Aug. 11, 2001

COLUMBIA, Mo.- The Missouri Tigers completed their fifth and sixth practices on Saturday in Columbia under sunny skies with temperatures in the mid-80's. Head Coach Gary Pinkel was pleased with the tempo and the energy of the Tigers two practices.

The coaching staff continued to institute more offensive and defensive plays on Saturday, along with continuous technique and position specific drills. While most eyes tend to drift toward the position players, the battles between the offensive and defensive lines are starting to draw a crowd. The one-on-one competition between the offensive and defensive linemen has been fun to watch. Defensive ends Antwaun Bynum and Dan Davis continue to impress with their overall quickness. The battle between offensive tackle Justin Bland and Davis saw Davis getting the better of Bland on two straight plays, with Bland coming back and denying Davis two consecutive snaps later. On the interior, offensive guards Mike Hayes, Adrian Cole and center A.J. Ricker has been pit against defensive tackles Chris Ryan, Keith Wright and Cedric Harden. Both lines are coming along very well.

The combination of quarterback Darius Outlaw and wide receiver Justin Gage continues to click. Outlaw and Gage hooked up a couple of times on deep balls in the morning and Gage pulled in a lob pass from Outlaw in the back of the end zone for a score in third down drills.

Several newcomers have continued to show flashes of brilliance. Tight ends Ben Frederickson and Earl Stephens have caught nearly every ball thrown their way this week. Frederickson is doing it with one hand wrapped in a cast. Another freshman, Calvin Washington, intercepted two passes during the morning practice. Washington was moved to defensive back after starting training camp as a wide receiver.