Ask any quarterback or running back out there, and they'll tell you they're only as good as the guys who wage war on every down inside the depths of the trenches. The credo will never change, but the manner in which it is interpreted certainly has.
Thanks to the natural evolution of college football, the spread offense has grabbed a foothold as the predominant offense of an era defined by busy scoreboards and bloated stat sheets. A scheme that exploits defenses from sideline to sideline, success in the spread is predicated upon putting the ball in the hands of a team's playmakers by any means possible and letting those players do their thing in space.
Gone are the days of the four-man backfield. If you asked a coed today what Student Body Left means, they'd rattle off some crude sexual reference. In today's game, seldom do you see any fewer than two receivers removed more than five yards from the offensive tackle. The fullback position has been swallowed up by history.
The terms "smashmouth football" and "power running game" have somehow been shoved to the rear of college football's lexicon, but the ideals that have proved so vital to success in the collegiate game since its inception are still true in today's wide-open offensive philosophy.
In no other conference in the country is this philosophy more evident than in the Big 12. Along with the demand for dynamic offenses and boatloads of points comes the need for the modern offensive lineman—stout enough to hold the point of attack, yet quick and nimble enough to arrive at any point along the line of scrimmage before the opposition does.
In the six-plus seasons since Missouri decided to install the spread offense, head coach Gary Pinkel and his staff have done a fine job of recruiting the right type of athlete to handle the physical and cognitive rigors of the scheme, especially along the offensive line. That, in turn, has created depth that is capable of replenishing the talent level when starters are lost or injured.
You could argue that no team in the conference has run its offensive gameplan as smoothly as Missouri over the past few seasons. And the credit is due to the big guys up front no less than it is to the Chase Daniels and Jeremy Maclins of the world.
Consider this: Missouri threw a total of 565 passes in 2008, the third-highest total in the nation (Texas Tech, Houston), but the Tigers allowed only 15 sacks, or one every 37.6 attempts, which was the 16th-best total in the country. Throw in the fact that the team finished the season ranked 13th in the NCAA with 5.2 yards per carry on the ground, and the versatility with which Missouri's offensive line operated last season cannot be ignored. And it didn't hurt that all five members each started all 14 games.
Enter 2009, a year in which two starters have since departed but the remaining three will be joined by a talented core of replacements. The unit says goodbye to left guard Ryan Madison and right tackle Colin Brown, two players who combined to start 64 games over the past three seasons. Madison, last anyone heard, was participating in the Cincinnati Bengals' rookie minicamp as an undrafted free agent, while Brown is preparing to fight for a roster spot with the Kansas City Chiefs after being selected in the fifth round of the NFL draft.
Big shoes to fill, no doubt, but there's no reason to believe this season's unit, with a little guidance, should be any less cohesive than the one that did such a fine job of keeping Daniel's uniform clean in 2008.
Long-time assistant offensive line coach Bruce Walker, who formerly mentored MU tight ends, will share his duties this season with former LSU tight ends coach (and ex-Oklahoma State offensive lineman) Josh Henson, who also filled the role of Les Miles' recruiting coordinator at Baton Rouge. Together, the two will form a formidable coaching duo, but each has said the players will benefit even more from what will amount to an increased amount of one-on-one tutelage.
Personnel-wise, Blaine Gabbert will line up behind center, and an assembly of inexperienced wide receivers will spend at least the early portion of the schedule going through an adjustment period. The result may be alterations to the spread offense, whereby Missouri places a heavier emphasis on the run and maybe—just maybe—utilizes its quarterback under center (gasp!) as part of a more downhill running game.
With questions marks at nearly every skill position on the offense this season, Missouri will count upon its offensive line to be the only sure thing. The big guys up front need to be the glue that binds everyone together and prevents the offense from unraveling—whether it's continuing the spread attack's break-neck pace or slightly pulling back on the reigns in favor of a slightly more conventional approach.
Either way, if the offensive line doesn't come together, it could be a long season in Columbia.
Offensive Line
Starting from left to right, this is how Missouri's offensive line should look entering the 2009 season:
Left Tackle
Elvis Fisher (6'5", 300 lbs., So.): One of the main reasons Chase Daniel was kept so snug in the pocket last season was because Fisher spent each and every Saturday patrolling the back side. A redshirt sophomore from St. Petersburg, Fla., Fisher ascended up the depth chart during preseason camp in 2008, going from being the No. 2 left tackle to starting all 14 games en route to a first-team Freshman All-American selection by the Sporting News.
Considering he had never played a live snap of college football before last season, Fisher performed exceedingly well in 2008. Faced with perhaps the most unenviable task along the offensive line, Fisher held more than his own against the conference's best speed rushers, with the exception of Brian Orakpo, the former Texas Longhorn who is now playing with the Washington Redskins.
Now well-seasoned and one offseason stronger, Fisher will be expected to be the rock on the left side of the Missouri offensive line, and entrusted to keep Blaine Gabbert free from the grasp of any unwanted predators.
Reserves: Mike Prince (6'3", 300 lbs., Jr.), Taylor Davis (6'4", 295 lbs., RSFr.)
Left Guard
Austin Wuebbels (6'4", 300 lbs., RSSo.): Partnering with Fisher to complete the left side of the line will likely be Wuebbels (pronounced WEB-uls), who currently sits atop the depth chart at left guard after a strong spring. As a redshirt freshman in 2008, Wuebbels played in 10 games while backing up All-Big 12 performer Kurtis Gregory at right guard.
By no means is anything settled at left guard heading into preseason camp, as a small number of players will spend the next month battling for a starting job, but for the time being the title belongs to Wuebbels. Regardless of whether of he emerges as the starter, Wuebbels' versatility to play either guard position makes him one of the team's more valuable linemen.
Reserves: Jayson Palmgren (6'2", 304 lbs., RSSo.), Ryan Schleusner* (6'3", 290 lbs., Jr.), Travis Ruth (6'3", 305 lbs., RSFr.)
* former walk-on
Center
Tim Barnes (6'4", 305 lbs., Jr.): A second-year starter, Barnes is the latest in a string of strong performers at center under Gary Pinkel, following A.J. Ricker (2001-03) and Adam Spieker (2004-07), who together amassed 86 starts, including Spieker's school-record 50.
Barnes earned All-Big 12 honorable mention after starting all 14 games last season, and, along with fellow senior Gregory, will be the undisputed leader of the offensive line in 2009. Outside of left tackle, Barnes mans the most demanding position on the line, responsible for calling out many of the unit's pre-snap reads and adjustments, often on the spur of the moment.
A solid mix of quickness and size, Barnes is nimble enough to carry out MU's zone-blocking scheme in space and hefty enough to hold the point of attack at the teeth of a defense.
Reserves: J.T. Beasley (6'4", 295 lbs., So.), Brendon Donaldson* (6'2", 295, So.)
* former walk-on
Right Guard
Kurtis Gregory (6'5", 305 lbs., Sr.): The second of the offensive line's returning starters, Gregory forms an experienced duo in the middle with Barnes. A second-team All-Big 12 selection in 2008, the small town boy from the sparsely populated area of Blackburn, Mo., has become a well-known fixture up front for Missouri, starting in each of the last 28 games.
Gregory has the size and strength you want from an interior lineman, but he is perhaps the program's most cerebral individual. A three-time recipient of academic honors—twice from the Big 12 (2006, 07) and once from ESPN The Magazine, 2007), Gregory, 22, earned his undergraduate degree in just three years and is planning on completing a master's by May of 2010.
Reserves: Austin Wuebbels, Travis Ruth, John Birdwell* (6'3", 250 lbs., RSFr.),
*former walk-on
Right Tackle
Dan Hoch (6'7", 315 lbs., So.): Hoch is a unique talent that was heavily sought-after during the recruiting process. Though slightly smaller than his predecessor, Brown, who was not your average human at 6-foot-8, Hoch may be more talented and saw valuable repetitions as a true freshman in 2008, playing in all 14 games as a backup and participant on special teams. In doing so, Hoch became the first offensive lineman to appear in a game as a true freshman in Gary Pinkel's tenure.
Slated to be the starting left tackle in 2009, Hoch has a lengthy career ahead of him and should be an all-conference performer for years to come. Look for him to be pushed by true freshman Chris Freeman, who rivals Brown at 6-foot-8 and 350 pounds, but Hoch would need to stumble upon catastrophe between now and September to lose his starting role.
Between the likes of Fisher, Hoch, Freeman, who chose Missouri over the likes of Tennessee and Wisconsin, and Jack Meiners, another highly-touted incoming freshman, the Tigers seem set at tackle for a very long time.
**UPDATE** Freeman is yet to participate in preseason camp as he awaits a decision from the NCAA Clearinghouse on his eligibility. A time frame for the decision has not been given.
Reserves: Daniel Jenkins (6'4", 305 lbs., RSFr.), Kirk Lakebrink (6'6", 320 lbs., Jr.), Chris Freeman (6'8", 350 lbs., Fr.), Jack Meiners (6'6", 305 lbs., Fr.)
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