Aug. 7, 2009

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Day two of the Missouri Tiger Football team's 2009 fall camp is in the books, at least on the practice field, and the result was a happy Head Coach Gary Pinkel after it was done.

Pinkel said that while he was okay with how things went the first day, that his team did a much better job of executing on day two, and that it was a very productive and encouraging effort overall.

The team benefitted from unreal weather for mid-August, as temperatures peaked in the mid-70s before they got off the field around 9:45 a.m.  Practice began at 7:15 with cool, overcast conditions, as the team worked out in helmets and shorts once again.

Here are some notes and highlights from today's practice…

• The coaching staff is wearing T-shirts with messages to help ingrain various areas of emphasis for the team this year.  The shirt on day one said "Lead the Nation…" on the front, and "…In Turnover Margin" on the back, to reinforce their emphasis on improving in the turnover margin category in 2009.  Mizzou slipped to 79th in the NCAA rankings in that stat in 2008 (-0.29 per game), after ranking 11th in 2007 (+0.93 per game).  Today's message read "With Tradition…" on the front and "…Comes Responsibility" on the back…
• One youngster who stood out today was true freshman offensive lineman Justin Britt.  The Lebanon, Mo. native was very impressive during one stretch of work in 1-on-1 blocking drills, as he had two consecutive pancake blocks of his defensive counterpart…
• Some highlights from 11-on-11 scrimmaging today included junior S Jarrell Harrison stripping a ball loose and returning it for what would have been around a 40-yard touchdown.  Another defensive newcomer, freshman LB Donovan Bonner, had a good day, as he was involved in a couple of takeaways, as well.  On one play, he closed hard and forced a fumble that was recovered by junior S Jasper Simmons.  Other defensive highlights were turned in by freshman LB Michael Sam, who had a pass break up, and the tandem of freshman DE Marcus Malbrough and junior DT Bart Coslet, who combined on a tackle for loss at one point.  When the #1 defense went up against the #1 offense, LB Sean Weatherspoon snuffed out an attempted bootleg keeper by QB Blaine Gabbert.  It looked right away as though Gabbert might be able to get to the corner, but Spoon showed his closing speed and got to Gabbert on the sideline for what amounted to a couple yard loss…
• On offense, sophomore QB Jimmy Costello made some nice plays Friday morning, including one play where he took a QB misdirection play around the right end for a huge gainer before he was touched by the defense.  He might have gone a good 20-25 yards before getting touched down.  Sophomore QB Blaine Gabbert had several nice throws on the day, including one where he threaded the needle to WR Danario Alexander over the middle, getting the ball just out of the reach of S Hardy Ricks, and Alexander turned it upfield for a nice gain.  Gabbert also showed that he's developing a nice chemistry with the Tiger running backs as part of the passing attack, as he made several completions to both Derrick Washington and De'Vion Moore along the way…
• The USA Today Coaches Top-25 Preseason Poll came out this morning, and Mizzou found itself just outside of the rankings, coming in with enough votes to rank 34th overall.  Season-opening opponent Illinois was right behind, at 35th, while other 2009 Tiger opponents in the rankings included Texas (#2), Oklahoma State (#11), and Nebraska (#22).  Other Tiger opponents receiving votes included Kansas (#26), Nevada (#40) and Colorado (#53)…
• Lastly, two captains celebrated birthdays today, as senior WR Danario Alexander and senior OL Kurtis Gregory both had birthdays on Friday…

The Tigers will continue their work in meetings and film study today, and will hit the field for practice #3 Saturday morning at 7:15 a.m.  Stay tuned to MUTigers.com for continuing coverage of "Camp Pinkel."