IN DEPTH | Mizzou Running Backs Elevate Their Game During Win Streak
11/12/2017 12:14:00 AM | Football
Witter and Rountree have career days
Losing your starting running back for an extended period of time usually spells disaster for any offense, but that has absolutely not been the case for the 2017 Missouri Tigers. Since Damarea Crockett went down with a shoulder injury against Georgia that has kept him out of the lineup since the middle of October, the dynamic backfield duo of Ish Witter and Larry Rountree III has combined to put up record numbers on the ground.
The backfield tandem ran for a combined 371 yards tonight, with both players eclipsing the 150-yard mark against the Tennessee defense. The last time Mizzou had two 100-yard performers on the ground came against Tennessee last season when the Tigers racked up 420 yards on the Vol's defense.
"We wanted to run the football," Barry Odom said. "Our offensive line did a heck of a job blocking at the point of attack. Both tailbacks are running as physical and tough as we've had around here in a long time and that doesn't go unnoticed. Our sideline feeds off of that and Ish and Larry continue to get better."
Witter's 216 yards on senior night set a new career high for the Tampa, Florida, native and were also good for the 11th most rushing yards in a single game by a player in program history. Witter averaged nine yards per carry, while breaking off a season-long 52-yard gain and also scoring his fourth rushing touchdown of the season.
True freshman Larry Rountree III has also helped fill the Crockett void in a major way, racking up 395 yards in the past four games. Rountree scored three touchdowns last week against the Gators and added another one with 18 seconds left in the first half tonight, a score that put the Tigers back on top, where they would stay the rest of the night. Rountree set career highs tonight in single game rushing yards with 155, yards per carry with 8.6, and also broke off his longest run in a Tiger uniform, scorching the Vol's defense for a 64-yard gain that set up his touchdown just before the half.
"We just wanted to get a first down, get it manageable, get down there and score some point to get some momentum to end the half," redshirt junior right guard Kevin Pendleton said. "So for him to bust that run out and turn the game around was huge."
Rountree scored the go-ahead touchdown tonight, but he was quick to credit his backfield partner with paving the way to his recent success.
""I learn a lot from Ish", Rountree said. "I take some of the stuff I've seen from him and try to put it in my game a little bit, so I'm happy. Today he had 216 yards, so I'm just glad that he and all the seniors had a good day today and we came away with a win."
The Tigers offense scored 33 consecutive points down the stretch, led by the tailback duo of Witter and Rountree, on their way to a 50-17 victory over the Volunteers. Mizzou has now won four games in a row and looks to keep it rolling against Vanderbilt next Saturday night. Kickoff against the Commodores is set for 6:30 pm on SEC Network.
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