Mizzou Football Spring Preview
3/6/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
March 6, 2006
Columbia, Mo. -
By Chad Moller, Mizzou Athletic Media Relations Fresh off an historic come-from-behind bowl win over South Carolina, Head Coach Gary Pinkel and his Missouri Tigers enter the 2006 spring practice period looking to build momentum for the upcoming season. Enthusiasm is high in the Tiger camp as signs point to the program being in good shape to achieve big things in the future. Mizzou has made two bowl game appearances in the last three seasons, and the win over South Carolina last December was only MU's second bowl win in the last 24 years. In the previous three years, Pinkel has led the Tigers to a mark of 20-16 overall, nearly an average of seven wins per season. With a team that was picked to finish fourth in the Big 12 North Division in 2005, the Tigers went 7-5 overall and tied for second place (winning all tiebreakers), which equaled the highest finish in the Big 12 in MU history (MU tied for second in 1998). Mizzou was playing for a chance to tie for the North title heading into the regular-season finale, which was no small achievement for a program that has not won a conference title of any kind since 1969. The 2006 spring camp looks to be one of the most interesting to watch since Pinkel took over at MU prior to the 2001 season. It will mark the first time that Mizzou will take the field without the man who has served as arguably the face of the program for the past four years - record-setting quarterback Brad Smith. Smith, who set 69 different MU, Big 12 and NCAA game, season and career records in his four storied years as starting quarterback, has graduated. Certainly, the most-watched competition during the spring will take place behind center, where talented youngsters Chase Daniel and Chase Patton, along with program veteran Brandon Coleman, will compete to earn the right to take the opening snap of the 2006 season, when the Tigers play host to Murray State at Faurot Field, on Sept. 2nd. Until then, there is much work to be done by Pinkel and his staff and players to prepare for what will be a very important season for the program. With two bowl appearances in the previous three years, progress has undoubtedly been made as Pinkel continues to establish the Tigers in the rugged Big 12 Conference. But everyone associated with the program wants even more success - and in order to achieve that, everyone must continue to improve in the off-season. According to Pinkel, that improvement is the top priority for his team in the spring period. And with 17 players returning who started in the Independence Bowl victory (19 including the placekicker and punter positions), the possibilities are exciting to think about. "When you have a lot of guys coming back that have played significantly in the past, the key is that every single one of those players has to have their best year and play better," said Pinkel, who has a career record of 102-67-3 in 15 seasons overall. "If they play as good as they did the year before, that means they went backwards. That's our rallying cry right now - you have got to be a better football player. You can't play just as good as you did the year before. That isn't going to be good enough, that means we'll go backwards as a team, and we can't do that," he said. While it isn't in the DNA of coaches to be satisfied with much of anything, Pinkel has been pleased with the effort and attitude he has seen in the off-season from his Tigers. "I think obviously there's a real enthusiasm and excitement after finishing the season the way we did," he said. "I think there's a sense of confidence and a sense of hunger that you want more once you get a taste of it, and I think that the way we won the bowl game only helps drive that further," he said, referring to the win which ranked as the biggest comeback win in school history (21 point deficit). "Our kids have returned with the greatest attitude they've had since we've been here, and rightfully so," said Pinkel. "They deserve to think that way. We know that we've got 17 starters back from the bowl game, and that's the most we've had since we've been here. That's exciting, but there is still a lot of competition that we'll be looking at this spring," he said. "There's a lot of players that haven't played that now are competing to get into the depth at first or second team, and that's what spring football is all about," Pinkel added. "I think our players are excited about spring, because spring is that time of year when you go get jobs, and we create a very competitive environment here, every job is open, even if you've been a starter in the past, you go compete," he said. 2006 SQUAD BREAKDOWN Starters Returning 17 Starters Lost 7 Lettermen Returning 36 Lettermen Lost 18 Offense Starters Returning 8 Starters Lost 3 Lettermen Returning 17 Lettermen Lost 6 Defense Starters Returning 7 Starters Lost 4 Lettermen Returning 18 Lettermen Lost 12 Specialists (Kicker/Punter) Starters Returning 2 Starters Lost 0 Lettermen Returning 1 Lettermen Lost 0 Given that general assessment, here is a position-by-position breakdown for the 2006 season... OFFENSE On the offensive side of the ball, it's a good-news, bad-news situation - Missouri returns eight starters from a year ago that have proven themselves time and again, but the three starters lost were multi-year stars, including the aforementioned Smith at quarterback, in addition to left guard Tony Palmer and wide receiver Sean Coffey. Despite those losses, the future appears very bright for a Tiger offense that rebounded from a disappointing 2004 season to post a strong 2005 campaign that featured a new-look spread-style attack. "Offensively, I was real pleased with the changes we made to our system last year," said Pinkel. "It's an exciting way to play and our guys were very receptive to it and picked it up fast. Now, in our second year of running this offense, we're looking for consistency - consistency of production and also to get away from the low-production games. Obviously, we're going to have a different quarterback pulling the trigger, so that will be fun to see how that battle goes this spring. I feel like we have a lot of play makers out there," he said.
OFFENSIVE LINE
Prospects are good for the Tigers to have a strong offensive line in 2006, as MU returns four starters from a year ago. The sole loss - left guard Tony Palmer - will certainly be a big one, as Palmer was an all-conference performer and one of the more dominating linemen in recent school history. But despite the loss, the Tigers are still expecting to be better up front. Leading the charge on the line will be junior center Adam Spieker. Spieker has started 23 consecutive games entering his third season at Mizzou, and is coming off a year that saw him earn sophomore All-American honors from College Football News, as well as honorable-mention All-Big 12 status by league coaches. A likely pre-season candidate for the Rimington Award, Spieker will be joined by junior Tyler Luellen (left tackle) and seniors Joel Clinger (right tackle) and Mike Cook (right guard), to give the Tigers 4-of-5 starters returning up front. Clinger was named by the Big 12 coaches as honorable-mention all-conference in 2005 in his first year as a starter, while Luellen, who has 15 career starts under his belt, was a 1st-Team Freshman All-Big 12 performer in 2004. This core group made 48 starts combined in 2005, as the Mizzou offensive attack ended the season ranked 17th nationally in rushing, at 205.25 yards per game. In line to replace Palmer at left guard is junior letterman Monte Wyrick. Wyrick stands an impressive 6-foot-5 and tips the scales at 320 pounds, and made one start as a sophomore in 2005, giving him the inside track to the starting spot in 2006. Senior left tackle Louis Pintola (6 games played in 2005), sophomore left guard Ryan Madison (2), sophomore right tackle Colin Brown (2) and sophomore right tackle Phinney Troy (1) are the next-most experienced Tiger linemen expected to play a role this season. Joining that group will be a trio of highly-touted youngsters that enter their redshirt freshman seasons with hopes of cracking the rotation - center James Stigall, right guard Dain Wise and left guard Kurtis Gregory. "Very rarely do you get as many guys back as we have now," said Pinkel. "Certainly, we have to replace a great player in Tony Palmer, but we also have some guys that I think have developed some depth. We've got Clinger, Cook, Spieker and Luellen who are proven guys and can get better still. We've got Wyrick and Madison and Wise and Kurtis Gregory all battling there. We've got James Stigall as the backup center right now. We've got Pintola and Colin Brown and Phinney Troy as the perimeter guys on the outside. It's a real good group of young guys. If you look at Dain Wise, Kurtis Gregory and James Stigall, those are three of the finest young players we've recruited and they get to plug in now, which is good," he said. QUARTERBACK As stated previously, the most-watched battle in the spring will undoubtedly reside at the quarterback position. How does a program replace someone like a Brad Smith, who started every game under center from 2002-05 - a span of 48 consecutive starts, which resulted in over 13,000 yards of total offense and 69 records to his name? That is the $64,000 question, indeed, and it will be the charge of Pinkel and his staff to develop a replacement who will keep the Tiger offense running smoothly. While the task appears daunting on paper, the talent is there to give Tiger fans the hope that Mizzou won't miss a beat offensively in 2006. The early favorite to take over the reins offensively will be sophomore Chase Daniel, who last year, as a true freshman, won the backup job and got some invaluable experience throughout the year. Daniel played 10 games in mostly a reserve role, and threw for 347 yards and one touchdown, while rushing for one score as well. He played hero in a big way in MU's Homecoming win over Iowa State, when he subbed for an injured Brad Smith midway through the 4th quarter, and led the Tigers to an improbable come-from-behind 27-24 overtime win in which he guided MU back from a 10-point deficit. Daniel holds the top spot on the depth chart entering spring camp. Listed second on the depth chart entering spring drills is senior Brandon Coleman. Coleman has played in eight career games, including two in reserve duty last season, and he's going into his last spring with hopes of challenging for the top spot. Coleman experimented at moving to wide receiver during bowl practices last season, but has decided in the off-season to stick with his aspirations at quarterback after all. Next up on the depth chart is talented sophomore Chase Patton, who is a local product. An Elite 11 quarterback out of Columbia's Rock Bridge High School, Patton is looking for his first game experience, but he has certainly showed in his two years in the program that he's got the ability to be a high-level performer for his hometown team. "Chase Daniel certainly did some good things as a freshman a year ago," said Pinkel. "Brandon Coleman decided for now that he's going to stay and compete at quarterback, and also Chase Patton had good bowl practices and I think he's ready to step up his game. I don't know that you can ever completely replace a guy as accomplished as Brad Smith, but I feel good that we're in position with some talented people to be in good shape. I look at this as an opportunity for us to do things a little differently on offense, and we'll see how our guys respond to the challenge," said Pinkel. TAILBACK While Missouri has been blessed with numerous talented running backs throughout the years, it is hard to imagine a time when the Tigers had so many talented backs lining the roster. In all, Mizzou returns its top four rushers from the tailback position from 2005, including juniors Marcus Woods and Tony Temple, who between them, rushed for 912 yards and six touchdowns a year ago. Woods played in 10 games (all starts) in 2005, and was on his way to a very productive season. But various injuries derailed his momentum late in the year, and Woods was forced to miss two of MU's last three games altogether, and was able to play only sparingly in the other. Prior to that, the scatback put up 435 yards and three scores, to go along with his 18 receptions out of the backfield for 92 yards and one touchdown. With the injury bug behind him, Woods is healthy heading into spring camp, and looks to establish himself as the starter in 2006. Temple put up very similar numbers a year ago, as he rushed for 462 yards and three scores of his own, and posted a very nice per-carry average of 5.4 yards per attempt. Temple shared time with Woods all year, and took over as the starter toward the end of the 2005 season, and responded with the first 100-yard game of his career in game No. 10 against Baylor. Temple, who battled nagging injuries of his own last year, will sit out the spring practice period after he had arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder in the off-season to clean up an old injury. He is expected to be full strength when fall camp opens in August. Also fighting for playing time at tailback is a pair of sophomores who showed plenty of promise a year ago. Jimmy Jackson rushed for 182 yards in 11 games, and scored two touchdowns, and also caught eight passes out of the backfield for 73 yards. Earl Goldsmith was held back by injuries, but he still showed flashes of ability in his seven games that saw him rush for 37 yards on six carries (a 6.2 average per rush). Jackson and Goldsmith are listed two and three, respectively, on the depth chart entering spring ball. Next up on the depth chart is a yet-unproven, but very talented redshirt freshman prospect in Connell Davis. At 6-foot-3, 205 pounds, Davis is markedly different in his size and running style than MU's other backs that are smaller in stature. Davis was one of the most impressive freshmen to watch last year each week in practice, and Tiger coaches are quietly confident that he will emerge in 2006 as yet another contributor. "Tony Temple is going to be out during the spring as he's getting his shoulder fixed, so we'll have a battle there with everyone else while he's sitting out," said Pinkel. "I think we're very athletic at this position overall, this has to be a strength of ours. With the loss of a runner like Brad Smith, we will be looking to use our backs more than we have recently, and I think we have the talent to do that We've got Marcus Woods, Jimmy Jackson and Earl Goldsmith who will have great competition there. We've got a redshirt freshman by the name of Connell Davis who has great potential, and he'll get a chance to compete now," said Pinkel. WIDE RECEIVER Like the offense in general, the wide receiver position is loaded with proven veterans, as two of three starters return from 2005, as does as a third wideout who made multiple starts a year ago. Gone from the lineup is the dependable Sean Coffey, who ended his career among MU's alltime top 10 in receptions (118) and receiving yards (1,596). His loss will be a big one for the lineup, but Tiger coaches feel that they have plenty of capable receivers in line to step in. Leading the way will likely be junior thrillster Will Franklin. The St. Louis native had a breakout year in 2005, as he caught 40 passes for 413 yards and two touchdowns as a sophomore. Franklin will take his considerable athleticism and elusiveness to the X-receiver position in order to try and get downfield more often, after he played mostly at the flanker position (H-receiver) a year ago. Senior Brad Ekwerekwu returns as Mizzou's most-experienced receiver, with 32 career games played and 24 career starts under his belt. Ekwerekwu will move to the H-receiver slot in 2006, after he played at the Z-receiver position for most of the previous year. Wherever he played, Ekwerekwu had his most productive year to date in 2005, as he caught 32 passes for 282 yards and tied for the team high in receiving touchdowns, with four. He also used his varied talents to throw for one touchdown, and rush for another. Penciled in as the starter at the third receiver spot (Z), is sophomore Tommy Saunders. The former walk-on from Kearney, Mo. proved to be a nice addition to the squad last season, as he caught 12 passes for 99 yards and a memorable diving touchdown catch to kickstart Mizzou in its big win over Nebraska last October. Saunders, who made three starts in 2005, enters spring ball listed atop the depth chart at the Z-receiver spot. Looking to make contributions after being knocked out by injuries a year ago are veterans Jason Ray and Andrew Hoskins. Ray is a junior who was likely on his way to playing a big role a year ago, but he missed all but one game due to a broken collar bone he suffered in practice after the season-opener against Arkansas State. Ray is healthy heading into the spring, and is listed second on the depth chart at the Z-receiver spot. Hoskins is a senior who, like Ray, was likely to provide contributions to the Tiger offense a year ago, only to see a shoulder injury suffered in the pre-season knock him out for the year. Hoskins has played in 11 career games, and enters spring camp as the No. 2 man at the H-receiver position. Sophomore Jerrill Humphrey returns to the mix after posting three catches for a total of 27 yards as a redshirt freshman in 2005. He enters the spring listed third on the depth chart at the X-receiver spot, one position behind junior Greg Bracey, who is one of the fastest men on the team. A blazer with great separation ability, Bracey will be looking to hone his skills to earn more playing time after he saw the field in five games in 2005. "You look at Will Franklin and how he improved and matured, how Brad Ekwerekwu has gotten it done in the past, and we're expecting Tommy Saunders to improve," said Pinkel. "Jerrill Humphrey has a lot of potential who just needs consistency in all aspects. Greg Bracey had great practices for the bowl game, Jason Ray he was injured for the entire year, he'll be back. We expect Hoskins and Bracey to compete with the rest of the guys and give us good depth here," Pinkel said. TIGHT END At the position of tight end, one would be hard-pressed to find a school that has a better pair of tight ends in the country than the Missouri Tigers. Junior Martin Rucker and sophomore Chase Coffman combine to give the Tigers arguably the best tight end duo in the nation, and the numbers are certainly there to make such a lofty claim. Rucker, who has started every one of his 23 career games, built considerably on his freshman All-American season in 2004, as he led the Tigers with 47 catches for 567 yards in 2005. His reception total tied for 1st among Big 12 tight ends, and helped earn him 1st-Team All-Big 12 status by one media outlet. The other half of MU's dynamic tight end duo is sophomore Chase Coffman, who burst onto the scene as a true freshman in 2005 by catching 47 passes for 503 yards and a team-best four touchdowns. He led the nation's freshmen tight ends in production, belying his youth and inexperience, and parlayed those numbers into being named a 1st-Team Freshman All-American by numerous outlets - giving MU consecutive years with freshman All-American tight ends (Rucker won the same honors in 2004). Senior DeQuincy Howard might face a tall hurdle in moving past Rucker and Coffman for playing time, but the veteran has plenty of experience to go along with talent, as he's logged 31 career games in his time as a Tiger. Howard has won two letters entering his senior year, and he begins spring camp listed third on the depth chart, one spot ahead of redshirt freshman Jon Gissinger, who will look to make big impressions in his first spring practice period at Mizzou. "Martin Rucker and Chase Coffman, I would suggest, are two of the best tight ends in the country," said Pinkel. "In the offseason, DeQuincy Howard has done a great job and is looking very good and is someone that I expect to have a good spring. I think it's great that DeQuincy is working that hard. Overall, we have some great playmakers at that spot. We did a good job of using this position last year, and we have to continue to find ways to take advantage of these great athletes," he said. DEFENSE Defensively, Missouri officially returns seven starters from a year ago, but when factoring in the starters from the Independence Bowl win, that number jumps to nine. Either way you cut it, plenty of experience is back on defense, and Tigers expect to be an improved unit from a year ago. "Overall defensively, I think there's no question when you analyze it, we became a better defensive team over the course of last season," said Pinkel of a defense that returned only three starters from the 2004 season. "We had some problems making plays consistently at the beginning of the season, and looking back, we were pretty inexperienced coming into the year, so while you don't want to go through that, it really wasn't surprising. There were stretches in the last two games, where we didn't finish like we wanted to, but I was very encouraged by how we closed the bowl game defensively, and with everyone we have coming back, I think we can get much better here," he said.
DEFENSIVE LINE Prospects are looking very good up front defensively for Mizzou in 2006, as the Tigers return all four starters on the defensive line, including two players that earned various all-league honors a year ago. That is in direct contrast to the 2005 season, when the Tigers were faced with the daunting task of replacing three starters on a defensive line from 2004 that was the strength of the team. All three of those starters, tackles Attiyah Ellison and C.J. Mosley and end Zach Ville, ended up on the rosters of NFL teams, creating a huge hole to fill. Now, with the benefit of having one of the more experienced lines in the Big 12 Conference, Mizzou will look to control things up front with such proven performers as senior ends Brian Smith and Xzavie Jackson, sophomore end Stryker Sulak, senior noseguard Jamar Smith and junior tackle Lorenzo Williams. Brian Smith returns for his senior season already holding the school career quarterback sacks record, with 24. "Smitty" will look to wreak havoc once again in his last go-around in a Tiger uniform, hoping to increase his sack total from nine a year ago. He also led the squad with 17 tackles for loss and was a 1st-Team All-Big 12 selection by numerous outlets after turning in a career year in 2005. On the other side of the line, the Tigers have the benefit of returning two players that have significant starting experience, in Sulak and Jackson. Sulak was a 1st-Team Freshman All-Big 12 honoree in 2005 after he led Tiger freshmen with 38 tackles, and added four quarterback sacks and three forced fumbles. Sulak took over the starting role midway through his redshirt freshman season, and started the final seven games of the 2005 campaign. The man that he took over for, Jackson, is a proven performer who still had a productive season in '05 as he amassed 44 tackles, including 11 tackles for loss and six quarterback sacks. Jackson started the first five games of the season before giving way to Sulak. The duo is listed as co-number one on the depth chart entering spring drills. Looking to work their way into the rotation at end is a pair of talented athletes, in junior Josh Barbo and redshirt freshman Tarrell Corby. Barbo earned a letter in 2005 playing on special teams, and is moving to end this spring, after spending the last two years at tackle. The former tight end is listed No. 2 on the depth chart entering spring camp, one spot ahead of Corby, who is a highly-regarded prospect from the Kansas City area. Corby redshirted in 2005, and was very impressive to those who watched him in practice all season. Plugging up the middle will be returning starters Lorenzo Williams and Jamar Smith. Williams moved inside to tackle for the first time in 2005, and gave the Tigers good production, as he had 9.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 quarterback sacks, in addition to forcing three fumbles, recovering two fumbles and adding two blocked kicks. The winner of the team's outstanding underclassman leadership award, Williams started all 12 games at tackle a year ago, and enters spring drills holding the top spot down again. Smith debuted as a Tiger in 2005, after transferring from junior college, and after taking awhile to get his bearings, he developed into a very productive player at noseguard for MU. Smith had 45 tackles as a junior, and ranked third on the team with 12 tackles for loss, as he started the final nine games of the season there. The Miami, Fla., native is atop the depth chart at that spot heading into the spring. Sophomore Evander "Ziggy" Hood beat the odds and earned significant playing time as a true freshman last season, as he played in all 12 games despite his youthfulness. Hood contributed to the cause with 23 tackles, including 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks, and he enters spring camp looking to challenge for even more playing time in 2006. He is listed second on the depth at the tackle position. Backing up Smith at noseguard is senior DeMarcus Scott, who lettered in 2005 as he saw action in seven games (playing both on the edge as well as inside), and redshirt freshman Jaron Baston. Scott had 23 tackles as a first-year junior college player last year, and Baston is yet another promising in-state talent from the Kansas City area that has a bright future ahead of him. Scott and Baston are listed second and third on the depth at the nose position, respectively, heading into spring camp. "We have our whole defensive front attack returning, and we have some great players there," said Pinkel. "With Brian Smith, we feel like he's one of the best in the Big 12, and on the other side, we've got Stryker Sulak and Xzavie Jackson. Sulak had a great freshman year, and Xzavie really played well in the bowl game and he's certainly been a high-level player over the last few years. We look at all three of those guys as starters," he said. "We're also excited about Josh Barbo and Tarrell Corby as guys that can get into the depth and compete," Pinkel said. "Lorenzo Williams had a great first year inside, and Jamar Smith, once he got things figured out, he did a great job. DeMarcus Scott, last year he played end mostly, but we're moving him inside now, and Ziggy Hood got a ton of experience last year, and he'll just continue to get better. We've got Jaron Baston who we expect to come in and compete here too," said Pinkel. LINEBACKER Much like the defensive line, Mizzou returns much more experience than the previous year at the linebacker position. The Tigers return two of three starters here in 2006, as well as two other letterwinners who gained experience a year ago. That contrasts to the 2005 season, when MU had no full-time starters returning to the mix. Leading the linebacking corps will be a pair of senior playmakers in Dedrick Harrington and Marcus Bacon. Harrington is coming off a career-best season that saw him make 73 tackles in 2005, and he added 12.5 tackles for loss to rank second on the team in that category. The team's linebacker of the year in `05, Harrington patrols the center of the field and is listed atop the depth at the middle linebacker spot heading into the spring. Tiger coaches are expecting great things from him in 2006. Bacon enjoyed a breakout season as a junior, as he started eight games at strongside linebacker and ranked third on the team with 85 tackles. He's looking to build on a strong finish to last season, as he recorded a team-best 11 tackles in the Tigers' Independence Bowl win over South Carolina. Bacon is a hard hitter who can cover a lot of field, and he will likely play several different spots during the course of the season. He enters spring drills first on the depth at strongside linebacker. A pair of sophomore letterwinners return from a year ago, in Van Alexander and Brock Christopher. Alexander played in all 12 games and made 20 tackles between special teams and linebacker. He will have the first crack at winning the weakside linebacker starting job vacated by 2005 starter Derrick Ming, as Alexander is listed No. 1 on the depth chart entering spring drills. Christopher played in 11 games last year as a true freshman, as MU's depth at linebacker was in need of help. He had an outstanding year, as he contributed with 31 tackles, one interception and one forced fumble. He ended the year on a high note, as he recorded a career-best six tackles in the bowl victory, filling in for an injured Harrington, who missed the second half with a broken arm. Christopher is listed second on the depth at middle linebacker heading into spring drills. Other Tigers looking to challenge for playing time at linebacker include sophomore Steve Redmond, who played in six games last year as a redshirt freshman, and Chad Washington, who redshirted in 2005. Washington, the younger brother of former Tiger Calvin Washington, is making the move to linebacker after practicing as a defensive back in his first year in the program. Redmond and Washington are listed second each on the depth at the strongside and weakside positions, respectively, entering spring camp. "Derrick Ming had a huge impact on this team a year ago, and we'll have to replace his leadership both on the field and in the lockerroom," said Pinkel. "Dedrick Harrington had an exceptional year last year, and we expect great things of him. It took awhile for him to make the transition from safety to linebacker, and that's not unusual, but we have a high expectation level for him this year as a senior. Marcus Bacon will also play inside, but he's also lined up at the sam linebacker over the tight end. He had a good year a year ago," he said. "Van Alexander and Brock Christopher are guys we're looking to this year to really step up," said Pinkel. "Van has great talent and Brock really stepped up late in the year last year as a true freshman - especially in the bowl game when he stepped in for Harrington when he got knocked out of the game. He really went in and rose to the occasion, and I think you could see the things that he's capable of. Steve Redmond didn't get to play a lot last year as a redshirt freshman, but he got some experience in the kicking game. We expect him to improve also. Chad Washington was a safety who we moved to linebacker, and we'll see how he matures, but he's a physical guy who can run and has great strength, so I think that will be a good position for him," said Pinkel. SAFETY Mizzou returns half of its starting safeties from a year ago, as All-Big 12 candidate David Overstreet is back for his senior campaign. His running mate at the other safety position, Jason Simpson, has exhausted his eligibility, creating an opening for several returnees to take advantage of. Overstreet will move over to the free safety position, a spot that Simpson held down last year. Overstreet led the team in tackles at strong safety in 2005, with a career-best 100 stops as he was named to various all-Big 12 teams, including the 1st-Team by one media outlet. He enters spring atop the depth chart at free safety, where he'll be backed up by sophomores William Moore and Mack Breed primarily. Moore gained significant experience at free safety as a redshirt freshman in 2005, as he played in nine games, and made two starts, including MU's bowl game against South Carolina. One of the better all-around athletes on the team, Moore racked up 30 tackles in mostly reserve duty, but he showed a penchant for making a big play, as he displayed against Iowa State, when he intercepted an errant out route and raced 62 yards for a touchdown on the game's opening possession. Listed third on the depth at free safety is Mack Breed. Breed, a converted quarterback who practiced at safety for the first time in 2005, is an athletic prospect who has the physical nature to follow in the line of Overstreet, who himself is a converted signal caller. Breed is expected to be at or near full speed for the spring, as he had surgery late last year to repair an injured knee. Another potential contributor here is the aforementioned Paul Simpson, who is listed fourth on the depth entering spring ball. The early favorite to win the starting job at strong safety heading into the spring is senior Brandon Massey. A two-year letterwinner, Massey played in all 12 games a year ago, and he started three of MU's first five games as the Tigers opened with a nickel package. Massey had 20 tackles overall on the year, but he played very well in the bowl game victory, as he had four stops on the day in relief of William Moore, who went down with a broken foot in the first quarter of the game. "At safety, we've got William Moore, David Overstreet and Brandon Massey who have experience, so we feel good here," said Pinkel. "Brandon Massey really played well in the bowl game when William Moore went down. We're going to count on those three guys. Paul Simpson could go in here too, we'll find that out during the spring. We also are looking at a guy like Mack Breed who is a good athlete and hopefully as spring goes on he'll be able to go full out," he said. CORNERBACK Unfortunately, the Tiger defense doesn't have the luxury of returning starters at every single position, and the one hit the hardest by graduation is the cornerback group. Veterans such as Marcus King (the defensive MVP of the Independence Bowl), A.J. Kincade and Calvin Washington have matriculated through the program after five solid years, leaving the Tigers with an athletic, but relatively unproven group to defend the pass. Sophomore Domonique Johnson has the most experience of everyone returning this spring, as he played in all 12 games a year ago as a redshirt freshman, starting two of them - including the bowl victory. Johnson recorded 35 tackles and broke up two passes in 2005, and holds down the top spot on the depth at one corner position heading into the spring. He is backed up on the depth chart by redshirt freshman Hardy Ricks, a talented St. Louis-area player who will be looking for his first playing experience as a Tiger. Also on the depth at this position is an "old newcomer" of sorts, in junior Alex Woodley. Woodley earned a letter in 2004, but was dismissed from the team prior to the 2005 season for disciplinary reasons. He's back on the team as a walk-on, and will be working to earn his scholarship, and playing time, back. At the other corner position, junior Darnell Terrell leads the pack heading into spring ball. Terrell was a junior college transfer who played in all 12 games a year ago in his first year in the program. After the typical adjustment period wore off, he began to see the field much more as the 2005 season progressed, and he nabbed two interceptions in the final half of the season - including the game-clinching pickoff to seal MU's bowl victory. Behind Terrell on the depth chart at the other corner spot is sophomore Trenile Washington, who played in two games a year ago as a redshirt freshman. Another potential contributor could be junior college transfer Paul Simpson, who has already joined the team and will able to take part in spring practices. Simpson is on the depth at both cornerback and free safety, and will have an opportunity to earn playing time at either spot. "We've lost three guys in Calvin Washington, A.J. Kincade and Marcus King who had been in our program for a long time," said Pinkel. "But we feel very good about guys like Darnell Terrell and Domonique Johnson. Those guys athletically, are as fine of athletes that we've had here at the position, and that includes a guy like Michael Harden, who played last year for the Seahawks. They have worked very hard. For Darnell, it took him a little while to get going because he came in as a junior college player who wasn't here in the spring. Domonique is just continuing to mature, and now the consistency of play is what we're looking for from both of them," he said. "Trenile Washington is a young player that has great speed, and we're looking for him to contribute more this year. Hardy Ricks, there were a lot of good players in that freshman class of his, but there's no question about it, he's a guy that has great potential. We've got Paul Simpson, and we're considering Paul at both corner and safety, so we're just not sure yet where he's going to end up prior to spring practice. He's a junior college player that is here already and he has two years to play two. We've also got Alex Woodley after a year off the team, and he's back as a walk-on who has a chance to earn his scholarship back. We all know that he's very athletic and can contribute," he said. KICKERS The Tiger kicking game for the better part of the last two seasons has centered around the strong leg of Adam Crossett, and he's back for yet another season, as the junior-to-be looks to handle all of Mizzou's placekicking, punting and kickoff duties once more. Crossett had an outstanding sophomore campaign, as he set the MU single-season scoring record for kickers, with 81 points in 2005. He made 70 percent of his field goals (14-of-20), and broke an MU bowl game record when he drilled a 50-yarder midway through the fourth quarter against South Carolina to give the Tigers their first lead of the day. He also broke an MU bowl game record and an Independence Bowl record when he averaged 45.8 yards on five punts. For the year, he averaged a solid 42.7 yards punting on 57 tries. He also converted 39-of-42 extra point kicks for good measure, and the Liberty, Mo., native enters spring camp listed atop the depth chart at both placekicker and punter. In addition to several walk-on athletes who will be competing for the placekicking job, scholarship kicker Matt Casaday will work to factor into the mix as well. Casaday was a highly-regarded prep kicker out of the state of Texas who was able to take a redshirt in 2005. He's listed fourth on the depth chart at placekicker heading into spring, but is expected to help provide a good competition here. Senior Matt Hoenes is listed as the No. 2 man on the depth chart at punter. He started the first two games of the 2005 season, before he gave way to Crossett for the remainder of the year. Hoenes has the leg to be a potential contributor, and is the only other Tiger kicker outside of Crossett to have game experience. "Adam Crossett had some inconsistency last year, but certainly we were pleased not only with him as a kicker but as a punter too," said Pinkel. "He did exceptionally well last year as a punter. The consistency at kicking for him, it's not really the long kick or the tough one that you don't expect, it was the shorter kick, which I think he's capable of being a very consistent kicker with great leg strength, and that's the next step for him. The good news about him, is he's only going to be a junior. Punting-wise, he did a really good job overall, I know that he broke a record in the bowl game for his punting average. Any problems we had in our punting game last year were break downs in protection by young guys, they weren't Adam's problem," he said. "Matt Casaday, we're going to look at him a little bit more as a kicker, along with some other guys. Also at punter, we've got Matt Hoenes, who is a veteran guy who has great leg strength. I want to see him get after it and see what happens," Pinkel said.
