New Head Football Coach Prepares For Spring Practice
3/14/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
March 14, 2001
COLUMBIA, Mo. - The University of Missouri football program enters a new era this spring under the direction of new Head Football Coach GARY PINKEL. As it is everywhere in the country where coaching changes are made in college football, the spring is used for learning and competition. The depth chart is erased clean and every position is open for the taking.
So the question is, how different will this spring football camp be for Pinkel and his staff as opposed to his last 10 spring football camps at the University of Toledo? The answer is no difference at all.
"Our football program is based on competition," said Pinkel. "You can be the starting quarterback or the starting free safety for the last two or three years in our program, but if you get beat out in the spring, that job is no longer yours. There is no pecking order around here."
This spring, the Missouri Tigers will have so many new things thrown at them that it will be hard to remember last year's 3-8 campaign. Since January when the team returned from Christmas break, the learning process began.
"You can't believe all of the changes we have made in just over a month," said Pinkel. "Everything we do is based on increasing our chances of winning. We want our players to be winners. That means changing attitudes and habits and we do that in everything we do, from meetings, to the weightroom, to our 6 a.m. morning workouts."
The learning process continues and kicks up a notch on March 17 with the first day of spring practices. There are plenty of things that Pinkel would like to accomplish, but four points stand out in his mind. For starters, the players have to learn how to practice.
"Our players need to learn how to practice the way we expect them to practice," explains Pinkel. "We have a way of doing things and there is a way to practice in our system. Our players are going to learn that this spring."
Secondly, the Tigers will be learning new offensive and defensive schemes.
"We want our players to have a good understanding of what we do offensively and defensively by the time spring football is over," said Pinkel.
Competition at each and every position is third on Pinkel's list. And finally, Pinkel would like to make a solid evaluation of his team once the spring is over.
"I want to have a pretty good idea of what we have, what our strengths are, where we need to get better, where we need to make adjustments, what kind of depth do we have," explains Pinkel. "That all comes out of our evaluation process."
Speaking of depth, it would not be wise to analyze any depth charts heading into the spring. So far, Pinkel has made 11 position changes, and that may only be the beginning.
"Beginning depth charts will be useless," said Pinkel. "That whole thing will change throughout the spring."
The following players have already been assigned new positions in the new Missouri system:
DAN DAVIS: Defensive End (former tailback)
ANTWAUN BYNUM: Defensive End (former linebacker)
TERRELL MILLS: Defensive End (former linebacker)
TERRENCE CURRY: Cornerback (former wide receiver, moves back to corner where he started his career)
JOE CHIRUMBOLO: Tight End (former fullback)
T.J. LEON: Tailback (former fullback)
CODY BUFORD: Tight End (former quarterback)
DARREN BALDWIN: Tight End (former wide receiver)
STEVEN COLBERT: Strong Safety (former linebacker)
TAURUS FERGUSON: Outside Safety (former running back)
JASON VAN LOO: Defensive End (former linebacker)
OFFENSE
The Missouri Tigers return eight starters from last year's offensive squad that was decimated by injuries throughout the season. There is plenty of talent and depth returning that should make for great competition at all of the offensive positions this spring.
One of the goals of Pinkel and new offensive coordinator DAVE CHRISTENSEN is to find where the strenghts lie in the Missouri offense. Pinkel's teams have generally been balanced in their offensive attacks, generally leaning towards their strengths, whether it is the running game or the passing game.
The last two seasons at Toledo saw the Rockets post some of the top rushing statistics in the country. Christensen's running attack was ranked in the top 10 in the country both in 1999 and 2000.
Before that, the strength of Toledo was the passing game. In 1996 and 1997, the Rockets posted some of the best passing numbers in school history and were ranked nationally in several different categories.
The last two seasons at Missouri have seen the Tigers go from a running team to a passing team. Christensen is the third MU offensive coordinator in the last three seasons. He hopes to have a good idea as to what the Missouri strengths are by the end of the spring.
OFFENSIVE LINE
The Missouri offensive line has a chance to be one of the strengths of this year's club, but as Pinkel puts it, "we have a lot of work ahead of us." The offensive line includes six experienced players who are good athletes. Pinkel expects the athleticism to really show this fall as the Tiger coaching staff is trying make the offensive line "leaner."
Missouri returns three full-time starters and two part-time starters from a year ago. Senior offensive guard MIKE HAYES was the vocal leader of the offense last season and was voted third-team All-Big 12 for his play.
Hayes was joined by senior tackle JUSTIN BLAND on the right side of the line last year. Bland had a solid year in 2000 and earned honorable mention All-Big 12. The new Tiger coaching staff believes that Bland has the potential to be one of the best in the Big 12 this season.
Sophomore A.J. RICKER has all of the makings of a great collegiate center. Ricker started all 11 games as a redshirt freshman a year ago, and was snubbed by freshman All-American voters.
On the left side of the line, seniors AARON CRITTENDON and ADRIAN COLE return. Crittendon, who has been hampered by injuries each of the last two seasons, really came on the final three weeks of the season last year. Cole has been in and out of the starting lineup and has been a solid player for Missouri each of the last two seasons.
Several youngsters will push the returning starters from a year ago this spring. Sophomore ROB DROEGE gained some experience last year and should be ready to push for a starting spot. The coaches have been extremely impressed with the work of redshirt freshmen JOE GIANINO and TONY CLINKER in the off-season.
Several other offensive linemen will be competing for jobs this spring including juniors JESSE BELFIELD, WES WILSON and J.P. HALL, sophomores SCOTT SELLS, CLIFF YOUNG and RUSTY GROTH, and redshirt freshmen MICAH MINSHALL and SCOTT PAFFRATH.
"I expect some great competition out of this group," said Pinkel. "It is going to be interesting how it all sorts out."
TIGHT ENDS
The new Missouri offense will not use a fullback, so Pinkel refers to his tight ends as R-backs. The tight end, or R-back position, is a critical position. They will be used as blockers either on the line or in the backfield, as well as receivers. In 1999, MU tight ends coach BRUCE WALKER's tight ends caught 59 passes.
Missouri enters the spring with three familiar faces at tight end. Senior DWAYNE BLAKLEY has 45 receptions in his career. Each of the last two seasons, he has gotten off to great starts, only to be bottled up by double-teams to where the Tigers have failed to get him the ball during the second half of the season. Blakley was third on the team with 18 catches for 211 yards and one touchdown last season. A very athletic tight end, Blakley is expected to be full go this spring after fracturing a bone in his neck the week before the Tigers' final game of the season against Kansas State last November.
Sophomore J.D. MCCOY was one of three true freshmen to play last season. He only caught two passes, but was a key blocker in running situations. Senior GARRETT HILL also provides the Tigers with some experience at the tight end position heading into the spring.
Newcomers at the tight end position include JOE CHIRUMBOLO and DARREN BALDWIN. Chirumbolo has been the Tigers' starting fullback for the most part the last two seasons and thrived on catching passes out of the backfield for big plays. Last year, he caught 8 passes for 138 yards, averaging 17.3 yards per reception. The junior has added some weight to play the R-back spot and could thrive in his new position.
Baldwin is a walk-on who got into a couple of games last year at wide receiver. At 6-4, 195, Baldwin will continue to get stronger and will compete for a spot. Redshirt freshman CODY BUFORD will also compete this spring.
QUARTERBACK
For the third straight season, the hottest topic of conversation around town will be the starting quarterback position for the Missouri Tigers. Juniors KIRK FARMER and DARIUS OUTLAW both have plenty of game experience and both possess what Pinkel and quarterback coach DAVID YOST are looking for, athleticism and a strong arm.
"We're really in a good position here because we have three guys with some experience and a lot of potential," said Pinkel.
It has been a very frustrating last two seasons for Farmer, the Jefferson City, Mo. native. At 6-5, 210 pounds, he has the makeup to be a tremendous collegiate quarterback, and just when it has looked like he is ready to establish himself, a devastating injury has occured.
It happened in week six in 1999 following Farmer's best game as a Tiger in an overtime game in Colorado. The following week, a broken leg on Homecoming against Iowa State ended his season and consequently sent Missouri into a tailspin.
Last season, Farmer was enjoying the best game of his career in front of a nationally-televised audience at No. 1 Nebraska. Through two and one-half quarters, Farmer rushed for 83 yards, passed for a career-high 214 yards and even caught a pass for 35 yards. The Tigers were in the game until Farmer scrambled for 48 yards only to be tackled with his shoulder buried into the turf. The result, a broken collarbone that would again end his season.
Enter the 6-4, 190 pound Outlaw, who did everything he could in seven starting assignments. Outlaw completed 47 percent of his passes, throwing for 1,391 yards on the year, and rushed for 259 yards and five touchdowns.
Now with a year of experience under his belt, Outlaw hopes to make a run at Farmer this spring for the starting spot.
Redshirt freshman BROCK HARVEY will compete this spring after being moved to quarterback midway through the year last year when Farmer went down. The Tigers had already lost junior JIMMY DOUGHERTY during fall camp with an elbow injury.
Speaking of Dougherty, the senior from Edwardsville, Ill. returns to the Tigers, but will probably not be able to compete this spring. Pinkel hopes to have Dougherty for the latter part of spring practice after having surgery on his elbow. Dougherty started 10 games for the Tigers as a sophomore in 1999.
TAILBACK
Like all of the other positions, the tailback slate has been wiped clean and a lot of competition is expected this spring. Pinkel expects senior ZAIN GILMORE, sophomore ZACK ABRON and junior T.J. LEON to compete for the No. 1 tailback spot heading into the fall.
Gilmore started seven games last year and led the team in rushing with 632 yards. He averaged 4.5 yards per carry and led the club with seven touchdowns. The Tampa, Fla. native enters the spring in the best shape that he has been in since coming to Missouri. He has had a great off-season, shedding some 17 pounds. He ran a 4.4 in the 40-yard dash this off-season.
Abron had his ups and downs as a redshirt freshman a year ago. He rushed for 502 yards and five touchdowns, but averaged just 3.6 yards per carry. With a year of experience and after dropping 12 pounds, Abron is expected to give Gilmore a good run for his money this spring.
One of the surprises of the off-season has been the re-emergence of Leon. The Norman, Okla. native was battling Chirumbolo for the No. 1 fullback job last fall before breaking his leg just three days into two-a-days. Leon is back and faster than ever. He was timed in the 40-yard dash at 4.4 seconds in early February, thus the reason for moving him to tailback.
WIDE RECEIVER
Predicted to be a strength a year ago, the wide receiver position was torn apart by injuries. The Tigers had talent, including the top receiver from 1999 in TRAVIS GARVIN, one of the stars of 1998 in JOHN DAUSMAN, and talented youngsters in BRANDON BARNES and JUSTIN GAGE.
When it was all said and done, Gage was the only man standing out of that group in 2000. Garvin was dismissed from the team while Dausman and Barnes were taken out by injuries.
The good news is that Gage emerged into one of the top offensive threats in the Big 12 in his first season as a wide receiver. At 6-5, 200 pounds, Gage pulled in 44 receptions for 709 yards and 4 TDs earning him team offensive MVP and honorable mention All-Big 12 honors.
Pinkel expects Gage in spring camp as soon as he gets off the basketball court, where for the second consecutive season he has played an important role on Quin Snyder's basketball team.
At 6-4, 204, Barnes returns from a broken leg that he suffered in week two against Clemson on special teams. Barnes was one of the stars of spring ball last year, making several big plays. He is close to full strength and will compete for a starting job.
Two sophomores, TAY JACKSON and MARCUS JAMES both played as true freshmen last season. Although small in stature, both players have big-play ability. Jackson had his ups and downs at wide out last season, and several flashes of brilliance. James caught just one pass, and spent most of his time on special teams.
Missouri is excited about the prospects of sophomore SHIRDONYA MITCHELL. The Arlington, Texas native was a partial qualifier last season and had to sit out the year. He was one of the Tigers' top scout team players during practice last year and will step right in and compete for playing time this spring.
Sophomore BRANDON SEVERINO, a bigger receiver at 6-3, 198, is also expected to look to make an impact this spring.
"This group has a lot of potential," said Pinkel. "I really think we have some good athletes."
DEFENSE
The Missouri defense will be under construction this spring with a lot of competition and a lot of learning of new positions. New defensive coordinator MATT ERBERFLUS runs an attacking defense, a multiple 4-4, different than the 4-3 the Tigers have run in the past.
Missouri's defense has been somewhat of a disappointment the last two seasons. The Tigers allowed 31.6 points per game a year ago and 366.9 yards per game.
The Missouri defense did end the season on a positive note, playing three very strong games against Colorado, Baylor and Kansas State. Five key starters are gone from last year's team, including All-American and MU career quarterback sacks leader JUSTIN SMITH. The Tigers must also replace All-Big 12 nose tackle PAT MINGUCCI and cornerback JULIAN JONES. Also departed are steady defensive tackle DANNY MCCAMY and outside linebacker PAT DUFFY.
Several personnel changes have already been made to fill some holes defensively and several more changes may come as the Tigers look to learn the new scheme.
DEFENSIVE LINE
The Tigers have already taken strides to fill the void left by All-American JUSTIN SMITH, who on the day of the spring game, April 21st, is expected to be taken in the first round of the NFL Draft. The Missouri coaching staff has loaded up the defensive end position with personnel and expects to see a real good competition for playing time this spring.
Among the competitors are MU's two JUCO transfers from a year ago, ANTWAUN BYNUM and KEITH WRIGHT. Bynum played in three games last year as a linebacker, but a knee injury kept him off the field the rest of the way. The Tigers are still awaiting whether or not he will be given a medical redshirt. Bynum was a JUCO All-American at Hutchinson CC and is a big-time pass rusher. He has added some weight and will spend the spring learning the defensive end position.
Wright is a natural defensive end, and with Smith and several other talented players on the front line last year, the Tigers decided to redshirt Wright to give him two years of eligibility. At 6-4, 256, the Sacramento, Calif. native is big and quick, and often had to be told to tone his game down at times on the scout team last year.
Other candidates at defensive end this spring are junior JOSH O'NEAL, redshirt freshmen NICK TARPOFF and TERRELL MILLS and former running back DAN DAVIS. O'Neal saw a little bit of time at defensive end last year backing up Smith. Tarpoff was one of the top scout teamers on defense last year and has the same type of motor as Pat Mingucci possessed for four years at Missouri. Mills and Davis are new at defensive end. Mills is 6-4, 225 pounds, and still getting bigger. He is a tremendous athlete with excellent quickness. Davis is 6-3, 246 pounds and loaded with strength. He will be a project at defensive end, but the coaching staff loves his strength and speed and believe he can make the adjustment.
The tackle positions are headed by junior CEDRIC HARDEN, who Pinkel believes has the ability to be one of the best in country. At 6-3, Harden can be a dominant player in the middle. He had tremendous games early in the season against Western Illinois and Michigan State and played very well against Nebraska and Kansas State. As a redshirt freshman, he blew up the Oklahoma offensive line in a game in Norman. The Tigers hope Harden can reach his full potential this season.
MICHAEL GAVINS has his chance to win the defensive tackle position outright this spring. He has shared time with McCamy each of the last two seasons. At 6-8, Gavins has a knack of batting down passes, or intercepting passes as he did last year against Oklahoma State to help put the ball game away. Gavins has also been a solid run stopper the last two seasons.
Senior CHRIS RYAN saw action last season at nose tackle as did sophomore HOWARD BROWN who has worked hard this off-season to make sure that he is in the mix this spring.
Redshirt freshmen JASON VAN LOO, PHIL PITTS and MILTON PHIFER will also compete for playing time this spring on the MU defensive front.
LINEBACKERS
If there is any position that can be labeled a strength right away, it is at linebacker. The Tigers return four players who saw a lot of time last year, and two redshirt freshmen who are bound to give the experienced players a lot of competition this spring.
Senior JAMONTE ROBINSON was on the Butkus List last season, but an ankle injury hindered his play for most of the year. He was still fourth on the team in tackles with 79 and had four sacks on the year.
Junior SEAN DOYLE may be one the toughest players in the Big 12 Conference and should be on the Butkus List this year. Doyle fought through painful ankle and hamstring injuries last year to end up with 80 tackles in 10 games and six quarterback sacks. He was second on the team in tackles for loss with 15 for 80 yards. After pulling his hamstring against Nebraska, he sat out the following week's game against Oklahoma State. Still doubtful for the Homecoming game against Kansas, Doyle played and racked up a career-high 17 tackles.
Filling in for Robinson and Doyle in their absences were seniors DAVID MONROE and DUKE REVARD. The two combined for 81 tackles and seven tackles for loss. Revard has three sacks on the season and recovered a fumble for a touchdown.
Junior SEAN AIN saw some playing time last year and will also compete for a position.
New inside linebackers coach DAVE STECKEL is also very excited and interested to see what kind of spring camps redshirt freshmen JAMES KINNEY and HENRY SWEAT have. Kinney is 6-2, 228 pounds and loaded with muscle and quickness. He was one of the standout scout team defensive players every week for the Tigers last year. If it weren't for a preseason hamstring pull, Sweat may have found his way on the field as a true freshman. He is a smart player with a lot of speed.
OUTSIDE SAFETIES
The outside safety position is actually two positions in one. Pinkel refers to those positions as the whip and the rover. Both positions are interchangable.
The outside safteties will be doing a lot of learning, and the Missouri staff have moved a couple of experienced players over to that position. Junior GARY ANTHONY, who played strong saftey a year ago, will look to make his mark as one of the outside safeties. Anthony had a tough year with injuries last year and really never reached his potential. His replacement at times last year was walk-on MARCUS CALDWELL, who has also been moved to outside safety. Caldwell was a big surprise for the Tigers last year. He started five games and made 27 tackles. He also intercepted two passes.
The Tigers have moved JUCO All-American running back TAURUS FERGUSON to the safety position to utilize his size and speed. Two of the top special teams players from a year ago, GRANT THORNBURG and STEVEN COLBERT will look to make their mark this spring at the outside safety position.
SECONDARY
The Missouri secondary is without question the biggest concern heading into the spring, particularly at cornerback. Just one scholarship player returns at cornerback this spring from a year ago, ANTOINE DUNCAN, who will see limited playing time this spring following off-season knee surgery. Duncan was among the league leaders in interceptions last year with four. He was among the leaders in the secondary in tackles with 49 and led the team in pass breakups with seven.
Eberflus will have his eyes on junior TERRENCE CURRY, who returns to cornerback after being moved to wide receiver last year, and JUCO transfer R.J. JONES. Curry is experienced at the cornerback position and was moved to wide receiver out of necessity last year following a rash of injuries. Jones has a lot speed and is a solid cover guy. He was one of the top JUCO corners in the country last year.
Walk-on MICHAEL HARDEN, who was thrust into action as a true freshman last year, held his own and has worked very hard in the off-season. He will be in the middle of the competition in the spring.
At free safety, senior CLARENCE JONES, who should be one of the leaders of the Missouri defense, returns to patrol the secondary. Jones has improved each of the last two seasons and could be one of the best in the Big 12 this year. He was second on the team in tackles with 87 in 2000 and second on the team with three interceptions.
Jones hopes to pass along his experience to talented redshirt freshman KEVIN JOHNSON. At 6-3, 204 pounds, Johnson is a big, athletic safety with a lot of talent. He will have a chance to display that talent this spring.
KICKING AND SPECIAL TEAMS
Special teams had serious problems last year and Pinkel has heard all about it. A lot of last year's problems were due to all of the injuries that the Tigers suffered throughout the season, forcing numerous inexperienced players into the fire.
The actual kicking aspect was not all that bad, but that too was affected by the injury bug. Senior BRAD HAMMERICH, who has missed just one extra point in his career, returns as the No. 1 kicker. Hammerich was 7-of-9 in field goal attempts through seven games until he went down with a broken collarbone making a tackle against Texas. The Tigers were forced to pull the redshirt off of walk-on kicker JUSTIN SCOTT, who will compete with Hammerich this spring. Fellow walk-on senior MIKE CALDRONE, kicked in the fourth quarter of the Baylor game last year and was used throughout the final game of the season against Kansas State. Caldrone connected on his loan field goal try and was a perfect 5-for-5 in PATs.
JARED GILPIN returns as the Missouri punter, but won't compete this spring after off-season surgery to his
neck. The MU punt coverage team was
awful last year, giving up three touchdowns and an average of 15.4 yards per return. It was hard to blame Gilpin, who netted 39.8 yards per punt and finished among the top six in the conference. He was ranked among the top-40 for most of the season, but windy games against Iowa State and Kansas State knocked those numbers down a bit. Where he really excelled was his punt placement. Gilpin placed 22 punts inside the opponent's 20 yard line, compared to just 10 in 1999.
Competing this spring at the punting position along with Gilpin are BROCK HARVEY and JUSTIN WALKER.
