Blue Ribbon Team Preview: Missouri

[eazyb81]

ESPN has a North Division preview up on the main college football page, and Missouri's Blue Ribbon Report is listed as the free one (you have to pay for the others).

Also, Missouri just signed 5* DE Brian Coulter. He had signed and was expected to start this year for Florida State, but a loophole made him ineligible. He also had offers from LSU, Miami, Tennessee, and Florida, among others. Talk about some amazing luck.


http://insider.espn.go.com/ncf/insid...3fid%3d3479719

COACH AND PROGRAM

Gary Pinkel knows his team faced high expectations going into last year -- but that pressure will pale in comparison to what the Tigers will be staring down this fall. After improving by four wins and rising to a No. 1 ranking in the nation for the first time since 1960, Missouri enters the season poised for what could be the most exciting and successful campaign in school history.

But the Tigers got a taste of such lofty preseason expectations last year, and Pinkel was happy with how his team responded.

"I thought we would handle it well, and I think the results show that we did," Pinkel said. "It was pressure-packed -- we were in basically an elimination situation the last six weeks of the season, and we handled it. I think you learn from that and that carries over a little bit."

When Pinkel refers to an elimination situation, for once he's not talking about bowl eligibility. The Tigers knew they were in the running for the national title from about midseason on, and when they capped an 11-1 regular season with a thrilling 36-28 victory over archrival Kansas at Arrowhead Stadium, they were just one win away from playing in the BCS title game. But Missouri was tripped up by Oklahoma for a second time, sending the Tigers to the Cotton Bowl, where they took out their frustration on an overmatched Arkansas squad to emphatically punctuate a season epitomized by a prolific offense and a steadily improving defense.


Now, the Tigers just have to do it all over again, only better. And they'll have to do it without a few key figures from last year's team, and with an even bigger target on their backs. But Pinkel is keenly aware of the task at hand and what the Tigers need to do to achieve their goals this fall.

"This year, the challenge is to focus every day on doing everything right, and working every single day so you can get better as a student and as a football player, putting great effort into your studies and your classes," Pinkel said. "And do the same thing as a football player. You have to lift weights, and every rep you do, every time you work on your fundamentals, you're doing that to get better.

"Redeveloping the leadership and chemistry on our team is really important. Just because you had that one year, it doesn't automatically happen the next year. It doesn't just carry over. You still have to work at it, and we're constantly working on developing those things. Can you win at a high level a couple years in a row now? That's the question, and we'll see. You go back to work and start all over again."

The Tigers' resurgence was keyed by an offense that ranked No. 5 in the NCAA at 490.3 yards per game and eighth in the country with 39.9 points per game. With Heisman Trophy favorite Chase Daniel back under center and flashy do-it-all back Jeremy Maclin making big plays, the yards and points should once again pile up in Columbia.

The biggest losses sustained here include All-America tight end Martin Rucker, tailback Tony Temple, wide receiver Will Franklin, and offensive linemen Adam Spieker and Tyler Luellen. But young players stepped up on the defense a year ago, so the coaching staff figures this year, it's the offense's turn.

"I look at the offense this year and see some of the same things we went through last year with our defense," Pinkel said. "We were younger on that side of the ball going into the season, and it took some time to get the experience. What you saw at the end of the year was very different from what you saw at the start of the year."

The defense returned just five starters last year, but the Tigers were able to put together a unit that was among the top half of the conference in most of the major statistical categories, keeping opponents within reach for the record-setting offense to do its damage.

"Going into last year we'd lost six starters, so we had to have some time for our guys to jell a little bit," defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus said. "But our guys did a pretty good job coming together. Now, managing expectations is something you've got to deal with as a coach and as a leader of the defense. I think it's a situation that we welcome. It's not a situation where we have to wait for our guys to get experience. We should be able to come out of the gates and play well right away."

Gone are nose guard Lorenzo Williams and safety Cornelius "Pig" Brown, who was lost to a season-ending injury last October. But 10 starters from the Cotton Bowl are back to key an opportunistic defense that last year forced 29 turnovers, returned two fumbles and two interceptions for touchdowns and had two safeties. So even though a couple of the names might change, don't expect the Tigers defense to look much different from the team that ended last season by shutting down Arkansas' dynamic duo of Darren McFadden and Felix Jones, holding them to an average of 3.3 yards per carry and recovering four fumbles.

"We're not going to do a major overhaul of anything," Pinkel said. "There might be a few adjustments we make to help make ourselves better. All of our coaches have been out and looking around, and there might be a few things -- blitzes, a few coverage things we want to do defensively."

QUARTERBACKS

All eyes will be on senior Chase Daniel (6-0, 225) this year, and he'll have his work cut out for him to live up to the standard he set as a junior. Last season, the first Heisman finalist in school history completed 68.2 percent of his passes and set a pair of school records with 4,306 yards and 33 touchdowns through the air. He also rushed for 253 yards and four touchdowns and threw just 11 interceptions.

Daniel's performance earned him second-team All-America honors from the Associated Press and the Big 12 Offensive Player-of-the-Year award, and his statistical rankings found him seventh in the NCAA in total offense, fifth in passing yards, fifth in completions per game, and sixth in passing touchdowns.

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"After watching him the year before, we knew he was an unbelievable football player," offensive coordinator Dave Christensen said. "I certainly thought he could be a great player in our scheme, but he's phenomenal. I think he ran our offense better than any quarterback in the country ran their particular offense. He's a coach on the field, he understands the whole scheme and he's an unbelievable competitor."

Daniel tossed five touchdown passes twice last year, against Ole Miss and Colorado, and he also riddled the Buffaloes' secondary for a season-high 421 yards. But his signature game came in the Tigers' biggest victory of the season, as he went 40-of-49 for 361 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions in the win over Kansas.

Backing up Daniel will be senior Chase Patton (6-5, 220), who was 6-of-13 for 60 yards and an interception in 10 games last season, with sophomore Dominic Grooms (6-1, 195) and redshirt freshman Jimmy Costello (6-2, 205) vying for the title of "quarterback of the future" in scout-team duty.



RUNNING BACKS

The Tigers' running game was something of a hidden threat last fall, lurking in the shadow of their daunting passing attack but striking frequently and successfully throughout the year. As a team the Tigers rushed for almost 2,500 yards and 29 touchdowns, taking advantage of opponents who often dropped six to eight men into pass coverage. The Cotton Bowl was perhaps the shining moment for the running game -- Missouri rushed for 323 yards and four touchdowns in the drubbing of Arkansas.

"I think one thing people don't understand about our offense is that we try to maintain balance in what we do," Christensen said. "Now, we may throw the ball a little bit more to spread the field and get the running game going, but we certainly always want to run the football. That's always going to be part of our offense."

This fall, the Tigers will be looking for somebody to emerge from a pack of candidates to replace Tony Temple, who rushed for 1,039 yards and 12 touchdowns on just 186 carries last year. Temple set a Cotton Bowl record with 281 yards and four touchdowns, and was the first back in school history to have multiple 1,000-yard seasons, having also turned the trick as a junior. He signed a free-agent contract with the Cleveland Browns in the spring.

"Tony Temple matured quite a bit his senior year," Christensen said. "He was a very physical runner and very hard to tackle with his leg drive. But I think the kids that we have coming back have a lot of skill and talent in that position, so I feel pretty good about what we're bringing back in the running game."

The first shot at the No. 1 job will probably go to senior Jimmy Jackson (5-9, 200), who carried the ball 67 carries for 331 yards and seven touchdowns as Temple's main backup last year. But he'll get a challenge from sophomore Derrick Washington (5-11, 215), who posted 36 carries for 184 yards and a touchdown as a freshman last year.

"They're similar in a lot of ways," Christensen said. "Washington is a little bigger back, but they both fit well in our offense and they can both do the things we ask in our offense."

The backups include redshirt freshmen De'Vion Moore (5-9, 195), Joe Otey (5-10, 205), Ryan Evans (5-9, 175) and Titus Wonsey (5-7, 195), and junior Shawn Scott (5-8, 185).

WIDE RECEIVERS/TIGHT ENDS

A quarterback like Daniel will help make any receiver look good, but the reverse also can be true, and Will Franklin certainly lived up to his half of the bargain last fall. Franklin finished his Missouri career on a high note with 49 catches for 709 yards and four touchdowns, and his 138 career receptions put him at No. 5 on Missouri's all-time list. Franklin, an honorable mention all-Big 12 selection last year, was a fourth-round pick of the Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL draft.

The Tigers also lost reserves Jason Ray and Greg Bracey, who combined for 11 catches and 114 receiving yards last year, but they welcome back one of the most electrifying players in the country in sophomore Jeremy Maclin (6-1, 200). Last fall, Maclin burst onto the scene with 80 catches for a team-leading 1,055 yards and nine touchdowns. He also rushed 51 times for 375 yards and four scores, and thanks to his kick-returning skills, he set an NCAA freshman record with 2,776 all-purpose yards, the sixth-highest single-season figure in NCAA Bowl Subdivision history for all classes.

Maclin, who redshirted in 2006 after suffering a preseason knee injury, was an Associated Press All-America pick as an all-purpose back, the first freshman in Mizzou history to be selected an All-American. He shared the Big 12 Offensive Freshman-of-the-Year award with Texas Tech's Michael Crabtree and was a first-team all-conference pick. "Jeremy is an explosive player, one of the premier players in the country, so I'm trying to get the ball in his hands a number of different ways," Christensen said. "The great thing about having a player like that is he's surrounded by a bunch of other great skill players, so it's difficult to focus on just trying to shut him down. That allows him to continue to be a big playmaker for us.

"We'll give him the ball on kick returns like we did last year, but we'll also get it to him by throwing the ball and running some reverses and sweeps. He'll get his touches every single week because he has a chance to go the distance every time he touches the ball." Junior Danario Alexander (6-5, 210) is back after an injury-riddled season in which he missed three-and-a-half games but still managed 37 catches for 417 yards and two touchdowns. He broke his wrist in the opener against Illinois -- after making 10 catches in the game -- then tore knee ligaments in the Big 12 championship game against Oklahoma, but not before he had eight catches for 117 yards and a touchdown against Kansas. Alexander had knee surgery in the offseason, but he should be 100 percent by the time two-a-days roll around in August and will be a major cog in the Tigers' offense this fall.

The other starting receivers will be senior Tommy Saunders (6-0, 210), who made 41 catches for 397 yards and a touchdown last year, and junior Jared Perry (6-1, 180), who came off the bench to make 13 catches for 152 yards after a big freshman year. That trio will team with Maclin to give opposing defenses headaches as they try to keep Daniel and the passing game in check.

"Alexander is a very big, athletic receiver who could be a big playmaker," Christensen said. "Perry had an exceptional spring for us filling in at Will's position, and he made a couple of big plays for us his true freshman year, then was a spot player for us last year. And Tommy Saunders has played a lot of football for us. He probably has the best hands on the team and is a very physical kid."

Others in the mix for playing time include senior Earl Goldsmith (5-9, 200), who moved from tailback this year in an effort to get him more touches after he was limited to four catches for 20 yards and 19 rushes for 92 yards last year; junior Blake May (5-11, 190) and sophomore Forrest Shock (6-1, 205).

At tight end, the Tigers have huge shoes to fill with the departure of Martin Rucker, who led the team with a school-record 84 catches for 834 yards and eight touchdowns last year. The consensus All-America pick, whose 203 career receptions are the most in school history, was a fourth-round draft pick of the Cleveland Browns this spring.

Fortunately, Mizzou has some big feet in mind for those shoes in the person of senior Chase Coffman (6-6, 245). Although hampered by an ankle injury that limited his productivity late in the season, Coffman still posted 52 catches for 531 yards and seven touchdowns as a junior, including a school-record three touchdown catches in the win at Colorado. Coffman's 20 career touchdowns are already a school record, and he needs only 46 receptions to surpass Rucker's mark in that category, so if he stays healthy as a senior, he could set the bar out of reach for future Missouri tight ends, and perhaps all receivers if Maclin jumps to the NFL before his senior year.

"Chase Coffman can play in the slot or flexed out in a receiver position, and he's got maybe the best ball skills of a big guy I've ever seen," Christensen said. "He made a number of big plays for us last year, and we expect him to do that again this year. So there are a number of guys we can go to, which makes it difficult for defenses to take any one guy away from us and shut us down."

Coffman had surgery after the Cotton Bowl to clean up some bone spurs in his ankle, but he's expected to be 100 percent by August. His backups include junior Jon Gissinger (6-3, 240) -- a special-teamer who saw action in short-yardage situations last year -- redshirt freshman Caleb Medley (6-4, 205), sophomore Andy Loyd (6-4, 240), junior Levi Hamilton (5-10, 195) and redshirt freshman Marvin Norman (6-2, 235).

OFFENSIVE LINE

The Tigers lost center Adam Spieker, a third-team Associated Press All-American and Rimington Award finalist who signed a free-agent contract with the Oakland Raiders, and left tackle Tyler Luellen, a four-year starter and second-team all-conference pick last year who also went the free-agent rout, joining the San Diego Chargers this spring.

Reserves Monte Wyrick and Chris Tipton also left via graduation, leaving holes for the coaching staff to fill not only in the starting lineup but also on the depth chart. "I don't want to overuse the word 'concern,' because you go through this all the time with graduation, but we have to replace two starters and two reserves," Pinkel said. "So that means we have to replace four of 10 players -- that's almost half of your offensive line depth."

Said Christensen, "We might be as good on the offensive line as far as depth right now as we've ever been. Four of the backups are redshirt freshmen so we don't have a lot of experience, but from an athletic standpoint and the ability to play the position, we're stronger there than we've been.

"We replaced two starters on the line, but we performed really well in the spring and I think two-a-days are going to be crucial for us. We've got a number of legitimate prospects and guys who we think can help us win."

The three returning starters are senior right tackle Collin Brown (6-8, 325), who drew honorable mention All-Big 12 kudos and was chosen the top lineman on the team last year; junior right guard Kurtis Gregory (6-5, 305), another honorable mention All-Big 12 player who moved from tackle last year and won the starting job in camp; and senior left-guard Ryan Madison (6-5, 305), a third-year starter playing his second year at left guard, where he beat out Wyrick and started the last 10 games last year.

"All three of those kids coming back have started a lot of games," Christensen said. "They all played at a high level for us last year and have done a great job with leadership and bringing the young guys along. They've been through the battles and they learned from some pretty good guys who came before them."

The two new starters heading into two-a-days are junior left tackle Dain Wise (6-5, 305), who saw action in 11 games last year and has played up and down the line in his time at Missouri, and sophomore center Tim Barnes (6-4, 305), a highly touted recruit who learned from Spieker while playing on the scout team last year.

But the Tigers' coaches are high on the young second string, which includes sophomore tackle Mike Prince (6-4, 300) and four redshirt freshmen -- guards Austin Wuebbles (6-4, 285) and Jayson Palmgren (6-3, 305), tackle Elvis Fisher (6-5, 290) and center J.T. Beasley (6-4, 285).

KICKERS

The kicking game should be in good hands once again with senior Jeff Wolfert (6-2, 185), an honorable mention All-America and first-team All-Big 12 selection last year after he scored a school-record 130 points, smashing his own record of 99 from the year before.

Wolfert was 21-of-25 on field goals (after going 18-of-20 as a sophomore) and perfect on 67 extra point attempts, and he became more clutch as the season went along. He missed a field goal in each of the first four games, but then made his last 16, including a season-long of 48 yards against Iowa State.

Wolfert also handled 84 of the Tigers' 101 kickoffs, and could take on all of those duties this year, or he could share them with redshirt freshman Grant Ressel (6-1, 180), the only other kicker in camp.

DEFENSIVE LINE

With 10 starters returning from the Cotton Bowl, the Tigers' defense seems to be on pretty solid ground, but the one defection was possibly their biggest star, nose guard Lorenzo Williams. The first-team All-Big 12 pick led the team with 6.5 sacks and was second with 10 tackles for loss in 2007, and he was a key cog of the defensive line the last two seasons. Williams surprisingly went un-drafted but signed a free-agent contract with the Baltimore Ravens in the spring.

The leadership on the line will come from three senior starters, and on the interior line, defensive tackle Ziggy Hood (6-4, 295) will be asked to assume an even bigger role. Hood finished last year with 49 tackles, eight TFL and five sacks and was an honorable mention all-conference selection. The coaching staff hopes that playing next to Williams the last two years will help Hood with the intangibles necessary to set the tone on the line.

"Ziggy saw what a great job Lorenzo did last year for us in terms of leading our defense and leading our defensive line, and I think it was a great example for him to see first-hand," defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus said. "We expect him to have a great year and be even more productive, but we expect that leadership to ramp up, and he's done a good job of that through winter conditioning and spring ball."

The other two seniors are the defensive end duo of Stryker Sulak (6-5, 250) and Tommy Chavis (6-2, 255). Sulak was a second-team All-Big 12 pick last year after finishing with 60 tackles, including a team-high 11 TFL, six sacks, four forced fumbles and a 38-yard interception return for a touchdown against Texas Tech. Chavis chipped in seven TFL and 4.5 sacks among his 48 tackles, earning honorable mention All-Big 12 kudos in the process.

"Stryker's got real good speed. He runs a 4.5 -- he's as fast as most of the guys on our defense -- so he's got a great speed rush and has the ability to get to the quarterback real fast," Eberflus said. "Tommy's a real agile kid and plays at a real good pad level and works well with his hands. They both bring two different things to the table, but they're both certainly very valuable to our defense."

Junior Jaron Baston (6-1, 300) is first in line to take over for Williams at nose guard. Last year, Baston saw action in all 14 games off the bench and made 13 tackles while gaining valuable experience as he auditioned for the starting role this fall.

"He was in the rotation last year a bunch," Eberflus said. "He's a kid who's just worked his butt off. From the first day he got here until now, he's shown a great attitude. He's a real strong player inside, good against the run, and he uses his hands well." The top backups include senior Jaysen Corbett (6-4, 260) and sophomore Tyler Crane (6-3, 225) on the end and juniors Jason Townson (6-4, 305) and Andy Maples (6-4, 300) on the interior line.

LINEBACKERS

A strong, experienced quartet of linebackers will rotate through the three positions this fall, with a pair of senior starters taking a back seat -- on the stat sheet, at least -- to junior Sean Weatherspoon (6-1, 235). He led the team with 130 tackles from the weak-side spot last year, and added 9.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, eight pass break-ups and two forced fumbles in a first-team all-conference campaign. Weatherspoon underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder that hampered him during spring drills, but he's expected to be 100 percent by fall practice.

"He's a physical specimen -- a 4.4 guy, off the charts in the weight room and can jump out of the gym, and to boot he's got great instincts and is a great linebacker," Eberflus said. "He can cover guys man-to-man, he plays downhill, plays in the box well, plays in space well. He's got a bright future ahead of him if he keeps going.

In the middle, senior Brock Christopher (6-2, 235) returns for his third year as a starter. Christopher finished last year with 106 tackles and 7.5 tackles for loss, earning him an honorable mention All-Big 12 selection.

"He's done a great job of upping his leadership in terms of communication and getting after the guys and being positive with them," Eberflus said. "He had an outstanding spring -- his spring this year was one of the best springs I've seen in a linebacker in a long time. He was just off the charts in terms of improvement in a lot of areas."

Senior Van Alexander (6-0, 235) will try to fight off an injury bug that's kept him on the sidelines for much of his four years in Columbia. Last year, Alexander started eight games and finished with 60 tackles, but he played the Cotton Bowl with a broken hand that was operated on in the offseason. He was able to participate in spring drills, but then tore a knee ligament, an injury that's not expected to keep him out of the lineup this fall.

"He's a real physical kid who can bring a lot of big hits and real physical play against the run," Eberflus said. "The question is if he can stay healthy, and we've got our fingers crossed."

The fourth linebacker will be sophomore Luke Lambert (6-3, 225), one of the Tigers' top recruits last year who lived up to his reputation. Lambert had 32 tackles and a sack in 14 games off the bench, including 10 tackles and a forced fumble in the Cotton Bowl.

"He's a real smart kid," Eberflus said. "He picks up the schemes real well and he's real intelligent, so that helped him get in there and understand the schemes and calls and what you're supposed to do and when you're supposed to do it. He's a real big kid and can run, plays well with his hands and his pad level. He doesn't get himself out of control.

"We haven't actually played a lot of linebackers as freshmen, but Luke, Brock and Weatherspoon all played as true freshmen, so that's been a positive for us," Eberflus said. "We've been able to get them on the field as freshmen, and then they kind of take off the next year, so we're expecting big things from Luke this year. For whatever reason, the kids go through it, and all of a sudden the light turns on and -- boom -- they take off." Top reserves include junior Connell Davis (6-3, 215), a converted tailback who had 13 tackles and three fumble recoveries in his first year at linebacker, and sophomore Marquis Booker (6-1, 235). Senior Steve Redmond (6-0, 230) is coming off knee surgery and hoping to contribute this fall.

DEFENSIVE BACKS

The secondary already suffered its biggest loss midway through last season when senior safety Cornelius "Pig" Brown ruptured his Achilles' tendon against Iowa State and was lost for the rest of the season. Brown played eight games and still finished fourth on the team with 70 tackles, including eight tackles for loss, and showed a knack for making big plays, as evidenced by his three interceptions, two fumble recoveries (one of which he returned for a 100-yard touchdown against Illinois), a forced fumble and a blocked kick.

The Tigers also lost cornerback Darnell Terrell, who started 11 games and made 41 tackles before losing his job late in the season. Terrell also broke up 11 passes and recovered three fumbles, and signed a free-agent contract with the Cleveland Browns this spring.

The leader of the defensive backfield will be senior free safety William Moore (6-1, 230), whose school-record eight interceptions led the NCAA last year. Moore finished the year with 117 tackles, nine tackles for loss, two sacks, two forced fumbles and six pass break-ups. He was a first-team All-America pick by Rivals.com and a second-team pick by the Associated Press.

Moore was chosen the Cotton Bowl defensive MVP after he returned an interception for a touchdown, forced a fumble and made 13 tackles. He suffered a torn labrum in his shoulder during the game, which he had surgically repaired in the offseason, but he should be ready this August to take over the leadership role that he assumed last year when Brown was injured.

"Pig was one of the instrumental leaders of our defense, and when he got hurt, that kind of forced William into a different role," Eberflus said. "If you watched William Moore's play from the Colorado game on, the production was amazing. He just upped his game. He's a physical specimen, he's got real good instincts for the football, and also has the ability to take the ball and score. William could play wide receiver, he could return kicks, whatever. If you watch the tape, I'd put him press man-to-man on an H-back, which you'd be hard-pressed to find three guys in the country who could do that."

Senior Justin Garrett (6-2, 200) returns at strong safety after making 51 tackles and intercepting two passes last year, while senior Castine Bridges (6-2, 210) is back after winning a starting job at cornerback late last year. Bridges finished with 50 tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery in his first year with the Tigers -- he was coming off a redshirt season after a transfer from junior college.

The other cornerback will be sophomore Carl Gettis (5-11, 200), who started the last eight games as a freshman last year and finished with 49 tackles, two tackles for loss and a pick. Gettis was a second-team freshman All-America pick and an honorable mention All-Big 12 selection.

"He was just outstanding from the get-go," Eberflus said. "From two-a-days on, we were just so impressed with his maturity and his ability to pick up the schemes."

The second team includes senior Tremane Vaughns (5-9, 170) and sophomore Kevin Rutland (6-0, 190) at cornerback, and junior Del Howard (5-11, 200) and senior Mack Breed (6-1, 205) at safety. Also in the mix will be junior Hardy Ricks (6-0, 190), who started the first four games last year at cornerback but will be moved to safety this fall after he recovers from offseason shoulder surgery.

PUNTERS

The Tigers must replace three-year starter Adam Crossett, who averaged 38.6 yards on 52 punts last year. Crossett also forced 17 fair catches and had 20 punts downed inside the 20 against only six touchbacks.

Junior Jake Harry (6-1, 190), a left-footed junior-college transfer, redshirted last year and will battle fellow junior Tanner Mills (6-2, 195) for the job. Mills is a former soccer player who transferred from cross-town Columbia College and also served a redshirt season last year.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Jeremy Maclin once again will be Mizzou's ace in the hole with his dynamic skills in the return game. Last year he returned 25 punts for a 12.3-yard average and two touchdowns, and brought back 43 kickoffs for an average of 24.2 yards per return and another score.

The holder is Saunders, who had a perfect season on place-kicks and also threw a touchdown pass to Rucker on a fake field goal against Nebraska, while Gissinger or Christopher will replace Steven Blair at long snapper.

BLUE RIBBON ANALYSIS

Mizzou opens its schedule with what could be another shootout against Illinois at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis.


If it survives that test, the rest of the nonconference schedule is soft. The toughest Big 12 games will be at Texas and another neutral-site game against Kansas at Arrowhead Stadium. But with the big arm of Daniel and a sturdy defense returning, there's no reason the Tigers can't repeat as Big 12 North champions.

If they do, they should be favored to win the conference championship game and earn a BCS berth -- not a bad second act after a stunning, record-setting season.


GRADING THE TIGERS

Offense: A-

Special Teams: A

Defense: B+

Intangibles: A

[Pitt Gorilla]

Coulter likely changes everything. Mizzou could be very good.

[kepp]

Originally Posted by Pitt Gorilla

Coulter likely changes everything. Mizzou could be very good.

Agreed. He could really boost our pass rush.

[Reaper16]

The Coulter news is exciting. The MU defense has a chance of being as good as the MU offense.

[eazyb81]

Originally Posted by Pitt Gorilla

Coulter likely changes everything. Mizzou could be very good.

This is huge for Keck, as he won't have so much pressure on him to put up big numbers immediately.

A DE rotation of Sulak, Coulter, Chavis, and Keck looks damn impressive on paper.

[BigRedChief]

Man, Mizzou looks stacked

[KcMizzou]

As if I wasn't already impatient for the start of college football. Aarrgh...

"I thought we would handle it well, and I think the results show that we did," Pinkel said. "It was pressure-packed -- we were in basically an elimination situation the last six weeks of the season, and we handled it. I think you learn from that and that carries over a little bit."

That kind of experience is invaluable.

[SPATCH]

AHHHHH!!!

so ****ing stoked for mizzou football this year

Coffman and Maclin are going to be insane offensively but look out for guys like Denario Alexander, Jared Perry, and Derrick Washington to really break out, as well

I played high school football and basketball against 2 of this year's starting offensive linemen, and i'm really happy for those guys

M-I-Z-.....

[Sure-Oz]

I am very excited for this football season, we definetly should be better, esp defensively.

[Pablo]

Originally Posted by the_spatula

M-I-Z-.....

G-A-Y...?

[KCinNY]

As a lifelong Mizzou fan I've long since learned to temper my optimism.

That being said, this team looks freaking awesome.

[Demonpenz]

sponsered by papst

[SPATCH]

Originally Posted by GonzoRox88

G-A-Y...?

more like M-I-Z...

....fuck KU

[Midnight_Vulture]

The Illini are probably going to throttle Mizzou on the opening game. Last year, they clearly gave the game away. Remember that fluke fumble that went the other way 99 yards? Haha Mizzou is the luckiest team in the world...well not that lucky since they didnt get a BCS birth haha.

[Sure-Oz]

Originally Posted by GonzoRox88

G-A-Y...?

I can't wait till the mu/ku rematch

<--mizzou fan