2017 Behind the Stripes

2017 BEHIND THE STRIPES MISSOURI AND SEC FOOTBALL PREVIEW

TRIPLE THREAT Missouri’s Damarea Crockett, J’Mon Moore and Drew Lock are hungry for more after milestone seasons in 2016 A SPECIAL PUBLICATION OF THE COLUMBIA DAILY TRIBUNE

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Sunday, August 27, 2017

3

INSIDE

Tight end Jason Reese runs after a catch during Missouri football practice at the Kadlec Athletic Fields on Aug. 3.

[Timothy Tai/Tribune]

THIS EDITION 4 - WR J’Mon Moore sets his sights on a big season in 2017 in hopes of fullfilling his childhood NFL dreams.

7 - Damarea Crockett had a breakout first year as a freshman. Now he wants a 2,000-yard season.

8 - Drew Lock found his arm in 2016. The junior QB has now found his voice on the field.

9 - Offensive preview 11 - Defensive preview 12 - Mizzou roster 14 - Team schedules 16 - SEC East capsules 19 - SEC West capsules Cover photo by Timothy Tai/Tribune

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Sunday, August 27, 2017

WHEN ‘MOORE’ IS BETTER Senior receiver J’Mon Moore has dreamed of playing in the NFL since childhood, and this season will determine his fate

By Blake Toppmeyer Columbia Daily Tribune

Photo by Timothy Tai/Tribune

Sunday, August 27, 2017

J

’Mon Moore and Anthony Story were working in Story’s front yard one day while Moore was in high school when Moore made a declaration.

“He told me, ‘I’m going to make it to the pros, and I’m going to buy my mama a house,’” said Story, a family friend and the father of Moore’s best friend, Dadron Story.

Moore’s mother, Betty Jones, said her son has been proclaiming his NFL future since his peewee days.

Missouri’s 6-foot-3 senior wide receiver has the tools to become a draft selection next spring. First, though, Moore knows there’s work left to do at Missouri.

Moore is the Southeastern Conference’s leading returning receiver after a junior season in which he caught 62 passes for 1,012 yards and eight touchdowns.

It marked the most receiving yards by a Tiger since T.J. Moe posted 1,045 in 2010, and Moore’s receiving output ranks seventh in program history for single-season receiving yards.

He left more yards out there.

Missouri’s coaching staff tallied 18 drops for Moore in 2016.

“A lot of my drops were such easy catches,” Moore said. “Just lack of focus. Lack of focus and me not looking the ball in. That’s been one of my biggest issues.

Coaches always tell me I have natural hands, but my eyes, I’ll try to do something with the ball before I even have it. I always try to make a move before it’s even in my hands.”

Moore’s combination of talent but penchant for hiccups makes him one of Missouri’s most electrifying but, at times, vexing players.

A lot of fans won’t notice a blown assignment on defense or an offensive lineman whiffing

“

I play receiver. I’m supposed to catch everything. I can take the criticism. ...That’s our job.

J’Mon Moore, MU wide receiver

a block. But even the fan who started tipping back bourbon at a 7 a.m. tailgate notices a dropped pass.

Drops are football’s equivalent to a ground ball trickling through an infielder’s legs.

“It’s an area all of our wide receivers need to improve on, when you touch on catching the football,” offensive coordinator Josh Heupel said. “That’s a critical play, as bad as a presnap penalty in my opinion, because you don’t get the down over.”

Moore welcomes the questions about his number of drops last season.

“I play receiver. I’m supposed to catch everything,” Moore said. “I can take the criticism.

People want to see receivers catch the ball. That’s our job.

That’s all we’ve got to do is catch the ball. Catch the ball and block, create separation.”

Moore had a predicament last winter.

He’d recently purchased a big-screen TV from Walmart, but upon unpacking his purchase, he realized he’d bought a lemon. He needed to take the TV back to the store and swap it out for a different one.

Missouri wide receiver Chris Black was free to help Moore with the task, but there was one problem: The TV wouldn’t fit in Black’s car.

Time to improvise.

Moore put the TV in its box and placed it on the hood of Black’s car. He sat in the open window of the car on the pas-

”

senger side, like a NASCAR driver sliding into his ride, and held onto the box to make sure it didn’t slide off.

On the way to the store, the players decided to roll through a Wendy’s drive-thru.

“I was hungry. My teammate who was driving, he was hungry, too,” said Moore, who ordered 20 chicken nuggets.

The whole scene brought smiles to the faces of the Wendy’s workers.

“The people in the drive-thru were going crazy. They were laughing. They asked to take pictures,” Moore said. “It was just a good moment for everybody.”

It was a snapshot into how Moore lives his life.

“All day, every day, I joke around,” Moore said. “I always have a good time. I can hold good conversations. I just have a good time. I’m just a positive person.

I give off a positive vibe. All I bring is joy. I’m a joyful person.”

His personality attracts a crowd, too.

“He was always able to captivate the attention of others,” Jones said, “and they’d just kind of band up, and there he is in it somewhere.”

Although Moore enjoys a good hijinks, he also brought home good grades and was a three-sport athlete at Elkins High School in Missouri City, Texas. He was mischievous, as his mom put it, but never really a troublemaker.

And football always captivated Moore.

5

“When football is involved, that’s when you see him get serious,” said Rashad White, Moore’s older brother. “Outside of that, he’s a character, kind of the life of the party, so to say.

He’s good to be around. He’ll bring you up.”

Jones said her son has a sensitive soul.

White remembers a time when he was a bit short on cash when Moore was in high school.

His then-teenage brother gave him some money to borrow.

“His heart is as big as the ocean,” White said. “If you got close to him, and he considers you that, he’ll give you the shirt off his damn back. He’s always trying to give before he receives.

That’s his personality.”

During the fall of 2015, Moore was walking on campus when he saw a bunch of tents on the quad.

Moore, who enjoys interacting with his fellow students, went to check it out. He met a man, Jonathan Butler, who didn’t seem to be doing well.

“I didn’t even know it was him,” Moore said. “I was just walking, and I happened to just come across him. I was talking to him, and me being silly, ‘You all right, bro? You straight?’

Then he told me who he was and what he was doing, and I’m like, ‘Ah, man.’ We just went from there. It kind of just fell right into my lap. I didn’t even ask for it.”

Moore said he didn’t take major action immediately after that conversation with Butler. But the moment stuck with him.

The tents, of course, were occupied by students protesting the school’s racial climate.

Butler had announced a hunger strike, saying he wouldn’t eat until then-University of Mis-

See MOORE, Pg. 6

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Sunday, August 27, 2017

Missouri wide receiver J’Mon Moore (6) catches a pass during practice at the Kadlec Athletic Fields on Aug. 1. [Timothy Tai/Tribune]

From MOORE, Pg. 5 souri System President Tim Wolfe was out of office.

On the night of Nov. 7, 32 black football players and Butler locked arm in arm, and the players announced on social media that they would not participate in team activities until Wolfe resigned or was removed from his position.

Then-coach Gary Pinkel supported his players.

A day and a half later, Wolfe and then-Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin resigned. That afternoon, Moore and teammates Ian Simon, Anthony Sherrils and Charles Harris spoke to reporters about the team’s actions.

The player boycott and the university’s response caused a

wide range of emotions throughout the fan base. Some view the players’ actions as heroic, or at least well-intentioned. Others remain bitter about the situation.

“The boycott, that wasn’t nothing to go against any fans or anybody who supports Missouri,” Moore said. “The boycott, I don’t even like calling it a boycott. I just like calling it a step back.

“That was just for a cause that we wanted to see better. It wasn’t to step on anybody’s toes or piss anybody off or irritate anybody or have somebody look at us a type of way. It was just us trying to do what we felt was right as a team. If anybody is looking at me from that issue and has some type of hatred toward me, I apologize if they feel that type of way. I’m

open. I’ll open up to anybody who wants to talk about it.”

Elkins football coach Dennis Brantley can still see the play in his mind.

It was early in Moore’s senior season. Moore caught a tunnel screen on the left side of the field about 70 yards from the goal line. He made a couple defenders miss and outran everyone to the end zone.

“They couldn’t catch him,” Brantley said. “It was like, ‘OK, this kid is going to be special.’ He had a great game. He’d always had some flashes, but that was like, ‘OK, this kid is going to be unstoppable.’”

Missouri fans saw a similar play unfold last fall. It wasn’t a tunnel screen, but rather a quick

slant that Drew Lock zipped to his left during the third game of the season against Georgia. The throw was a bit off the mark and came in at Moore’s back thigh.

He adjusted, made the catch, outran the cornerback assigned to him and juked past a safety.

Moore raced 79 yards into the end zone, where he looked toward the sky and did a little jig as the crowd roared.

Moore loves his school.

In a way, he hates that his time is up after this season, but he has big plans for his future.

“From the time I stepped in here,” Moore said, “this school showed me love. … When I have kids someday, if they want to come here, I’d support them.

It’s been nothing but good times here for me.”

Sunday, August 27, 2017

7

Crockett sets sights on 2,000-yard season Sophomore running back looks to expand on his breakout freshman campaign

By Blake Toppmeyer Columbia Daily Tribune Damarea Crockett sometimes wonders, what if?

What if he hadn’t decommitted from Boise State a week and a half before signing day in 2016 and flipped to Missouri?

“I feel like it would have been easier,” Crockett said.

“I just feel like it would have been way easier.”

How so?

“Easier in everything football-wise,” Crockett said. “The Mountain West isn’t anything like the SEC, so I feel like it would have been easier in every aspect.”

At times, Crockett made it look easy within the SEC last year, when he rushed for 1,062 yards — a Missouri record for a freshman — on 153 carries with 10 touchdowns. He had five games with at least 100 yards.

Certainly it was a good start to his career, but Crockett doesn’t consider it the peak of what he can do.

And although he has allowed himself to ponder about how life would be different in Boise, he believes Columbia was the right place for him.

“I feel like you get more recognition being in the SEC, and I like that,” Crockett said. “To be the best, you’ve got to play against the best. And I want to win the Heisman, so I feel like I’m in the right place.”

Crockett is serious about that Heisman talk. He has

“Heisman” written at the top of his locker and a photo of the trophy at the bottom.

He’s eyeing a 2,000-yard season.

The visual reminder of college football’s top prize helps keep Crockett motivated.

“Some mornings you come in, you’re going to be down a little bit,” Crockett said. “That just kind of wakes me up, gets me going every time I see it.”

Running backs coach Cornell Ford is less concerned about Crockett claiming individual accolades.

“I just want him to focus on the little things,” Ford said.

To hear Crockett tell it, he is.

Off the field, he said he’s refined his diet. On the field, he wants to become better at the finer details of being a running back.

“The thing that I’ve been harping on myself the most is my blocking, pass protections, just really, really having Drew (Lock) and the rest of the quarterbacks comfortable in the pocket with any running back in the game,” Crockett said.

The 5-foot-11, 225-pound Crockett is a Fayetteville, Ark., native who didn’t receive an offer from Arkansas. He wears that as a chip on his shoulder.

Crockett is built like an SEC running back. He fits the profile of a north-south running back that coach

Running back Damarea Crockett ran for 1,062 yards on 153 carries, scoring 10 touchdowns, during his freshman season in 2016. This year he’s looking to carry the Tigers’ offense even further. [Tim Tai/Tribune]

Barry Odom and offensive coordinator Josh Heupel want in Missouri’s offense.

Crockett aims to bring more thunder this year.

“I feel like I can finish through my runs, stay inbounds a little more,” he said.

Crockett once carried the ball 51 times in a game at Little Rock Christian Academy, and he said last season he’d be comfortable toting the ball 50-plus times in a game in a Tiger uniform.

The most carries he had was 29 carries in an Oct. 22 game against Middle Ten-

nessee State.

Odom intends to find ways to get the ball in Crockett’s hands more this season, whether that means more carries or increasing his involvement in the pass game. Crockett had five receptions last season.

“I think he can handle the workload a little bit more than he did last year, his volume,” Odom said.

As for Boise State, it’s just a daydream subject for Crockett.

“I think I’m at the right place. I love it here,” he said.

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Sunday, August 27, 2017

‘Lock’ed on: Mizzou QB redefines his role Drew Lock ready to take a more vocal role on the field

By Eric Lee Columbia Daily Tribune Drew Lock has a magic number in mind entering his junior season: 64.

That’s the minimum percentage of passes Missouri’s junior quarterback would like to complete this year.

“If I can be better with my completion percentage, there’s really no telling how many yards I could throw this year,” he said.

Lock threw for 3,339 last season — good for second best in the Southeastern Conference — along with 23 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

Outside of wins, improving his completion percentage is his biggest focus. Last year, Lock completed 54.6 percent, a rate he called “horse poop.”

“We talked about balls going out of bounds or me leaving” receivers “short,” Lock said. “We left 1,000plus yards and double-digit touchdowns out there.”

Too many drops by wide receivers contributed to that rate, but Lock accepts the burden.

“As a quarterback, I’m going to put it on my shoulder and be responsible for it,” Lock said.

Lock is getting together with his receivers in meetings, too, and being more vocal making critiques and outlining what he sees.

The quarterback meetings with receivers are new this year. The QBs alternate days meeting with inside and outside receivers.

Missouri quarterback Drew Lock stands for a portrait at Devine Pavilion on Aug. 5. Lock, a junior entering his third year as a starter, looks to take on an even greater leadership role with the Tigers in 2017. [Timothy Tai/Tribune]

“That’s just helping us as a group,” senior wide receiver J’Mon Moore said, “with wideouts and quarterbacks, be on the same page so we could get rid of some of those mental errors or some of those incompletions where the quarterback and wide receiver aren’t on the same page.”

Lock enters his second season working in offensive coordinator Josh Heupel’s system. Heupel said Lock now has a better understanding of defenses and Missouri’s

offensive scheme and protections.

“Because of that, you’re a much calmer player and much more confident,” Heupel said. “You’re in control when you’re playing fast. He’s still within himself, and he understands when he wants to slow it down and make sure everything is right, as well.”

The byproduct is more freedom to work the entire field.

“Last year, we kept it simple, one-side read stuff,”

Lock said. “But we run fullfield reads a lot this year, and when I see something I don’t like, I’ve been given the ability to check out of it.”

Add it up, and Lock is as comfortable in his role as he’s been since his high school days at Lee’s Summit.

“It’s kind of starting to feel like high school again to where I’m just going out and having fun,” Lock said. “I’m not worried about remembering this or remember that or adjusting to defenses. It’s just kind of flowing now, and the game is slowing down.”

As Lock has grown into the position, he also has become accustomed to the leadership role that comes with being the starting quarterback.

“I think since I’ve got here, I’ve never been a real vocal guy,” Lock said. “I’ve just been quiet, lead-by-example kind of guy. But I got to a point last year where I got to be more vocal.”

His coaches and teammates noticed the evolution.

Missouri’s captains changed by the game last season. In the season finale against Arkansas, three seniors and Lock were selected as the captains. It spoke volumes about Lock’s place on the team.

“I think this year, he’s totally embraced the fact that he’s going to be the leader of the offense,” junior right tackle Paul Adams said. “And I think he’s done a great job of it.”

Twenty starts into his career, there’s little question: This is Lock’s offense to shepherd.

“We need a leader on the offensive side of the ball,” Lock said. “Why shouldn’t it be me?”

Sunday, August 27, 2017

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MU offense loaded with returning starters

By Blake Toppmeyer Columbia Daily Tribune Coming off a historically dreadful offensive output in 2015, Missouri made strides on that side of the ball last season.

Offensive coordinator Josh Heupel installed a system that leaned on run-pass option plays and operated at warp speed.

The offensive stats received a boost from blowout wins over Eastern Michigan and Delaware State, games in which the Tigers combined to score 140 points. And Missouri had clunkers against Florida and LSU, the top two defenses it faced.

But, there’s no denying, progress was made.

After averaging a Southeastern Conference-worst 4.4 yards per play in 2015, the Tigers ranked fifth in the league in that category last year at 6.3 yards per play.

With 10 starters back on offense and more familiarity with Heupel’s system, the pieces are in place for Missouri to have an even better — and perhaps more consistent — season offensively.

“It’s our job as coaches to make sure that everything we do is make sure that those 10 returning” starters, “plus the new additions, that they play at a higher level than we did last year,” coach Barry Odom said. … “We need to have more consistency on that side of the ball, and everybody understands that.”

QUARTERBACKS During 7-on-7 drills over the summer, junior quarterback Drew Lock started to become more vocal with his wide receivers in telling them

what he wanted. If a receiver didn’t run a route in the manner Lock desired, he’d tell him as much.

It was evidence of the continued evolution of Lock, who has grown more comfortable in the vocal leadership element that comes with being a starting quarterback.

“I think this year, he’s totally embraced the fact that he’s going to be the leader of the offense,” right tackle Paul Adams said. “I think he’s done a great job of it.”

LSU’s Danny Etling is the only active SEC quarterback with more career starts than Lock’s 20. He’s had obstacles in his path in each of his first two seasons. Before the fifth game of the 2015 season, when he was a true freshman, he was thrust into starting duty after the suspension of Maty Mauk. Then last year, he had to adjust to a new position coach/coordinator in Heupel and learn a new system.

Lock has no such obstacles this year. Same staff, same system, most of the same players around him.

“Mizzou’s had a lot of great quarterbacks over the years … Brad Smith and Blaine Gabbert and Chase Daniel,” Odom said. “There’s a number of guys that played well at that spot. I feel like Drew can be the next guy that plays really, really well at a high level at that position.”

There were times during his sophomore season that Lock played at a high level, but he didn’t do it on a consistent basis. Lock finished the season with one of the best performances of his career, completing 16 of 26 passes for 268 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions in a 28-24 win over Arkansas.

Lock ranked second in

the SEC with 3,399 passing yards to go with 23 TDs and 10 interceptions. Lock wasn’t satisfied with his completion rate of 54.6 percent.

“He’s got a chance to be a special player,” Odom said.

“We’ve got to become more consistent as an offense, and that starts with him.”

Behind Lock are redshirt sophomore Jack Lowary and redshirt freshman Micah Wilson, neither of whom has appeared in a Football Bowl Subdivision game.

RUNNING BACKS Damarea Crockett is coming off the best season ever for a Missouri freshman running back. He broke program freshman records with his 1,062 yards and his 225 sin-

gle-game output against Tennessee. Maybe the best part for Missouri is that he did it all in 153 carries, a number that almost surely will increase this year as long as Crockett remains healthy.

“He’s a guy that should take more and more ownership of this football team, more ownership of that position in the carries,” Heupel said of his 5-foot-11, 225-pound tailback.

Although Crockett is line for more touches, there will remain a role for senior Ish Witter, who chipped in 750 yards in 2016. The coaching staff trusts Witter for his dependability. He’s sure-handed with the ball and sound in pass protection.

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Sunday, August 27, 2017

From OFFENSE, Pg. 9 And although Witter is a smaller back at 5-10, 195, he was running the most physical of any Tiger in preseason camp, Odom said.

“You know exactly what you’re going to get,” Heupel said. “The kid is going to be a fierce competitor. He’s going to know his job.”

Another option is freshman Larry Rountree III, who is built like a prototypical SEC tailback.

Freshman Isaiah Miller and junior Nate Strong might be in the mix, too.

WIDE RECEIVERS & TIGHT ENDS J’Mon Moore’s 1,012 receiving yards ranked second in the SEC. He would have had more, too, if not for 18 drops, as counted by Missouri’s coaching staff.

Improving his focus and cutting down on those missed opportunities is Moore’s focus as a senior.

Moore joins another outside target, Dimetrios Mason, and slot Johnathon Johnson as returning starters. Mason came to Missouri last year with the staff not knowing whether they would use him at wide receiver or cornerback. They opted for receiver, and he delivered 587 receiving yards.

“He was an athlete playing wide receiver last year,” Heupel said. “He is now a wide receiver playing wide receiver.”

Johnson chipped in 435 receiving yards and is drawing high reviews for offering the receivers some needed leadership. Richaud Floyd is behind Johnson in the slot.

“I absolutely love what our slot receivers are doing,” Heupel said. “I feel like

they’re set up to have a big year.”

Emanuel Hall and Dominic Collins are working behind Moore and Mason on the outside.

Tight end is the only spot where Missouri lost its starter — Sean Culkin. But Kendall Blanton and Jason Reese each got a lot of playing time, too.

They should see even more snaps this year. The 6-6 Blanton, who caught 16 passes in 2016, is an ideal target for Lock. Albert Okwuegbunam, a 6-5 redshirt freshman, offers another big target for Lock.

OFFENSIVE LINE The performance of Missouri’s offensive line was a silver lining to the Tigers’ 4-8 season. A crew of five new starters kept Lock protected — he was sacked just 14 times — and surrendered 2.92 tack-

les for loss per game, the best mark in the nation.

Everyone who started a game on the line last year is back, but coaches insist no job is safe.

“We have a lot more competition than we had a year ago,” Heupel said.

Adams and left tackle Tyler Howell serve as sturdy bookends. They started every game a year ago. So did left guard Kevin Pendleton. Adam Ploudre is in line for the job at right guard after starting seven games there a year ago.

Sophomore Jonah Dubinski from Rock Bridge is in line to unseat incumbent Samson Bailey at center. In the second string, junior college transfer Yasir Durant gives Missouri some needed depth at tackle.

Alec Abeln is a backup guard with starting experience. And redshirt freshman Trystan Castillo will keep the heat on Dubinski in the middle.

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2017 is a rebuilding year for ‘DLineZou’

By Blake Toppmeyer Columbia Daily Tribune Barry Odom became a head coach before his 40th birthday thanks to a solid track record as a defensive coordinator. So it was a surprise that Missouri’s defense was the biggest deficiency in Odom’s first season at the controls.

The Tigers ranked last in the Southeastern Conference in total defense and 13th in scoring defense. Missouri surrendered 31 or more points in six games after allowing that many just once in 2015, when Odom was defensive coordinator.

In an effort to restore order, Odom took over defensive play calling midway through last season, a role he’ll stay in this year. He also altered Missouri’s defensive scheme so that it was more in line with the defense the Tigers ran in 2015.

Most of Missouri’s top defensive players from last year are gone, but perhaps a changing of the guard was what this unit needed.

“We’ve got a great opportunity to be really good on defense,” Odom said.

There’s nowhere to go but up.

“We’ve got to be a better

Missouri defensive line coach Brick Haley runs a drill during practice at the Kadlec Athletic Fields on Aug. 1. [Timothy Tai/Tribune]

tackling team,” defensive coordinator DeMontie Cross said. “We’ve put a good emphasis on it.”

Cross sees a more cohesive defense than a year ago.

“This set of leaders are really tied in to what we’re looking for as a staff,” Cross said.

DEFENSIVE LINE For a program that considers itself “DLineZou,” Missouri’s defensive front was mediocre last year, and its top performer, Charles Harris, is now in the NFL. The defensive line has a new leader, as Odom brought

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in Brick Haley from Texas to coach the position. The linemen seem to be meshing with Haley after a year of butting heads with his predecessor, Jackie Shipp.

Tackle Terry Beckner Jr. is Missouri’s top talent on the defensive line. Although the junior has had back-to-back seasons cut short by anterior cruciate ligament tears, he looked like his old self in preseason camp. Along with Beckner, Missouri needs senior defensive end Marcell Frazier to be a menace like he was at the end of last season.

Frazier had all but one of his 7½ sacks in the final three

games.

Elsewhere on the line, Missouri is weighing a variety of options. Jordan Harold, converted linebacker Franklin Agbasimere and Rock Bridge product Tre Williams, a redshirt freshman, should see action at defensive end, and junior college transfer Nate Anderson is another option.

Defensive tackle Rashad Brandon, a junior college transfer, looked as good as any lineman during the spring and will be expected to contribute. Another junior college transfer, Walter Palmore, should factor in, too, along with veteran A.J. Logan and Markell Utsey, who, like Beckner, suffered an ACL tear in October.

“We addressed some of the needs that we thought we had” on the defensive line “in the recruiting cycle,” Odom said.

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“He’s committed to the program. He’s committed to his teammates” Cross said.

“He’s really kind of changed the leadership and direction of what this team has been.”

Beisel averaged eight tackles during his five starts.

He’ll be joined in the box by junior Terez Hall, who hasn’t made any starts but has had ample backup work. He made the transition to weakside linebacker after previously playing strongside linebacker.

The new role suits him, according to Missouri’s coaches. Cross said Hall looked the best of any linebacker during the spring.

“He’s a little bit more comfortable in” the box, Cross said. “He’s a physical guy who plays the game the way I see fit. I think him and Beisel have really jelled and become a 1-2 punch.”

Missouri will go with more of a hybrid linebacker/nickelback player at the strongside linebacker position.

Kaleb Prewett, a transfer who played safety at Kansas State, looks well-suited for that role. He’s not shy about getting physical in the run game but also has the coverage skills needed to help provide support in today’s brand of spread football.

Converted cornerback T.J. Warren and Brandon Lee, a more traditional linebacker, will be other options at that position.

Inside the box, Cale Garrett, who started two games as a true freshman, is the top backup.

SECONDARY The safety position probably took top prize for most underwhelming performance from a position group last season.

“

I’m waiting for the game changer ... to step forward.

”

Barry Odom, MU football head coach

The Tigers rotated among four options — Cam Hilton, Ronnell Perkins, Anthony Sherrils and Thomas Wilson — in a failed quest to find consistent production. Those same four players will be looked upon this year.

Hilton’s athleticism isn’t in question, but he needs to prove his coverage skills.

Perkins offers a physical presence. He came on strong late in the season. Sherrils has the speed and the experience but will need to cut down on missed tackles if he hopes to lock down a starting job. Wilson played a lot early last season, but his time dropped off toward the end of the year.

“We’ve got four guys that are playing pretty well, but I’m waiting for the game changer, so to speak, to step forward,” Odom said.

Missouri will break in two new starting cornerbacks after the departure of Aarion Penton and John Gibson, who combined for eight of the team’s 15 interceptions.

DeMarkus Acy, who at 6-2, 195 pounds has an imposing build for a corner, likely will be at one spot. Opposite him, Logan Cheadle is the top candidates.

Cheadle, a senior, has the most experience of any cornerback on the team. He’s never been able to advance much beyond a backup role but drew high reviews in preseason camp.

Missouri also signed a pair of freshman cornerbacks, Terry Petry and Adam Sparks.

2017 SCHEDULE

2016 RESULTS

Sept. 2 Missouri vs. Missouri St. Sept. 9 Missouri vs. S Carolina Sept. 16 Missouri vs. Purdue Sept. 23 Missouri vs. Auburn Oct. 7 Missouri @ Kentucky Oct. 14 Missouri @ Georgia Oct. 21 Missouri vs. Idaho Oct. 28 Missouri @ UConn Nov. 4 Missouri vs. Florida Nov. 11 Missouri vs. Tennessee Nov. 18 Missouri @ Vanderbilt Nov. 24 Missouri @ Arkansas

Sept. 3 WVU 26, Missouri 11 Sept. 10 Missouri 61, E Michigan 21 Sept. 17 Missouri 27, Georgia 28 Sept. 24 Missouri 79, Delaware St. 0 Oct. 1 LSU 42, Missouri 7 Oct. 15 Florida 40, Missouri 14 Oct. 22 Missouri 45, Mid Tenn 51 Oct. 29 Missouri 21, Kentucky 35 Nov. 5 S Carolina 31, Missouri 21 Nov. 12 Missouri 26, Vanderbilt 17 Nov. 19 Tennessee 63, Missouri 37 Nov. 25 Missouri 28, Arkansas 24

MISSOURI ROSTER No. Name 1 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 5 6 6 7 7 8 8 9 9 10 10 11 11 12 12 13 14 14 16 16 16 17 17 18 18 19 19 19 20 20 21 21 22 22 24 24 25 26 28 28 29 29 30 30 31 32 33 34

Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl.

S Anthony Hines LB TJ Warren QB Micah Wilson QB Drew Lock Ronnell Perkins S LB Brandon Lee RB Isaiah Miller Terry Beckner Jr. DL QB Taylor Powell WR J’Mon Moore LB Tavon Ross WR Nate Brown S Cam Hilton WR Justin Smith Thomas Wilson S Dimetrios Mason WR QB Hayden Rymer S Tyree Gillespie TE Jason Reese Kendall Blanton TE S Jordan Ulmer Johnathon Johnson WR S Dominic Nelson Rashad Brandon DL DB Adam Sparks WR Ray Wingo LB Grant Jones Damarea Crockett RB DL MarcellFrazier DB DeMarkus Acy WR Richaud Floyd Joshuah Bledsoe S WR Dominic Collins QB Jack Lowary K Tucker McCann DB Terry Petry DL Myles Eaddy S Kaleb Prewett Christian Holmes DB RB Ish Witter Dawson Downing RB Anthony Sherrils DB LB Terez Hall Cameren Rivers WR LB Jamal Brooks P Corey Fatony DB Logan Cheadle Steven Spadarotto WR DL Nate Anderson RB Nate Strong WR Barrett Banister S Ryan Dalley DB Finis Stribling IV DB Zion Sales DB Jerod Alton LB Joey Burkett

6-1 5-11 6-3 6-4 6-0 6-2 5-11 6-4 6-2 6-3 6-0 6-3 6-0 6-7 5-10 6-0 6-1 6-0 6-5 6-6 6-2 5-10 6-0 6-3 6-0 5-11 6-3 5-11 6-5 6-2 5-11 6-0 6-2 6-4 6-0 6-1 6-0 6-1 6-1 5-10 6-0 6-0 6-2 6-4 6-1 5-11 5-10 6-2 6-3 6-0 6-0 6-1 5-11 5-10 5-10 6-2

195 210 215 225 205 230 195 290 195 205 210 210 190 210 200 185 210 202 255 265 190 185 205 305 172 175 225 225 265 195 185 200 180 215 205 160 230 210 195 195 225 205 230 195 250 205 180 185 250 210 175 190 190 183 180 225

Sr R-So R-Fr Jr R-So R-Jr Fr Jr Fr R-Sr R-Jr R-Jr Jr R-So Sr So R-Fr Fr R-Sr R-Jr Fr R-So R-Jr R-Jr Fr R-Jr R-Jr So R-Sr So R-So Fr Sr R-So So Fr R-Fr R-Jr So Sr R-Fr R-Sr Jr R-Sr Fr Jr Sr Jr Jr Jr Fr R-So R-Jr Fr R-Fr R-Sr

No. Name 34 36 38 39 40 41 43 45 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 53 54 55 55 56 57 59 61 62 66 67 69 70 71 72 72 75 76 77 78 78 79 80 81 81 82 84 86 88 89 90 91 92 93 93 94 95 96 97 99

Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl.

Larry Rountree III RB WR Daniel Ellinger LB Eric Beisel DL Chris Turner Aubrey Miller Jr. LB LB Chance May RB Jerney Jones Franklin Agbasimere DL RB Ezra Vaoii LB Jacob Trump LB Cale Garrett Roderick Winters LB LB Alec Pierce Hyrin Morrison-White OL LS Drew Wise LB Joe Hoy LB Joe Britton OL Trystan Castilo DL Jordan Harold OL Samson Bailey OL Alec Abeln OL Case Cook DL Adam Roland Thomas Grossman OL OL Adam Ploudre Jonah Dubinski OL OL Al Harris OL Yasir Durant Kevin Pendleton OL OL Kyle Mitchell Caleb Sampson DL Tre-Vour Simms OL OL Tyler Howell OL Paul Adams Pompey Coleman OL Kobie Whiteside DL OL Larry Borom Carson McCarty WR Albert Okwuegbunam TE Harley Whitehouse LS WR Kentrell Barber WR Emanuel Hall James Workman LS Logan Christopherson TE Brendan Scales TE DL Markell Utsey Dominic DiMaccio K K Nick Bartolotta K Andrew Carr DL Tre Williams DL Tyrell Jacobs DL Jordan Elliott DL A.J. Logan DL Akial Byers Walter Palmore DL

5-11 6-4 6-3 6-4 6-1 6-1 5-10 6-2 5-11 6-3 6-3 5-11 6-1 6-6 6-2 5-11 6-1 6-4 6-2 6-4 6-3 6-5 6-3 6-3 6-4 6-2 6-4 6-7 6-4 6-5 6-4 6-5 6-8 6-6 6-5 6-1 6-6 5-11 6-5 6-0 5-11 6-3 6-0 6-6 6-4 6-4 5-9 5-6 6-1 6-5 6-4 6-4 6-2 6-4 6-4

205 210 240 25218 230 190 245 220 225 240 240 210 300 235 210 220 320 265 295 305 305 320 275 320 295 305 340 335 325 285 355 330 315 300 304 338 180 260 225 175 200 225 240 240 310 160 185 185 265 280 320 325 290 300

Fr R-Fr R-Sr Fr Fr Fr R-Fr R-So Fr Jr So R-Jr Fr Fr Fr R-So Fr R-Fr R-Sr R-Jr R-Sr Fr R-Jr R-So R-Sr R-So R-So So R-Jr R-Sr Fr So Sr R-Jr Fr Fr Fr Fr R-Fr R-So Fr Jr So Fr R-Fr So Fr R-Sr Jr R-Fr R-So So R-Sr Fr Jr

Sunday, August 27, 2017

Don Shrubshell/Tribune

Broadway 63

MU campus

Stadium Blvd.

MU campus

63

1. Take Interstate 70 East to the Stadium Boulevard exit (Exit 124 MO-740/Stadium Blvd.); make a right.

2. Take Stadium Boulevard south for approximately 4 miles to the MU Sports Park.

Memorial Stadium is located at the southeast corner of the intersection of Stadium and Providence Road.

Broadway

MU campus

63

Stadium Blvd.

Stadium Blvd.

Faurot Field

Faurot Field

COMING EAST ON INTERSTATE 70 FROM KANSAS CITY

Providence Road

Broadway

Providence Road

Providence Road

FIND YOUR WAY TO FAUROT FIELD

COMING NORTH ON HIGHWAY 63 FROM JEFFERSON CITY

Faurot Field

COMING WEST ON INTERSTATE 70 FROM ST. LOUIS

1. Take Highway 63 North to the MO-740/Stadium Boulevard exit.

1. Take Interstate 70 West to the Highway 63 exit; make a left.

2. Turn left onto Stadium and follow approximately 2 miles to the MU Sports Park.

Memorial Stadium is located at the southeast corner of the intersection of Stadium and Providence Road.

2. Turn onto the Business U.S. 63 access road and take the ramp onto Highway 63 southbound toward Jeferson City.

3. Take Highway 63 South to the Stadium Boulevard exit; make a right. Follow Stadium for approximately 2 miles to Memorial Stadium.

13

14

Sunday, August 27, 2017

2017 SEC SCHEDULES

EAST

WEST

MISSOURI

SOUTH CAROLINA

ALABAMA

MISSISSIPPI

Sept. 2 Missouri St, 11 a.m.

Sept. 9 S Carolina, 6 p.m.

Sept. 16 Purdue, 4 p.m.

Sept. 23 Auburn Oct. 7 @ Kentucky Oct. 14 @ Georgia Oct. 21 Idaho Oct. 28 @ UConn Nov. 4 Florida Nov. 11 Tennessee Nov. 18 @ Vanderbilt Nov. 24 @ Arkansas, 1:30 p.m.

Sept. 2 NC State, 2 p.m.

Sept. 2 Florida St, 7 p.m.

Sept. 9 Fresno St, 2:30 p.m.

Sept. 16 Colorado St, 6 p.m.

Sept. 23 @ Vanderbilt Sept. 30 Ole Miss Oct. 7 @ Texas A&M Oct. 14 Arkansas Oct. 21 Tennessee Nov. 4 LSU Nov. 11 @ Mississippi St Nov. 18 Mercer Nov. 25 @ Auburn

Sept. 2 S Alabama, 6:30 p.m.

FLORIDA

Nov. 11 Florida

ARKANSAS

Nov. 11 Louisiana

Sept. 2 Michigan, 2:30 p.m.

Sept. 9 N Colorado, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 16 Tennessee, 2:30 p.m.

Sept. 23 @ Kentucky Sept. 30 Vanderbilt Oct. 7 LSU Oct. 14 Texas A&M Oct. 28 Georgia, 2:30 p.m.

Nov. 4 @ Missouri Nov. 11 @ South Carolina Nov. 18 UAB Nov. 25 Florida State

Nov. 25 Clemson

Aug. 31 Florida A&M, 7 p.m.

Sept. 9 TCU Sept. 23 Texas A&M Sept. 30 New Mexico St Oct. 7 @ South Carolina Oct. 14 @ Alabama Oct. 21 Auburn Oct. 28 @ Ole Miss Nov. 4 C Carolina Nov. 11 @ LSU Nov. 18 Mississippi St Nov. 24 Missouri, 1:30 p.m.

Nov. 23 @ Mississippi St, 6:30 p.m.

GEORGIA Sept. 2 Appalachian St, 5:15 p.m.

Sept. 9 @ Notre Dame, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 16 Samford, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 23 Mississippi St Sept. 30 @ Tennessee Oct. 7 @ Vanderbilt Oct. 14 Missouri Oct. 28 Florida, 2:30 p.m.

Nov. 4 South Carolina Nov. 11 @ Auburn Nov. 18 Kentucky Nov. 25 @ Georgia Tech

KENTUCKY Sept. 2 @ Southern Miss, 3 p.m.

Sept. 9 E Kentucky, 11 a.m.

Sept. 16 @ South Carolina, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 23 Florida Sept. 30 E Michigan Oct. 7 Missouri Oct. 21 @ Mississippi St Oct. 28 Tennessee Nov. 4 Ole Miss Nov. 11 @ Vanderbilt Nov. 18 @ Georgia Nov. 25 Louisville

Sept. 9 @ Missouri, 6 p.m.

Sept. 16 Kentucky, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 23 LA Tech Sept. 30 @ Texas A&M Oct. 7 Arkansas Oct. 14 @ Tennessee Oct. 28 Vanderbilt Nov. 4 @ Georgia Nov. 18 Wofford

TENNESSEE Sept. 4 @ Georgia Tech, 7 p.m.

Sept. 9 Indiana St, 3 p.m.

Sept. 16 @ Florida, 2:30 p.m.

Sept. 23 UMass Sept. 30 Georgia Oct. 14 South Carolina Oct. 21 @ Alabama Oct. 28 @ Kentucky Nov. 4 Southern Miss Nov. 11 @ Missouri Nov. 18 LSU Nov. 25 Vanderbilt

VANDERBILT Sept. 2 @ Mid Tennessee, 7 p.m.

Sept. 9 Alabama A&M, 3 p.m.

Sept. 16 Kansas St, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 23 Alabama Sept. 30 @ Florida Oct. 7 Georgia Oct. 14 @ Ole Miss Oct. 28 @ South Carolina Nov. 4 W Kentucky Nov. 11 Kentucky Nov. 18 Missouri Nov. 25 @ Tennessee

AUBURN Sept. 2 Ga Southern, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 9 @ Clemson, 6 p.m.

Sept. 16 Mercer, 3 p.m.

Sept. 23 @ Missouri Sept. 30 Mississippi St Oct. 7 Ole Miss Oct. 14 @ LSU Oct. 21 @ Arkansas Nov. 4 @ Texas A&M Nov. 11 Georgia Nov. 18 UL Monroe Nov. 25 Alabama

LSU Sept. 2 BYU, 8:30 p.m.

Sept. 9 Chattanooga, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 16 @ Mississippi St, 6 p.m.

Sept. 23 Syracuse Sept. 30 Troy Oct. 7 @ Florida Oct. 14 Auburn Oct. 21 @ Ole Miss Nov. 4 @ Alabama Nov. 11 Arkansas Nov. 18 @ Tennessee Nov. 25 Texas A&M

Sept. 9 UT Martin, 11 a.m.

Sept. 16 @ California, 9:30 p.m.

Sept. 30 @ Alabama Oct. 7 @ Auburn Oct. 14 Vanderbilt Oct. 21 LSU Oct. 28 Arkansas Nov. 4 @ Kentucky Nov. 18 Texas A&M

MISSISSIPPI STATE Sept. 2 Charleston So, 3 p.m.

Sept. 9 @ LA Tech, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 16 LSU, 6 p.m.

Sept. 23 @ Georgia Sept. 30 @ Aurburn Oct. 14 BYU Oct. 21 Kentucky Oct. 28 @ Texas A&M Nov. 4 UMass Nov. 11 Alabama Nov. 18 @ Arkansas Nov. 23 Ole Miss

TEXAS A&M Sept. 3 @ UCLA, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 9 Nicholls, 6 p.m.

Sept. 16 Louisiana, 11 a.m.

Sept. 23 Arkansas Sept. 30 South Carolina Oct. 7 Alabama Oct. 14 @ Florida Oct. 28 Mississippi St Nov. 4 Auburn Nov. 11 New Mexico Nov. 18 @ Ole Miss Nov. 25 @ LSU

Sunday, August 27, 2017

15

2016 MISSOURI & SEC STATISTICS MISSOURI TEAM

MISSOURI INDIVIDUAL PASSING Lock Zanders Laurent Fatony TOTAL

Cmp 237 10 1 1 249

RUSHING Crockett Witter Zanders Strong Lock Johnson Ross Williams Mason Augusta Sherrils Floyd Moore Laurent TEAM TOTAL

Att 153 162 35 32 52 4 24 9 2 10 1 1 0 1 14 500

Yds AVG 1,062 6.9 750 4.6 198 5.7 137 4.3 123 2.4 114 28.5 71 3.0 51 5.7 29 14.5 15 1.5 14 14.0 5 5.0 0 0.0 -10 -10.0 -98 -7.0 2,461 4.9

RECIEVING Moore Mason Johnson Culkin Hall Black Blanton Reese Witter Wingo Crockett Floyd Hanneke Dilosa Collins Lock Sherrils Smith Strong Ross Laurent TOTAL

No. 62 47 24 24 19 17 16 8 7 5 5 4 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 249

Yards 1,012 587 435 282 307 257 161 97 50 143 14 94 26 7 22 21 11 7 7 3 2 3,545

Att 434 12 1 1 448

Int 10 0 0 0 10

Yds 3,399 114 21 11 3,545

AVG 16.3 12.5 18.1 11.8 16.2 15.1 10.1 12.1 7.1 28.6 2.8 23.5 13.0 3.5 22.0 21.0 11.0 7.0 7.0 3.0 2.0 14.2

TD 10 6 2 2 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 24

TD 23 1 1 0 25

DEFENSIVE Total 73 Newsom 61 Harris 58 Wilson 53 Sherrils 53 Scherer 49 Hilton 47 Garrett 44 Beisel 43 Perkins 43 Penton 40 Burkett 37 Lee 34 Frazier 28 Gibson 28 Hatley 24 Warren 24 Beckner 23 Augusta 20 Hall 15 Williams 15 Logan 11 Harold 10 Cheadle 6 Acy 5 Hines 5 Utsey 3 Howard 2 J. Moore 2 Hurrell 2 Jo. Moore 2 Hull 1 Taylor 1 Holmes 1 Agbasimere 1 Pendleton 1 Stannard 1 Jacobs 1 Ross 1 Reese 1 Laurent 869 TOTAL

TFL 5.5 12.0 1.5 1.0 3.5 2.5 6.0 6.0 3.5 0.5 1.0 4.0 9.5 1.0 1.0 0 2.0 4.0 2.0 0 2.0 2.5 0 0 0 0 0.5 0 0 0.5 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.0 0 0 0 73.0

Sacks 3.0 8.0 0 0 0.5 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 2.0 8.5 0 1.0 0 0 1.0 0 0 0 1.5 0 0 0 0 0.5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 27.0

XPM 39 5 1

XPA 43 6 2

FGM 6 0 0

KICKING McCann Adams Tesson

SEC LEADERS PASSING YARDS Austin Allen, Arkansas Drew Lock, Missouri Joshua Dobbs, Tennessee

TACKLES Zach Cunningham, Vanderbilt Reuben Foster, Alabama Jordan Jones, Kentucky

125 115 109

RUSHING YARDS 1,387 Derrius Guice, LSU Nick Fitzgerald, Mississippi St. 1,375 Rawleigh Williams III, Arkansas 1,360

SACKS Derek Barnett, Tennessee Arden Key, LSU Jonathan Allen, Alabama

13 12 11

RECEIVING YARDS Josh Reynolds, Texas A&M J’Mon Moore, Missouri Josh Malone, Tennessee

INTERCEPTIONS Minkah Fitzpatrick, Alabama Teez Tabor, Florida Justin Evans, Texas A&M

6 4 4

3,430 3,399 2,946

1,039 1,012 972

Int 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 5 2 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 15 FGA 12 1 0

SCORING Points per game Points off turnovers FIRST DOWNS Rushing Passing Penalty RUSHING YARDAGE Yards gained rushing Yards lost rushing Rushing attempts Average per rush Average per game Tds rushing PASSING YARDAGE Comp-att-int Average per pass Average per catch Average per game Tds passing TOTAL OFFENSE Total plays Average per play Average per game KICK RETURNS PUNT RETURNS INT RETURNS FUMBLES-LOST PENALTIES-YARDS PUNTS-YARDS Average per punt Net punt average KICKOFFS-YARDS Average per kick Net kick average TIME OF POSSESSION SACKS BY-YARDS TOUCHDOWNS SCORED

OFFENSE YARDS/GAME Missouri Texas A&M Mississippi OFFENSE PASSING YARDS/GAME Mississippi Missouri Arkansas OFFENSE RUSHING YARDS/GAME Auburn Alabama Kentucky OFFENSE POINTS/GAME Alabama Tennessee Texas A&M

500.50 467.00 464.33 314.92 295.42 264.15 271.31 245.00 234.15 38.80 36.38 34.85

MU 377 31.4 63 292 144 130 18 2,461 2,721 260 500 4.9 205.1 24 3,545 249-448-10 7.9 14.2 295.4 25 6,006 948 6.3 500.5 43-811 26-293 15-170 28-13 80-685 66-2,894 43.8 40.3 69-4,261 61.8 38.0 24:18 27-165 52

OPP 378 31.5 76 273 120 133 20 2,794 3,094 300 531 5.3 232.8 28 2,962 241-418-15 7.1 12.3 246.8 17 5,756 949 6.1 479.7 21-541 20-111 10-227 7-5 75-596 67-2,711 40.5 34.3 73-4,502 61.7 40.6 36:07 14-101 49

DEFENSE YARDS/GAME Alabama Florida LSU DEFENSE PASSING YARDS/GAME Florida Georgia LSU DEFENSE RUSHING YARDS/GAME Alabama LSU Auburn DEFENSE POINTS/GAME Alabama LSU Florida

261.8 293.0 314.4 148.5 183.8 197.2 63.9 117.2 132.8 13.0 15.8 16.8

16

Sunday, August 27, 2017

SEC EAST Dawson leads Gators secondary Michel, Chubb run ground game Florida and LSU fans have debated for years about which school deserves to be known as Defensive Back University. The debate reached a crescendo in 2015, when each school promoted a video staking a claim that it was the real DBU. Each school consistently sends defensive backs to the NFL. So, does DBU reside in Gainesville, Fla., or Baton Rouge, La.? Unlike some of his predecessors, Florida’s senior cornerback Duke Dawson isn’t interested in the debate.

“You’ve got to back all that talking up,” said Dawson, who returned his lone interception last season for a touchdown against Arkansas. “That’s one thing that I’ve been taught my whole life, about not getting caught up in all the arguments, all the hype. Just go out and perform at a high level. That’s what I try to do.”

Dawson takes the torch in Florida’s secondary. He’ll be tasked with maintaining the production of Jalen Tabor and Quincy Wilson, the Gators’ talented cornerbacks who shut down passing attacks last season before departing for the NFL. Dawson will slide over to cornerback after previously

FLORIDA Gators Coach: Jim McElwain (third year, 19-8) 2016 record: 9-4 (6-2 SEC) Preseason poll: Second in the East Preseason All-SEC: First team (OL Martez Ivey, DB Duke Dawson); second team (WR Antonio Callaway, DL Cece Jefferson, P Johnny Townsend, PK Eddy Piniero); third team (TE DeAndre Goolsby, DL Jabari Zuniga, DB Marcell Harris, RS Callaway)

playing nickelback. The position change will put a brighter spotlight on him.

“He’s one of the best nickels in the nation — not just our conference. Now he’s getting the chance to go to cornerback and show you guys what he can do” there, senior safety Marcell Harris said. “I expect nothing but great things from him.”

Harris was slated to join Dawson as a cog in the secondary, but he will miss the season after tearing his Achilles in July.

Defense fueled Florida’s back-to-back SEC East titles.

But without Harris, the Gators return just five defensive starters, and a strong season from Dawson will be vital to Florida having hope of repeating its status as the SEC’s best passing defense.

— Blake Toppmeyer

QB Johnson ready for full season Stephen Johnson dreamed of this moment, entering the fall as the starting quarterback for an SEC team.

But Johnson, who grew up as a shy child with Tourette’s syndrome before enrolling at Grambling State and later junior college, didn’t expect reality to necessarily match the dream.

“It’s really a blessing, and it’s divine how it’s all come about, where I started at and where I’m at, sitting in this seat right now with a bunch of cameras on me,” Johnson said at last month’s SEC media

days.

Johnson, who reportedly stopped having the tics his Tourette’s caused before high school, is Kentucky’s confident, poised, fifth-year senior quarterback.

Johnson stepped into the starting role in the third game of last season after Drew Barker suffered a season-ending back injury. Barker remains on the roster, but Johnson has been named the starter.

The ground attack was Kentucky’s bread and butter last season — the Wildcats’ duo of Stanley “Boom” Williams and

Sony Michel’s rapper name is FlyGuy2Stackz. At Georgia, Michel forms half of 2FearsomeTailbacks.

Michel and fellow senior running back Nick Chubb have more than 6,000 yards between them, and each was a preseason All-SEC selection.

Michel’s focus is on playing football for as long as he can, but in his spare time, he records rap music.

“I got into music a while back — in middle school, with some of my friends,” said Michel, who’d begun releasing songs by the time he committed to Georgia in high school.

“It’s something that’s fun that I do just to get my mind away from football.”

Michel dropped a single titled “UGA Anthem” in 2014 before ever stepping on the field for the Bulldogs, and he released a remix of that song earlier this summer. Michel’s other singles include “Triple Double,” “Pressure,” “No Feelins” and “Motivation.”

Michel’s motivation for his senior season is to get the Bulldogs to Atlanta. Georgia hasn’t played in the SEC Championship since 2012 and hasn’t won the league title since 2005.

Many believe the Bulldogs

KENTUCKY Wildcats Coach: Mark Stoops (ifth year, 19-30) 2016 record: 7-6 (4-4 SEC) Preseason poll: Fifth in the East Preseason All-SEC: Second team (DL Denzil Ware); third team (LB Jordan Jones, DB Mike Edwards)

Benny Snell Jr. each rushed for more than 1,000 yards — and Johnson was more of a game manager, but he showed he’s a threat with his legs and throws a good deep ball.

Williams graduated, but Snell is back, and so are four starting offensive linemen, meaning the Wildcats should still be able to count on their

GEORGIA Bulldogs Coach: Kirby Smart (second year, 8-5) 2016 record: 8-5 (4-4 SEC) Preseason poll: First in the East Preseason All-SEC: First team (RB Nick Chubb, TE Isaac Nauta, DL Trenton Thompson, LB Roquan Smith); second team (OL Isaiah Wynn, DB Dominick Sanders); third team (RB Sony Michel, LB Lorenzo Carter)

are poised to contend. Along with the return of Chubb and Michel, Georgia brought back starting quarterback Jacob Eason and a whopping 10 starters from a defense that limited nine opponents to 24 points or fewer in 2016.

Off the field, Michel’s rap music has shined a light on him, but in the Bulldogs’ backfield, he lives a bit in Chubb’s shadow — not that he minds.

“In my mind-set, it’s not so important of being the feature guy at this point,” said Michel, who ranks 10th in Georgia history with 2,411 rushing yards. Chubb has 3,424 yards.

“Our mind-set is trying to win football games. We want to compete at the highest level.

We want to get to the championship games.”

— Blake Toppmeyer running game. Johnson’s task is to become more consistent and limit turnovers. He threw six interceptions last season and lost six fumbles.

“I’m just excited for what we have in store offensively,” Johnson said.

The Wildcats, who return nine starters from a defense that struggled, made a bowl last season for the first time since 2010, and Johnson said the team’s confidence “is a lot higher than it was last summer.”

“We know now that we can win big games in tough situations,” Johnson said.

— Blake Toppmeyer

Sunday, August 27, 2017

SEC EAST For Hurst, no regrets leaving baseball diamond Hayden Hurst called Larry Broadway via FaceTime on May 11, 2015, and told the Pittsburgh Pirates’ director of minor league operations that after 2½ years of struggles in the Pirates’ minor league system, he was giving up baseball.

“Hayden, I hope there’s something that you can stick to in your life,” Hurst recalls Broadway telling him.

“I’ll never forget those words — ever,” Hurst said.

Hurst decided to pursue football, his top love. Twenty-one days after that phone call, Hurst enrolled at South Carolina. He joined the team as

a walk-on. Now, the 23-yearold is a sophomore captain on scholarship and regarded as one of the SEC’s best tight ends.

Hurst caught 48 passes for 616 yards last season. He’s one of 10 offensive starters returning to a South Carolina team that made a bowl game in Will Muschamp’s first season.

The Pirates drafted Hurst out of high school in the 17th round of the 2012 draft. He never advanced beyond the organization’s rookie ball team in Bradenton, Fla., in the Gulf Coast League.

Hurst compared his pitching experience to that of Rick

Robertson anchors Vol’s O-line College football’s color wheel can be confusing.

Most fans understand that a redshirting player can practice but not appear in games for a season while preserving a year of eligibility. But there’s also the less-understood grayshirts, greenshirts and blueshirts.

Tennessee offensive lineman Jashon Robertson was a blueshirt when he cast his lot with the Volunteers in 2014, though he admits he’s not an expert on the color wheel.

“Is that what it’s called?”

Robertson said, when asked about coming to Tennessee as a blueshirt.

Rules limit schools to 25 players in a signing class, but loopholes are used to oversign.

Robertson was part of Tennessee’s over-filled 2014 recruiting class. He couldn’t take an official visit to Tennessee or sign with the Volunteers on signing day, and he went on scholarship after enrolling the next August. This process — called blueshirting — allowed Robertson to be counted to-

ward the next year’s signing number.

“I didn’t really see a difference,” Robertson said. “At the end of the day, whatever shirt you are or whatever it is, however you get to where you are, it really doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is what you bring to the table every day. If you work and you grind, you have the same opportunity as anybody.”

Robertson, a senior, has made the most of his opportunity. He was recruited as a defensive lineman but flipped to offense during training camp of his true freshman year, and he has made 35 career starts.

He’s one of four returning starters on the offensive line.

They’ll be tasked with blocking for a new starting quarterback — either Quinten Dormady or Jarrett Guarantano — after the departure of Joshua Dobbs.

“We have two great quarterbacks right now battling it out. Regardless of whoever it is, we’ll protect him,” Robertson said.

— Blake Toppmeyer

Ankiel, the former St. Louis Cardinals pitcher who lost his control midcareer and reinvented himself as a hitter.

“On the mound, I would shake. I couldn’t throw strikes,” Hurst said.

He worked with former MLB pitcher Scott Elarton, his pitching coach at the time, before practice to try to iron out his control, to no avail. Elarton could tell Hurst’s heart was with football, Hurst said, and he encouraged Hurst to pursue his passion.

Hurst converted to first base in 2014 before giving up baseball for good the following

17

S. CAROLINA Gamecocks Coach: Will Muschamp (second year, 6-7) 2016 record: 6-7 (3-5 SEC) Preseason poll: Fourth in the East Preseason All-SEC: Second team (TE Hayden Hurst, LB Skai Moore); third team (WR Deebo Samuel)

year.

“For me, it was more of a relief,” Hurst said. “It was just 2½ years of struggle and just kind of torment, and I was over it at that point. I made the phone call, and it was huge for me just to kind of take that next step in my life.”

— Blake Toppmeyer

TENNESSEE Volunteers Coach: Butch Jones (ifth year, 30-21) 2016 record: 9-4 (4-4 SEC)

®

AUTO • HOME • LIFE

Preseason poll: Third in the East Preseason All-SEC: Second team (OL Jashon Robertson, RS Evan Berry); third team (WR Jauan Jennings, P Trevor Daniel)

Go Tigers!

Go Tigers!

AUTO • HOME • LIFE

Proud to support our home team!

Mitch Theede

Ed Hohlt

3201 S. Providence Rd., Ste. 203 Columbia, MO 65203 573-443-6080 MTheede@ShelterInsurance.com

2909 Falling Leaf Lane Columbia, MO 65201 573-445-8661 EHohlt@ShelterInsurance.com

We’re your Shield. We’re your Shelter.

ShelterInsurance.com

18

Sunday, August 27, 2017

SEC EAST Webb 900 yards from being a household name Herschel Walker, Darren McFadden, Kevin Faulk, Bo Jackson and … Ralph Webb?

Webb will find himself among that group of household names if he attains his fourth straight season with at least 900 rushing yards.

The Vanderbilt tailback isn’t flashy, but he’s proved to be an effective bruiser and a model of consistency. He enters his senior season with 3,342 career rushing yards.

Walker’s SEC record of 5,259 rushing yards with Georgia from 1980-82 is almost surely out of reach, but Webb could feasibly track down the players immediately behind Walker: McFadden (4,590), Faulk (4,557) and Jackson (4,303).

No other players have eclipsed 4,200 career rushing

yards in the SEC’s history.

Webb knows he has a chance to join some elite company.

“That’d be a great thing for my family to look back on down the line, something they can go back and talk about,” Webb said. “Just to be mentioned with those guys, it’s an honor.

Those are some of the greatest running backs to ever play this game.”

He’s more concerned with winning games in his final goaround with the Commodores after he passed on the chance to enter the NFL draft. NFL.com ranked Webb as the 16th-best draft-eligible player who chose to return for another college season rather than departing for the pros.

The Commodores have won just 13 games during Webb’s

VANDERBILT Commodores Coach: Derek Mason (fourth year, 13-24) 2016 record: 6-7 (3-5 SEC) Preseason poll: Sixth in the East Preseason All-SEC: Third team (RB Ralph Webb, LB Oren Burks)

career, but they did reach a bowl game last season. And with nine starters returning on offense and seven back on defense, the argument could be made that this is the best collection of talent Derek Mason has had to work with.

“It’s in the back of my mind,” Webb said of the SEC’s rushing leaderboard. “I definitely know it, but the main thing is going out there and winning. I’m a competitor. I hate to lose.”

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Sunday, August 27, 2017

SEC WEST Wherever he is, DB Fitzpatrick makes an impact Minkah Fitzpatrick has dazzled in multiple roles throughout his first two seasons at Alabama. He played nickelback for the 2015 team that won a national title and stayed at that spot last season until a midseason injury to Eddie Jackson prompted Fitzpatrick to shift to safety.

It’s hard telling where in the secondary Fitzpatrick will line up this season.

“He’s everywhere,” cornerback Anthony Averett told reporters after a preseason practice.

Wherever he lines up, he’s a playmaker. The junior, who was a first-team All-American last

season, has eight career interceptions. He’s returned four of those for touchdowns.

Fitzpatrick aims to become a more prominent voice on defense.

“Last year, I had a leadership role, but I wasn’t the leader of the defense,” Fitzpatrick said. “This year, I feel like I have to be more vocal and step into that role.”

Perhaps he feels that way because of what Alabama lost.

The Crimson Tide return six starters on offense, six on defense and their punter from last year’s team that won the SEC championship for a third straight season and finished as the national run-

ner-up.

The majority of the SEC’s teams return more starters than Alabama, but expectations will never dip as long as Nick Saban is on the sideline. Alabama was picked by the media as the overwhelming favorite to win the SEC. A whopping 16 Crimson Tide were selected preseason All-SEC. Saban called last year’s 14-1 season “a failure” and is urging his team not “to waste” the chance to learn from its 35-31 loss to Clemson in the national championship.

“I take it as a challenge, because that’s partly my fault,” Fitzpatrick said. “I was a leader last year, and

QB Allen knows his way around the block Austin Allen showed a patience not always found in college football quarterbacks.

During his first three years at Arkansas, which included a redshirt season, Allen threw just 19 passes. Those three seasons, he had a front-row seat to watching his older brother, Brandon, man the controls as the Razorbacks’ quarterback.

The chance to learn behind Brandon was part of coach Bret Bielema’s sales pitch to Austin.

“I said, ‘Hey, here’s three things you can do,’” Bielema said. “‘You can sit and watch

your brother play. That’s kind of cool. You can also learn through your brother’s failures, which isn’t going to be a lot of fun, but still watch it happen. And the third this thing is you can enjoy’” his “‘success and understand why it happened.’”

Brandon Allen helped guide the Razorbacks to bowl bids in his final two seasons before Austin took the reins last year and quietly led the SEC with 3,430 passing yards in helping the Razorbacks reach a third straight bowl game.

He enters this season as the

old man of the league.

“I feel like I have the trust of all my teammates,” he said.

“Younger guys, I want to be the example for them of what the program is supposed to look like and what it’s supposed to be like.”

Allen ranked in the top five of the SEC last season in passing yards, completion percentage, touchdowns, yards per attempt and QB rating. But it wasn’t a season without blemish. His 15 interceptions were the most by any SEC quarterback.

Allen’s five interceptions in

OL Smith passes on NFL draft for senior season Gus Malzahn doesn’t recall Braden Smith having much to say during his early days as an Auburn offensive lineman.

“The first two years Braden was at Auburn, I would get short answers,” said Malzahn, Auburn’s coach, “and sometimes maybe just a grunt, you know?

He has really come a long way from a leadership standpoint.”

Smith said he always had something to say but took a while to come out of his shell.

“My teammates took me in” during those early years, “and I got more comfortable and gained their trust,” Smith said.

“I’ve always been a talkative dude. They just never realized that until they got to know me.”

The 6-foot-6, 303-pounder is one of three returning senior starters on Auburn’s offensive line.

Smith was a four-star prospect coming out of Olathe, Kan. Missouri was the first school to offer him a scholarship, he said, but he wound up compiling a lengthy offer list and headed south.

Smith, who has 27 career starts, passed on the chance to leave a year early for the NFL. “I knew there was going to

be something special that was going to go on this year,” Smith said. “We have all the pieces.”

A year ago, AU’s offensive line paved the way for a rushing attack that led the SEC at 271.3 yards per game. The Tigers also had their best defense of the Malzahn era. They’ll hope to get a jolt in the passing game after the addition of transfer Jarrett Stidham, who was named the starting quarterback. As a freshman at Baylor in 2015, Stidham completed 75 of 109 passes for 1,265 yards and 12 touchdowns with two interceptions. He beat out re-

19

ALABAMA Crimson Tide Coach: Nick Saban (11th year, 119-19) 2016 record: 14-1 (8-0 SEC) Preseason poll: SEC champions Preseason All-SEC: First team (QB Jalen Hurts, WR Calvin Ridley, OL Jonah Williams, OL Ross Pierschbacher, DL Da’Ron Payne, DL Da’Shawn Hand, LB Rashaan Evans, DB Minkah Fitzpatrick, DB Ronnie Harrison, P JK Scott); second team (RB Bo Scarbrough, C Bradley Bozeman, LB Shaun Dion Hamilton); third team (OL Lester Cotton, DB Anthony Averett, DB Tony Brown)

I kind of let things slide. I would see certain things and just kind of let them go under the rug, and that affected us toward the end of the season.”

— Blake Toppmeyer

ARKANSAS Razorbacks Coach: Bret Bielema (ifth year, 25-26) 2016 record: 7-6 (3-5 SEC) Preseason poll: Fourth in the West Preseason All-SEC: First team (C Frank Ragnow); third team (QB Austin Allen)

the season’s final two games contributed to the Razorbacks blowing leads in defeats to Missouri and Virginia Tech. The way those games finished fueled his offseason.

“He’s one of the hardest workers I know, and it’s exciting to see,” center Frank Ragnow said.

— Blake Toppmeyer

AUBURN Tigers Coach: Gus Malzahn (Fifth year, 35-18) 2016 record: 8-5 (5-3 SEC) Preseason poll: Second in the West Preseason All-SEC: First team (OL Braden Smith, PK Daniel Carlson); second team (RB Kamryn Pettway, DL Marlon Davidson, LB Tre’ Williams, DB Tray Matthews, DB Carlton Davis); third team (DL Dontavius Russell, AP Kerryon Johnson)

turning starter Sean White for the job.

“It’s great that we have the depth at quarterback that we didn’t quite have the last couple of years,” Smith said.

— Blake Toppmeyer

20

Sunday, August 27, 2017

SEC WEST RB Guice could be the new face of SEC tailbacks Missouri dodged one bulldozer last season during its game against LSU. It got rudely introduced to another.

A sprained ankle kept Leonard Fournette off the field in the Oct. 1 battle of the Tigers. Derrius Guice stepped in and rushed for 163 yards and three touchdowns to help fuel LSU’s 42-7 thumping of Missouri.

That marked Guice’s best game through that juncture of the season, but he went on to have even bigger performances. The highlights included a 252-yard, twoTD day against Arkansas and a

285-yard, four-TD output against Texas A&M. Fournette’s ankle limited him to seven games last season before he headed to the NFL, and it opened the door for Guice to establish himself as the new face of SEC tailbacks.

“I had to step up, and I had to mature quickly,” said Guice, a junior.

Guice’s fashion drew attention at last month’s SEC media days in Hoover, Ala., much in the way that Fournette turned heads two years ago when he showed up in a tan jacket, red pants and red bow-

tie. Guice arrived in a light pink jacket, coupled with a blue shirt, a bright pink bowtie and tan pants.

Guice made his purchase at Brown and Brown Custom Clothiers in Baton Rouge. He should know all the town’s hotspots, considering Guice is playing his college ball in his hometown.

“I saw it on a mannequin, and I was like, ‘I’ve got to try this on.’

I put it on, and I was like, ‘Yep. That’s what I’m going to Alabama in,’” Guice said.

Guice fielded several questions about Fournette, and he showered his predecessor with praise.

With no bowl hopes, Ole Miss to play spoiler At SEC media days last month, Mississippi quarterback Shea Patterson was peppered with questions about the team’s mindset entering a season knowing the possibility of a bowl bid was off the table.

The Rebels self-imposed a one-year bowl ban as they await the NCAA’s penalty resulting from an investigation into numerous alleged rules violations.

“That type of stuff doesn’t faze me,” Patterson said July 13.

Little did he know then that life inside the Rebels camp was about to get even wackier.

Mississippi coach Hugh Freeze resigned one week later after news broke that Freeze had made a call to an escort service. It marked the end of an eventful tenure for Freeze, one in which controversy was rarely out of view.

Rebels fans can take comfort in the fact that Patterson remains.

The former five-star recruit got some seasoning last year as a true freshman, starting the final three games — all against SEC opponents — after Chad Kelly’s season-ending knee injury.

In a small sample size, Patterson didn’t sink. He completed 54.5

percent of his passes for 880 yards with six TDs and three interceptions. Not only did Patterson collect that playing experience, he also got an early start on practice repetitions with the first string.

“I’m very prepared,” Patterson said. “Being able to get in there and get those three starts under my belt and really get better with that consistency and chemistry with teammates on the field, it’s a lot different in practice.”

And, although Freeze is now unemployed, Patterson will be working with a familiar face. Offensive coordinator Matt Luke

Harris healthy as Bulldogs switch to 3-4 scheme Dezmond Harris tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee while playing quarterback during a jamboree before his senior season of high school, sidelining him for the year. Then it was the left knee’s turn for an ACL tear in the midst of his redshirt freshman season as a linebacker at Mississippi State. The left knee doubled down with another ACL tear the next year.

Finally, Harris had an injury-free season last year as a junior. He played in every game.

Coach Dan Mullen expects Harris to step into a bigger role

this season. He’s projected to claim a starting inside linebacker spot in first-year coordinator Todd Grantham’s 3-4 defense.

He “never let any of his adversity get to him, continued to work and fight through it and develop,” Mullen said of Harris. “Here he is as a senior having the opportunity to have a huge year.”

Harris had committed to Mississippi State shortly before his first ACL injury, and the Bulldogs didn’t waver from their offer. Harris said his mom and sister were his rocks as he

navigated each ACL recovery.

If there was a silver lining to the second and third tears, it was that he knew what to expect in rehab.

Harris might be the vocal leader of the defense, but the leader in terms of talent is probably sophomore inside linebacker Leo Lewis, coming off a 79-tackle season.

Grantham, formerly the defensive coordinator at Georgia and Louisville, is Mullen’s fourth DC in as many seasons.

He’ll be tasked with improving a defense that ranked ninth or worse in scoring defense in

LSU Tigers Coach: Ed Orgeron (Second year*, 6-2) 2016 record: 8-4 (5-3 SEC) Preseason poll: Third in the West Preseason All-SEC: First team (RB Derrius Guice, LB Arden Key); second team (OL K.J. Malone, DL Christian LaCouture, DB Donte Jackson, AP Guice); third team (C Will Clapp, DL Rashard Lawrence) * Includes 2016 record as interim coach

But the flashy pink jacket almost seemed like his way of saying the torch is his to carry now.

“It’s going to be a heck of a year for me — for us,” Guice said.

— Blake Toppmeyer

MISSISSIPPI Rebels Coach: Matt Luke (First year, 0-0) 2016 record: 5-7 (2-6 SEC) Preseason poll: Seventh in the West Preseason All-SEC: First team (DL Marquis Haynes); third team (OL Greg Little, OL Javon Patterson, PK Gary Wunderlich)

was promoted to interim coach.

And the Rebels’ strength is their offensive line, which returns four starters.

“It sucks that we can’t play for a bowl this year, but it doesn’t change the path. It doesn’t change the vision,” Patterson said.

— Blake Toppmeyer

MISSISSIPPI ST Bulldogs Coach: Dan Mullen (Ninth year, 61-42) 2016 record: 6-7 (3-5 SEC) Preseason poll: Sixth in the West Preseason All-SEC: Second team (QB Nick Fitzgerald, OL Martinas Rankin)

each of the past three seasons.

If Grantham can spark improvement, the Bulldogs should be in good shape for an eighth straight bowl bid. They ranked seventh in the SEC in scoring offense and total offense, and dual-threat quarterback Nick Fitzgerald is among seven returning offensive starters.

— Blake Toppmeyer

Sunday, August 27, 2017

SEC WEST Kirk to lead fresh group of Aggie wide receivers Christian Kirk is Texas A&M’s only returning wide receiver who had more than 100 receiving yards last season. Josh Reynolds, Ricky Seals-Jones and Speedy Noil are all gone to the NFL. If you can only bring back one proven target, Kirk is a good one to have.

“Nobody prepares harder, nobody takes care of themselves better, nobody works harder in the game than Christian Kirk,” Aggies coach Kevin Sumlin said of the 5-foot-11 junior, “and I think he’s a great example for

all our good young players, but particularly at that wide receiver position.”

Texas A&M might have the biggest QB battle of any SEC team after the graduation of Trevor Knight, but regardless of who wins the job, having Kirk to throw to means “this offense will be quarterback-friendly,” Sumlin said.

The real beauty of Kirk, who caught 83 passes for 928 yards and nine TDs last season, is that he’s not just a threat on offense. He’s returned five punts for touchdowns in the past two

seasons.

“Special teams is the most important facet of the game,” Kirk said. “Those guys who go out there and block for me, they’re the reason why I get in the end zone.”

The stakes are always high in College Station, Texas, but that’s even more the case this year. Sumlin has posted five straight winning seasons, but he’s been stuck on eight wins in each of the past three years, and his athletic director, Scott Woodward, publicly put him on the hot seat during a television

21

TEXAS A&M Aggies Coach: Kevin Sumlin (Sixth year, 44-21) 2016 record: 8-5 (4-4 SEC) Preseason poll: Fifth in the West Preseason All-SEC: First team (WR Christian Kirk, DB Armani Watts, RS Kirk, AP Kirk); third team (OL Koda Martin)

interview in May. “Coach Sumlin doesn’t go out there and play on Saturdays.

That’s up to us, and we’ve got to go out there and win,” Kirk said. “We’ve got to be better. As players, we’ve got to take that upon us to go out there and win games.”

— Blake Toppmeyer

Mizzou’s Beisel: ‘I can control the skies’ LB known as Zeus steals the show with bold comments

By Blake Toppmeyer Columbia Daily Tribune HOOVER, Ala. – When Dave Shroll referred to Eric Beisel as Zeus during Beisel’s freshman year of high school, he gave Beisel more than a nickname. He gave him an alter ego that Beisel fully – and perhaps a bit absurdly – embraces.

“I didn’t choose who I am,” Beisel, Missouri’s senior middle linebacker, said in July at Southeastern Conference media days.

“I guess it’s because I can control the skies. I can control the skies and control the world.”

The first three days of SEC media days at the Wynfrey Hotel were relatively void of hot-button topics and outlandish statements.

Commissioner Greg Sankey snuffed out divisional realignment talk. Florida’s Jim McElwain struck a stern tone rather than reaching for humor when asked about a viral photo featuring a naked man who could be McElwain’s doppelganger lying on top of a shark. Alabama’s Nick Saban

took a year off from airing his college football grievances.

Then Beisel got his turn in front of reporters and breathed life into the proceedings with a series of bold and downright bizarre remarks.

Eric Beisel “I truly believe that I was reincarnated,” Beisel said, without a trace of a laugh. “I lived a past life as a gladiator. I like to completely live that out. I step in the arena every Saturday with just tons of fans, crazy fans who just want to see bloodshed. I want to give it to them.”

Lest you think this was an act while the recorders and television cameras were running, Missouri quarterback Drew Lock said it’s not.

“His whole Zeus thing, he lives by that. He thinks he’s Zeus,” Lock said. “He thinks everything that he does has a reverse effect on someone. We’re sitting in the locker room one time, and he’s like, ‘Yeah, the reason you’re asleep in that chair right now is because I was getting lunch.’ It’s just like, ‘What? What are you talking about?’

“He’s an interesting character.

He’s fun in the locker room.”

Beisel’s embrace of the Zeus persona began at Rockwood Summit High School in Fenton, where he was a football and baseball standout.

During Beisel’s freshman season, Shroll, an assistant baseball coach, called him Zeus.

The name stuck and followed Beisel to Missouri.

“He’s a great guy, so I don’t mind calling him Zeus. I like him,” said wide receiver J’Mon Moore, who, like Beisel, is a fifth-year senior. “I thought it was actually kind of dope that somebody called him Zeus. I wasn’t going to be the person to break it.”

In Greek mythology, Zeus was the god of the sky and thunder who ruled Mount Olympus as king of the gods.

Beisel apparently had the confidence of a god when he arrived at Missouri in 2013.

“I introduced myself to the team. I said, ‘I’m Eric Beisel, I’m a middle linebacker, and I’m here to take Andrew Wilson’s spot,’ ” Beisel said. “Everyone went crazy and said, ‘Zeus!’ ” Wilson, of course, was the team’s returning starter at middle linebacker who led the team in tackles the year before.

Beisel didn’t take Wilson’s spot, nor did he replace him after Wilson graduated following that 2013 season.

Instead, Michael Scherer became the heir to Wilson’s throne and was Missouri’s starting middle linebacker for 2½ seasons until he tore his anterior cruciate ligament last season on Oct. 22 against Middle Tennessee State, ending his Tiger career.

Beisel stepped into Scherer’s role, starting the final five games of the season. Beisel made eight or more tackles in three of those games, topped by his 14 tackles against South Carolina. He had six tackles for loss during that span, good enough to end the season tied for third on the team.

That audition, followed by a solid spring, earned Beisel the starting middle linebacker job for his final season. He also stepped into a leadership role he’s long desired.

Beisel delivered a manifesto of goals to the team in January.

In addition to in-season goals for victories, his manifesto included initiatives such as winning winter workouts, spring workouts and summer workouts.

The players gather after each

See ZEUS, Pg. 22

22

Sunday, August 27, 2017

From ZEUS, Pg. 21 segment and evaluate whether they achieved their goal. The Tigers didn’t meet the goal of winning winter workouts – the work ethic of players in attendance was good, Lock said, but there were too many absences or late arrivals – but they have checked off the boxes since then.

Beisel also orchestrated a new method for how the players huddle as they listen to their coaches.

Under Beisel’s rule, freshmen must stand in the middle of the huddle, closest to the coaches, while the seniors keep the huddle tight around the outside. The theory is to prevent stragglers around the edge and to ensure that the team’s youngest players are closest to the message.

“He’s a natural leader like that. He’s a natural vocal guy,” Lock said. “Without what he’s done up to this point, we would be a different team.”

This summer, Beisel interned with Missouri’s marketing department. He engaged with fans

and sold football and basketball tickets. It’s a role that suited him.

When his playing days are over, Beisel would like to operate his own business.

But perhaps Beisel, whose degree is in sport management, should set his sights on becoming the next Don King, the famed boxing promoter. He’s got a knack for being a hype man.

Last November, Beisel dumped gasoline on the embers of Missouri’s Battle Line Rivalry against Arkansas when, four days before the game, he repeatedly referred to Arkansas as “Ar-Kansas” during an interview with the Tribune and a couple other media outlets and cautioned the Razorbacks against making the trip to Columbia.

“I wanted to let our guys know that at least someone believed in us, someone knew we were going to win,” Beisel said. “And I expected to win. Like I said, it’s all part of the plan. We knew we were going to win that game.

Whether I said that or not, the outcome was always going to be

the same.”

Missouri was 3-8 entering the game and trailed by 17 points at halftime before rallying for a 2824 victory.

Not surprisingly, Beisel fielded numerous questions at SEC media days about his Arkansas comments, and he didn’t shy away.

“I can’t say much on that,” Beisel said, before saying plenty.

“I will say that that team down south, they’ll always be below us – at least geographically, they will be below us.”

Beisel said his comments last year were designed to “spark some excitement” for the matchup.

So, he was poking the bear?

“I’d say it’s more poking the cute little kitten with obviously who we were playing,” Beisel said.

Beisel’s pride for the ShowMe State is robust. He carried the state flag and led the team onto the field coming out of the tunnel for games last season. During Beisel’s recruitment, his decision came down to Missouri or Arkan-

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sas.

Lock said he was “a little blown away” when he read what Beisel said before last season’s Arkansas game.

“It was a bold statement,” Lock said. “Anything Beisel says, he’s a teammate, so we’re going to have to try to back it up.”

Beisel said he had no doubts the Tigers would.

“I believe I have some visions,” Beisel said. “I see these games well in advance.”

A victory over the Razorbacks wasn’t the only thing he visualized.

He also envisioned himself at the Wynfrey Hotel, representing his team and generating buzz for the upcoming season.

“I saw myself here four years ago when I was a fourth-string linebacker coming in as a freshman,” Beisel said. “I have a master plan in the back of my mind, and this was all part of it.

Whenever it came, I could either get excited and crap myself or I could’ve expected it. And I definitely expected it.”

Sunday, August 27, 2017

23

Blanton’s 6-foot-6 frame an enticing target

By Blake Toppmeyer Columbia Daily Tribune Kendall Blanton made one of the best plays of Missouri’s 2016 season when the tight end reached out and used his right hand to snag a touchdown pass from Drew Lock.

Lock faked a handoff to Ish Witter, which sucked up a safety, and found an open Blanton in the end zone for the 15-yard score against Middle Tennessee State.

Blanton’s spectacular catch saved a slightly overthrown pass.

“I want to make more plays like it and better plays in the future,” Blanton, a junior from Blue Springs, said after an August practice when asked about that catch. “I definitely want to be known for more than that.”

Tight end Sean Culkin is the only starter Missouri must replace on offense. Senior Jason Reese and Blanton are first in line to see an increase in playing time.

The 6-foot-6, 265-pound Blanton is a quarterback’s dream.

“His catch radius is just huge. His blocking is through the roof,” Reese said.

At Missouri, an annual talking point around this time of the year is that the Tigers are going to use the tight ends more in the passing game.

That drum is being pounded again this preseason.

Tight end involvement in the pass game did see an uptick last season in the first year of offensive coordinator Josh Heupel’s system. Culkin, Blanton, Reese and Tyler Hanneke combined for 50 receptions.

That was the most by Missouri’s tight end position since it produced 53 recep-

Kendall Blanton, a 6-foot-6 junior tight end with great hands, has Missouri looking to increase production from the position. [Timothy Tai/Tribune]

tions in 2011, with 50 of those coming from Michael Egnew.

Culkin led the group with 24 grabs last year. Blanton followed with 16 catches for 161 yards with three TDs. “His size and length lends itself to him being a big part of what we’re doing in the passing game,” Heupel said.

Lock and Blanton are reconnecting after Blanton was sidelined all spring following February surgery to repair ligament damage in his right ankle. Blanton said he suffered the injury while working out in the Devine Pavilion with safety Dominic Nelson.

“We were going hard, and I

rolled it. I stepped on his foot and rolled it,” Blanton said. “I just thought it was a real bad sprain at first. We had to go get some X-rays, and that’s when I found out I’d miss the rest of the spring.”

Blanton said he used his time sidelined to polish up on the mental aspect of the position.

“I really studied the game a lot more since I couldn’t do nothing else but study with my injury,” Blanton said. “I think my overall understanding is way better.”

Blanton’s frame makes him an ideal target to isolate in the red zone, but it’s a myth that

the ball only comes his way inside the 20. Of his 16 catches last year, 13 came on plays that started outside the red zone.

Blanton was Lock’s tight end during a two-minute drill during an Aug. 8 closed practice, and Lock said he connected with him on backto-back passes.

“Kendall has worked really hard on understanding coverages and defenses to where he knows how to adjust to what look he’s getting,” Lock said.

“Not once do I think Kendall is just a red-zone guy, save him for 25 and in. No, he’s a full-field guy to me.”

24

Sunday, August 27, 2017

Offensive linemen Adam Ploudre (66) and Kevin Pendleton (71) run a drill during a Missouri football practice at the Kadlec Athletic Fields on Aug. 3.

[Timothy Tai/Tribune]

Competition is rampant along MU’s offensive line

By Blake Toppmeyer Columbia Daily Tribune Glen Elarbee is like the kid in the candy store who doesn’t know whether to choose jelly beans, gum drops or licorice with his allowance.

One year after Missouri skated through a season thin on offensive line depth, Elarbee is blessed with more options. Now he’s just got to decide which five linemen to choose as his top options.

“Everybody’s kind of got somebody on their heels,” said Elarbee, Missouri’s offensive line coach. ... “It definitely makes it easier, because if there’s somebody to push someone, it’s, ‘All right, you don’t want to do it hard?

Guess what, the next guy is ready to do it.’”

The offensive line’s performance was a silver lining to Missouri’s 4-8 campaign in 2016.

Although no starters returned from the year before and the limited depth left little room for injury, the unit navigated the challenges to keep Drew Lock protected and open some creases for Damarea Crockett and Ish Witter.

The Tigers surrendered 2.92 tackles for loss per game, the best mark in the nation since that stat started being tracked in 2005. The nextbest rate came in 2005, when Minnesota allowed 3.08 TFLs per game.

Missouri surrendered 14

sacks, a rate of 1.2 per game that ranked 16th nationally and topped the SEC. The Tigers’ 4.92 yards per carry ranked eighth in the SEC, five spots higher than the year before.

A year to be proud of, right?

“Last year was nothing.

We’ve got to get better,” left tackle Tyler Howell said. “Just keep building on it. ... Personally, I think I played like trash.

We’ve just got to get better — probably run blocking the most.”

Howell’s personal assessment is a bit harsh — he kept Lock’s blind side well-protected — but his thought that the offensive line’s performance can improve is a commonly held belief among his

position group.

“I think I had a couple rough points last year,” said right tackle Paul Adams, who’s probably Missouri’s most dependable lineman.

Judging offensive line performance is one of the harder layman evaluations. Certainly some of the line’s success last year was a credit to the up-tempo, quick-release passing game and no-frills running attack offensive coordinator Josh Heupel drew up.

The downside to Missouri’s offensive approach last year was that it at times appeared too basic, allowing the defense to zero in. A lot of passSee O-LINE, Pg. 25

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