he is reportedly quite quick, which at the very least makes him a favorite of mine at punt returner.

Moore and McGaffie aside, look out for any one of the handful of super-fast defensive back redshirts--Steeples, Edwards, Prince. I don't know enough about any one of them to project who'd be best at this job, but again...it's nice to have options.

This may also be a case where it's nice having a new Temple in the backfield.

And I would pay money to see Sheldon Richardson as at least an up man.

Punt Returner

De'Vion Moore (5'9, 195, Sophomoe)
Gahn McGaffie (5'11, 190, RSFr)
Jared Perry (6'1, 180, Senior)

While I don't see Perry winning the KR job, he could be a reliable candidate at PR.

2008 vs 2009

I almost don't want to compare 2008 to 2009. Wolfert may not have been tremendously clutch, but he was still as good as a Mizzou kicker has ever been. Maclin may have been neutralized for most of 2008 by not getting any opportunities to return kicks, but he was still the most dangerous return man Mizzou has ever had. It's not fair to hold Tanner Mills and guys like Moore and McGaffie to the standard of their predecessors--instead, we should see what skills they do have and how they can be used to help this team. Mills has a cannon, though it's unclear how accurate that cannon is. Meanwhile, there are a lot of speedy, quick candidates at the KR/PR positions, and they could give Mizzou solid field position (as long as they hold onto the ball). Oh yeah, and Jake Harry rules. So we've got THAT going for us.

Poll

Who will be returning kickoffs for Mizzou in 2009?

De'Vion Moore

21 votes

Gahn McGaffie

24 votes

Robert Steeples

3 votes

Kip Edwards

0 votes

Munir Prince

9 votes

Drew Temple

8 votes

La'Roderick Thomas

2 votes

other

7 votes

74 votes | Poll has closed

A 2009 Walkthrough: Wide Receivers

Bill C. — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 15:00:06 -0000

Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Tight Ends
Offensive Line

As interesting as the QB race will be to watch in the spring and mid-summer, almost as important will be the race to replace Jeremy Maclin and provide Blaine GabbertOrWhoeverWinsTheQBRace with some go-to targets. Yesterday we discussed the value of Andrew Jones in moving the chains, but who's going to rack up the yards?

Returnees

Danario Alexander (6'5, 210, Senior)
2008: 26 catches, 329 yards, 5 TDs

Danario Alexander is one of the most interesting receivers Missouri has had in a long time. He's long and lean and, when healthy, as fast as anybody on the team. Anybody remember Jared Perry's long TD catch against Kansas in 2006, when Aqib Talib was chasing Perry and Alexander not only caught Talib from behind in a foot race, but caught Perry as well? He has huge strides and is ridiculously dangerous when he catches the ball in stride. He also runs like a colt...not seeming to have complete control over his legs. Cutting and agility are a bit of an issue from time to time, and that was the case even before he suffered two injured knees in six months.

In 2008, Danario never seemed quite right. He may or may not have tried to rush back from his second injury, and he didn't seem completely comfortable running routes and cutting in traffic until the Alamo Bowl. He was still a solid weapon--as the 5 TDs can attest--but he was a work in progress.

Two main questions about Danario (or "Danarino," as my wife awesomely calls him) heading into 2009:

Can he be a #1 receiver? I'm not easily able to track "catch %'s", as in how often a targeted receiver actually makes a catch, but Danario didn't seem to have a very high "catch %" in 2008. Maybe that had to do with being off in his routes, maybe not, but a #1, go-to receiver has to be an extremely reliable target, especially with a new QB, and I'm not completely certain Danario fits the bill. He's got the potential to be an amazing #2 target and deep threat, but is he capable of catching 70-90 passes and leading a productive offense?
What exactly is his ceiling when healthy? We've seen his speed; we've heard about his athletic exploits (the ridiculous vertical, etc.), but while in 2007 he was still exploring his athletic potential (and recovering from a broken hand), in 2008 he was trying to regain his athletic potential and grow confident in his legs again. If in 2009, he is 100% healthy and has an entire offseason to develop and prepare to be The Man, what exactly is this guy's ceiling? Is his upside as huge as we've thought from time to time? Can he turn into a guy who can run great routes and harness his great straight-line speed, or is he going to be a Brandon Barnes-type of athlete who was just sickening in the measurables sense (40 time, vertical jump, etc.) and just okay as an actual football player?

I realize those two questions are extremely interreleated, but they were just different enough to ask them both. The answers to this question could mean the difference between a 30-point offense and another 40-point offense.

Jared Perry (6'1, 180, Senior)
2008: 41 catches, 567 yards, 4 TDs

Jared Perry had the sneakiest, quietest 567 receiving yards in the history of the world last year. If I'd had to guess his yardage, I'd have probably guessed between 350 and 400. This is Jared Perry at his best--when he sneaks up on you. But I can't shake the thought that, the more we rely on him, the less we'll be rewarded for our efforts. I think Perry is a fantastic #3 WR, and if that's the role he has to play next year, we could be in good shape. I'm just not sure if he's a #1 or #2.

Which presents us with one of the biggest question marks of 2009: will Blaine Gabbert have a go-to receiver? If Alexander is a great #2 and Perry is a great #3...who's #1?

Jerrell Jackson (6'2, 190, Sophomore)
2008: 9 catches, 98 yards

One person who will definitely get a shot at #1 is Jerrell Jackson. If Blaine Gabbert's job in 2008 was the follow Chase Daniel around every second of every practice, Jackson's job was to do the same with Maclin. Almost all of his catches came in junk time against SEMO, but he was on the field a lot, he seemed to know what he was doing, and as far as the lack of catches...well, if you were Chase Daniel and you had the option of throwing to Jeremy Maclin, Chase Coffman, Tommy Saunders, Danario Alexander, Jared Perry, or a newbie who hasn't been around long, what would you choose?

Jackson was the buzz of spring practice, when he emerged as the top guy among a bunch of talented true freshman WR's. He was agile and ran extremely crisp routes, and while nobody on this team will have the game-breaking ability of Jeremy Maclin (nobody ever had before Maclin, so we probably shouldn't expect it after Maclin), Jackson further assures that Blaine Gabbert will have lots of options--this won't be a "2003 after Justin Gage left, and nobody averages 10 yards per catch" WR corps.

Wes Kemp (6'4, 220, Sophomore)
2008: 1 catch, 15 yards

Of all the true freshmen who had their redshirts ripped off in 2008, Kemp is probably the one most likely to be regretting this decision. He did see the field a bit, but less than Jackson, Andrew Jones, and Michael Egnew. If Danario Alexander's injury prompted the coaches to play Egnew, it might have prompted them to take no chances and have Kemp ready to go too. If we were going to waste a year, though, I'd have preferred he get a few more balls thrown in his direction.

Kemp offers an interesting variable in comparison to a lot of other receivers in this group--size. Because of that size, rumors flew around that he would end up being converted to TE, but he seems to carry 220 pounds pretty well, and he certainly looks like a wide receiver. Among the youngsters, his physical presence should go pretty well with the speed of Jackson and Rolandis Woodland and the shiftiness of Gahn McGaffie (though this isn't to say he can't go deep). The offensive line has already staked its claim to the "best single unit from the 2008 recruiting class" award, but the wide receiver corps is giving it a run for its money.

Brandon Gerau (6'0, 175, Sophomore)

I'm including the Rock Bridge product on here because, of all the current walk-ons, he seems to be the most toolsy and most likely to actually see the field at some point. So there you go.

Redshirts

Rolandis Woodland (6'5, 190, RSFr)

Remember how Brian Coulter took on Chuck Norris-esque qualities in August, before anybody had seen him play a down? Remember how unfair that was to Coulter in the end, as there was no way he was going to meet the expectations he hadn't help set? I'm not saying Rolandis Woodland is the new Brian Coulter (though if it's anybody on the team, it's Woodland or Sheldon Richardson), but the expectations are growing. Woodland wasn't a candidate to play as a true freshman because he wasn't cleared to practice by the NCAA Eligibility Center until two days before kickoff of the Illinois game, but he has apparently made up for lost time by showing off some sickening, Danario-level speed. It seems well-established that Woodland (and DE Aldon Smith) were good enough to play had they been cleared earlier, so you should definitely pencil in a spot for Woodland in the rotation. And hey...he'll get a shot at #1 just like everybody else.

Gahn McGaffie (5'11, 180, RSFr)

McGaffie (first name: pronounced "JOHN") also came close to playing right out of the gates until a late-August strained toe sidelined him just long enough to make the staff decide not to waste the year of eligibility. Of the four 2008 freshmen--Jackson, Kemp, Woodland, McGaffie--it appears that McGaffie is the most elusive and could be a major threat on kick and punt returns (good luck filling those Maclin-sized shoes). I don't know a lot about his overall speed, but again...with Woodland, Alexander and maybe Kemp running deep routes well, with guys like Jackson and Perry playing the Maclin role the best they can, and with Andrew Jones camping out underneath at the first-down marker, I could see McGaffie fitting into something of a Tommy Saunders, "most dangerous fourth option in the country" role. It's obviously all speculation at this point, but again...Gabbert's going to have plenty of options, and that's a very good thing.

Incoming

Jaleel Clark (6'4, 200, Allentown, PA)

A three-star recruit from non-Mizzou country, Clark committed pretty early on in the process. He has proven to be a very solid all-around athlete--his skill set (agility, kick returning, strong basketball skills) seems to be more that of a 6'0 or 6'1 receiver, but you add those abilities to a 6'4 frame and good ball skills, and you've got a pretty unique prospect. I won't say he'll be as good as Justin Gage, but that seems to be the type of skill set we're working with here. There's some Clark video (with a write-up) at ESPN.com. I assume he'll redshirt, but he could be good in a couple years.

Kerwin Stricker (6'2, 195, Washington, MO)

While Clark is a polished athlete with what seems to be a pretty well-defined upside, Stricker is the opposite. He's strong, super-fast and, it appears, all sorts of raw. Stricker wasn't a dynamic force at Washington HS this year, and he only earned Honorable-Mention All-StL Metro honors, but in what should promise to be a pretty deep unit for years to come, the Tigers can afford to take a gamble on a raw athlete like this.

Potential Incoming

Odds are pretty good that, with so many in last year's class and a potential glut in next year's class, Missouri is done recruiting receivers for the 2009 recruiting class. That said, there are still a handful of possibilities out there.

Terry Hawthorne (6'0, 170, East St. Louis)

Hawthorne, the St. Louis area's Defensive Player of the Year, has been committed to Illinois for a while now, but he took an official visit to Columbia anyway, and liked what he saw. He has an official visit to Champaign lined up a couple weeks from now, and I assume he'll end up sticking with the Illini, but if he were 100% sold on UI, he wouldn't have visited Columbia in the first place. We'll say there's a 25% chance Hawthorne becomes a Tiger.

Skyler Scott (6'3, 190, Lancaster, TX)

The 3-star suburban Dallas receiver has a handful of pretty solid offers and has previously spoken of visiting Columbia in January, but we'll see--the longer these Texas kids go without visiting, the harder it is to actually get them to leave the state. He probably ends up at Baylor, but we'll say Missouri has a, yes, 25% chance of landing Scott.

Ja-Mes Logan (6'3, 180, Houston, TX)
Cobi Hamilton (6'3, 190, Texarkana, TX)

Two more 3-star, 6'3 Texas WRs who have visited Columbia but seem to be looking elsewhere at the moment. I'd say Mizzou has about a 25% chance at Logan and a 5% chance at Hamilton, but they're technically still on the radar screen until they commit elsewhere.

2008 vs 2009

Let's not over-analyze this one. There's a lot of talent, athleticism and youth in this group, and while there are a lot of candidates for #2 and #3, the difference between an okay season and a run at a third-straight North title could be the emergence of a #1.

2009 Mizzou TEs on the YouTubes

Danario Alexander's crowning moment

Jared Perry's crowning moment (3:00)

Poll

Of the four 2008 freshmen, which do you expect the most from in a Tiger uniform?

Jerrell Jackson

40 votes

Wes Kemp

20 votes

Rolandis Woodland

65 votes

Gahn McGaffie

16 votes

141 votes | Poll has closed

SB Nation - Gahn McGaffie

Sunday Wrap-Up Links

Mizzou 2009, Part Fourteen: 2010 and Beyond

2010

2011

Summary

2009 Mizzou Football Preview Series

Mizzou 2009, Part Eight: Wide Receivers and Tight Ends

Wide Receivers / Tight Ends

2009 Mizzou Football Preview Series

Mizzou 2009, Part Three: My Guys

Spring Football Post-Mortem: The Defense

Defensive Line

Linebackers

Defensive Backs

Special Teams

Conclusion

Spring Football Post-Mortem: The Offense

Quarterback

Running Back

Wide Receivers / Tight Ends

Offensive Line

Summary

Spring Football Update: Wide Receivers and Tight Ends

Tight Ends

Wide Receivers

A 2009 Walkthrough: Special Teams

Kicker

Punter

Kick Returner

Punt Returner

2008 vs 2009

Who will be returning kickoffs for Mizzou in 2009?

De'Vion Moore

Gahn McGaffie

Robert Steeples

Kip Edwards

Munir Prince

Drew Temple

La'Roderick Thomas

other

A 2009 Walkthrough: Wide Receivers

Returnees

Redshirts

Incoming

Potential Incoming

2008 vs 2009

2009 Mizzou TEs on the YouTubes

Of the four 2008 freshmen, which do you expect the most from in a Tiger uniform?

Jerrell Jackson

Wes Kemp

Rolandis Woodland

Gahn McGaffie