SB Nation - Tanner Mills

Mizzou 2009, Part Fifteen: 2009 vs 1999

Bill C. — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 14:00:09 -0000

Pretty sure our current #11 is better. No offense, Jimmy D. (Via The Trib's R.C. Adams)

Almost ten years ago to the day, Missouri was at a precipice. Two years of unprecedented (in recent terms, anyway) winning broke Mizzou back into the land of respectability, but a lot of seniors had departed. Corby Jones, Devin West, Harold Piersey, Caldrinoff Easter, Marquis Gibson, Craig Heimburger, etc. Mizzou was going to be young in 1999, but they had exciting potential. Recruiting had improved! And speed! Mizzou had turned the corner as a program, and most fans truly believed that there was no turning back.

Sound familiar? Of course it does.

Missouri enters 2009 in a similar position--after two years of breaking through to a new level of wins and respectability, they have to now try to keep up momentum with a fresh bunch of young players. There is, of course, the faith that recruiting has improved, and that the program is in good shape heading into the future, but until Missouri actually proves that they are here to stay, we don't know for sure that that is the case.

In 1999, a young team quickly faced reality. After the offense carried the defense through two high-scoring wins (31-28 over UAB, 48-34 over Western Michigan), the infamous Ben Davidson game against Nebraska (Davidson snap back-to-back punts over the punter's head early in the game) was a nice slap in the face. After beating Memphis and losing a back-and-forth OT game against Colorado (still one of the most amazing games I've ever seen in person), disaster struck. Redshirt freshman QB Kirk Farmer broke his leg against Iowa State, and the offense fell apart. They were up 14-0 in the second quarter at the time of Farmer's broken leg, and over the final 5.5 games of the season, Mizzou would score just 48 points...34 of which came against Texas Tech. They would score a combined 14 points against Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, and Kansas State (all 14 coming in garbage time against ATM, with Justin Gage at QB), and in less than 12 months, Larry Smith went from "could run for Mayor of Columbia" to "could conceivably be fired."

Could the bottom fall out in 2009? Probably not, but of course it's a possibility. It's always a possibility if the right (well, wrong) things happen. The best thing to do a week away from the start of the season is compare the 1999 roster and schedule to 2009's. Remember, Mizzou went 4-7 in 1999...and they are predicted by multiple analysts (Phil Steele and Bruce Feldman to name two) to miss a bowl and have a similar record in 2009.

(For a further refresher on 1999, here's a pre-spring depth chart and the final 1999 statistics.)

After some early struggles, the Mizzou defense wasn't really that bad. The worst part of the defense was an offense that was going three-and-out about 17 times a game down the stretch.

Let's take a look at the (rough) depth charts for each year and see which team had the advantage, and in which areas.

Offense

1999		2009
Pos.	Player	Pos	Player	Advantage
QB	Jim Dougherty (6'3, 190, So.) Kirk Farmer (6'4, 200, RSFr.)	QB	Blaine Gabbert (6'5, 240, So.) Jimmy Costello (6'3, 225, So.)	2009
TB	DeVaughn Black (5'11, 203, Sr.) Zain Gilmore (6'1, 205, So.)	RB	Derrick Washington (6'0, 225, Jr.) De'Vion Moore (5'9, 195, So.)	2009
WR	Kent Layman (5'11, 187, Sr.) Eric Spencer (6'1, 165, So.)	WR	Danario Alexander (6'5, 215, Sr.) L'Damian Washington (6'4, 180, Fr.)	2009
WR	~~John Dausman (6'1, 184, Jr.)~~ Travis Garvin (6'1, 182, Fr.) Kareem Wise (6'3, 216, Sr.)	WR	Jared Perry (6'1, 180, Sr.) Jerrell Jackson (6'1, 190, So.) Rolandis Woodland (6'3, 200, RSFr.)	2009
FB	Rob West (6'0, 240, Sr.) Joe Chirumbolo (6'2, 246, Fr.)	WR	Wes Kemp (6'4, 225, So.) T.J. Moe (6'0, 190, So.)	2009
TE	Dwayne Blakely (6'4, 256, So.) Brandon Ford (6'3, 245, So.)	TE	Andrew Jones (6'5, 245, So.) Michael Egnew (6'6, 230, So.)	Draw
LT	Aaron Crittendon (6'5, 280, So.) Mike Ostendorf (6'5, 250, So.)	LT	Elvis Fisher (6'5, 300, So.) Mike Prince (6'3, 300, Jr.)	2009
LG	Joe Glauberman (6'3, 300, So.) Wes Wilson (6'4, 280, RSFr.)	LG	Austin Wuebbels (6'4, 305, So.) Jayson Palmgren (6'2, 305, So.)	Draw
C	Rob Riti (6'3, 285, Sr.) Mike Hayes (6'3, 298, So.)	C	Tim Barnes (6'4, 310, Jr.) Travis Ruth (6'3, 305, RSFr.)	1999
RG	Adrian Cole (6'4, 306, So.) J.P. Hall (6'4, 265, RSFr.)	RG	Kurtis Gregory (6'5, 305, Sr.) J.T. Beasley (6'4, 295, So.)	2009
RT	Justin Bland (6'6, 316, So.) Brad Smith (6'6, 289, Sr.)	RT	Dan Hoch (6'7, 320, So.) Jack Meiners (6'6, 305, Fr.)	2009

K	Brad Hammerich (6'3, 176, So.) Brian Long (5'11, 203, So.)	K	Grant Ressel (6'2, 190, So.) Tanner Mills (6'2, 200, Sr.)	1999
PR	Arty Johnson (5'10, 168, Sr.) John McPherson (5'11, 175, RSFr.)	PR	Carl Gettis (5'11, 195, Jr.) T.J. Moe (6'0, 190, Fr.)	Draw

Thoughts:

Of the 13 slots listed above, the 2009 team appears to have the advantage in eight, the 1999 team has the advantage in two, and there are three draws.
I love Tim Barnes, but Rob Riti was an All-American, so he gets the edge.
Joe Glauberman and Austin Wuebbels are actually in a similar situation--overshadowed by more high profile recruits, they quietly locked down a starting slot.
One pleasant surprise stemming from 1999 was the kicking of Brad Hammerich. If Grant Ressel, Tanner Mills or Trey Barrow end up being a similar pleasant surprise in 2009, I don't think anybody would complain.
I loved Kent Layman to death, but...yeah, Danario's better. Much, much better. And a moment of silence, please, for John Dausman's knees.

Defense

1999		2009
Pos.	Player	Pos	Player	Advantage
DE	Justin Smith (6'5, 267, So.) Daryl Whittington (6'6, 227, Jr.)	DE	Jacquies Smith (6'4, 250, So.) Brad Madison (6'4, 260, RSFr.)	1999
DT	Jeff Marriott (6'5, 288, Sr.) Cedric Harden (6'3, 275, RSFr.)	DT	Jaron Baston (6'1, 305, Sr.) Jimmy Burge (6'2, 285, RSFr.)	2009
DT	Steve Erickson (6'4, 280, Jr.) Terrell Jurineack (6'4, 271, Sr.)	DT	Terrell Resonno (6'6, 295, So.) Dominique Hamilton (6'6, 300, So.)	1999
DE	Pat Mingucci (6'2, 266, Sr.) Danny McCamy (6'3, 250, Jr.)	DE	Brian Coulter (6'4, 250, Sr.) Aldon Smith (6'5, 255, RSFr.)	2009
OLB	Pat "TV's Patrick" Duffy (6'3, 236, So.) Josh O'Neal (6'1, 230, RSFr.)	OLB	Sean Weatherspoon (6'2, 250, Sr.) Donovan Bonner (6'2, 240, Fr.)	2009
Sam	Barry Odom (6'0, 219, Sr.) Michael Clay (6'3, 255, RSFr.)	MLB	Luke Lambert (6'3, 235, Jr.) Will Ebner (6'1, 230, So.)	1999
Will	Jamonte Robinson (6'2, 210, So.) Duke Revard (6'3, 232, So.)	OLB	Andrew Gachkar (6'3, 230, Jr.) Zaviar Gooden (6'2, 225, RSFr.)	Draw
CB	Carlos Posey (6'0, 202, Sr.) John McPherson (5'11, 175, RSFr.)	CB	Carl Gettis (5'11, 195, Jr.) Trey Hobson (5'11, 190, So.)	2009
CB	Antoine Duncan (5'10, 190, RSFr.) Andre Roberson (5'10, 172, Jr.)	CB	Kevin Rutland (6'0, 195, Jr.) Robert Steeples (6'1, 195, RSFr.)	2009
FS	Julian Jones (5'11, 189, Jr.) Rodger Winston (6'1, 220, Sr.)	FS	Kenji Jackson (5'10, 195, So.) Jarrell Harrison (6'2, 220, Jr.)	Draw
SS	Clarence Jones (6'1, 180, So.) Harold Hendricks (6'3, 207, Jr.)	SS	Hardy Ricks (6'0, 200, Sr.) Jasper Simmons (6'1, 205, Jr.)	2009

P	Vince "00" Sebo (6'1, 228, Sr.) Jared Gilpin (5'10, 168, So.)	P	Jake Harry (6'1, 195, Sr.) Matt Grabner (6'4, 200, So.)	2009
KR	Ricardo Rhodes (5'6, 174, Jr.) Travis Garvin (6'1, 182, Fr.)	KR	Jasper SImmons (6'1, 205, Jr.) Kip Edwards (6'1, 200, RSFr.)	Draw

That's right, this team had players named Brad Smith and Pat Duffy...plus, there was a Stephen Colbert to boot. Hey, every team's gotta be good at something, and Mizzou 1999 was good at...having good names.
So that's seven in favor of 2009, three for 1999, and three draws.
Really, I'm giving Andrew Gachkar a decent amount of faith there because Jamonte Robinson was pretty damn good (94 tackles, 13 TFL/sacks, 5 passes broken up). Gack won't put together those stats, but he can be just as useful for the defense at hand. In the Larry Smith defense, all tackles were filtered to the Sam and Will (the OLB was as much of a DE as a linebacker), so Jamonte and his eight-foot arms were bound to rack up the tackles, though the 13 TFL/sacks is a really nice number. If only Jamonte were 25 pounds heavier, he was good enough to play in the pros. I'm challenging you, Gack--I'm saying that you're as right for this offense as Jamonte was for his...prove me right.
Carlos Posey had a really interesting career at Mizzou. He scored more touchdowns than any defensive back I can remember, but he was virtually nonexistant in 1999, registering one INT and just 29 tackles. I realize The Carl Gettis Treatment isn't a fan favorite at this point, but I think he still has the edge.
Not much of a Hardy Ricks fan, but I really wasn't a Clarence Jones fan. And while I love Kenji Jackson, I loved Julian Jones, so that's a draw.
Sean Weatherspoon vs TV's Patrick Duffy is one of the most unfair comparisons in the history of the world. Mizzou's 2009 team should really get about six advantages just from this matchup.

So as a whole, as one would expect, the 2009 team is much more proven, much more talented, and much faster. What about the other teams on Mizzou's schedule?

The Opponents

Needless to say, the North Division was in much better shape in 1999. Nebraska started the season ranked #6, Colorado #15, and Kansas State (facing similar rebuilding prospects in 1999 as Mizzou is in 2009, but getting a bit more respect) #20. The South was represented by #7 Texas A&M (a Mizzou 1999 opponent) and #17 Texas (not).

Whereas the North this year is represented by the #24 and #25 teams in the AP preseason poll, the North in 1999 was the class of the conference, with three teams in the Top 20. Their South opponents, meanwhile, were coming off of a conference title (ATM), a 7-5 record (Texas Tech), and one of the biggest upgrades in the history of coaching changes (OU, going from John Blake to Bob Stoops).

In 2009, Missouri faces, to say the least, a much less intimidating slate of opponents in the North division. The two favorites--Nebraska and Kansas--have pretty well-defined question marks and barely slipped into the preseason polls, and the other three division opponents--ISU, KSU, Colorado--have been outscored by Mizzou a combined 297-114 the last two years.

While the North slate is easier, the South slate is potentially tougher. Texas is the consensus #2 team in the country, OSU is in the Top 15, and Baylor...well, they're still Baylor to some degree, but this should be the best Baylor team of the last decade, for what that's worth. Behold the power of the Hot Tub.

In all, Mizzou faces 4-5 likely bowl teams in the conference in 2009, with two more (Illinois, Nevada) in non-conference play. They face 1-2 elite teams in Texas and possibly Oklahoma State In 1999, they faced six bowl-eligible teams, two elite opponents in Nebraska and Kansas State.

So when all's said and done, I guess it's about a wash.

But if the strength of schedule is about the same, and the team is significantly better...that probably means much more than four wins, right?

Summary

Clearly Mizzou is in better shape heading into 2009 than 1999. As mentioned before, you never know for sure where your program stands until you see the product on the field, but the depth chart has more proven quantities and is much, much better overall.

The key of course, will be the unforeseen developments of 2009. If Kirk Farmer hadn't gotten hurt, Missouri would have at least beaten Iowa State and given Kansas a better run. They may not have finished any better than 5-6, but they also probably wouldn't have so completely quit on the season, and there might have been a little more to build upon heading into 2000.

With the depth chart at hand, Missouri has at least a chance at making a run at another North title. But if Blaine Gabbert gets hurt? Or one of the tackles? Or Danario Alexander (again)? Injuries could pretty significantly alter this team's outlook, especially at quarterback. You could say that any year, but it's more true on a team that is so thin at QB and so impressively young overall.

In the end, though, as we mentioned on Friday, 2009 is only one piece of this program's future. Avoiding disaster in 2009 should mean very good things in 2010 and 2011, and to say the least, the foundation of the Missouri program is in much better shape, much less likely to teeter, in 2009 than it was a decade ago.

Mizzou 2009, Part Thirteen: Special Teams

Bill C. — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 18:00:10 -0000

And the unit-by-unit previews draw to a close...

Special Teams

2008 Unit Ranking: #16 Net Punting, #32 Punt Returns, #78 Kickoff Returns

Projected Starters
K Tanner Mills (6'2, 200, Sr.)
P Jake Harry (6'1, 195, Sr.)
KR Jasper Simmons (6'1, 205, Jr.)
PR T.J. Moe (6'0, 190, Fr.)

Missouri's 2008 special teams unit set a pretty high standard, did it not? Mizzou's best kick/punt returner, their most accurate place-kicker, and the 16th-best net punting unit in the country is a pretty damn stout unit. Clearly things are much more up in the air for 2009, and clearly there will probably be at least a slight drop-off here, but how much of one?

1. So who the hell is going to return kicks? Sounds like that answer is starting to round into shape. Based on recent practice reports, Jasper Simmons will be manning the kick return duties, while Carl Gettis will return punts...for now. I love The Carl Gettis Treatment as much as anybody, but in the smallest of small sample sizes, Gettis struggled handling kicks during the spring game, and that got me a little spooked. He'll probably be just fine, but it does sound like T.J. Moe will be getting a look here as he gets healthier, and since a) he was who I initially predicted to win the job this summer, and b) I haven't personally seen him muff any kicks (I haven't personally seen him do a damn thing, but that's besides the point), I'd be okay with that.

I must say, I'm starting to become very curious with what we're going to see from Jasper Simmons this fall. People raved about his athleticism this summer, and his play in August has confirmed the growing perception. He has apparently looked good in special teams, and he has apparently gained ground on both Hardy Ricks and Jarrell Harrison for a starting safety spot.

In the end, this unit is probably not going to duplicate both the production and the threat that Jeremy Maclin provided. Mizzou was only 78th in kickoff returns last year, but I'm willing to bet that their average starting field position was much better than 78th considering the myriad of ways that teams avoided kicking to Maclin. His killer returns bookended the season (he had a huge, momentum-turning kickoff return against Illinois in the opener and a desperately-needed punt return against Northwestern in the finale), and while we can't expect Simmons, Gettis/Moe, or whoever to replicate that, they can still make sure this unit isn't a complete weakness. We've heard a lot recently about how this Mizzou team is the fastest Gary Pinkel has had in Columbia--if that's really the case, then there should certainly be some pretty decent options in the return game...as long as they can catch and hold onto the ball, anyway.

2. Is Jake Harry looking better than he did in the spring? Seems like it. He's actually been out-kicked in both scrimmages by sophomore walk-on Matt Grabner, but obviously that doesn't tell us anything about their respective hang-time. Hang-time was a key component to Harry's success last year, as he averaged a respectable 40.7-yard average but a very good 37.7 net average. Of his 26 punts, 5 were fair-caught and 10 were downed inside the 20, meaning over half of his kicks resulted in no return, which is awesome.

Mizzou implemented the awesome righty-lefty rugby-kicking platoon in 2008, with Jeff Wolfert punting seven times when Mizzou was on or near the left hash-mark, and it's at least possible that we'll see the same thing in 2009, assuming a) Matt Grabner is deemed ready for the spotlight, and b) Grabner's actually a righty (I have no idea). Punting has taken on an extra layer of strategery over the last year or two, with the rugby kick being eased in more and more, and it wouldn't surprise me to see the same thing continuing this year.

3. Tanner Mills is going to be the place-kicker...right? Well...maybe not. General Mills is definitely going to be the kickoff specialist, and word has it that he's going to be as good a kickoffs guy as Mizzou has ever had, but it's starting to look like maybe sophomore Grant Ressel has overtaken him on FGs and PATs. Ressel saw the field once in 2008, uncorking a lovely, high, fair-caught 43-yard punt against SEMO, and as I mentioned with Gettis above, I'm not going to pretend that I'm not swayed by tiny sample sizes. I'm relatively confident in Ressel, but it sounds like overall neither Mills, nor Ressel, nor Trey Barrow are tremendously reliable right now from outside of about 35-40 yards. All three were outstanding in the first scrimmage, and all three were downright bad in the second. It's always different when the national TV cameras are on, however, so we'll see how Ressel, if he's deemed The Man, responds in The Dome.

In all, Mizzou does seem to have at least a few special teams weapons at their disposal. Even if they're not as dangerous in the return game, and even if they are no longer almost 100% automatic on FGs of less than 40-45 yards, they could still win the special teams battle if punting and kickoffs are stellar and they're at least competent in returns and place-kicking. Field position is such a huge thing, bigger than we even think it is, and if Mizzou is averaging 37-39 net yards on a punt and kicking touchbacks half the time or better, while at least getting kick returns out to the 25-30 and not muffing punt returns, special teams will be alright. Not great, but alright. In the North, only Nebraska has a rock-solid special teams unit, so Mizzou will still be able to compete here.

SB Nation 2009 Big 12 Preview: Missouri

RPT — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 17:00:14 -0000

In conjunction with CBS Sports, the folks at The Ralphie Report are organizing the official SB Nation 2009 Big 12 Conference Preview. What follows is Rock M Nation's "outsider's" look at the 2009 Missouri Tigers, much like you'd find in many preseason magazines across the country.

Offense (returning starters: 5)

In 2009, for only the second time in school history, the Missouri Tigers will have replace their quarterback and top three pass catchers. The familiar cast of characters that pushed Missouri to the summit in the Big 12 North -- field general Chase Daniel, the electric Jeremy Maclin, the reliable Chase Coffman, and the ever steady Tommy Saunders -- are all gone. So too is offensive coordinator Dave Christensen, now the head coach at Wyoming.

But if there's reason for optimism, it's that Missouri appears ready for a new cast of playmakers. Missouri isn't quite at "reload" instead of "rebuild" stage, but the Tigers shouldn't be short of firepower. Sophomore Blaine Gabbert takes the reins of the Tiger offense. Gabbert, a 5-star recruit out of high school, is loaded with the physical skills to make NFL scouts drool, but the onus is on him to prove his rocket arm can be complemented with accuracy and good decision making. By all accounts, he's had a fantastic offseason, but true judgment won't start until the season starts, as everything changes after the first hit and the first interception.

He'll be joined in the backfield by what coach Gary Pinkel has called the best 1-2 punch he's had at tailback in his tenure at Missouri. Junior Derrick Washington returns after a 1,000-yard, 17-touchdown season rushing in 2008 despite playing on a torn meniscus for 13 of Missouri's 14 games. In addition to shouldering some of the early season burden on the ground to help Gabbert along, Washington is one of the best receiving backs in the Big 12. He'll be spelled by sophomore De'Vion Moore, a shifty back who showed his potential on a 55-yard touchdown run against Colorado in 2008. Washington and Moore help form one of the conference's better tailback tandems, and it appears they will be joined by true freshman Kendial Lawrence, who has made a big push for playing time this summer.

Missouri's anchored by an offensive line that appears to be one of the conference's best, as it is showing the fruit of Gary Pinkel's labor on the recruiting trail. Senior Kurtis Gregory will be a third-year starter at guard, a season removed from being named second team All-Big 12. Redshirt sophomore Elvis Fisher and true sophomore Dan Hoch -- who average 6'6", 310 -- should be Missouri's two tackles. Fisher outperformed expectations as a starter in 2008, and Hoch, a former 4-star recruit, became one of the first true freshmen to see playing time on the offensive line for Gary Pinkel. Tim Barnes returns to start at center. In 2008, Barnes had the unenviable task of walking into a position where Missouri had seen only three starters over the previous 12 seasons, but performed extremely well. The main question for most observers on the offensive line is guard Austin Wuebbels, who has been impressive in camp thus far.

The biggest questions are at wide receiver, where Missouri looks extremely deep but less explosive than in previous years. The receiving corps could legitimately run about nine deep. Seniors Jared Perry and Danario Alexander, despite bouts with injury and inconsistency throughout their careers, are expected to be the top two targets. In addition, Gabbert appears to have developed chemistry with sophomore Wes Kemp. Odds are that Missouri has no way of replacing the dual threat of Jeremy Maclin, but should Missouri try, sophomore Jerrell Jackson seems to have worked his way into that role. At tight end, Andrew Jones has proven to be a valuable target capable of moving the chains, and Michael Egnew's athleticism has many in the program excited.

All in all, Missouri hopes to plug and play with the names that are most likely new to the national scene. The offense falls under the direction of Dave Yost, previously the quarterbacks coach, who had as much a hand in Missouri's recent offenses as the recently departed Christensen.

(Rest of the preview after the jump)

Defense (returning starters: 4)

Gone is former defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, who presided over a much maligned defensive in 2008. In steps linebackers coach Dave Steckel, who will bring some fire and brimstone and a "keep it simple" philosophy to the position.

On the defensive line, Missouri replaces three starters, two of whom (Evander Hood and Stryker Sulak) were NFL draft picks. The defensive end unit appears to be one of the strongest on the team, as reporters have gushed over the three-pronged end attack of Brian Coulter, Jacquies Smith, and Aldon Smith, with the first two having seen significant time in 2008. Although they'll need to prove their worth against the run, all three are explosive edge rushers who have gotten upfield with consistency and should provide Missouri its best pass rush of the Pinkel era. Missouri's biggest question may be inside, where returning starter Jaron Baston is accompanied by a large question mark at the other defensive tackle spot. The position seems to be an offseason-long battle between Terrell Resonno and Dominique Hamilton to fill the spot vacated by Ziggy Hood.

The Tigers return one of the top linebackers in the country in Sean Weatherspoon. In three seasons, Spoon has accounted for 302 tackles, eight sacks, 18.5 tackles for loss, three interceptions and two touchdowns. Luke Lambert will slide inside to fill the MLB spot vacated by Brock Christopher. The junior has very quietly gone about his business over the last two seasons. Andrew Gachkar is expected to win the final linebacking job. Gachkar, who had a rib removed to break up a blood clot before 2008, could very well determine Missouri's defensive strategy in 2009. In 2008, Missouri often used nickel packages to counter the high flying offenses of the Big 12. This season, Gachkar appears to be fast enough and strong enough in coverage to allow Missouri to remain in its base 4-3 more frequently.

Missouri runs six-deep at cornerback, but after third-year junior starter Carl Gettis at one corner, the other five are locked in a battle for the second spot. Gary Pinkel has praised the group as the most athletic he's had, but after a season where the unit was constantly crucified by national media and many fans, that athleticism needs to result in improved game performance. Missouri faces similar questions at safety, where the Tigers replace NFL draft pick William Moore, a 2007 all-American who was constantly fighting injuries in 2008. Sophomore Kenji Jackson showed great promise at the end of 2008 and appears to have locked down one safety spot. At the other safety spot, many Missouri fans expected senior Hardy Ricks to cede the spot to Jarrell Harrison, but Ricks -- highly regarded as a hitter but somewhat of an unknown quantity in coverage -- has supposedly held up his end of the bargain this spring. More than anything, the defensive backfield needs to shore up the communication issues that plagued them in 2008, resulting in several high profile breakdowns for big plays.

Special Teams

It will be no easy task for Missouri to replace Jeff Wolfert, the diver turned walk-on turned scholarship kicker who exited Mizzou as the most accurate field goal kicker in NCAA history. The job has turned into a battle between Tanner Mills and Grant Ressel for placekicking duties, although Mills appears to have secured the job for kickoffs, a spot where he should be a definite improvement over Wolfert.

Jake Harry returns to punt for Missouri. The punting position was an area of concern for Tiger fans entering 2008, but Harry was solid all season long and perhaps the unsung hero of the Alamo Bowl against Northwestern. Missouri's punting was aided in 2008 when Missouri instituted the rugby punt against Oklahoma State to avoid Dez Bryant and carried it throughout the rest of the season.

Jeremy Maclin single handedly swung momentum in Missouri's favor in games against Illinois and Northwestern with returns for touchdowns, and it's not a stretch to say replacing his ability to change a game on special teams may be impossible. Right now, guesses about who gets the returning jobs are six for a dollar. Names that have floated around include Munir Prince, Jerrell Jackson, Kendial Lawrence, Jared Perry, Rolandis Woodland, De'Vion Moore and Jasper Simmons.

Key losses

-- Offense: QB Chase Daniel, WR Jeremy Maclin, TE Chase Coffman, OL Ryan Madison

-- Defense: DE Stryker Sulak, DT Ziggy Hood, LB Brock Christopher, S William Moore

-- Special Teams: K Jeff Wolfert, KR/PR Jeremy Maclin

Season Forecast

As it has for the last two seasons, Missouri begins its campaign in St. Louis, where they'll meet the Illinois Fighting Illini. Missouri has won all four meetings between the teams this decade, although Illinois will be a far more proven commodity in a game that should be a matchup of UI's proven talent versus MU's unproven potential. After home dates with Bowling Green and Furman, Missouri goes on the road to play what is perhaps the most sneakily dangerous game on the schedule, a nationally-televised Friday night game in Reno against the Nevada Wolf Pack. Missouri destroyed a solid Nevada team, 69-17, in Columbia last season, and the combination of the pressure of Missouri's first true road test and Nevada's potent offense could be very troublesome for a young Tiger team. Anywhere from 4-0 to 2-2 is a possibility for the Tigers to open 2009, with house money probably being played on 3-1.

Missouri opens conference play with probably its most pivotal game of the season when the Nebraska Cornhuskers come to Columbia for a nationally televised Thursday night game. Much like it was supposed to be two years ago, the game could be a statement about the balance of power in the Big 12 North. Win that game, and the Tigers are in play for a third straight North title.

After that, the Tigers figure to be underdogs against the Oklahoma State Cowboys and Texas Longhorns, but should be either favorites or close to a pick 'em in almost every game the rest of the season. Missouri has to travel to face the Kansas State Wildcats and Colorado Buffaloes and faces everyone's upset special -- the Baylor Bears -- in Columbia. Once again, the Tigers end the season in Kansas City against the Kansas Jayhawks, where all bets are off and any predictions don't matter.

Question marks abound for Missouri, which is why prognosticators have the Tigers anywhere from 5-7 and fifth in the North to 10-2 and champions of the North. The truth, which may very well lie in the middle around 8-4, remains to be seen.

Predicted order of finish

Big 12 North
Kansas**
Missouri
Nebraska
Kansas State
Colorado
Iowa State

** Wins three-way tiebreaker on strength of 5-0 North record

Big 12 South
Texas
Oklahoma
Oklahoma State
Texas Tech
Baylor
Texas A&M

For more in-depth coverage, refer to our Mizzou Football Preview series:

It's safe to say...Scrimmage No. 1 will not dampen optimism

Bill C. — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 00:00:33 -0000

"What you did today? Do exactly that on September 5."

First, the initial scrimmage reports from the usual suspects:

Dave Matter: Gabbert, tailbacks shine in first scrimmage
Gabbert finished the day 17 of 22 for 219 yards, with a touchdown pass and an interception ... on a tipped ball that could have been caught. To give you some perspective on how much his accuracy has improved, here were the five incompletions: (1) A swing pass to Derrick Washington in the flat that was too high; (2) a 19-yard bullet that Wes Kemp couldn't corral despite a diving effort in the end zone; (3) a drop by Jared Perry; (4) a pass off Perry's chest that safety Jasper Simmons intercepted on the deflection; and (5) another off Perry's hands. Otherwise, Gabbert completed 14 of his final 15 passes. Of his 22 attempts, all but one, the early dink to Washington, hit his intended target. Not too shabby.
PowerMizzou: Gabbert, ground game highlight scrimmage
Gabbert was finally able to show his speed, as well, finishing with 55 yards on 5 carries and a touchdown. After practice, Sean Weatherspoon claimed Gabbert ran a 4.5-second 40-yard dash the last time the team tested, and it showed. The sophomore, who was the only QB in the protective green jersey, ran for one touchdown, and would have had a second and third if not for the scrimmage's touch-rule. With the pocket disintegrating because of the ever-present Aldon Smith, Gabbert split through the defensive line and cut right, heading 18 yards into the endzone.
The Trib: Missouri scrimmage stats
KC Star: Scrimmage report
PowerMizzou: Scenes from Saturday's scrimmage
PowerMizzou: PMTV: Tigers talk about scrimmage
PowerMizzou: PMTV: Missouri Scrimmage highlights

Until a relatively humbling Black & Gold Game, in which he struggled while missing his top two receivers (Jared Perry, Danario Alexander) and his top target at a previous scrimmage (Michael Egnew), the spring storyline was that Blaine Gabbert was improving by the day, and that big things could be in store. After B&G, however, we got to hear all summer how Gabbert had an "up and down" spring (because nobody pays attention to anything but the spring game), which was honestly a nice motivator for Gabbert and everybody involved.

So we get to August, and we're right back to hearing about Gabbert looking better every single day. Yikes. Until he proves himself on September 5, clearly this is all relatively meaningless. But holy crap...it's getting harder and harder to stay grounded and not get excited.

Looking over the stats, there is a lot to like. After the defense dominated earlier in the week, the offense struck back in grand fashion. Mizzou's three main RBs (D-Wash, De'Vion Moore, Kendial Lawrence) put up 115 yards in 21 carries, and their current projected starting receivers (Danario, Perry, Wes Kemp) had 13 catches for 181 yards (despite Perry apparently having a pretty poor day).

Meanwhile, the kicking game looked good--Tanner Mills (sorry, General Mills), Grant Ressel, and Trey Barrow made a combined 20 of 24 field goals, while Mills routinely landed kickoffs deep in the endzone. And the defense, torched by the first string offenses, unloaded on the second- and third-string offenses, picking off a total of five passes (Jasper Simmons, Matt White, Jeff Gettys, and two walk-ons nabbed them) and "sacking" the QB seven times.

All you can really ask for from a scrimmage, in which there's always a zero sum game going on (if Mizzou makes a good play, they're making it against...Mizzou), is that the first-string of both the offense and defense looked good, and without actually having been there, I'd say the stats and the above links suggest just that.

And of course, if you missed it below...

PowerMizzou: Tigers land state's best
Post-Dispatch: State's top prospect commits to Mizzou
Demien didn’t know his recruiting would transpire like it did.

"I was hoping to land maybe one or two offers from schools," he said. "I didn’t know it was going to blow up this big. I was awestruck at first. I was shell-shocked, you could say. I started to weed out schools where I didn’t want to go because I didn’t want to waste their time.

"Missouri had always been one of my top schools. I rooted for them growing up. I got to look at Oklahoma. I felt Mizzou had the same stuff there. I felt like I could excel at Missouri the same way I could at Oklahoma."

We've been pretty optimistic about our chances with Demien for a while, but it's nice that he pulled the trigger before the season started. Now all eyes turn to Marcus Lucas and Kony Ealy. Land Lucas, who's had Mizzou at the top of his list for a while, and this is a really good class. Lucas, Demien, James Franklin, Jimmie Hunt, and a bunch of kids who were good enough to get early offers? Yes, please.

Land Lucas AND Ealy, who appears to be favoring Georgia Tech at the moment, and I think most would consider this Pinkel's best class, top to bottom, even if the rest of the scholarships go to a bunch of 2-star Texans (which they probably will...and with Donovan Bonner thriving immediately, it's hard to complain too much about that strategy, huh?).

Mizzou Links, 8-13-09

Bill C. — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 10:47:33 -0000

Mizzou Practice Links!

Dave Matter: Wednesday Practice Report
Pinkel said jobs are set at punter (Jake Harry IV) long snapper (Beau Brinkley), holder (Brandon Gerau) and kickoff specialist (Tanner Mills). "Mills is doing exceptionally well, probably as good as we’ve ever had," Pinkel said. But he hasn’t nailed down the kicking job for PAT/field goals. "That battle might go down to the last scrimmage. I’m not sure," Pinkel said. … Same for the return duties. "We have some good athletes, but we’re trying to really narrow that down," Pinkel said. "We look at that every single day as we do everything. But I can’t really tell you who’s going to be the guy at either one of those. Punt" return "is probably always the biggest concern because in order to be at that position, you’ve got to catch the football. That’s the most important thing. Who’s the guy who can catch the best and do something with it afterwards."
PowerMizzou: Wednesday Practice Report
One thing we've known Will Ebner can do is hit. He showed it today, once against a receiver and once against a defensive teammate. First, Woodland went high for a ball and tipped it. Ebner and Simmons collided where the receiver would have come down. Simmons got the worst of the collision. Later, it was Woodland who felt the wrath of Ebner. The linebacker sniffed out a reverse nicely, stretched Woodland almost all the way to the sideline and absolutely lowered the boom.
Mutigers.com: Training Camp Practice Report
Practice closed with the #1 offense and #1 defense going at it near midfield, and the defense had the edge early on, as Ricks stopped an attempted end around for no gain, and DB Kevin Rutland stopped a screen pass to Washington for no gain, before it held Gabbert to little gain on a keeper. But Gabbert and his offense rallied from a 5-2 deficit in the drill to win four straight plays and claim a 6-5 win for the offense, which broke a tie in the overall standings for the day, giving the offense a win. The rally started when Gabbert hit Alexander for 10 yards, and continued on the next play with a completion to Perry for a gain of 15 yards on the left side. Gabbert took it himself on a keeper that went for 5-6 yards to tie the score, and he completed the comeback when he found Kemp for a gain of around 10 yards, with Kemp securing the ball by making a nice sliding catch for the win…
PowerMizzou: August 12 Practice Photos

Gary Pinkel, Aug. 12 from Dave Matter on Vimeo.

Other videos: PowerMizzou's ($) PMTV: Wednesday Practice Highlights and The Trib's Behind the Stripes Web Cast.

Spring Football Post-Mortem: The Defense

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

Defensive Line

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

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

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

Linebackers

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

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

Defensive Backs

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

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

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

Special Teams

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Conclusion

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

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

A 2009 Walkthrough: Special Teams

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

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

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

Kicker

Tanner Mills (6'2, 195, Senior)

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

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

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

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

Trey Barrow (6'3, 175, RSFr)

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

Punter

Jake Harry (6'1, 190, Senior)

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

Grant Ressel (6'1, 180, Sophomore)

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

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

Kick Returner

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Punt Returner

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

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

2008 vs 2009

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

Poll

Who will be returning kickoffs for Mizzou in 2009?

De'Vion Moore

21 votes

Gahn McGaffie

24 votes

Robert Steeples

3 votes

Kip Edwards

0 votes

Munir Prince

9 votes

Drew Temple

8 votes

La'Roderick Thomas

2 votes

other

7 votes

74 votes | Poll has closed

The Fog of '09 - North Defenses

Bill C. — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 19:00:04 -0000

Yesterday, it was North Offenses. Today, North Defenses.

Defensive Lines

Nebraska (DT Ndamukong Suh, DE Pierre Allen)
Kansas (DE Jake Laptad, DT Richard Johnson, DT Caleb Blakesley)
Missouri (DT Jaron Baston, DE Brian Coulter, DE Jacquies Smith)
Kansas State (DE Brandon Harold, DT Daniel Calvin)
Iowa State (DE Rashawn Parker, DT Nate Frere)
Colorado (DE Jason Brace, ?)

That's right, Ndamukong Suh still has eligibility left--feels like he's been having an up-and-down season for Nebraska since about 2003--and he and Pierre Allen should make a pretty solid DL for the Huskers. KU returns a decent amount, and while their unit will be far from spectacular, it will be steady and reliable. Missouri has a lot of potential at DE with Coulter and Smith, but they still have to replace a lot of career starts.

Linebackers

Missouri (Sean Weatherspoon--for now, Luke Lambert)
Nebraska (Phil Dillard, Blake Lawrence)
Colorado (Jeff Smart, Shaun Mohler)
Iowa State (Jesse Smith, Fred Garrin, Cameron Bell)
Kansas State (Olu Hall, Ulla Pomele)
Kansas (?)

I think Sean Weatherspoon will return, but I could be wrong. If he doesn't...well, MU probably doesn't fall very far because NOBODY will have tremendous LBs in 2009. Jeff Smart is solid, but that's really all CU has. Smith and Garrin have had their moments at ISU, but...yeah, they're still only average. NU returns Phil Dillard and some youngsters with potential, and if 'Spoon is in the NFL in 2009, that should give NU the best unit.

Defensive Backs

Kansas State (CB Joshua Moore, CB Blair Irvin, S Courtney Herndon)
Iowa State (CB Leonard Johnson, S James Smith)
Nebraska (S Rickey Thenarse, S Larry Asante)
Kansas (CB/S Chris Harris, S Darrell Stuckey, CB Daymond Patterson)
Missouri (CB Carl Gettis, S Kenji Jackson)
Colorado (CB Cha'pelle Brown, ?)

Oy. If there's one reason why North offenses should still be pretty successful in 2009, it's because nobody in the North returns a quality secondary. I'm probably underrating the Missouri secondary here--Iowa State game aside, Castine Bridges hasn't been anything special in '08, and there won't be a huge dropoff to Kevin Rutland or one of the RSFrs. Meanwhile, Missouri fans are loving them some Kenji Jackson. But only Carl Gettis will be proven.

Also, I might be overrating Iowa State, but I love me some Leonard Johnson.

North Defenses, 2009

Nebraska (15)
Missouri (12)
Kansas State (11)
Iowa State (10)
Kansas (9)
Colorado (6)

As with the offenses, each North defense will have its strengths and weaknesses...but not a lot of strengths. Nebraska scores the best, and they're returning only about six starters. Missouri loses William Moore and most of its D-line, and they still might have the best North defense. Iowa State's D was brutal in '08, and they actually score pretty well here. Big-time tossup. A lot will come down to matchups and schedules...so after we look at special teams, we'll look at that.

Special Teams

Iowa State (K Grant Mahoney, P Mike Brandtner, KR/PR's Leonard Johnson, Devin McDowell)
Nebraska (K Alex Henery, KR/PR Niles Paul)
Colorado (KR/PR Josh Smith, P Matt DiLallo, K Aric Goodman)
Kansas State (KR/PR Deon Murphy, P George Pierson)
Missouri (P Jake Harry, K Tanner Mills)
Kansas (PR Daymond Patterson, K Jacob Branstetter, P Alonso Rojas)

Honestly, only ISU has a relatively complete special teams unit. I'm optimistic that Missouri's return game will still be decent with Gahn McGaffie or whoever ends up back there, but that's me projecting greatness on newcomers...so for now they're stuck low on the list. Colorado has a solid return man in Smith, but no kickers. KSU has a solid return man in Murphy, but no kickers. Kansas...yeah, same.

Coaches

Missouri
Kansas
Nebraska
Kansas State
Colorado
Iowa State

Mizzou could lose either or both coordinators, but I think this is where continuity pays off--the guys under the coordinators (Yost, Hill, Steckel, etc.) basically share the same brain as Eberflus and Christensen, so I'm not tremendously worried about losing the OC and DC. Then again, I'm a homer. KU took a lengthy step backwards after losing last year's DC, so who knows? All I know is this: in the last two years, Gary Pinkel has blown up the "Pinkel Effect". It no longer exists

So if we're going to add together all my admittedly arbitrary unit rankings (offense, defense, special teams, coaching), we end up with these standings.

2009 North Rankings

Missouri (40 points)
Nebraska (39)
Kansas (33)
Kansas State (30)
Iowa State (25)
Colorado (22)

Very loosely, there's a top tier (MU, NU, KU) and a bottom tier (KSU, ISU, CU). And obviously, there are question marks here. Is QB worth more than the other units? Then KU gets a bump up. Is there a "continuity of personnel" factor that will hurt Missouri (and possibly Nebraska)? Am I understating Colorado's potential with their solid recruiting classes? But we'll go with this for now.

-- Schedules --

Colorado

10/10 - at Texas
10/17 - Kansas
10/24 - at Kansas State
10/31 - Missouri
11/7 - Texas A&M
11/14 - at Iowa State
11/21 - at Oklahoma State
11/28 - Nebraska

South schedule: @ UT, @ OSU, ATM. That screams "1-2."

North home slate: KU, MU, NU. That's a good slate to have next year. I obviously don't expect much out of Colorado in '09, but they'll most likely go at least 1-2 in those games. I guess I'll say they beat KU, since KU's the lowest-ranked of the three.

North road slate: @ KSU, @ ISU. Not a good slate to have next year. Getting KSU and ISU at home would probably mean two wins, but on the road is a different story.

Waaaaaaay too early prediction: 2-6

Iowa State

10/3 - vs Kansas State (at Arrowhead)
10/10 - at Kansas
10/17 - Baylor
10/24 - at Nebraska
10/31 - at Texas A&M
11/7 - Oklahoma State
11/14 - Colorado
11/21 - at Missouri

South schedule: BU, @ ATM, OSU. If ISU's defense takes a step forward, then they'll probably beat Baylor and at least have a chance against ATM. Even though Baylor will be pretty decent next year, I'll say ISU wins that game and goes 1-2.

North home slate: CU. They lose the KSU game to Arrowhead. The ISU-KSU could very well be a "winner goes 6-6 and slips into a bowl" situation, and as you see, they could be pretty evenly-matched. For no reason whatsoever, I say ISU goes 2-2 in these games.

North road slate: @ KU, @ NU, @ MU. Ouch. 0-3.

Waaaaaaay too early prediction: 3-5

Kansas

10/10 - Iowa State
10/17 - at Colorado
10/24 - Oklahoma
10/31 - at Texas Tech
11/7 - at Kansas State
11/14 - Nebraska
11/21 - at Texas
11/28 - vs Missouri (still at Arrowhead, right?)

South schedule: OU, @ Tech, @ UT. I really hope KU fans enjoyed 2007. 0-3.

North home slate: ISU, NU, vs Mizzou. Assuming KU-MU is once again at Arrowhead, this once again hurts KU. Instead of getting both NU and MU at home, they get one on a neutral field. I say they beat ISU and NU, and naturally (ahem) lose to MU. 2-1.

North road slate: @ CU, @ KSU. They're not losing both of these, and since I already have them losing to CU, I guess that means they beat KSU. 1-1.

Waaaaaaay too early prediction: 3-5. It's amazing what scheduling can do.

Kansas State

10/3 - at Iowa State
10/10 - at Texas Tech
10/17 - Texas A&M
10/24 - Colorado
10/31 - at Oklahoma
11/7 - Kansas
11/14 - Missouri
11/21 - at Nebraska

South schedule: @ Tech, ATM, @ OU. ATM is a big game, but I say KSU wins it. 1-2.

North home slate: CU, KU, MU. It would not at all surprise me to see a young Mizzou team slip up on the road, so we'll arbitrarily say it happens in Manhattan. That makes KSU 2-1 here.

North road slate: vs ISU, @ NU. 0-2.

Waaaaaaay too early prediction: 3-5.

Missouri

10/3 - Nebraska
10/17 - at Oklahoma State
10/24 - Texas
10/31 - at Colorado
11/7 - Baylor
11/14 - at Kansas State
11/21 - Iowa State
11/28 - vs Kansas

South schedule: @ OSU, UT, BU. Gotta figure that's 1-2, though obviously Baylor will not be a pushover.

North home slate: NU, ISU. The NU game will be ha-yoooge. But tie goes to the home team, right? 2-0.

North road slate: vs KU, @ CU, @ KSU. Beat KU and CU, randomly lose to KSU. 2-1.

Waaaaaaay too early prediction: 5-3.

Nebraska

10/3 - at Missouri
10/17 - Texas Tech
10/24 - Iowa State
10/31 - at Baylor
11/7 - Oklahoma
11/14 - at Kansas
11/21 - Kansas State
11/28 - at Colorado

South schedule: TT, @ BU, OU. Hmm. No to BU and OU, but I think they'll take out Tech. 1-2.

North home slate: ISU, KSU. 2-0.

North road slate: @ MU, @ KU, @ CU. We'll say 1-2.

Waaaaaaay too early prediction: 4-4.

Standings

Missouri 5-3
Nebraska 4-4
Kansas 3-5 (brutal schedule)
Kansas State 3-5
Iowa State 3-5
Colorado 2-6

Summary

It won't surprise me if the preseason mags pick KU (because of Reesing) or NU (because they're Nebraska) to win the North, and with the loss of Daniel, Maclin, Coffman, etc., it would very much surprise me to see anybody actually picking Mizzou. But although I may be overrating Mizzou in the rankings, there's no question that getting NU at home and KU in KC gives them the scheduling advantage here. In a three-team North race, it could come down to home-field advantage, and there's now no question in my mind that a third straight division title, if not a gimme by any means, is within reach, even in a rebuilding year.

But don't hold me to any of that.

Rock M Nation: Postgame Podcast #2

Bill C. — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 04:00:51 -0000

We're back with Week Two of the Postgame Podcast. This time with twice the content! Listen to rptgwb, The Beef, Uribe Auction, and me talk about Mizzou's take-the-foot-off-the-gas-25-minutes-in 52-3 win over SEMO!

SB Nation - Tanner Mills

Mizzou 2009, Part Fifteen: 2009 vs 1999

Offense

2009

2009

2009

2009

2009

Draw

2009

Draw

1999

2009

2009

1999

Draw

Defense

1999

2009

1999

2009

2009

1999

Draw

2009

2009

Draw

2009

2009

Draw

The Opponents

Summary

2009 Mizzou Football Preview Series

Mizzou 2009, Part Thirteen: Special Teams

Special Teams

2009 Mizzou Football Preview Series

SB Nation 2009 Big 12 Preview: Missouri

Offense (returning starters: 5)

Defense (returning starters: 4)

Special Teams

Key losses

Season Forecast

Predicted order of finish

2009 Mizzou Football Preview Series

It's safe to say...Scrimmage No. 1 will not dampen optimism

Mizzou Links, 8-13-09

Spring Football Post-Mortem: The Defense

Defensive Line

Linebackers

Defensive Backs

Special Teams

Conclusion

A 2009 Walkthrough: Special Teams

Kicker

Punter

Kick Returner

Punt Returner

2008 vs 2009

Who will be returning kickoffs for Mizzou in 2009?

De'Vion Moore

Gahn McGaffie

Robert Steeples

Kip Edwards

Munir Prince

Drew Temple

La'Roderick Thomas

other

The Fog of '09 - North Defenses

Defensive Lines

Linebackers

Defensive Backs

North Defenses, 2009

Special Teams

Coaches

2009 North Rankings

-- Schedules --

Colorado

Iowa State

Kansas

Kansas State