March 12, 2009

By Ted Bryant, Mizzou Media Relations Student Assistant -

COLUMBIA, Mo. - Fundamentals remained the focus of today's practice, the second of the Tigers' fifteen spring practices. For the second time in a row, the weather forced the team to play inside Dan Devine Pavilion. Coach Pinkel and his staff are really stressing the little things to their players, as they had the different position groups run through a drill rotation to open practice.

The drill that was most interesting to see was the wide receivers working on their blocking. The coaches had them work on keeping their feet wide and their hands inside the defender's shoulders. That's definitely an underrated skill set for receivers who play in the spread offense.

The linebackers had good showings during their various drills, which included ball stripping, fumble recovery, and catching. Senior Sean Weatherspoon didn't drop a single ball, and junior Andrew Gachkar had a nice one-handed catch on a ball that came in a little high. During a brief scrimmage at the end of practice, Weatherspoon showed great vision as he picked off an errant pass and ran it back. The rest of the defense swarmed him as they walked off the field so the second team could get some reps.

For the second practice in a row, I really can't say enough about sophomore guard Austin Wuebbels. He takes on bull rushes with a calm authority and employs an absolutely demoralizing style. He is simply a step ahead of oncoming defenders, countering finesse moves and refusing to be pushed backwards. I haven't seen him beat yet in one-on-one drills.

I got a good look at a pair of running backs trying to make names for themselves. Sophomore De'Vion Moore is continuing to prove himself to be a legitimate receiving threat out of the backfield. He made more than one tough catch and is good at looking the ball into his hands before he makes his next move. Senior Shawn Scott displayed a knack for being patient and following his blocks as he broke off two big runs during scrimmage. One player I'm going to keep my eye on is Jared Culver, a 230-pound red shirt freshman tailback, who is as bruising as he is nimble.

My pick for the top player of today's practice goes to sophomore quarterback Jimmy Costello. With all the attention surrounding the Blaines (Gabbert and Dalton), Costello has to work that much harder to get noticed. He was making good decisions throughout drills and scrimmage, and put his accuracy on display when he darted a ball through three defenders to wide receiver Forrest Shock during 7-on-7 drills.

There is a real “us vs. them” mentality between the offense and the defense so far, as both sides are quick to capitalize on the other's mistakes and make sure they know about it. It's going to lead to some intense scrimmages, something that can only benefit the team down the road.