Missouri’s rushing offense a season ago was utterly poor, to say the least.

The Tigers averaged only 115.4 yards per contest on the ground in 2015 — which ranked dead-last in the SEC, and No. 119 nationally.

With Russell Hansbrough moving on, Mizzou is hoping Oklahoma transfer Alex Ross can take the reins of the starting spot and truly offer a game-breaker at the position.

Known as a superlative kick returner, Ross became buried in OU’s running back depth chart behind Joe Mixon and Samaje Perine. Wanting a fresh start (and more of an opportunity), Ross teamed up with current MU offensive coordinator and former Oklahoma OC Josh Heupel.

When speaking about his new running back, Heupel seemed very excited.

“He’s fast. He’s athletic. He’s an explosive playmaker. He competes every single day the same way,” Heupel told the Columbia Daily Tribune. “He’s very consistent in who and what he is when he steps into your building. For that reason, it was easy for us to want him here.”

Tabbed as the top back on Missouri’s current depth chart, he’ll be battling the likes of Ish Witter and Damarea Crockett for carries. With five new starters along Mizzou’s offensive line, it’ll be fascinating to see how this development will help — or hurt — the run game when compared to last year.