Gone were the faces of the previous two years. These faces helped compile a 22-6 record over the past two years, the most wins in a two year period in school history. Instead of building toward a third straight bowl victory, Jeremy Maclin, Ziggy Hood and Chase Daniel now pursued a Lombardi Trophy instead of Big 12 championships.
In 2009, sophomore Blaine Gabbert led the Tigers to an 8-5 record. Speculation of Gabbert quickly turned to admiration as he toughed through an ankle injury suffered in the October 8th collapse against Nebraska. Gabbert's gimpy ankle mixed with a torrential downpour spelled disaster for the Tigers as Nebraska scored 27 unanswered points in the 4th quarter to earn a 27-12 victory.
Gabbert's maturation process has took a Neil Armstrong sized leap since that sloppy October night. Clearly affected by the injury, Gabbert made no excuses for his inconsistant play the following games, earning the respect of coaches and teammates along the way.
His demeanor at the Big 12 Media Days earlier this month in Irving, Texas, impressed local and national reporters alike. Gabbert's grasp on what it means to be a starting quarterback in the Big 12 now is as firm as his grip on a pigskin before it is launched from the cannon that is attached to the right side of his body.
His rollercoaster first season contained some noticable valleys in which the MU offense ran at the pace of the kitty coaster instead of the Screamin' Eagle. Gabbert has done his best to turn those valleys into peaks this summer by meticulously breaking down his throwing motion. This attention to detail should have Missouri fans' hands in the air quite a bit this season.
Aside from Gabbert's progress, many questions still remain for the 2010 Tigers. To avoid a repeat bowl embarrassment like the Texas Bowl, Pinkel & Co. must find solutions to the most glaring storylines coming into the 2010 season. The receiving corps, defensive secondary and defensive lines look to be the most pivotal parts of this year's squad, and much news has come out of Columbia pertaining to these units during the first week of fall camp.
Who will step up to replace Danario Alexander?
Alexander left Missouri having virtually rewritten the receiving records set by his classmate Jeremy Maclin just over a year ago. Alexander accounted for 41 percent of MU's receptions and 48 percent of receiving yards, not to mention his 14 touchdowns were over half those scored by MU receivers last year.
Juniors Jerrell Jackson and Wes Kemp return 60 catches (five for scores) and 876 yards between the two. Athletic freak sophomore Rolandis Woodland is the current starter at the X wide receiver position, the position played by Alexander in 2009.
In Missouri's spread offense, players aside from these three will have the opportunity to produce for the Tigers. A trio of freshmen look to push returning players for practice, and game, reps. An eye-opening grab during practice made newcomer Jimmie Hunt look like his fall camp roommate, Jerrell Jackson, against Colorado last year. A twisting, one-handed catch caught the attention of everyone at Kadlec Athletic Fields. Freshman Marcus Lucas's tough, mature demeanor may pay more dividends than quantitative vitals like 40 times and vertical leaps. Red-shirt freshman Kerwin Stricker and freshman Bud Sasser have made noise this camp as well.
The most important "reserve" receiver in Missouri's stable may be sophomore T.J. Moe. The St. Louis native missed most of his freshman season nursing an undetected injury that carried over from high school. Now healthy, Moe continues to impress with his play at camp thus far, and looks to be a versatile weapon for offensive coordinator Dave Yost.
All receivers in MU's offense will be looked upon to carry some extra slack. Jackson, the leading returning receiver from last year, broke the scaphoid bone in his left wrist Wednesday, and Coach Pinkel has ruled him out of the season opener vs. Illinois. Woodland has struggled a bit in his adjustment to the first team offense.
In 2007, the Tigers were one win away from playing for the National Championship. That same year, they had three different receivers rack up over 700 yards. The following year, three more receivers topped the 700 yard mark. Last year, only Alexander's 1,781 yards topped 700 yards.
Given the talent and experience of this year's receivers, the depth should give opposing defenses fits in trying to cover all of Gabbert's options. Looked upon as a questions mark due to Alexander's departure, the myriad of receivers should be the most exciting aspect of MU football to follow this season.
Does the secondary have it figured out?
The porous pass defense played by the Tigers returns all four starters from last year. While some value this returned "experience" others question the hype based on previously shaky performances.
The secondary allowed 251.5 yards passing yards per game last year. While MU plays in the pass happy, quarterback heavy Big 12, this average included a school record 427 yards to Baylor freshman Nick Florence in a 40-32 defeat November 7th in Columbia. Other forgettable performances include a 498 yard/5 TD outburst from KU's Todd Reesing and 269/3 from UT's Colt McCoy. Most of McCoy's damage came in the first half as Texas established a 35-7 halftime lead, leaning on their run game for most of the 2nd half.
Six years ago, then-defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus switched Missouri's defense from a 4-2-5 setup to a Tony Dungy-inspired "Tampa 2" scheme. This 4-3 alignment puts much faith and dependance on both safeties as they are responsible for covering the deep halves of the field on a majority of plays. After Eberflus left for the Cleveland Browns in February of 2009, Dave Steckel took over the defense and made "subtle tweaks" to Missouri's Tampa 2.
These minor changes caused major on-field coverage lapses the last two years for MU. If Jasper Simmons and Carl Gettis looked lost in some coverages the past two seasons, it wasn't because a lack of talent or ability. Now in their fourth full year under the system, and second with Steckel, coaches and players alike are hopeful this is the year that personnel and system finally click.
The physical and tight play of the corners indicate they are indeed mroe comfortable in MU's scheme. And that comfort comes with familiarity. As players become more versed in the functioning of a system, they begin to react instead of think. Thinking leads to wide open receivers streaking down the field. Reacting leads to pass breakups and jumped routes.
Can the defensive line make the secondary's job easier this year?
Of course, one way to help out the defensive backfield is pressure opposing quarterbacks into rushed throws. Missouri tied for 31st in Div. I with 31.5 sacks in 2009. Kent State, Iowa and Big 12 rival Kansas each had 31 sacks too. A deeper look inside this total will tell the real story up front. Eleven sacks came from linebackers, 3 came from defensive backs and 11.5 came from Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year Aldon Smith.
That leaves six total from the other defensive line positions.
In 2010, the defensive tackles of MU look to contribute like those that have come before them.
Since taking over the Tigers, Pinkel has produced four NFL tackles. Nonetheless, the likely tandem to start the season for the Tigers carries the most anticipation and potential of any combo to start for Missouri. \
With the increased attention likely to be paid to Smith, tackles Dominique Hamilton and Terrell Resonno should see their share of favorable blocking matchups. And with both of their freakish combinations of Mt. Everest size (the two both top 300 on the scale) and avalanche-like quickness, this duo may have what it takes to solidify Missouri's defense and push the Tigers finally to that top echelon in the Big 12 occupied by Oklahoma and Texas.
Last year, Hamilton started 12 of 13 games for the Tigers and logged 5.5 tackles for loss, including one sack. His 46 tackles last year is good for third among returning tackles in the Big 12. Ressono's development has been slow, but he brings 27 games of experience to the trenches for the Tigers.
Back to the Big 12 season preview.
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