Aug. 6, 2011

COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Missouri Tigers took to the Kadlec Athletic fields Saturday morning for what Head Coach Gary Pinkel called afterwards as a good day of practice.

The addition of shoulder pads brought out an increased level of physical play Saturday, as defenders were allowed to hit above the waist, without making full tackles.  The effort had Coach Pinkel pleased afterward.

"Overall, it was a real good practice today," Pinkel said.  "We had the shoulder pads on and the intensity picks up when you do that. You also need to be smart about how you practice. I thought there were a lot of good things on both sides of the ball and we really gave a great effort. If we match that every day, then we are going to become a better football team," he said.

Sophomore TE Eric Waters was held out of practice Saturday with a sprained left big toe, and junior WR Gahn McGaffie left practice early after tweaking his right hamstring.  Both are considered day-to-day going forward.  Junior college transfer DL Sheldon Richardson's status has not changed, and is still awaiting final clearance to join the team on the field.

In practice action, senior WR Wes Kemp stood out Saturday for his efforts in many ways.  He made plenty of catches on the day, but he was just as impressive with his route running, and he was seen constantly working hard every snap on his downfield blocking and helping the offense in that important, but often overlooked facet.

Sophomore WR L'Damian Washington might have had the play of the day, when he made a falling, over-the-shoulder catch near the right pylon for a beautiful touchdown catch from freshman QB Corbin Berkstresser for about 40 yards.  It was a superb throw by the rookie quarterback, and Washington cashed in when he made a great adjustment to the ball that was thrown over his outside shoulder.

Senior LB Will Ebner was all over the field Saturday, and got involved in the middle of numerous plays where he ended the play by stuffing the run.  Tailbacks Kendial Lawrence and De'Vion Moore also broke off some nice runs when they had their numbers called, and they both showed a nice burst in the process.

Senior co-captain SS Kenji Jackson had the biggest hit of the day, when he pummeled senior WR Jerrell Jackson over the middle, forcing an incomplete pass on an intended deep in route.  Jackson appeared to pull up at the last minute so as to not get Jackson too badly, but the hit still left observers oohing and aahing.  Jackson stayed on the field briefly, but got back up in time to take the very next snap, definitely showing some toughness.  Later in the day, Jackson also got a big shot on the sideline on senior WR Brandon Gerau, as Gerau jumped to catch a pass from sophomore QB James Franklin.  Gerau made the catch and held onto the ball despite the hard hit, and it's hard to tell if Gerau got a foot down before Jackson forced him out of bounds.

Near the close of practice, sophomore QB Ashton Glaser fought off some big-time pressure in the backfield from charging defenders, and lofted a ball down the seam to a wide-open Jimmie Hunt.  The redshirt freshman WR hauled in the pass some 10 yards behind the nearest defender, and streaked into the endzone for about a 55-yard score.

Up next for the Tigers is a Sunday morning practice, followed by the annual Fan/Photo Day.  Gates at Memorial Stadium open to the public at 3:45 p.m., and fans will be allowed on the field to meet their favorite Tigers and get photos and autographs.   

Here's a transcript of Coach Pinkel's post-practice Q&A with local media:

Opening Statement...
"Overall, it was a real good practice today. We had the shoulder pads on and the intensity picks up when you do that. You also need to be smart about how you practice. I thought there were a lot of good things on both sides of the ball and we really gave a great effort. If we match that every day, then we are going to become a better football team."

On injuries to Gahn McGaffie and Eric Waters...
"McGaffie has a strained hamstring and Eric has turf toe, so I'm not sure when either of them will be back. I don't think either of them is very serious. We x-rayed Eric's toe and there is no fracture so he should be back when he is ready."

On depth at tailback...
"First of all, they are very talented. I just always challenge them and what that means is that you may be all good, but you want to look a little better than the other guy. So I always put that challenge out there to the back and receivers, the playmaker-type guys. Try and separate yourself. Don't say `we're all good and we're all going to play.' That's not the attitude you want, so I use that term to try and stimulate that kind of response."

"What we always tell our guys is that you don't have to be a starter to play here. If you are a back-up player like Brad Madison last year, and you prove that you are good enough to play at a level to win a championship in the Big 12, then we're going to play you. Honestly you want to play as many guys as you can. I think with the running back situation, a lot of time you here that guys need to get a tempo going and get some momentum, and we are aware of that. But still, if guys are ready to play, we're going to play them. If you want to carry the ball more then you need to separate yourself."

On the defensive line...
"We have some really good depth there. You're not going to have that all the time; attrition happens and a lot of things can happen and all of sudden you have this deep position that isn't deep anymore. We are very fortunate there. There are also some other positions that we have a lot of depth, but it seems that on the line we have a lot of experience and we are happy to have that. Next year we lose three seniors there, so that will adjust a little bit. It is a good place to have a lot of depth because you can play a bunch of guys up front you can really maintain speed and quickness, so that is a huge plus."

On the cornerback situation...
"I really look at Kip (Edwards) as a starter. He was like Brad Madison - he played just as many snaps as anyone, but his name was just down one notch. It was a little like Martin Rucker and Chase Coffman. And EJ (Gaines) played a lot too. He is really talented and he doesn't look like a second-year player at all. The good news is we have a lot of other guys who are doing a really good job too, I can go right down the list. When we look back 10 years ago when I got this job, I got a call from Dave Yost and he said `I have good news and bad news' so I asked him what is was. He told me that the good news was that we had one cornerback on scholarship and that the bad news was that he was having surgery tomorrow. So thank God we are in a little bit better shape than that."