Mizzou’s to-do list: What's solved, what's left before opener?
As Mizzou inches toward its 2016 season opener at West Virginia, several position battles and schemes are starting to take shape.
First-year head coach Barry Odom and his Tigers will do everything they can to improve upon last year’s abysmal offensive performance and fight for bowl eligibility in 2016.
New offensive coordinator Josh Heupel and second-year quarterback Drew Lock should help the offense, but the Tigers still have a lot of work to do before Sept. 3.
Here’s a look at some of the problems that have been solved already and some that are still question marks as the season quickly approaches:
What’s been solved?
1. The Tigers have a No. 1 receiver: J’Mon Moore, who led the Tigers with a paltry 29 catches for 350 yards last season, is performing well in camp and is poised for a breakout season.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the redshirt junior isn’t lacking confidence as he heads into his second season of work with Lock. Moore plans on having a big 2016 season and wants to be mentioned among the conference’s best receivers.
“Definitely,” he told the paper. “I definitely see myself as one of the best in SEC. That’s what I plan on showing and broadcasting. I feel like people are sleeping on me so I’m definitely going to wake them up.”
2. Freshmen offensive linemen will add depth: As the Tigers work to rebuild their offensive line following the departures of Evan Boehm and Connor McGovern to the NFL, it seems like a lock that at least two freshmen will get some playing time in 2016.
According to the Post-Dispatch, freshmen Tre’Vour Simms and Trystan Castillo were told by offensive line coach Glen Elarbee to take their summer workouts seriously:
“He told us to come in and be ready to play,” Castillo told the paper, “and come with the mindset that we’re probably not redshirting.”
Or, as Simms recalled: “You got to play this year.”
Only three freshmen have contributed along the offensive line since Gary Pinkel took over as Mizzou’s head coach 16 years ago, the most recent being Boehm.
As Odom scrambles for depth in his first year as head coach, it makes sense to use the pair of talented freshmen in some capacity in 2016.
3. S Anthony Sherrils is Mizzou’s fastest man: Moore clearly has a lot of confidence in his abilities (see above), but Mizzou’s most confident man might be Sherrils, who has a lot of faith in his speed:
Missouri safety Anthony Sherrils says he's still fastest guy on the team, says he's been timed at 4.29 in the 40.
— Dave Matter (@Dave_Matter) August 19, 2016
Sherrils: "We've got some fast guys but I'm just another level."
— Dave Matter (@Dave_Matter) August 19, 2016
Even if the 4.29 speed is a bit of a stretch, having that kind of speed on the back end of what should be a strong Mizzou defense will only help.
Odom and his staff just have to make sure the speed is put to use in ways other than chasing down opposing backs and receivers after big plays.
What are the lingering issues?
1. There’s no receiver depth: Behind Moore and Chris Black, a graduate transfer from Alabama, the Tigers are thin at the receiver position.
That depth took a hit last week, when junior Nate Brown went down with an ankle injury. Brown led the Tigers with four touchdown catches in 2015.
Odom said he hopes to have Brown back in six to eight weeks, according to a St. Louis Post-Dispatch report.
“That’s frustrating as a head coach,” Odom told the paper. “You don’t ever want that to happen (in practice). The promising side of that is we’ll get him back. Knowing Nate and his work ethic, with him and (trainer) Rex (Sharp) working together we anticipate getting him back and helping us this year.”
Mizzou will certainly need some help from Brown as they get into the middle of the SEC schedule.
2. The defensive tackle rotation is still undecided: Terry Beckner Jr., Rickey Hatley and Josh Augusta are going to get their reps at defensive tackle — that much is certain.
Behind that trio, though, depth questions linger, especially after Harold Brantley was declared academically ineligible.
According to rockmnation.com, a battle between a junior — A.J. Logan — and freshman Markell Utsey will decide the final spot in therotation.
Logan, a Columbia native, had 14 tackles, two tackles for loss and one forced fumble in 2016.
3. Charles Harris still needs a running mate: DE Harris will man one of the edge-rushing spots for Mizzou in 2016 and will be an unwelcome sight for all opponents.
But after fellow DE Walter Brady was dismissed from the team, Harris needs someone on the other end who is capable of getting after the passer.
Redshirt junior Marcell Frazier was (and probably still is) the favorite to land that starting spot opposite Harris, but that’s no given at this point.
Frazier had eight tackles, with six going for a loss and two being sacks, in 2015, and sophomore Nate Howard also played as a freshman last season.
Walk-on junior Jordan Harold has inserted himself firmly into the starting conversation, according to the Columbia Daily Tribune.
“He’s performed out here — playing the run and the pass,” defensive line coach Jackie Shipp told the paper. “The bottom line is, you put your best players on the field, and he earned to go with the 1s, so these past couple days, he’s been doing a good job.
“Now, these other guys, everybody is still in the mix. It’s great to have competition. And, understand, you’re not going to go through the season with four guys playing every snap. You’re going to have to alternate guys.”
Whoever ends up playing alongside Harris will probably be the beneficiary of a lot of one-on-one matchups as tight ends shift to Harris’ side for extra protection.