Offensive Depth, Versatility Showing Midway Through 2019 Season
10/16/2019 2:01:00 PM | Football
Derek Dooley is using a deep, talented group in a lot of creative ways
Mizzou Football wrapped up its five game homestand with a victory over Ole Miss on Saturday night. The Tigers went 5-0 on the homestand and have entered the AP Poll at No. 22.
Mizzou now heads back on the road, something it has not done since falling at Wyoming in week one. Their first of three straight road games comes this weekend at Vanderbilt.
"It's weird," said redshirt junior RB Dawson Downing on going back on the road. "It's been over a month, but it's the same routine for us just a different location."
Downing had the biggest game of his Mizzou career in the homecoming victory over Ole Miss. A career-long 54-yard run in the third quarter culminated with the junior extending his arm over the goal line for his first score of the season.
"Honestly, it was just kind of instinct," Downing said with a laugh when asked about his arm extension. "You're just trying to get the ball in the endzone."
"That just shows how many playmakers we have on the offensive side of the ball," redshirt senior WR Johnathon Johnson said on the big game from Downing. "Our third running back is able to come in the game and score a touchdown, which really shows you the depth we have on this offense."
Johnson, a redshirt senior, also had his biggest game of the season, eclipsing the 100-yard receiving mark for the first time on the year and the fifth time in his career. The performance moved him into seventh all-time in Mizzou history in receiving yards.
"It feels like a blessing for me," Johnson said on moving into seventh place. "I'm happy I was able to move up on the list and make my way to number seven. I still have six games to go. I'm going to stay focused and stay ready to go."
Johnson's biggest game of the season appears to mark a growing level of comfort with quarterback Kelly Bryant.
"The biggest thing was just talking about the different coverages we might see, certain plays and certain routes," said Bryant. "He was telling me how he would run the route and I was telling him where the ball would be. Just getting on the same page and chopping it up, doing stuff like that. Luckily it ended up being a good thing that we did that, and we saw him have a good performance."
Bryant hooked up with Johnson eight times on Saturday night, the most on the team. There were eight other players caught passes from Bryant, who completed 23 of his 35 attempts.
"It's a coin toss, for real, because you never really know where he's going with the ball," Johnson said on the ball distribution. "He always spreads it out, I think we had nine different receivers with a catch in the game. Coach Dooley does a great job of spreading the ball around and calling the right plays."
The surplus of weapons is something that Bryant enjoys having around him, in particular the depth at the running back position.
"We can call a bunch of different things," Bryant said of the sets involving both Tylor Badie and Larry Rountree. "We can put Badie out there in the slot and let him run routes. You have Larry right there and he can run routes as well. It gives the defense a different look."
Bryant also added that there is no drop off when Downing enters the game, noting his ability to run, catch and pass block while also calling him a smart player.
Spreading the ball around and getting different players involved each week has allowed the Missouri offense to score 31 points or more in 11 straight games, the second longest active streak in the nation.
Mizzou seeks its sixth straight victory this Saturday in Nashville against Vanderbilt. Kick-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. and the game is set to air on SEC Network.
