SB Nation - George White

The North in 2010

Bill C. — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 22:00:31 -0000

The 2009 Big 12 North race is, to say the least, intriguing heading into November, but the way my brain works, I can't help but keep an eye on the future as all of this plays out. And since it's in my head, I might as well type it out too, huh? As November 2009 begins, let's take a look at...2010.

What we're going to do is simple: we're going to take the most recent two-deeps listed on each team's website, remove the seniors, and see what's left. Obviously there will be plenty more analysis to come, but this will be a nice, preliminary peek. I can't help myself.

Missouri

Projected 2010 Depth Chart
QB	Blaine Gabbert (Jr) Jimmy Costello (So)	DE	Jacquies Smith (Jr) Marcus Malbrough (So)
RB	Derrick Washington (Sr) De'Vion Moore (So)	DT	Dominique Hamilton (Jr) Marvin Foster (RSFr)
WR	Jerrell Jackson (Jr) Brandon Gerau (Jr)	DT	Terrell Resonno (Jr) Bart Coslet (Sr)
WR	T.J. Moe (So) Rolandis Woodland (So)	DE	Aldon Smith (So) Brad Madison (So)
WR	Wes Kemp (Jr) Michael Egnew (Jr)	WLB	Zaviar Gooden (So) Donovan Bonner (So)
TE	Andrew Jones (Jr) Beau Brinkley (Jr)	MLB	Will Ebner (Jr) Luke Lambert (Sr)
LT	Elvis Fisher (Jr) Justin Britt (RSFr)	SLB	Andrew Gachkar (Sr) Tyler Crane (Jr)
LG	Austin Wuebbels (Jr) Travis Ruth (So)	CB	Carl Gettis (Sr) Trey Hobson (Jr)
C	Tim Barnes (Sr) J.T. Beasley (Jr)	CB	Kevin Rutland (Sr) Robert Steeples (So)
RG	Jayson Palmgren (Jr) Travis Ruth (So)	FS	Jasper Simmons (Sr) Munir Prince (Sr)
RT	Dan Hoch (Jr) Jack Meiners (So)	SS	Jarrell Harrison (Sr) Kenji Jackson (Jr)

K	Grant Ressel (Jr)	P	Matt Grabner (Jr)
PR	Carl Gettis (Sr)	KR	Jasper Simmons (Sr)

I've got to say, this is the most complete team heading into 2010. Blaine Gabbert will be the most accomplished North QB heading into 2010 and Derrick Washington the second-most accomplished RB. The improved secondary will return just about everybody of importance, and a deep LB corps could be well-positioned to absorb the loss of Sean Weatherspoon with as little drop-off as possible.
Two major question marks: a) who replaces Danario Alexander, and b) who replaces Jaron Baston? Multiple candidates exist to replace Spoon, so that's actually less of a worry, but the WR situation is at least a bit worrisome. Wes Kemp has shown flashes, and if he continues to grow, he could be the deep threat this team needs, but what is it I always say? Until you actually prove it, it's a question mark. Beyond Kemp, guys like Jackson, T.J. Moe (remember him?), Rolandis Woodland, and one of the redshirting freshmen (L'Damian Washington, Jaleel Clark, Kerwin Stricker) will fill out the depth chart, and at least one of them will need to take a step forward.
Of course, you know who else could absorb the loss of Danario? Tight ends. Novel concept, I know.
I really like what I've seen out of Dominique Hamilton recently, but Terrell Resonno seems to have disappeared. Either he or one of the underclassmen (Marvin Foster, Jimmy Burge, George White) will need to raise their game. If somebody competent steps up at WR and DT, this team is loaded.

Colorado

Projected 2010 Depth Chart
QB	Tyler Hansen (Jr) Cody Hawkins (Sr)	DE	Marquez Herrod (Sr) Josh Hartigan (Jr)
RB	Rodney Stewart (Jr) Darrell Scott (Jr)	DT	Curtis Cunningham (Jr) Nate Bonsu (So)
FB	Ryan Deehan (Jr) ?	DT	Will Pericak (So) Conrad Obi (Jr)
WR	Scotty McKnight (Sr) Jason Espinoza (Jr)	DE	Forrest West (So) Nick Kasa (So)
WR	Markques Simas (Jr) Will Jefferson (So)	WLB	Jon Major (So) Tyler Ahles (Jr)
TE	Ryan Deehan? (Jr) ?	MLB	Michael Sipili (Sr) ?
LT	Nate Solder (Sr) Ryan Dannewitz (So)	SLB	B.J. Beatty (Sr) Doug Rippy (So)
LG	Ethan Adkins (Jr) Blake Behrens (Jr)	CB	Jimmy Smith (Sr) ?
C	Keenan Stevens (Sr) Mike Iltis (Jr)	CB	Jalil Brown (Sr) Arthur Jaffee (Jr)
RG	Matthew Bahr (Jr) Max Tuioti-Mariner? (So)	FS	Ray Polk (So) Anthony Perkins (Jr)
RT	Ryan Miller (Jr) Bryce Givens (So)	SS	Travis Sandersfeld (Jr) ?

K	Aric Goodman (Sr)	P	Aric Goodman (Sr)
PR	Jason Espinoza (Jr)	KR	Brian Lockridge (Jr)

I mentioned this past offseason that while Colorado was going to stink in 2009, they might actually be positioning themselves to actually fulfill the role of sleeper that has been foisted upon them for most of the last half-decade. Ironically, they might actually emerge as a sleeper just as everybody finally gives up on them.
Of course, there will still be some major question marks. You know I'm not at all impressed with Rodney "Another Short Gain By" Stewart, and while Scotty McKnight (how is he still an underclassman???) is a great possession guy, he'd be a helluva lot better as a #2 or #3 threat than a #1. Unless Markques Simas finally starts to live up to the potential everybody says he has, this team is still severely lacking at WR, and they're losing both of their top tight ends. (I'm going out of my way not to mention Darrell Scott here, as he...whatever. I have no expectations whatsoever for him at this point, and I'm going to let him surprise me.)
I really like Jimmy Smith at CB, but CU's going to be searching for some replacements in the secondary. Jalil Brown has potential, and Ray Polk is young, but depth could be an issue.
Same can be said for the LB corps. Luckily for CU, they should have a strong D-line to maybe deflect some of the concerns.
If CU really does live up to its annual sleeper reputation, it will be in the trenches, where a struggling O-line will at least have experience on its side, and the D-line could be strong. Then again, after watching CU's O-line attempt to handle MU's improving-but-not-amazing D-line, maybe returning a bunch of these guys might not be a good thing.

Iowa State

Projected 2010 Depth Chart
QB	Austen Arnaud (Sr) Jerome Tiller (So)	DE	Patrick Neal (Jr) ?
RB	Alexander Robinson (Sr) Beau Blankenship (So)	DT	Bailey Johnson (Jr) Stephen Ruempolhamer (Jr)
WR	Jake Williams (Sr) ?	DT	Austin Alburtis (Sr) ?
WR	Sedrick Johnson (Jr) ?	DE	Roosevelt Maggitt (So) Cleyon Lang (So)
WR	Josh Lenz (So) Darius Darks (Jr)	SLB	Jacob Lattimer (Jr) ?
TE	Collin Franklin (Sr) ?	MLB	Matt Tau'fo'ou (Sr) A.J. Klein (So)
LT	Kelechi Osmele (Jr) Brayden Burris (So)	WLB	Jake Knott (So) ?
LG	Alex Alvarez (Sr) Mike Bangston (So)	CB	Leonard Johnson (Jr) Jeremy Reeves (So)
C	Sean Smith (Sr) ?	CB	Jacques Washington (So) ?
RG	Ben Lamaak (Sr) Trey Baysinger (Jr)	FS	Michael O'Connell (Sr) ?
RT	Scott Haughton (Jr) Zack Spears (Jr)	SS	David Sims (Sr) Zac Sandvig (Sr)

K	Grant Mahoney (Jr)	P	?
PR	Leonard Johnson (Jr)	KR	Leonard Johnson (Jr)

So Paul Rhoads' second year in Ames will potentially see a downright strong offense and a thin, depleted, inexperienced defense. I don't want to overstate the offensive potential (the WR situation is iffy, to say the least), but ISU might have the best O-line in the North blocking for what is at least decent skill position talent.
Arnaud vs Tiller. Could be interesting to watch this competition.
Really, if ISU returned just a couple more decent playmakers on defense, I could talk myself into them being a darkhorse contender. But while I do like what Rhoads has done with the talent on hand this year, I just can't figure they'll be that great next year. They will need another year or two of Rhoads developing his own recruits before I feel a lot more comfortable about the potential of their program.

Kansas

Projected 2010 Depth Chart
QB	Kale Pick (So) ?	DE	Jake Laptad (Sr) ?
RB	Toben Opurum (So) ?	DT	Jamal Greene (Sr) ?
WR	Dezmon Briscoe?? (Sr) ?	DT	John Williams (So) Richard Johnson (Jr)
WR	Johnathan Wilson (Sr) Tertavian Ingram (Sr)	DE	Quintin Woods (Sr) ?
WR	Bradley McDougald (So) Chris Omigie (So)	SLB	Justin Springer (Sr) ?
TE	Tim Biere (Jr) Ted McNulty (Jr)	MLB	Drew Dudley (Sr) ?
LT	Tanner Hawkinson (So) Ian Wolfe (Sr)	WLB	Huldon Tharp (So) ?
LG	Brad Thorson (Sr) Carl Wilson (Sr)	CB	D.J. Beshears (So) Daymond Patterson (Jr)
C	Jeremiah Hatch (Jr) Brad Thorson (Sr)	CB	Chris Harris (Sr) Calvin Rubles (Sr)
RG	Sal Capra (Sr) Trevor Marrongelli (So)	FS	Lubbock Smith (So) ?
RT	Jeff Spikes (Jr) Michael Martinovich (Jr)	SS	Phil Strozier (Sr) ?

K	Jacob Branstetter (Sr)	P	Alonso Rojas (Sr)
PR	Daymond Patterson (Jr)	KR	Bradley McDougald (So)

So KU's biggest question mark (offensive line) will return completely intact next year, while most of the known skill position talent disappears. I listed Dez Briscoe on the two-deep above, but I've got to be honest: I'm about 92% sure he's going pro this year. His stats are ridiculous, he's got decent NFL size, he's been suspended for academic reasons, and supposedly he was tied to those football-vs-basketball brawls earlier in the year. That's not a recipe for someone who's going to go out of his way to stick around campus for another season.
Without Briscoe, I have to figure this is going to be a run-heavy offense next year. Kale Pick's got a lot to prove, but with Toben Opurum and an experienced line, they might (might) be able to rely on the run. Then again, they'll still need some sort of passing attack, and...who will be the #1 receiver? Johnathan Wilson, I guess? Color me unafraid.
I'm not even going to try to figure out if KU's D is going to be any good. They've improved recently, but they lose Darrell Stuckey and two linemen, and the depth from LB corps vanishes. I assume this will be a decent unit, and really you can start to maybe see the identity KU might be going with--defense first, run-heavy, grind it out.

Kansas State

Projected 2010 Depth Chart
QB	Carson Coffman (Sr) ?	DE	Brandon Harold (Jr) ?
RB	Daniel Thomas (Sr) ?	DT	Prizell Brown (Sr) ?
FB	Braden Wilson (So) Lucas Hamm (Sr)	DT	Raphael Guidry (Jr) ?
WR	Lamark Brown (Sr) ?	DE	Antonio Felder (Sr) Joseph Kassanavoid (So)
WR	Collin Klein (So) Chris Harper (So)	LB	Kevin Rohleder (Sr) ?
TE	Travis Tannahill (So) ?	LB	Alex Hrebec (Jr) ?
LT	Zach Hanson (Jr) ?	LB	Troy Butler (Sr) Thomas Ferguson (So)
LG	Zach Kendall (Sr) Trevor Viers (Sr)	CB	Joshua Moore (Sr) Darious Thomas (So)
C	Wade Weibert (Sr) ?	CB	Stephen Harrison (Sr) David Garrett (Jr)
RG	Kenneth Mayfield (Sr) Colten Freeze (Jr)	FS	Emmanuel Lamur (Jr) ?
RT	Clyde Aufner (Jr) Ethan Douglas (So)	SS	Tysyn Hartman (Jr) Torrell Miller (So)

K	Josh Cherry (Sr)	P	Ryan Doerr (So)
PR	Tysyn Hartman (Jr)	KR	Daniel Thomas (Sr)

Like Kansas, this looks to be a pretty run-heavy, can't-pass-on-them team, with Daniel Thomas running behind a super-experienced line and a well-coached defense that is iffy in the front seven but stout in the secondary. In other words, this looks like a Bill Snyder team (sans the All-American linebackers). We've made a big deal out of the fact that they're losing about 35 seniors this year (and that's only a slight exaggeration), and that will absolutely murder their depth, but if they stay reasonably healthy, the Snyder identity might be able to take shape a bit more.
Now, I say they'll have a good secondary...I'm still unsure about how good the secondary is now, but returning all four current starters certainly suggests decent improvement for next year.
I believe I heard that Chris Harper is moving to WR instead of competing at QB, right?

Nebraska

Projected 2010 Depth Chart
QB	Cody Green (So) Zac Lee (Sr)	DE	Cameron Meredith (So) Josh Williams (So)
RB	Roy Helu, Jr. (Sr) Rex Burkhead (So)	DT	Baker Steinkuhler (So) Terrence Moore (Jr)
FB	Tyler Legate (So) Mike Hays (Jr)	DT	Jared Crick (Jr) ?
WR	Niles Paul (Sr) Antonio Bell (So)	DE	Pierre Allen (Sr) ?
WR	Curenski Gilleylen (Jr) Khiry Cooper (So)	Will	Blake Lawrence (Sr) Matthew May (Jr)
TE	Mike McNeill (Sr) Dreu Young (Sr)	Mike	Will Compton (So) Micah Kreikemeier (So)
LT	Mike Smith (Sr) ?	Buck	Sean Fisher (So) Eric Martin (So)
LG	Keith Williams (Sr) ?	CB	Prince Amukamara (Sr) Dejon Gomes (Sr)
C	Mike Caputo (Jr) ?	CB	Anthony West (Sr) Alfonzo Dennard (Jr)
RG	Ricky Henry (Sr) ?	FS	Eric Hagg (Sr) Austin Cassidy (Jr)
RT	Marcel Jones (Jr) D.J. Jones (Sr)	SS	P.J. Smith (So) Courtney Osborne (So)

K	Alex Henery (Sr)	P	Alex Henery (Sr)
PR	Niles Paul (Sr)	KR	Niles Paul (Sr)

How the hell is Pierre Allen still an underclassman? I was completely convinced that both he and Barry Turner were seniors, but I guess not.
Next question: how much of Nebraska's defensive identity is grounded in Ndamukong Suh? He and Turner depart, but will Allen and the stout Jared Crick be able to keep the great D-line play coming? And how much of Crick's success is due to offenses' fear of Suh?
The shine is quickly wearing off of Roy Helu, Jr., but he does return next year (lord knows he's not going pro), and with yet another experienced O-line, NU should be able to run the ball pretty well. That will obviously take some pressure off of Cody Green if Green is not, after all, ready to be NU's savior.
I really like what NU has returning at CB, but...safety? I think I like their second-string CBs more than their first string safeties. Will be interesting to see if there's some position shifting when all is said and done.

As a Missouri fan, I look at this information and quickly conclude that Missouri will be the 2010 favorite, and really I'd say I have pretty good basis in fact for that opinion. That said, Nebraska is intriguing, and even though K-State is not a stat-friendly team (I've already accepted that they're better than the stats say--I just can't figure out how much better), Bill Snyder really might get them back into the hunt despite the youth and lack of depth. Colorado could be interesting depending on who the head coach is (ahem), Kansas has recruited well and will see plenty of talented-but-young players hitting the field, and Iowa State might have the best offensive line in the division. I'd like to think Missouri might run away with this thing, and I'm sure it could happen (the trip to Lincoln aside), but with five of six North teams (all but Kansas) looking potentially better next year than this year, we might have another fun race on our hands.

Panic Level: Position-by-Position

Bill C. — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 17:00:31 -0000

For some losses, like last week's Nebraska loss, I don't really feel like talking or thinking about it too much. For others, like this one, I can't really shut up. So to put my verbosity to good use, we're going to walk through each unit for Missouri, and I'm going to give you two ratings: 1) my short-term panic level (on a 1-to-10 scale), and 2) my long-term panic level (same scale).

Quarterback

Short-term panic level: 5 | Long-term panic level: 0

People are questioning the use of Blaine Gabbert in this game, both whether he should have played at all and, more realistically, whether he should have been playing at the end. I say of course he should have been playing--an ankle sprain is not an injury with long-term danger, and even though he was spraying every pass a bit high, let's face it: we don't really have another good quarterback. Maybe Jimmy Costello is better than I'm giving him credit for, but he's probably not better than a one-legged Gabbert, and we knew from the beginning of this season that we were going to live and die with Gabbert this season. Right now, we're not necessarily dying by any means, but we're not living well because he's not living well.

Of course, the only problem with keeping him in the game, especially late, was that his instincts are very clear when behind center. He ran a couple of times on the last series of the game, even though that was the worst possible thing he could do. When he has the ball in his hands, he's not thinking "I should be careful." He's trying to move the ball, even when that might do him further damage.

Anyway, short-term, quarterbacking is definitely a bit of a concern. A sprained ankle needs rest and treatment to heal, and Missouri doesn't have a week off for quite a while. This is going to limit him for the foreseeable future, but he's still going to make some throws that nobody else in the conference can make, and after next week against Texas, he should be able to make quite a few plays even if not 100% healthy.

And long-term, duh. No worries here whatsoever. Gabbert still needs to develop better presence in the pocket--when to tuck and run, when to leave the pocket and roll left or right, et cetera. But that will come with playing time, plain and simple.

Running Back

Short-term panic level: 4 | Long-term panic level: 1

Derrick Washington and De'Vion Moore both took what was given to them yesterday, and in a few instances even took a little more. I was a bit curious whether Moore was actually any better than Kendial Lawrence and whether he would lose his backup role at some point, but in a handful of carries the last couple of weeks, he has looked damn strong and damn quick. Meanwhile, D-Wash looked like D-Wash, never letting the first guy bring him down, falling forward, stepping through tackles, etc. If this performance is what we see the rest of the year, then things will be just fine. And Washington, Moore, and Lawrence all obviously return in 2010, along with Gilbert Moye an a couple more capable commits in Henry Josey and Greg White. For the foreseeable future, this unit will have both depth and diversity.

Wide Receiver

Short-term panic level: 6 | Long-term panic level: 4

It's almost funny how things have unfolded in the last two months. Back in August, we were worried that a) this unit didn't have a go-to guy, b) this unit didn't have a big play threat, and c) Danario Alexander's hands would prevent him from being the solution for (a) and (b). Instead, Danario is absolutely the go-to guy, and one of the best in the conference. Plus, Danario and (to a slightly lesser degree) Jared Perry and Wes Kemp are capable of both catching the deep ball and (in Perry's and Danario's case) taking short passes a long way. The potential big play is one of Missouri's best weapons. But the hands of everybody not named Danario have been a serious issue. We've already said this about six times, but two drops more or less made the difference in the game last night. If Jerrell Jackson keeps his eye on a slant and doesn't let it bounce right off of his hands, it's a 10-yard gain for Missouri instead of a pick six for Oklahoma State. If Wes Kemp, uhh, closes his hands at the right time on a gorgeous bomb from Blaine Gabbert, Missouri not only uncorks a 60-yard (at least) gain late in the first half, but even if they don't score, they don't give the ball back to OSU in time for the Cowboys to drive down and score with seconds left in the half. Those two drops resulted in at least a 14-point swing for OSU, and that's if Missouri doesn't score after Kemp's drop.

This isn't a new phenomenon, though last night was the first time it truly cost Missouri. When you've got a quarterback like Gabbert, who is capable of firing 100-mph fastballs on just about any route, at the college level you are going to have some drops. Hell, at the pro level you're going to have some drops--not just anybody could catch John Elway's passes, right? But we are halfway through the season, and the guys on the field need to be getting better at catching the fastballs, and they are really not. This is at least a bit of a long-term concern simply because the 2010 Missouri team won't feature either Danario or Perry. Guys like Kemp and Jackson (and T.J. Moe, and Brandon Gerau, and Rolandis Woodland, and L'Damian Washington) are going to have to step up, both as every-down threats and simply guys with reliable hands. All of the guys I listed above are freshmen or sophomores right now, and they will quite possibly grow into the role.

I really do like the long-term potential of Kemp, especially. He's not nearly as fast as Danario, but he's got potential both as a deep-ball threat and an over-the-middle weapon. He's just had a couple of really bad weeks, between almost getting decapitated by Ndamukong Suh last week (I honestly thought his drop last night was due to a case of alligator arms, but the replay showed that he really did just close his hands at the wrong time...which, honestly, is better than if he were starting to get a little scared) and being the perpetrator in one of Missouri's two killer mistakes, but he's a sophomore, and he's already shown ridiculous growth between years one and two. He'll likely be fine, but until he proves that he will be fine, it's hard to make a 100% confident assumption.

Tight End

Short-term panic level: 10 | Long-term panic level: 8

Last night, when Blaine Gabbert had Andrew Jones wide open on the goal line on a fourth-quarter drive (one of the two that stalled on fourth down), he ended up leaving the pocket and throwing the ball away. That was the moment I realized that our tight end problem has gone from "Tight ends are unreliable" to "It doesn't matter what the tight ends are doing anymore because Gabbert doesn't even look to them." Andrew Jones and Michael Egnew were invisible enough over the first month of the season (to the point where Gary Pinkel started Beau Brinkley over both of them at Nevada to send a message) that Gabbert apparently doesn't even trust them enough to see them as an option. Considering where we thought we were before the season--Jones as a reliable 3rd-and-7 threat, Egnew as the guy with red zone potential--this is extremely alarming. Gabbert desperately needs another consistent weapon to complement Danario and Perry, and while we all thought Jones was just the man, it hasn't happened. As fans, we cannot truly determine why, but if Missouri really is going to go 9-3 this year (which is certainly still a possibility), they need Jones and Gabbert to reconnect. Obviously everybody in this unit returns next year--Jones, Egnew, Brinkley, and redshirting freshman Alex Sanders--but they need to buy Gabbert a steak, get on his good side, and get going with the rapport they had in the spring, when Jones and Egnew were Gabbert's top two targets.

Offensive Line

Short-term panic level: 5 | Long-term panic level: 3

It's pretty clear that, as is usually the case, we were underestimating the loss of starters Colin Brown and Ryan Madison from last year's offensive line. That, combined with a tweak in technique that they apparently made this summer, have resulted in some early growing pains with this line. For the most part, I did like what they did last night against a decent OSU front seven, at least in the first half. Once Missouri fell behind and the OSU secondary started playing better, it ended up predictably affecting how OSU's front seven performed as well, and Missouri didn't have as many options available to them down the stretch. That said, though, they absolutely get a passing grade for last night's game.

Long-term, things are still pretty rosy. Four of Missouri's current five starters--Elvis Fisher, Austin Wuebbels, Tim Barnes, and Dan Hoch--will return in 2010, and only Kurtis Gregory does not. He is a strong lineman, and he will be missed, but Missouri will be in much better shape to replace him, as both Jayson Palmgren and J.T. Beasley will be juniors and are getting plenty of reps this year. That, combined with freshman Jack Meiners getting some playing time, mean that O-line depth should be a strength in 2010. I still like the potential of the line this year, and I think that with hindsight the early struggles should have been a bit predictable.

Defensive End

Short-term panic level: 6 | Long-term panic level: 2

From a run-support standpoint, there is absolutely nothing to complain about with this line. Aldon Smith, Jacquies Smith, and Briant Coulter all stand up to blocks well and are excellent at pursuit. Good mixture of speed and size. But they HAVE to start rushing the passer better. Aldon Smith is pretty reliably going to make a couple of plays a game--last night it was a couple of timely blocked passes. But Jacquies really hasn't been very disruptive at all, and even though Missouri got in Robinson's face a few times last night, the pocket never completely closed in on him, and he was always able to escape and make a throw, even if he was just throwing the ball away.

Now...Aldon Smith is a redshirt freshman and Jacquies a true sophomore. It's easy to forget that sometimes, but while their potential is clear, consistency comes with playing time, and clearly neither has had enough yet. We've got a potential all-conference performer in Agent Aldon and a potentially solid three-year starter in Agent Jacquies, but they're just not ready to make every-down contributions yet. If there's a concern here, it's depth. Brad Madison has been on the field this season, but you couldn't tell it from the stats. Marcus Malbrough looked decent in junk-time against Furman, but that's it. Hopefully one of the redshirting freshmen--either Michael Sam or Brayden Burnett--can be counted on to make a contribution next season; otherwise we'll be leaning on Smith and Smith even more next year with Coulter's departure.

Defensive Tackle

Short-term panic level: 2 | Long-term panic level: 4

LOVE what this unit did last night. Jaron Baston was great, and I noticed Dominique Hamilton quite a bit. While Missouri's run defense hasn't been as good this year as last, I thought it was an encouraging sign that, against an OSU team with a rock-solid offensive line and a very good between-the-tackles runner in Keith Toston, Missouri held OSU's running backs to just 87 yards on 27 carries (3.2 per carry). It was their best performance of the year, and if Missouri can count on that for the rest of the year, this defense will continue to look damn good.

For 2010 and beyond, there is a concern here simply because Baston is a senior. Hamilton and Terrell Resonno are the current projected 2010 starters, and while both have looked decent at times, they've clearly been the #2 and #3 DTs (in some order) behind Baston. They will need to continue to develop for Missouri not to drop off here. Of course, two young guys could make this unit a severe strength in the future: Marvin Foster and Sheldon Richardson. Foster was quickly working his way into the DT rotation in August before injuring his knee and redshirting. Assuming he's at full strength in 2010 (and with this staff, a knee injury is child's play), he could be an immediate contributor. Meanwhile, Richardson is an obvious X-factor starting in 2011, assuming he still attends Missouri (and with the comments from his JUCO coach a couple of months ago, that seems like a comfortable assumption for now).

With Resonno, Hamilton, Foster, and maybe Jimmy Burge or George White, this unit could still be strong in 2010, especially if Resonno or Hamilton make a Baston-esque leap between their sophomore and junior seasons. And in 2011, with all of those players back with Richardson added to the mix, they could be excellent. The only reason I put the long-term panic level at a 4 is that it's still an assumption that Resonno or Hamilton will make that leap, and as I said with Wes Kemp above, until it happens, it's at least a little bit of a concern.

Linebacker

Short-term panic level: 1 | Long-term panic level: 2

Even without Will Ebner, I had no complaints with this unit last night. Sean Weatherspoon was outstanding, and Luke Lambert played well, even forcing a late fumble that, uhh, was bafflingly called a non-fumble by the replay official (seriously, get the replay official a bigger monitor please). Andrew Gachkar was around the ball quite a bit, even if he didn't make a ton of plays, and Zaviar Gooden made an outstanding play on an option run. With the strong run defense Missouri showed, clearly the linebackers had a role in that.

Missouri obviously loses 'Spoon after this season, but the long-term prospects are still bright. Ebner, Gachkar and Lambert return in 2010, and with Gooden, Donovan Bonner and hopefully Joshua Tatum assuming backup roles...yeah, let's just say that at least two, and potentially three of Missouri's backups would have been starting LBs for Mizzou anytime between 2000 and 2005. I'm really excited about this unit, even without SPOOOON.

Defensive Back

Short-term panic level: 3 | Long-term panic level: 2

Don't know what to think about this unit. Hubert Anyiam had a career day last night, but as the offense was falling apart in the second half last night, the secondary continuously made plays and prevented OSU from running away with the game. Seriously, with the field position advantage OSU had last night, they very well could have ended up winning something like 45-17 or something, but they didn't. The Carl Gettis Treatment looked good, Jasper Simmons looked good, and after getting burned once on a double move (and bailed out by Simmons), Robert Steeples got a ton of playing time and did not allow Anyiam to do much of anything on a series of Q4 third-down passes. I'm not sure why Steeples was in there that much--was Kevin Rutland being punished for allowing the slant-route TD on the last play of the first half?--but he acquitted himself well. I still wish we were seeing more out of our boy Kenji Jackson, but this unit has still looked good for most of 2009...

...and all of the major contributors return for 2010. Only Del Howard and Hardy Ricks depart after this year, and no offense to them, but I'm not going to lose a lot of sleep over that. Gettis, Rutland, Steeples, Kip Edwards and Munir Prince all return at CB, and Simmons, Jackson, and Jarrell Harrison all look like keepers at safety. And if a redshirting freshman like Matt White forces his way into the rotation in 2010, all the better.

In all, the hopes for this defense in 2010 and beyond are quite high. By the end of this season, Aldon Smith, Will Ebner, Andrew Gachkar, Carl Gettis, Jasper Simmons and others will have all proven themselves at a pretty high level, and with guys like Dominique Hamilton, Terrell Resonno, Jacquies Smith, Zaviar Gooden, Kevin Rutland, Kenji Jackson, Robert Steeples and Jarrell Harrison all having shown flashes of really nice play, the 2010 defense will be as deep a play-making defense as Missouri will have had under Gary Pinkel, even with the loss of Jaron Baston and Sean Weatherspoon.

Special Teams

Short-term panic level: 3 | Long-term panic level: 1

An absolutely dreadful special teams effort last night, but it's hard to panic over that considering how good special teams have been for Missouri. Grant Ressel made his only FG, but karma bit Jake Harry IV in the ass, as he didn't get a single good bounce on any of his kicks. We have gotten very used to getting great rolls on his rugby kicks, and it just didn't happen last night. That, and OSU made a nice strategic play of having what seemed like two return men--one deep and one at mid-range to catch some of the punts and make sure the rolls didn't happen. Between Missouri's second-half three-and-outs and struggles in the punt game, they got drilled in the field position battle, especially in the second half.

Meanwhile, OSU broke off a couple of nice kickoff returns, which isn't entirely surprising--Perrish Cox is one of the best return men in the game--and thanks to horrific officiating (sorry, I can't let it go just yet), Missouri's own kickoff returns were major liabilities. Jasper Simmons' first great kick return was called back to a phantom hold (but hey, how much damage could a 70-yard net penalty do, really? Not much, right? Yeah...), and he lost a fumble in which his knee appeared to be down (SERIOUSLY...get the freaking replay official a bigger monitor...), but in the box score it says that kick returns were a liability.

Long-term, things look good here. Harry has been a great asset, and he is a senior, but honestly, Missouri's punting scheme is good, and whoever wins next year's punting battle (Matt Grabner? Trey Barrow? Grant Ressel?), I think this will still be a relative strength. Plus, Carl Gettis looking better and better on punt returns, and Simmons has shown at least strong straight-line speed and the capability of breaking a long return.

And we've got Ressel at place-kicker for another two years, so there's that.

Coaching

Short-term panic level: 3 | Long-term panic level: 0

I'm sorry, but I just cannot get myself that worked up about the coaching staff. I know we always look for somebody to blame when things go poorly, and I disagreed as much as anybody with David Yost's decision to call empty-backfield sets late in the game, but you know what? When you are calling 60-80 plays per game, you are going to make mistakes. Dave Christensen obviously made plenty of mistakes, and he was apparently good enough at his job to score a Mountain West head coaching position. Meanwhile, one of the best coordinators in the country--OU's Kevin Wilson--is getting destroyed by the OU fanbase for sucking...and he's one of the best coordinators in the game. Missouri fans are spoiled by previous successes, but in his first year on the job, Yost is already a decent coordinator, and when Missouri gains in experience, he will probably start looking like a really good one. People calling for his head or already falling back on the dumb old "Gary Pinkel's too stubborn!!!!1!!!" line are...well, they're being ridiculous. Get over yourselves--this is a good offensive staff, and it will only get better. Blaine Gabbert was two drops away from having 360 first-half passing yards last night. It takes good play-calling for that to happen.

Meanwhile, I don't think any of us can have much complaint with the job Dave Steckel and the defensive staff are doing, right? Or are we still managing to be pissed at them too? You tell me.

---

I know I'm either a) preaching to the choir or b) yelling at people who have their minds made up here (and are more than willing to yell back), but man oh man...BIG PICTURE HERE, PEOPLE. Most of us did not expect to be better than 4-2 right now, and now that it's happened, we're flying off the handle. But anyway. Time to enjoy the rest of the weekend.

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 Ten: Defensive Line

Bill C. — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 20:00:10 -0000

Okay, so we've worked ourselves into an optimistic frenzy on offense (it's August--show me a fanbase that isn't excited right now). What about the defense? Buzz kill or buzzsaw?

Defensive Line

This pic was too good not to use again.

2008 Unit Ranking: #14 in the nation (#3 in the Big 12)

Projected Depth Chart
DT Jaron Baston (6'1, 305, Sr.)
DE Aldon Smith (6'5, 255, RSFr.)
DE Jacquies Smith (6'4, 250, So.)
DT Terrell Resonno (6'6, 295, So.)
DE Brian Coulter (6'4, 250, Sr.)
DT Dominique Hamilton (6'6, 300, So.)
DE Brad Madison (6'4, 260, RSFr.)
DT Jimmy Burge (6'2, 285, RSFr.)
DT George White (6'4, 280, RSFr.)
DE Marcus Malbrough (6'5, 255, RSFr.)
DT Chris Earnhardt (6'5, 270, So.)
DT Andy Maples (6'4, 310, Sr.)
DT Bart Coslet (6'5, 260, Jr.)
DT Mark Ellis (6'2, 270, Sr.)

1. What kind of every-down potential do we have in our three-headed end monster? We all know about the athletic potential of Jacquies Smith, Aldon Smith, and Brian God Coulter. We're all excited about the possibilities of these guys rushing the passer. But you can only really pin your ears back and attack on Passing Downs...you have to force Passing Downs first. Mizzou was very good against the run last year, and while a lot of that has to do with Sean Weatherspoon and the linebackers, credit too goes to Ziggy Hood, Jaron Baston, Tommy Chavis, and Stryker Sulak, last year's starting D-line.

We haven't seen the lawfirm of Smith, Coulter, and Smith in every-down action yet, nor do we know who will be starting next to Baston at DT, so we don't know how good or bad the line will be against the run. We know that at 275+ pounds, Chavis was seen as more of a run stopping end than a pass rusher, and we know that nobody in the current corps of ends is that big. But clearly pure weight doesn't tell the story. TCU, Texas, and Tennessee were #1-3 against the run (according to Rushing S&P+) last year, and while they had some reasonably big guys (Texas' Henry Melton was around 280, Tennessee's Robert Ayers 270), most DEs on these squads were within the same 250-265 range as Mizzou's.

Can stats tell us anything about run support? Maybe a little. Here are the percentages of tackles each of last year's Mizzou linemen made against the run or pass (sacks count against the pass, FYI).

Jacquies Smith: 87% of tackles came against the run
Jaron Baston: 80%
Tommy Chavis: 72%
Ziggy Hood: 71%
Brian Coulter: 68%
Stryker Sulak: 61%

So if we conclude that Jacquies Smith really is a versatile player in the passing game (that's the perception, anyway), then he must be pretty good against the run. His "against the run" totals were higher Chavis', and Coulter's were higher than Sulak's, so consider that at least a small test passed. (And yes, they could have had high "against the run" %'s because they did nothing against the pass, not because they were particularly good against the run. I think we've made it clear that there are no wonderful lineman statistics. This is what we have to work with.)

What if we just looked at "successful" tackles (i.e. tackles that prevented a successful play for the offense)?

Jacquies Smith: 90% of successful tackles came against the run
Jaron Baston: 78%
Brian Coulter: 75%
Tommy Chavis: 73%
Ziggy Hood: 69%
Stryker Sulak: 51%

Hmm. That suggests that Coulter did more against the run than Sulak did...and that most of the successful plays J. Smith made came against the run. That's at least a little comforting, right?

2. Who's winning the battle to start next to Jaron Baston? No freaking idea whatsoever. At least I'm honest, right? Here's where it's bad that we're completely reliant on the practice reports of Dave Matter and Gabe Dearmond. We haven't heard much of Terrell Resonno or Dominique Hamilton. Monday's depth chart updates show that it's still Resonno in the lead, though neither have distinguished themselves. Hamilton looked really good in the spring game, but that is, after all, just one scrimmage of many.

3. Is there a sleeper we haven't talked much about? It appears about thirteen scholarships have been spent on the defense line at the moment, yet we've only talked about six guys. Are any of the others posing serious threats for playing time or stardom? Not really. Marcus Malbrough was not practicing particularly well, but he had a nice Saturday scrimmage, lodging a TFL and a sack. At DT, it sounds like the biggest mover has been redshirt freshman Jimmy Burge, who has jumped ahead of both George White and Chris Earnhardt to second string. It sounded like freshman Marvin Foster was making a threat for playing time before injuring his knee last week, so I'm thinking for the most part we're looking at a six-man line rotation...at least as far as the playmakers go. The winner of the Brad Madison/Malbrough battle will likely see the field, as will the winner of the Burge/Earnhardt/White battle, but I'm guessing that for 2009, at least, they won't be serious threats to make plays as much as eat space. It's doubtful we'll hear too much about anyone beyond Smith/Coulter/Smith and Baston/Resonno/Hamilton.

Mizzou Links, 7-14-09

Bill C. — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 12:31:34 -0000

Getting a late start this morning...thank you, Mediacom Internet, for deciding to go out once again...much appreciated...

We start with a link to an outstanding Trib look at previous Mizzou players and their MLB All-Star Game experience.

"To walk into that clubhouse and be around those stars for a couple of days, it’s almost as if you didn’t even feel like you belonged," said [Phil] Bradley, who struck out in the eighth inning against Montreal reliever Jeff Reardon in his only at-bat of the NL’s 6-1 win. "But when you play for Seattle, you know you deserved it."

He did. It’s just that nobody saw it coming. Not so soon.

The former Missouri quarterback/outfielder, a third-round draft pick by Seattle in 1981, progressed steadily through the minors and hit .301 in part-time duty with the Mariners in 1984.

What he lacked was power. Before the 1985 season, he had no clear place on the Mariners’ roster and no homers in 389 big league at-bats.

Mariners officials, looking at his 6-foot, 180-pound frame, thought this would change.

"Look at that body," Seattle hitting coach Deron Johnson told the Tribune later that season. "It’s no single hitter’s."

And while we're talking baseball, here's a collection of Mizzou-related links at SimmonsField.com, and...well, an interview with Mizzou grad and celebrity softballer extraordinaire ~~Don Draper~~ Jon Hamm.

Alright, now to football. PowerMizzou continues its unit-by-unit look at the North. Now up: Linebackers and Defensive Line.

Yesterday was once again time for Case of the Mondays...

● Does Dave Steckel’s promotion alone impact the defense? Does the veteran coach’s no-BS personality create a hungrier group than last year’s experienced but inconsistent D? Will he simplify calls, coverages and blitz packages?

...

● What are the best position battles? Here are a few: Defensive tackles Terrell Resonno vs. Dominique Hamilton vs. George White vs. Brian Earnhardt … Left guards Austin Wuebbels vs. Jayson Palmgren vs. Travis Ruth … No. 3 linebacker: Andrew Gachkar vs. Will Ebner vs. Andrew Wilson vs. Josh Tatum vs. Jeff Gettys … Strong safety: Hardy Ricks vs. Jarrell Harrison vs. Jasper Simmons. Lots more to discuss once camp opens.

Dave Matter also found a quick quote on Stryker Sulak's wonderful release from the Raiders...

"Shocked is the best way to put it," a source told the Web site. "This is a good kid who plays football, hunts and fishes. This is very dysfunctional. I'm shocked that they didn't even call him to let him know or call his agent. ... He has just been back home working out and getting ready for camp."

If you're into such a thing, PowerMizzou's got a photo gallery up from Lorenzo Williams' camp this past weekend...

Looks like Mizzou's got a new Softball assistant...

Not directly Mizzou-related, but Dr. Saturday takes a look at Turner Gill's Buffalo Bulls, and...yeah, it's simply amazing how lucky they got last year. I love Gill, but odds are they're in for quite a fall this year.

Finally, since we were discussing him a couple of days ago, I thought I'd link to Bad Left Hook's excellent recap of Arturo Gatti's career. He won't be remembered as a great boxer (he was destroyed by the two great boxers he faced), but...four Fights of the Year in less than a decade? Good god, he was fun to watch.

Spring Football Update: Defensive Line

Bill C. — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 18:00:11 -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 defense, where the DEs and DTs have been the focus of a lot of practice talk.

Defensive Ends

Photo by The Trib's Julia Robinson

There's always a concern when you replace a 4-year contributor like Stryker Sulak, along with an underrated guy like Tommy Chavis (who didn't have a high-flying end to his career), but the two major returnees could be studs in certain roles, and there is a lot of athleticism entering the picture. This isn't intended to be a "get pumped about 2009...all is well!!!" series, and I hope I proved that by worry about the lack of a #1 WR on Saturday, but that said I can't really hide my enthusiasm about this group. They're young, relatively unproven, and very, very exciting.

What's Changed? Two things: 1) the skinny ends added some bulk, and 2) Aldon Smith went from a scout team guy rumored to have a lot of potential, to a potential first-stringer with a lot of potential. With Brian Coulter hobbled by injury early on, A. Smith staked his claim to a major role on the 2009 team, and with Coulter back, we've got quite a battle for who will be the starter opposite the other Smith, Jacquies.

Gabe from PowerMizzou gave one of the more exciting blurbs of the spring Tuesday night when he said "I'm really impressed by the play of the top three defensive ends for the Tigers. I had two different people mention to me that Aldon Smith looked almost unblockable at times."

I mentioned at the end of the '08 season that Mizzou could be better against the pass and worse against the run in '09. The major rationale behind that was that Jacquies Smith and Coulter are both good in pass rush situations, but they hadn't proven that they could be sturdy every-down ends. Well, Jacquies and Aldon Smith are both over 250 pounds now, from what we've read, and if they can be the every-down guys with the option of bringing in Coulter to fly off the end on passing downs, then this defense could be solid. It's early, and we'll see what happens, but what I wanted to read this spring about the DE's, i've read.

Oh yeah, and some dude named Sheldon Richardson might be around in a few months to work his way into the rotation.

Projected Spring Finish

1. Jacquies Smith (So)
2. Aldon Smith (RSFr)
3. Brian Coulter (Sr)
4. Brad Madison (RSFr)
5. Marcus Malbrough (RSFr)
6. Chris Earnhardt (So)

Defensive Tackles

Photo by The Trib's Parker Eshelman

[George] White came to school as a 245-pound linebacker and quickly moved to defensive end, then defensive tackle, a la Lorenzo Williams. He could be a 270-pound tweener who never finds a true position, or he could emerge from his redshirt season with a transformed 290-pound body like Williams. We won't really know until we see him in the spring. Size isn't everything at D-tackle, obviously (otherwise Andy Maples would have started this year), but you do probably need to carry a pretty high minimum weight to be able to perform well in the Big 12. You hope it works out for this kid--he was directed to check out Mizzou late in the recruiting process by high school coach Tony Van Zant (yes, that TVZ) and stuck with Mizzou after having to spend a year at prep school--but...well...it doesn't work out for everybody, so we'll see.

What Changed? George White weighed in at 280+ pounds, for starters. He and Jimmy Burge have both passed Andy Maples on the depth chart, meaning we almost have a four-way race for the second starting position alongside Jaron Baston. Terrell Resonno is still the favorite, I think, but it does sound like there's a decent amount of quickness and athleticism on the two-deep at the moment.

The main question is, simply, will someone win the job, or will someone take the job? Ziggy Hood was a force in the middle last year and was the main reason Missouri was so good at stopping the run in 2008. We've established that Missouri might have a pretty good set of DEs in 2009, but while I'm very comfortable with the playmaking ability of Baston--I think he was a very underrated player next to Ziggy--it takes two. Resonno's stats were minimal but decent, and he (and Hamilton, and apparently White) has a lot of quickness for the position. But it takes quickness and strength, and until we see what these guys do, both against the strong Mizzou O-line in the Black & Gold game and against the Illinois O-line to start the season, we won't really know what we have here. Call me guardedly optimistic, but I'm clearly more optimistic about the DEs than DTs.

Projected Spring Finish

1. Jaron Bason (Sr)
2. Terrell Resonno (So)
3. Dominique Hamilton (So)
4. George White (RSFr)
5. Jimmy Burge (RSFr)
6. Andy Maples (Sr)

Compared to the offensive units we've reviewed thus far, having two contributing seniors makes the D-Line the oldest of the lot. Even with Baston and Coulter, though, this is still a ridiculously young front four, and while there's a lot of play-making ability to go around, you do figure a solid, experienced O-line could do some damage here. Luckily, upon first glance there aren't a ton of solid, experienced O-lines on the schedule.

Monday Musings - The Transitional Edition

The Beef — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 13:00:11 -0000

Another season wound down this past weekend, as gymnastics (from a team standpoint) completed their pretty successful 2009 campaign. Spring football is starting to heat up, and hopefully more and more people are sitting up and taking notice of the softball team. Can't say this is going to be a jam-packed edition by any stretch of the imagination, but let's get to the news of the week.

Football:

Not going to spend a lot of time here since I did not see the scrimmage for myself. Going simply off of the stats provided, along with the thoughts of people like Gabe and Matter, it sounded like a perfectly decent morning scrimmage on Saturday. I was heartened to see the fairly good efficiency from Blaine Gabbert, especially in light of the fact that without D. Wash back there, I am guessing we utilized the short passes as many of our runs for the day. Reports have been good about the O-line, and it sounds like both Wes Kemp and Mike Egnew have had good springs to this point. I have also read where people have been impressed with the continued progression of Andrew Jones, and I should hope the summer is filled with THOUSANDS of passes between he and Gabbert.

As for the defense, it sounds like the Dictatorship of Steckel is starting off well. Getting this defense to play with a bit more of an edge to it (along with a better understanding of getting to the ball and communicating) should certainly make it better. I am curious to see how the secondary pans out, along with the backup D-linemen and what rotation comes from there. Lots of possibilities exist (Madison doing well, White getting bigger) and the more (as always) the better. But all in all, I have to say I am pleased with what I have been reading so far.

Softball:

3-1 week for the Tigers is good, but that one loss in the 2nd game of the twin-bill against kU is going to stick in my craw for a little while. But, the team won their other three games by run-rule and outscored their Big XII opponents 26-5 for the week...not too shabby.

I really believe Stacy Delaney has taken her game to another level at this point. Last season, the workhorse for the squad finished the season with an ERA of 2.01. This season, that ERA has been cut in half, and is being augmented by the fine efforts of freshman pair Kristen Nottelman (of late) and Chelsea Thomas (before her right bicep inflamation which sounds like she is about ready to return from). As a team, the ERA has moved from 2.41 to 1.27, another (pretty much) cut in half. Perhaps the biggest key is that no one on the staff has thrown more than 84 innings on the season (Thomas), while the workhorses of other teams are well over 100 innings, some as high as 175.

On the offense, the team is hitting an amazing .330 as a club right now through 38 games. Last season, they hit a very serviceable .287 The HR production is down a bit (which is to be expected with 34 of 65 HR's graduating in Renth and Bruck), but the team certainly used the longball well this past weekend against aTm, hitting 5 HR's in their twin-bill massacre. The team is first in runs scored in conference, as well as hits/game, stolen bases and walks earned. One weakness right now is the team is 4th from the bottom in strikeouts.

A mid-week clash against SIU preceeds a big road-trip to Okie State next weekend. The Cowgirls are kicking around the top-25 with a few votes, but Mizzou really could use a sweep here as they sit just behind UT (who they already split with). Their next two series after OSU are bottom-dwellers ISU and TTech, so using this sweep to get on another winning streak would could very likely put Mizzou in the driver's seat for the regular season conference title.

Baseball:

Ugh...not much to say here to be honest. I did not attend the game during the middle of the week where the Tigers put it all over SLU at Busch Stadium. Kyle Gibson had a tremendous effort on Friday night, K'ing 15 but in a losing effort. The Tigers could just not get it all together on Saturday, dropping another to the Sooners before coming back on Sunday and hanging on for a 5-4 win to bookend the week in wins. Nick Tepesch was the benefactor of 5 Tiger runs in the 2nd innings, but Mizzou would not score again, only getting 4 more hits the rest of the game. The Sooners kept chipping, but Tepesch and some relievers held the lead, and Brad Buehler got a bang-bang double play to finish the game with the tying run on 2nd base and 1 out.

The thing is, the team has shown where they CAN pitch and they CAN hit and they CAN field, but it seems they often only get one of the efforts per game, two at the most. Unfortunately, that is not usually enough to get the wins. The hitting has been the most troubling, as their starting lineup on Sunday had way more guys under .220 (3) than over .300 (1, freshman Connor Mach)

The Tigers have Big 10 foe Minnesota coming to town for a somewhat odd out of conference matchup before heading down to Waco next weekend to take on the Baylor Bears.

Gymnastics:

A pretty remarkable season for the gymnastics program is winding down, and has actually completed from a team standpoint as the ladies will not advance to the NCAA Championships, finishing 3rd behind #3 Alabama and #9 OU this past weekend at the Regional Championships. A 196.000 was not enough to advance (nor should it have been at this stage in the game), and so the team will not take one step they were so hoping to take. However, they will send not one, but two gymnasts to the NCAA Championships, both with a tremendous chance to come home as All-Americans.

Junior Sarah Shire finished 2nd in the all-around competition and was voted the region's Gymnast of the Year. Her score of 39.450 was as solid as it has been all season, and another great performance in two weeks is sure to land her first All-American award.

Senior Adrienne Perry will complete an amazing career for the Tigers in two weeks as well, as she becomes the first Mizzou gymnast to go to four NCAA's in her time. Perry just missed AA'ing her freshman year on the beam, placing 9th, while posting all-around finishes of 14th, 22nd and 36th, with those (interestingly) being in order from her first appearance her freshman year. It would be a tremendous close to her career to score an AA accolade.

The team was very solid this season, paced by Shire the entire time. I think they never quite reached their ceiling, but in a sport where one step can mean a huge difference, the Tigers were one of the best. They will say goodbye to Alicia Hatcher (a solid 3-event performer) and Perry, but will return everyone else and should expect to be in a very simliar position next season (especially if they can infuse some young talent to fill the new gaps).

Outdoor Track:

A real nice weekend for the Outdoor Track team, as they competed in the 2nd Annual Jefferson Cup against Virginia, and Mizzou swept it in their first time hosting the event. Both the men and women trailed after the first day, but both would come back and eek out tight wins in one of the more unique and fun events in the collegiate track world (since almost all competitions are individual based, not team based in the regular season).

Senior Chris Rohr had a dominating performance in the hammer toss, setting both meet and FACILITY records (think about how many competitions have been held at Audrey Walton), and also hitting the longest NATIONAL throw so far this season. In fact, his winning toss of 229 feet 8 inches won by just under 70 FEET. Rohr also finished 2nd in the discus and qualified regionally for both. Krishna Lee won the shot AND the hammer on Saturday, setting a meet record in the latter. Freshman Stacy Swineburg continues to make a name for herself, winning her second high jump competition of the young season, while junior Brian Hancock won another pole vault title.

Next up for the team will be their final home performance of the season in the Tom Botts Invitational next Saturday.

Women's Golf:

Decent weekend and showing for the ladies down in Oxford, MS, as they finished 4th in the Lady Rebel Intercollegiate, just one stroke out of 3rd. Julia Potter put together three pretty consistent rounds for another top-10 finish, placing 6th with a +7 finish. Junior Michelle Morgan had two very solid days, but a +6 on the final day pushed her down into a tie for 9th with a +11 finish. Senior Chelsea Schreiwer had to pull out of the first day of action, but shot +2 over the final two days for a pretty impressive finish. Freshman Hannah Lovelock had an OK first two days at +10 overall, but ballooned to +15 in the final round, while Marisa Cook improved upon her +23 over the first two days with a solid +5 on the last day.

Up next for the ladies will be a few weeks off, followed by the Big XII Championships in Lubbock, TX the weekend of the 24th and 25th of April.

Women's Tennis:

The 62nd ranked Mizzou Women's Tennis team (down from 58th last weekend after a real tough loss to TTech and a drubbing at the hands of Baylor) set out on the road for the last time this regular season and took on two top-35 ranked teams in the state of Texas. They lost both, to the Aggies of aTm 6-1 and then to the Longhorns 5-2. Sofia Ayala won the lone match against aTm, while the team did take the doubles point from UT on wins from freshman Jamie Mera and Mallory Weber along with Ayala and freshman Danielle Day. Mera would win the only singles match on the day against UT.

The team now returns home to finish out the remainder of their Big XII season. They will have only one match next weekend against CU before closing out the regular season with Nebraska and Iowa State the following weekend.

Up Next:

Men's golf begins their tournament later today out in California. Other than that, the diamond sports and track, and one tennis match is all that is on the Mizzou docket for the week.

Random Thoughts:

Oh April...the greatest of the sporting months.
Seeing as I was completely wrong in my Final Four predictions (I took UCONN and 'Nova), I will take UNC and hope I am wrong again.
New Jersey seems to have righted the ship and should clinch the Atlantic Division with their next game. They are locked up with Washington for the 2nd spot overall in the east.
TOUGH loss of a point for the Blues on Saturday. I am sure there are other games they blew this season, but if they miss the playoffs by that margin, Saturday's result will be remembered first.
I can't really say I am excited about the start of baseball...at least not as much as I typically am. But, if the Mets can see fit to not blow as many games as they did last season, I like their chances to win the East or at least get to the playoffs.
I did get to see a bit of both the new Yankee and Citi Field this past weekend (MLB Network is lovely). Both look amazing.
I am glad the Jets stayed out of the Cutler sweepstakes...and will continue to be pleased as long as they stay out of the Freeman race as well. I have seen some drafts having them lean towards an RB as Thomas Jones is evidently not happy and a Drew Rosenhaus client. Being 31, I think I would be OK if the Jets cut him loose next season and saved that cap money. I still think I would be plenty pleased with the Jets getting a WR (I keep seeing Percy Harvin...am not THRILLED with that...would almost prefer they went with a bigger WR like a Heyward-Bey) in the 1st and a RB (maybe Brown from UCONN, even saw the Greene from Iowa going that late in one mock, though I think that is a bit of a pipedream). Get a defensive lineman in the 3rd and a blocking TE in the 4th and I think they could be in decent shape.
I actually caught about the last 40 minutes of Rocky VI this past weekend....it was not as terrible as I thought it might be.
Not sure if anyone else watched the 2-hour Final Four pregame on CBS, but there was a story about two young men from the state of Maine who got to play for their high school basketball teams on the same night this past season. One was autistic, the other has Down Syndrome. An amazing story (especially tied very closely back to the kid in 2006 who hit all the 3's in his game) which if seen will be sure to pretty much make any person cry. {edit - I actually found the link...I hope this works}

DEPTH CHART!!!!!

Bill C. — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 17:36:34 -0000

Feel it? Feel those chills? Spring Practice is officially upon us with the first depth chart of March.

Here are some quick thoughts...and lord knows I'm not going to spend too many brain cells on this, as it means nothing and all the newbies are listed below the walk-ons...

No Beau Brinkley anywhere on here. Don't know if that means that he's not around anymore, or if he's not even pretending to be anything other than a long-snapper (and there are no long snappers here)...just noticed it.
Actually, I just answered my own question. He's on the spring roster, so there you go.
New best name: Mukai Matsiga.
I'm not sure I knew La'Roderick Thomas was hurt.
Brian Coulter is apparently injured for the spring, but that's fine...I want to see as much of Aldon Smith as I possibly can.
George White: still 250 pounds after a redshirt season. Not optimistic about his future. Pretty hard to make it as a 250-pound DT in 2009...maybe 1979, but not 2009...
I think I'm going to really like our LBs this year. 'Spoon, Lambert and Gachkar make a pretty good starting three even if Ebner and Tatum don't make strides...and if they do make strides, look out...
Is it bad that I got a slight sense of dread when I saw Hardy Ricks' name atop the Strong Safety list? I really want to see Zaviar Gooden, or Jarrell Harrison, or Jasper Simmons at the top of that list at the end of August.
LOTS of names battling for a starting corner spot...going to be fun to watch the battle.

So...How Did Recruiting Go? (Part One)

Bill C. — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 22:00:10 -0000

Back in June, I wrote a couple of pieces about how recruiting was going. (They were both follow-ups--follows-up?--to my Culture vs Caliber post from the month before.) My first recruiting post envisioned what a "best-case scenario" class would look like for this Mizzou staff. The second looked at how much recruiting rankings have or haven't mattered to Mizzou's success. I figure I can use those two posts as a jumping-off point for gauging the our 2009 recruiting class.

But before I get all analytical about it, I thought I would share my general impressions of this class. And I'm a "bad news first" kind of guy.

Bad News

Mizzou didn't sign a big-time wide receiver.

Now...L'Damian Washington, Jaleel Clark, or Kerwin Stricker could all hit the big-time--we have no idea. The staff liked them enough to offer them scholarships, and I'm optimistic about their prospects. That said, over the summer a lot of 4-star WRs were looking at Mizzou--Terry Hawthorne, Jheranie Boyd, Marlon Brown, Justin Brown--along with a handful of well-touted Texas 3-star kids--Cobi Hamilton, Josh Gordon, Skyler Scott, Ja-Mes Logan, Neal Barlow (okay, he's from AR), and none of them ended up signing with Mizzou despite the prolific offense and their professed undying admiration of Jeremy Maclin. From a pure football perspective, we have no idea which of these guys will end up stars and which will never see the field, but from a college football recruiting is its own sport perspective, this was a black mark on Mizzou's class. You'd have thought they'd have landed at least one of these guys, and they didn't.

Lucky for Mizzou, geography is in their favor next year, as there are quite a few big-time WRs nearby--Justin McCay, Marcus Lucas, Keeston Terry--and they've all said nice things about Mizzou early on. Because of this, Mizzou has another, more favorable opportunity to land some prime WR talent--it will be very disappointing if we're saying "Mizzou didn't sign a big-time wide receiver" this time next year.

Rivals ranks Mizzou's class below KU's...and NU's, ATM's, Tech's and OSU's.

Simply due to to the whole "22 wins in two seasons" thing, you'd have expected Mizzou to make a jump in the rankings, and it didn't happen. That's some what disappointing.

Of course, it's also irrelevant at this point. In recruiting, the top and bottom rankings matter, but in the middle? Not so much. After those big-time, immediate-impact recruits (who, as we know, mostly go to the same schools), it's all a mushy gray area, and we're left quibbling over the difference between a 4-star recruit with a 5.8 "RR" (Rivals rating) like KU signees Bradley McDougald (who had offers from Louisville, Wisconsin, Cincy, Colorado and Indiana) and Prinz Kande (New Mexico and Wisconsin), and 3-star recruits with 5.7 RR's like MU signees Blaine Dalton (Simone Award winner for best player in KC area) and TJ Moe (StL area offensive player of the year) or a 5.6 RR like Chris Freeman (who chose Mizzou over supposed offers from Florida, Michigan, Oregon, Tennessee, UCLA, Nebraska, West Virginia, Wisconsin, etc.). Is there really a difference between a 5.8 recruit and a 5.7? Or a 5.5 and a 5.4? Probably not. It's all guesswork. Coaching and development will determine which of these kids ends up playing the best, and Mizzou has, to date, developed a pretty good track record in terms of development and scouting.

And besides that, who cares if KU ranked better--Mizzou whooped KU head-to-head for kids. But we'll get in the "good news" section.

See how I slipped silver linings into the bad news? I rule.

Good News

Along with those silver linings, there were some very positive trends in this year's class.

Mizzou nailed down Sheldon Richardson

We've talked a lot in the past about how the 5-star talent goes almost entirely to a handful of schools, and Mizzou is not one of them. It's VERY important that, when a 5-star kid is in the backyard and Mizzou's got good connections, they seal the deal. That was the case with Richardson, and Mizzou sealed the deal. They've now signed two five-star kids (Richardson, Blaine Gabbert) in the last two recruiting classes, as many as the rest of the North combined (CU and NU each signed one in 2008). In all, Big 12 schools have signed 11 five-star recruits in the last two years--three to Texas, three to OU, two to Mizzou, and one to NU, ATM, and CU. Overall class rankings obviously derive from the class as a whole, but in competition for the best of the best, Mizzou is ahead of everybody not named OU or Texas.

The trenches

We'll have to wait and see how "diamond in the rough" talent like L'Damian Washington, Kerwin Stricker, and Matt Whte perform at the WR/DB positions--maybe there's great talent there, maybe not--but one thing's for certain: Mizzou signed some BEEF. Sheldon Richardson (6'4, 275-290, depending on the day) was obviously the big name here, but I'm excited about a few others too.

First you've got potentially GIANT bookend tackles in Chris "Le Barge" Freeman (6'8, 350) and Big Jack Meiners (6'6, 315). You've got two rural MO biggies as well in Justin Britt (6'5, 270, stud wrestler) and Mark Hill (6'6, 260). Odds say not all four of those guys will work out, but two of them almost certainly will, potentially three. This is a very solid O-line class, even without Darris Ford, who apparently isn't going to qualify and therefore didn't even sign yesterday.

Then you've got my two favorite "sleeper" candidates of the class--DE/DT hybrids Marvin Foster (6'2, 265) and Ty Phillips (6'3, 260). I will say that I'm thrilled about the possibility of their putting on 20-30 pounds and serving as Lorenzo Williams-style quick DTs, but you obviously never know in advance how much weight a guy can gain. One of them may potentially be maxed out--who knows--but if these two pan out, then with last year's crop of DEs we've potentially got the deepest D-line we've ever had under Pinkel over the next few years.

In all, the most evident difference in athleticism between OU/Texas and Missouri came in the trenches, and I'm excited about the speed and athleticism we seem to have stockpiled in the last two classes. The future is bright with underclassmen like Jacquies Smith, Richardson (unless he becomes primarily a TE, which I doubt), Aldon Smith, and Marcus Malbrough (plus other signees Brayden Burnett and Michael Sam) at DE, and Terrell Resonno, Dominique Hamilton, Jimmy Burge, Phillips, Foster, and hopefully George White at DT. That's a big pool from which to pull 4-5 stud players.

The signal callers

We don't need both Blaine Dalton and Ashton Glaser to pan out in a major way--we just need one of them to go head to head with Blaine Gabbert and make sure we've got a good QB over the next few years. Between a pure winner in Dalton and a "knows the spread like the back of his hand" guy in Glaser, the odds of that happening are pretty favorable.

The JUCO DBs

As with the QBs, we probably don't need both Jarrell Harrison and Jasper Simmons to work out well, but if one of them can step in and perform at the level of a Nino Williams or (blasphemy, I know) Pig Brown--both of whom were 3-star JUCO DBs--then this secondary just became a lot less shaky. Add to that last year's batch of redshirts and super-athletic guys like TJ Moe and apparently Matt White, and again, that's a big batch of players from which to find a couple of studs. Whereas I'm worried a bit about a dropoff in run defense, I'm actually optimistic about the pass defense, which as we know, probably wasn't as bad as the raw numbers suggested.

Head to head, we still kicked KU's behind

I do respect the job Mark Mangino did in putting together a strong class. I respect it even more considering how poorly he still does recruiting head-to-head against a geographic rival in Gary Pinkel. By my count from the Rivals database*, there were six players offered by both Missouri and Kansas, who actually chose either Missouri or Kansas. They were Kendial Lawrence, Alex Sanders, Jack Meiners, Brayden Burnett, Josh Tatum, and TJ Moe. I also seem to recall Sheldon Richardson mentioning a Kansas offer as well. What do those 6-7 players have in common? They all chose Mizzou.

* Insert all relevant "Rivals doesn't catch or record every offer--it's only a recruiting service, not the official record" disclaimers here. You blog with the tools you have.

For what it's worth, Mizzou also went 2-for-4 against Nebraska (NU got Andrew Green and Chris Williams, Mizzou got Chris Freeman and L'Damian Washington). In other words, of the 11 kids for whom Mizzou fought Kansas and/or Nebraska, they landed 9 of them. You can take all the higher rankings you want as long as we're beating you head to head for the kids we want.

Meanwhile, poor K-State went 0-for-4 head-to-head against Missouri (Richardson, Brayden Burnett, Ashton Glaser, Donavan Bonner) and 1-for-7 against Kansas. This was why the talent on Bill Snyder's teams started sliding the first time around--he was getting beaten for the Chase Coffman's and Tony Temple's of the world--and it's going to be his biggest obstacle this time around as well. KSU will clearly be infinitely better-coached now, but they still have to have talent.

Conclusion

Like I said earlier, in Part Two we'll take a look at what the analysis I did last summer says about what ranking maybe should have been expected from this class or, more importantly, what can be expected from this class on the field, but for now I'll say that my initial impressions of this class are positive. I didn't expect a ton out of some of the kids we missed--Ronnie Wingo, Bryant Allen, etc.--and while missing out on them maybe hurt our recruiting ranking overall, I'm confident in the class we've signed, and I'm downright giddy about the potential of a few of them.

A 2009 Walkthrough: Defensive Tackles

Bill C. — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 14:00:10 -0000

Quarterbacks
Running Backs
Wide Receivers
Tight Ends
Offensive Line
Defensive Ends

Yesterday I expressed my excitement and hopeful nature regarding the replacement of both starting Mizzou defensive ends. Am I as excited about the prospects of replacing Ziggy Hood at DT? I don't think so. I'm not scared of this unit, but I'm not sure what to think just yet.

Returnees

Jaron Baston (6'1, 300, Senior)
2008: 49 tackles, 8.0 TFL, 1 sack, 2 FRs, 1 INT, 1 QB Hurry, 1 PBR

First things first: Jaron Baston is a man. He is a vocal, energetic leader, he's got friggin' tree trunks for legs, and he got better and better as his first season as a starter progressed. It wouldn't surprise me at all if he ended up a 2009 captain, actually.

The one question that remains to be answered is, how much of his success came because he's a good (and getting better) player, and how much is due to offenses being forced to focus on and double-team Ziggy? When I'm watching a game, I don't usually pay too much attention to the blocking schemes in the middle of the line--I usually don't notice the offensive guards and defensive tackles unless they're doing something really good or really bad--so I'll let somebody else answer that question. What I do know about Baston is that he is relentless, quick player who plays a lot like one of everybody's favorite former Tigers, Lorenzo Williams. Of all Mizzou's defensive struggles in '08, they didn't come from Zo's absence--Baston filled his large shoes pretty well.

The question now becomes...who fills Ziggy's shoes?

Terrell Resonno (6'6, 285, Sophomore)
2008: 13 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 1 QB Hurry

Two sophomores-to-be will be given the first shots at succeeding Ziggy Hood. First up: Terrell Resonno. The former Jeff City Jay seemed to snag a bit more playing time than the guy below, and while he didn't rack up as many tackles, he seemed (to my own eyes) to be a slightly more disruptive force. I can't say I know more about him than that, but as I mentioned before...I noticed Resonno more as the season wore on, and that's probably a good thing.

Dominique Hamilton (6'6, 285, Sophomore)
2008: 18 tackles, 0.5 TFL, 1 FF, 1 QB Hurry

This spring will test whether my eyes lie to me or not, as while I was more impressed with Resonno, Dominique Hamilton had slightly better stats. Hamilton's frame is a work in progress, as he was apparently close to 300 pounds when he was playing for El Paso Chapin High School before they broke him down and built him back up to 285. I would expect both Resonno and Hamilton to end up closer to 290 or 295 when their sophomore seasons begin.

If both Resonno and Hamilton show improvement in their sophomore campaigns, then the overall depth of the defensive line will manage pretty well despite the loss of three senior starters. This is what happens when your recruiting improves--depth accumulates when you're not paying attention, and you don't miss departing seniors as much as you thought you would. Cross your fingers that this is the case here.

Andy Maples (6'4, 300, Senior)
2008: null

A former four-star JUCO recruit, Maples has done next to nothing in a Mizzou uniform, other than oggle Jeanne Zelasko in the background of the post-game celebration at last year's Cotton Bowl. (Seriously, start at 2:36:16 of the Hulu video...and then again at 2:37:00. His is the head right over Pinkel's shoulder. I'm probably making it up--who in the hell would oggle Jeanne Zelasko???--but hey...you just flashed back to the Cotton Bowl because of me. You're welcome.) Maples has struggled here and there with injuries, but at this point I just can't make myself expect much from him in a Tiger uniform.

Bart Coslet (6'6, 250, Junior)
2008: 2 tackles

Bart Coslet appears to be a man without a position. He's built like a defensive end but plays like a defensive tackle. He moved to DT last year but had yet to put on the weight needed to actually play there consistently. I've seen this guy on campus--he's got a gigantic frame, but we'll see if he actually can mold himself into a DT contributor, or if he's destined to be stuck in Tweener Land.

Redshirts

Jimmy Burge (6'2, 280, RSFr)

Turn Jaron Baston's hair blonde (and change his pigmentation), and you've got Burge, a Baston clone with huge legs who could turn into a helluva nose tackle. Burge was only a 2-star recruit out of high school, but he was offered by Mizzou very early on and chose MU over offers from Stanford, TCU, Kansas, and others. Needless to say, Mizzou has had pretty good luck with Texas sleepers here and there, and his Rivals film shows a stout run stopper who closes quickly on the ball carrier. You have to figure Resonno and Hamilton have the upper hand in the battle for '09 starter, but don't sleep on Burge.

George White (6'2, 250, RSFr)

White came to school as a 245-pound linebacker and quickly moved to defensive end, then defensive tackle, a la Lorenzo Williams. He could be a 270-pound tweener who never finds a true position, or he could emerge from his redshirt season with a transformed 290-pound body like Williams. We won't really know until we see him in the spring. Size isn't everything at D-tackle, obviously (otherwise Andy Maples would have started this year), but you do probably need to carry a pretty high minimum weight to be able to perform well in the Big 12. You hope it works out for this kid--he was directed to check out Mizzou late in the recruiting process by high school coach Tony Van Zant (yes, that TVZ) and stuck with Mizzou after having to spend a year at prep school--but...well...it doesn't work out for everybody, so we'll see.

Incoming

Ty Phillips (6'3, 255, E. St. Louis, IL)

I mentioned in yesterday's defensive end preview that both of these guys here are high school DE's who will likely end up as either stout DEs or quick DTs, and given our end depth, I'm thinking they both end up at DT. Phillips is still a slight flight risk, as he's been offered by Illinois, has multiple teammates going to UI, and still might visit there, but the Offense-Defense All-American Game participant is a quick, good-looking prospect, and hopefully he chooses gold over orange.

Marvin Foster (6'2, 265, Ft. Worth, TX)

Foster is this class's Jimmy Burge, coming from well under the radar and committing to Mizzou very early on in the recruiting process. I believe he was injured his junior year, and nobody other than Mizzou paid attention to him, but if his Rivals film is any indication, I'm going to love this kid. Dude's quick. And how can you not like Beast Mode? Everybody always adopts a recruit as their favorite for no real reason each year...my no-real-reason favorite: Marvin Foster.

Potential Incoming

It does not appear that there are any other potential recruits in the woodwork for this class.

2008 vs 2009

While I'm overtly optimistic about the 2009 defensive ends, I'm only guardedly optimistic about the defensive tackles. Terrell Resonno and Dominique Hamilton prove themselves at least competent as redshirt freshmen, and they should both suffice as athletic redshirt sophomores in 2009. Plus, you've got at least one, maybe two, redshirt freshmen to throw into the mix. The job of Ziggy Replacement likely falls to either Resonno or Hamilton, but it will be fun to watch guys get their shots and try to perform against what should be pretty good opponents on the interior of the O-line. If I were rating my Spring Interest in given positions on a scale of 1 to 10, D-tackle would be at a solid 7.

2009 Mizzou DTs on the YouTubes

Jaron Baston talks to his old high school...

Jaron Baston babysits the Alamo Bowl trophy...

And because I mentioned it earlier...and because why not...it's the 2008 Cotton Bowl.

Poll

Who starts opposite Jaron Baston at DT in 2009?

Terrell Resonno

35 votes

Dominique Hamilton

15 votes

Andy Maples-Zelasko

5 votes

Bart Coslet

2 votes

Jimmy Burge

2 votes

George White

2 votes

61 votes | Poll has closed

SB Nation - George White

The North in 2010

Missouri

Colorado

Iowa State

Kansas

Kansas State

Nebraska

Panic Level: Position-by-Position

Quarterback

Running Back

Wide Receiver

Tight End

Offensive Line

Defensive End

Defensive Tackle

Linebacker

Defensive Back

Special Teams

Coaching

Mizzou 2009, Part Fourteen: 2010 and Beyond

2010

2011

Summary

2009 Mizzou Football Preview Series

Mizzou 2009, Part Ten: Defensive Line

Defensive Line

2009 Mizzou Football Preview Series

Mizzou Links, 7-14-09

Spring Football Update: Defensive Line

Defensive Ends

Defensive Tackles

Monday Musings - The Transitional Edition

DEPTH CHART!!!!!

So...How Did Recruiting Go? (Part One)

Bad News

Good News

Conclusion

A 2009 Walkthrough: Defensive Tackles

Returnees

Redshirts

Incoming

Potential Incoming

2008 vs 2009

2009 Mizzou DTs on the YouTubes

Who starts opposite Jaron Baston at DT in 2009?

Terrell Resonno

Dominique Hamilton

Andy Maples-Zelasko

Bart Coslet

Jimmy Burge

George White