Cale Garrett is Destined for Greatness

If you haven’t noticed the human missile that is Cale Garrett wreaking havoc on the field for his 2018 Missouri Tigers, just wait a snap or two. The team’s leading tackler is involved in what seems like every play, demolishing running backs, quarterbacks and wideouts with laser-guided precision. That kind of incendiary consistency could inflate a player’s ego if left unchecked, but Garrett is great precisely because he doesn’t think he is. Not yet, anyway.

“My stepdad did a good job of keeping me humble,” says the junior linebacker from Kearney, Missouri. “He still tells me, ‘Keep working hard at it and maybe you’ll be a good player someday.’ ”

It’s that daily devotion to constant improvement that has made Garrett a team leader, albeit one still looking for his voice. He and his roommate, senior linebacker Terez Hall (second in tackles), provide contrasting styles of leadership. Hall will shout at teammates to “pick it up.” Garrett, well, he has a more workmanlike approach.

“Talk is cheap unless the person that it’s coming from is legit,” says Garrett, complimenting Hall’s bark-bite balance. “I’m the type of player who is going to line up and do my job, but I want to work on being more vocal.”

Garrett’s vision and instincts might seem innate to the casual fan, but he credits head coach Barry Odom and linebackers coach Vernon Hargreaves for trusting his gut and “training his eyes.” His work ethic? That comes from his mother, Lindi Burns.“She has always told me I’m destined for greatness,” Garrett says. “Not a lot of my career has come naturally. I’ve always kind of been that slow kid in the middle. You have to pick something to improve on every single day, then go out and achieve it.”

Garrett is training his ears, too. He recently took up piano, and although he’s “no Beethoven,” it’s another goal on the horizon he hopes to obliterate. “Anything you do should be to the best of your ability,” Garrett says. “The only way I can be as a player is to give everything I can all the time.”

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Running back Damarea Crockett has never had much use for labels. At least not the ones other people attempt to put on him.

Some might look at his 5-foot, 11-inch, 225-pound frame and see a lumbering power back. But he counters with a top speed of 21.6 mph — he clocked that this off-season, putting him in the class of elite NFL-level speed. In Arkansas, some watched him play prep ball at Little Rock Christian High School and thought he could never be an SEC back. Well, we all know how that turned out. “I kind of just laugh at it now,” Crockett says, with a smile. “It’s just crazy how people will tell you what you can’t do.”

Crockett was a revelation during his true freshman season at Mizzou in 2016, rushing for 1,062 yards and 10 touchdowns in only 11 games. His 96.6 rush yards per game ranked first in the nation among freshman backs, and his 6.94 yards per carry ranked sixth in the nation out of all players with at least 150 carries.

He only got stronger as the season wore on. Crockett averaged 49 yards per game and 6.13 yards per carry during his first five games. He increased that to an average of 136.2 yards per game and 7.23 yards per carry during his final six games.

Now he’s one of the focal points of a Mizzou offense that returned 10 starters from a group that set a program record in yards per game last year. But against Purdue, it was the run game that was never established with just 66 yards on 23 carries for the three backs. So it will fall on Crockett to avoid another common label, one about which running back coach Cornell Ford has been reminding him regularly during preseason camp.

The sophomore slump.

“He’ll talk about it like, ‘As far as your work ethic, just don’t feel like you know everything, don’t feel like you’ve got it all. Just keep growing, keep learning, keep moving forward’, ” Crockett says. He spent the off-season striving to keep up the standard he set during his blockbuster freshman year. He is more cognizant of his dietary needs, and more aware of the steps he needs to take to recover after a practice session or a workout in order to keep performing at a high level.

He doesn’t have much free time. When he does, he spends a fair portion of it stretching, working out his hamstrings or rejuvenating in an ice tub. “It’s just the little things, like when you get nicked up, fixing it real fast,” Crockett says. “Just to have your body right for the long haul and keep yourself going.”

On the field, Crockett is working to become a more effective downfield runner, someone who can optimize his potent power-speed combination by getting tough yards between the tackles and finishing off runs rather than ducking out of bounds. He also is drawing from the example of senior back Ish Witter to shore up the deficiencies in his pass-blocking game that cropped up during his first collegiate season. The 195-pound Witter blocks like a 230-pound back. Crockett would like to as well.

“Really having Drew [Lock] and the rest of the quarterbacks comfortable in the pocket when we’re in there, [no matter which] running back is in the game,” Crockett says is important.

Tackle Paul Adams and the rest of the Missouri offensive line have set a lofty goal for Crockett this season: 2,000 rushing
yards. That’s one goal Crockett doesn’t mind. Nor would he mind the Heisman Trophy talk that would inevitably accompany such a feat.

In fact, he welcomes it — as the picture of the Heisman and the word written out in his locker attest. “If I’m going to play football, I don’t play just to be another player,” Crockett says. “I’m playing to be the best.”

Photos by Travis Smith

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In the summer of 2014, a shaggy-haired 17-year-old from Missouri landed in Beaverton, Oregon, to compete against a stacked deck of Elite 11 quarterbacks — Blake Barnett, Kyler Murray and Josh Rosen were just a few of the impressive arms in the camp. The summer event is without question the most-hyped quarterback showcase and skills competition for rising high school seniors.

For Trent Dilfer, Super Bowl-winning quarterback and Elite 11 coach, the annual camp is an opportunity to evaluate highly talented athletes.

Drew Lock was among the invitees. He just wasn’t sure he belonged.

A year earlier, Lock’s dad, Andy, and his Lee’s Summit High School coach, Eric Thomas, sat him down. They rolled tape from a previous Elite 11 competition. “You’re good enough to do that,” they told him. Drew studied the names of Elite 11 alums — Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers, Ben Roethlisberger and Andrew Luck, among them. Maybe, he thought.

“I’m not one to think super big of myself, so when they told me that, I was like yeah, I think I can do that,” Lock recalls. He’s calm, and his is voice sincere, even amid the hustle and bustle around him. “From that day on, I thought if they can see it in me, then I should see it in me.”

Confidence and profound humility — the two might seem to be a paradox in a leader. Shouldn’t one run counter to the other? Not for Drew Lock; in high school, he threw for 63 touchdowns with just 12 interceptions in his final two years. But internally, separating himself from the pack — great quarterbacks from good ones — took humility and self-awareness, resilience and a willingness to learn. Elite 11 would prove to be a turning point for Lock, a moment in time when he recognized his potential. “When I came back from [Elite 11], I was [ranked] five or six out of the 11,” Lock says. “I was 1-2 for most of the camp. I was like, wow, these are the best quarterbacks in the country. Again, I’m proving myself wrong.” 

Dilfer didn’t need much convincing. “I can’t say enough good things about Drew,” he says. “I’ve been doing this for seven years, and there are a lot of kids you have an affinity for, you get excited about. Drew’s on that top-10 list of kids I was most excited to evaluate, coach and follow his career. He’s willing to learn, willing to adapt and willing to grow. You’re looking for kids who have that thirst to learn, thirst to grow, thirst to chase their potential. He has all of that.”

The four-star recruit piqued the interest of those watching an elite group in the high school quarterback landscape. For Dilfer, Lock’s coachability stood out, but so did his physical makeup, mental toughness, resiliency, intuition, football IQ — you get the picture. These are all attributes seen in the top quarterbacks at collegiate and professional levels. “You take these formulas and you wrestle with them,” Dilfer says. “This is a kid who should have an enormous ceiling.”

Today, Lock is an SEC quarterback with 22 career starts, but a 7-15 record as Mizzou’s guy. Hardly a ceiling. His record comes with plenty of context, which began when he was thrown into a gauntlet of SEC play. His first career start was just five games into his freshman season.

“The first year, he was playing against a stacked deck,” Dilfer says. “I think last year we started to see glimpses of his resiliency, toughness. I don’t know that there’s a better trait that you can have as a quarterback than that internal resiliency — that you’re never going to quit or fold, just keep fighting through adversity. He’s done that at Missouri.”

Lock has experienced more than his share of adversity, but success is a lousy teacher, right? Progress was made through his diligence as a student of the game, digesting the playbook and offense. Last season, his first under offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Josh Heupel, Lock surged his passer efficiency rating to 133.3 — not terribly far from Chase Daniel’s school-record 159.4. But he did that completing only 54.6 percent of his attempts in a passer-friendly offense.

Completion percentage is it for Lock. He finished his sophomore season with 23 touchdown passes and led the SEC with 3,399 passing yards, the latter somewhat inflated: During six entertaining quarters against Eastern Michigan and Delaware State, Lock threw for 852 yards and 10 touchdowns.

“The number one for me is the completion percentage,” he says. Lock ranked ninth in the league in that category. “In my mind, me putting it in the dirt, overthrowing somebody or putting it out of bounds is a negative play. Bumping that completion percentage up is my number one focus, and that’s how we’re tracking it every day.”

Lock ranked third in the league in passing yards per game (248.3), but sixth in efficiency (119.9). Then there are the wins and losses. He knows as well as anyone, above any jaw-dropping stats, that’s the way a quarterback’s success is measured.

Dilfer, however, cautions in getting too caught up in a quarterback’s first 18 starts, outside of the resilience, endurance and some splash plays. There’s a reason they’re put on the field early in their career.  “Do they have the toughness to survive?” Dilfer says. “[Coaches] want to see if you can last, if you can survive, and he’s done that. The big growth really starts at [games] 18 to 30. You’re really looking to see that he’s better at start 29 than he was at 18. This is the year we’re going to see this.”

In the first week of the season against Missouri State, Lock gave us those splash plays and the stats to back it up: 21 for 34 with 7 touchdowns and 521 yards, both of which were school records.

It’s the off-field time that Lock has dedicated to mastering Mizzou’s offense that will determine his success this fall. Lock says he was a different player when he showed up in August. What changed? “Long meetings in the quarterback room,” he says. “We were starting from play one and going through every play in our playbook. It got to be really taxing, long days and really long nights. But in order for us to feel comfortable out there, we need to do that.” That being to tirelessly study every defensive scheme, every hot read, every role.

It all comes back to confidence. For Lock, the first two years at Mizzou weren’t unlike what he felt heading into the Elite 11 finals. But his confidence grew in Oregon as he proved he belonged. Now it’s time to produce in the SEC.

Production starts with presence; every quarterback commands with it. Not animated or loud, Lock is at his best when he’s relaxed, calming teammates with his personality. He likes to sing. It might be rap or country — the other day it was Randy Travis. “Being relaxed comes from knowing your job cold,” Lock says. “When you’re relaxed you can go out there no worries, just reading your reads, keying your keys, doing the small things to make it right.”

Adds Dilfer, “Presence is a huge thing. He just has that quiet swag to him. I don’t even like the word swag, but I think everybody uses it, so it paints a picture. He doesn’t have to be boisterous, but he’s got that quiet confidence, that quiet swag that people feel.”

Lock’s presence will be significant this season because there are plenty of unknowns. Can a returning offensive line, arguably the Tigers’ greatest strength in 2016, perform at the same high level? What strides will Mizzou continue to make defensively? Will the kicking game come around?

And will Lock take the next step? Coach Barry Odom has watched his quarterback progress as a leader, quietly taking command of the huddle and the offense. He is reading defenses better, and the extra work he put in during spring ball and fall camp is evident. Couple his growth with the talent around him, and Mizzou’s offense has the potential to be even more efficient — and explosive — than it was last year. Dilfer knows Lock’s potential as a pro-style QB, but now it’s time for results.

“They need to see him run the show,” Dilfer says. “That’s a big part on him and a big part on the offense. I think the NFL scouts — I’ve talked to a lot of them — are excited about his athletic makeup, but they need to see the production.”

If the growth is there, Dilfer believes you might see glimpses of a Sam Bradford, the Heisman-winning quarterback Heupel helped groom. “He’ll need [to show] a mastery of the offense — to see the offense and himself grow together,” Dilfer says. “Really good quarterback evaluators will marry the two. They don’t just look at the quarterback, and they don’t just look at the offense; they look at the synergy between the two. Does the quarterback have mastery of it, and does the offense give him the opportunity to master it? If I’m a GM putting together a board of quarterbacks in the junior class, right now Drew is probably not in the top five. But I think he has a chance to be number one by the end of the season, if you’re seeing that growth happen in front of your own eyes.”

Football is a game of ups and downs; Lock knows it. “Especially in this conference when you’ve got guys lined up left and right trying to take your head off,” he says. “And they’re the best in the country at doing it. But this year, we’re focused on winning ball games … Stats and all the rest will come with wins.”

Photos by Nick MeBruer 

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Year One wasn’t good enough. Everybody knows it. “I did probably a little too much last year, or tried to,” says head coach Barry Odom. “For a number of reasons, we didn’t play very well early in the season. At the end of the day, I didn’t do a good enough job of getting those guys ready to go play their best.”

Year One was a 4-and-8 debut. The young roster drew a tough opener at West Virginia and lost a heartbreaker to Georgia in week three — one could argue they never really recovered. Florida, LSU and Kentucky beat Mizzou by a combined score of 117-45; the Tigers lost to Tennessee by 26 points, despite a school record 740 yards of total offense; and MTSU beat Missouri in Columbia.

The Tigers did rebound to win two of the final three, beating Vanderbilt and overcoming a 24-7 halftime deficit to knock off bowl-bound Arkansas. “I thought winning two out of the last three was huge, and then having the total yards we did against Tennessee,” Drew Lock says. “I think that started to show a little bit more what we’re capable of and what we know we’re capable of. I think having had that momentum going into the off-season, you can look back on that.”

The optimists will say that final stretch indicates a team ready to take the next step, particularly when 10 of the offense’s 11 starters return (Kendall Blanton and Jason Reese will step up to replace tight end Sean Culkin). Following the Arkansas game, Missouri ranked 15th in the FBS in total offense, averaging 500.5 yards a game. But the pessimists will point to a defense that tumbled from one of the nation’s best to one of its worst, as Odom moved from defensive coordinator to head coach and handed the reins to DeMontie Cross. In 2015 the Tigers stood at 302 yards allowed per game, sixth in the FBS in total defense. Last year, the unit fell to 117th with 479.7 yards allowed per game.

“I don’t ever wait for the end of the year and ask ‘Why weren’t we very good,’ ” Odom says. “The air’s cleaner, I like our staff, I like our locker room, and I’m excited about what this team’s going to do.”

Everyone recognizes improvement has to happen. Last year was Missouri’s second consecutive season with a losing record. Stacking a third on top of it would make it that much tougher to emerge from the tailspin. So what marks improvement for Odom’s second season?

“I think to get to six wins is progress,” says Director of Athletics Jim Sterk. “I think that’s a minimum of what you would want, what our alums want. As a team, they’ll be disappointed with that, but I think that’s moving forward and being bowl eligible. And getting a great bowl, I think that’s really important for us.”

“I have felt pressure every day of my working life,” Odom says. “I think being in the proverbial hot seat, I put that on myself. When I started as a GA for Coach Pinkel in December of 2002, I felt like I was on a job interview every day of my working life, and I’ve continued that approach every day.”

Odom was the one to bring up the term ‘hot seat.’ Most aren’t there just yet, including the only person whose opinion really matters. “I think he took over the program in kind of a tough time,” Sterk says. “There was a lot going on, and I think he’s really stabilized it and is preparing to move forward. I like what I see there, and I think they’re excited as a group as well.”

Outside of Columbia, not many have faith. USA Today released its annual preseason polls with Missouri finishing an optimistic 7-5. League media had other thoughts. The Tigers were picked seventh (last) in the SEC East following July’s Media Days. They finished nearly 200 points behind 6th place Vanderbilt in the preseason poll. Only wide receiver J’Mon Moore (2nd team) and defensive
end Marcell Frazier (3rd team) received any individual preseason recognition.

And so, Missouri finds itself in a familiar position: having to prove itself. “I think they’re coming out to win a title,” Sterk says. “Whether they do or not, I think there are a lot of factors that will play into that, but they have a great group coming back.” The Tigers have been here before. They were picked 6th in the East in 2013 and 4th in 2014. They won the division both years. That goal may be a bit lofty for these Tigers, but time will tell.

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In 1896, the Missouri Tigers Went Missing

More than a century ago, Missouri’s football team took an unapproved Christmas vacation of the Chevy Chase variety. Following a scheduled December game against Texas, they left the territorial boundaries of the United States to play a few postseason matchups in Mexico City. The only problem: no one informed the University.

Few accounts of the fateful trip survived, except for stories in the university yearbook, the Savitar, and a 1921 interview with then-student and team manager George H. English Jr. in the Joliet (Ill.) Evening Herald-News. Although the team won just a few scheduled football games in 1896, its story will forever live — albeit rarely told — in the annals of Missouri football history.

An offer they couldn’t refuse
After a disappointing Thanksgiving day loss to Kansas, the Tigers looked for redemption — and perhaps warmer weather — in Texas. The team left Columbia by train on December 10, and four days later beat the University of Texas Longhorns in a somewhat anticlimactic four quarters. The Tigers won 10-0 during a game the Savitar called “slow and uninteresting.”

But the drama would soon commence.

An Austin, Texas, promoter named George A. Hill had been planning to host the first-ever American football games in Mexico, all to be played during the holiday season and during the student-athletes’ Christmas break. His dream was to match the Longhorns against a team of all-stars, but those 
plans changed.

“Our defeat of Texas rather put a crimp in his plans, and besides, he had been unable to line up his all-star team satisfactorily,” English told the Joliet Evening Herald-News. “So he asked us whether we wouldn’t like to go along — with all expenses paid — and play the University of Texas again at Laredo, Monterrey, the City of Mexico (now Mexico City) and outlying points. As there was nothing to restrain us except college discipline, we said we’d love to.”

But English and the team neglected to perform one slight detail: No one bothered to inform university President Richard Henry Jesse (for whom Jesse Hall is named). “We didn’t communicate with college authorities back in Columbia at all,” English said. “What would have been the use? They would only have ordered us to come home.”

Mexico’s President Porfirio Diaz approved the south of the border game, even planning to attend. While they waited to travel, the Tigers barnstormed around Texas, beating the San Antonio YMCA, 29-0, and the Austin YMCA, 21-0. Both the Tigers and the Longhorns boarded a train for Mexico on December 22 and arrived in Monterrey on Christmas Eve. The next day, in a pregame of sorts, the Tigers again beat the Longhorns, 18-4. Both head coaches played.

Finally, on December 27, the big game was played in Mexico City. “The first football game ever played in the Republic of Mexico took place here yesterday between the Missouri Tigers and the Texas University team,” the New York Times reported. “The game resulted in a score of 12-0 in favor of the Tigers. Fully, 3,000 people witnessed the sport.”

The reaction from the Mexico City audience to the game was a collective yawn. “It is not likely that so violent and muscular a game will be introduced here,” noted a story in The Mexican Herald. 
”Football will probably remain an exotic as far as Mexico is concerned.”

“The Mexicans didn’t take the least interest in football,” English said. “They evidently regarded it as merely another bit of evidence pointing to madness of all Americans.”

President Diaz was not in attendance, opting instead to attend a bullfight across town; but Thomas Theodore Crittenden was there. The former Missouri governor was consul general to Mexico under President Grover Cleveland. (Crittenden’s claim to fame was offering a reward for the capture of outlaw Jesse James. It led to the shooting of James by Robert Ford, whom Crittenden later pardoned.)

Facing the music
Shortly after New Year’s Day, the Tigers boarded a train back to Columbia to face an uncertain fate. After a round trip of 21 days and 6,000 miles, they encountered an angry President Jesse and a university disciplinary committee. Head coach Frank Patterson was fired (or “left for pastures new,” as English phrased it). English and team captain Tom Shawhan were both suspended, but took it in stride.

“It was made effective during the week of the midyear examinations,” English said, “and as my standing was luckily good enough for me to pass in all my courses without the tests, it merely gave me a week’s holiday, while everybody else was boning up for examinations.”

As a measure of atonement, a letter from Crittenden surfaced years later. The consul general commended the Tigers for the manner in which they had represented the University while in Mexico: “The American boys have behaved remarkably well since their arrival here — so far none of the wild freaks of the college boy — away from the professors’ gaze and the charming Columbians.”

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Now what?

What are the expectations in 2017 for a 4-8 Missouri football team who showed so much promise yet at times couldn’t get out of its own way? Can an offense that led the Southeastern Conference in total yards take the next step as it returns 10 starters? Or will it again be plagued by untimely drops from a talented yet inconsistent receiving corps? Can the Tigers fix the defensive issues that troubled them for most of the year? Or will Mizzou struggle once again to stop the run? And how will head coach Barry Odom and his staff benefit from his first full year of experience?

So many questions. So much anticipation.

“I expect we’ll see a team playing with a lot more pride and a lot more fight; a team that will understand what its identity is,” says Howard Richards, the Mizzou football radio analyst turned Assistant Athletic Director for Community Relations. “They didn’t have an identity last year. Over the offseason, they will build that identity, build on that brand of who they are.”

No doubt there is plenty to build upon, especially when you consider what the offense accomplished in 2016. Although their numbers were skewed by lopsided wins over Eastern Michigan and Delaware State, the Tigers still racked up 500.5 yards per game. They were second in the SEC in passing yards, with 295.4 yards per game, and a respectable eighth in rushing. Most remarkable is that these numbers came just one year after Mizzou ranked last in the conference in total passing and rushing yards, as well as points scored. The most encouraging prospect: There’s plenty of room for improvement, particularly from quarterback Drew Lock and his receivers. Everything revolves around Lock, who will begin his third year under center and his second season directing coordinator Josh Heupel’s no-huddle attack.

“When he’s on, there’s not a better quarterback in the conference,” says former Missouri wide receiver T.J. Moe, who in four seasons caught 188 passes with12 touchdowns.

The issue, however, is that even as Lock threw for 23 touchdowns and 3,399 yards — the fifth most in program history — he was plagued by inconsistency. For all of his gaudy statistics, Moe says, Lock never put together a full half, much less a complete game. Consider: He lit up Georgia for 376 passing yards, but threw three second-half interceptions in a gut-wrenching one-point loss. In the midst of a defensive struggle against Florida, he threw a pair of pick-sixes late in the first half, and the game devolved into a rout. At Tennessee, Mizzou piled up 740 yards but played uphill the entire second half after Lock threw an interception on the first snap of the third quarter that set up the Vols on a short field.

“Having been a receiver, I look at the quarterback a little differently,” Moe says. “It’s not necessarily the production just yet, and it’s not necessarily how he looks doing it. It’s the velocity with which he can deliver the football and the touch he can put on it.

“If you can get his mechanics to be consistent and get repetition this off-season, with that potential you’re absolutely looking at an all-conference talent. Generally, when you’ve got an all-conference talent at quarterback, you’re competing for championships.”

Odom, for one, is bullish on Lock. During a December appearance on KFNS radio in St. Louis, at Moe’s behest, the coach played word association on a handful of players. When Moe threw out Lock’s name, without hesitation Odom said, “Competitor. Super talented. Will lead us to a championship.”

No pressure there, kid. Some would argue that’s an unreasonable expectation to place on a career 52.5 percent passer who is 6-14 as a starter. But the comment speaks volumes about Lock’s tremendous potential, as well as the largely untapped talent with which Odom and Heupel have surrounded their quarterback.

In 11 games, including three in which he had only 16 combined carries, true freshman Damarea Crockett ran for 1,062 yards, averaged 6.9 yards per carry and scored 10 touchdowns. Yet while Crockett, one of several of Odom’s 11th-hour recruiting coups, was a pleasant surprise, he wasn’t the biggest one. That honor was bestowed upon a retooled offensive line, which went from being Mizzou’s most glaring weakness in 2015 to arguably its greatest strength. New offensive line coach Glen Elarbee was quite simply a miracle worker. Plugging in four new starters, the Tigers were first in the country in tackles for loss allowed, with 35, and led the SEC in fewest sacks allowed, with 13.

Richards knows a thing or two about offensive-line technique. He started 40 consecutive games at right tackle for Missouri from 1977-90, and was the first-round draft pick of the Dallas Cowboys in 1981. “Because of the line play, the quarterback play was elevated,” Richards says. “Drew Lock has his critics, but just look at what he has been able to accomplish. That was a direct reflection of how the offensive line played.”

As he continues to develop and become more comfortable in the offense, Lock could use a little help from his friends. The wideouts in 2015 were an enigmatic bunch, capable of delivering a highlight-reel reception, yet also prone to the untimely, inexcusable drop. Moe minces no words.

“Probably every receiver on that roster is more athletic than I was, but most of them have been about half as productive,” he says. “It’s a lack of concentration. Perhaps it’s a lack of work ethic, a lack of preparation. How many times did J’Mon Moore fumble after making a great catch? And how many times was there a big drop down the sideline when you had your man beat by three yards and you would have had a walk-in touchdown?” Moe asks. “There are little things that should have been gimmes that changed the whole outlook of the season. Instead, we look at the group and say, ‘Gosh darn, they’re inconsistent.’

“That group can be really good” he says. “These guys can run by you. They just need to hammer down this offseason and get to it.”

Adds Richards, “If you had probably half the drops back, you’re looking at two more wins. And not just the wins. They’ll roll off more plays. They’ll control the clock.”

Ah, the clock. Missouri was 128th in the country — dead last — in time of possession, at 24:18. (Amazingly, despite the limited time on the field, the offense played so fast that it ran only two fewer players than its opponents: 948 versus 950.) The dangers with any hurry-up attack are the short possessions and the multiple three-and-outs — your defense is repeatedly exposed, no matter how good it might be. And in 2016, Mizzou’s defense was, in two words, exposed and bad. The Tigers were last in the SEC and 118th in the country in total defense. They were 13th and 112th against the run and 12th and 86th against the pass. Considering Odom’s background and the recent success Missouri had enjoyed on that side of the ball, the defensive struggles
were as shocking as the offensive-line play was a surprise.

In 2015, when Odom served as defensive coordinator, the Tigers were sixth in the country in total defense, even with an offense that ranked 124th in total yards and 116th in time of possession (27:02). Although several key players departed — most notably all-SEC linebacker Kentrell Brothers — Odom and new coordinator DeMontie Cross had the foundation upon which to build a strong unit. The issue came when Odom scrapped the attack scheme for a read-and-react system.

West Virginia piled up 494 yards. LSU gashed the Tigers for 634 yards, including 418 on the ground. Even Middle Tennessee State moved up and down the field at will, with 311 yards rushing and another 284 yards passing. Odom took over play-calling duties from Cross, and finally went back to the attack scheme that called for players to tackle the ball carrier on their way to the quarterback. But the damage had been done. As Moe notes, while most defenders knew the old scheme, first-year players had to learn an unfamiliar system on the fly. A year after giving up an average of 302 yards per game, the Tigers gave up 400 yards or more to all 11 of their FBS opponents.

“I imagine there was difficulty buying in,” Richards says. “There were issues with responsibilities and players alluding to having to think too much. The simpler it is, the easier it is to play. You have less to absorb. It’s easier to do than when you have a billion things to remember.”

So why will 2017 be any different? For one, Odom has a year under his belt and a coaching staff and a system in place. The player boycott of 2015 is a distant memory. Players better understand what the expectations are. There is the opportunity to build on victories in the final third of the season over Vanderbilt and Arkansas; the defense was salty in the second half of each of those games, and the Tigers rallied from a 24-7 halftime deficit against the Razorbacks. In any event, Richards and Moe agree that Odom is the man for the job.

“The testament to Barry’s character and abilities as a coach was shown when he was introduced as the head coach,” Richards says. “The way those players responded to him, they knew what he meant to them as a football coach. Barry’s the right guy. He has the temperament. He has the youth and the desire to turn this program around. As a player, you have to understand what your coach is trying to teach you. If you aren’t able to push aside the distractions and focus on that particular task, you can’t be successful.”

As someone who played at Mizzou when Odom was an assistant, Moe has seen it all first-hand. He is among Odom’s biggest fans. “Coach Odom has a warm personality toward his players and gets to know you and cares about you,” Moe says. “And he doesn’t have this huge barrier: I’m the head coach, the king, the dictator. That’s not the relationship he has with the guys. But don’t get me wrong: He has a strong personality, and when he talks, you listen.”

Perhaps Odom’s biggest accomplishment as a rookie head coach was holding the locker room together as Missouri struggled through a five-game skid. With road contests against West Virginia, LSU and Florida and an SEC home opener against Georgia in the first half of the season, the schedule-makers didn’t do the Tigers any favors. When it was mentioned during an October interview that better days were ahead and that hopefully he was at least enjoying the ride, Odom replied matter-of-factly, “We just need to win some games.”

Better days are ahead, and with a run of four consecutive home games to open the 2017 season — against Missouri State, South Carolina, Purdue and Auburn — the upcoming September schedule is every bit as kind as the 2016 early slate was brutal. It serves as an opportunity to build some real momentum. A bowl invitation is expected, but should fans expect more?

Richards recalls a recent conversation with former Mizzou teammate Kellen Winslow, the Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end. Winslow noted that there was one thing missing on the Tigers’ schedule. “You know what it is?” Richards recalls Winslow saying. “They don’t have the SEC championship game on there. That should be the goal.”

No question.

Mark Godich is a senior editor at Sports Illustrated and the author of the 2013 book, Tigers vs Jayhawks: From the Civil War to the Battle for No. 1.

The post Forward Progress appeared first on ZOUNation Magazine.

There’s a lot more optimism and less uncertainty surrounding the team than at this point last year. The young 4-8 Tigers improved as coach Barry Odom’s first year unfolded, and he should return most of those key pieces next year. Here are five things to keep in mind as the Tigers head into the new year:
 

He was two different quarterbacks in 2016. In four wins, he completed 64.7 percent of his passes for 353.5 yards a game, 13 touchdowns, no interceptions and a 183.58 rating. In right losses, he completed half his passes for 248.1 yards a game, 10 touchdowns against 10 picks and a 110.31 rating.

So for two-thirds of the year, he was average. For one-third of the year, he was brilliant.

As the year progressed, he got more accurate with his throws, better with his decisions and more in tune with his receivers. Offensive coordinator Josh Heupel has to hope that trend continues.

2. The Backfield Will Be Dynamic

First, you’ve got rising sophomore Damarea Crockett, who averaged 136.2 rush yards a game and 7.2 yards a carry over his final six games this year, on his way to a Missouri freshman record 1,062 yards. He’s legit.

Then you’ve got Ish Witter, who complemented Crockett’s rise with 750 yards of his own and proved to be a more dependable option in the pass game and on blitz pick-up.

Then you’ve got Natereace Strong who, with Crockett suspended and Witter hurt, picked up 52 tough yards and two crucial touchdowns on 17 carries in the comeback against Arkansas.

Missouri may be looking at its deepest backfield since 2013, when Henry Josey, Russell Hansbrough and Marcus Murphy toted the rock. Wishful thinking, maybe, for Tigers fans. But not that far out of the realm of possibility.

3. Really, the Whole Offense Should Be Explosive

Missouri ranks 15th in the FBS in total offense, averaging 500.5 yards a game. Last year, the Tigers ranked 125th at 280.9 yards a game.

And guess what? They should get all but one starter back. That means Lock, the stacked backfield, 1,000-yard receiver J’Mon Moore and versatile playmakers Dimetrios Mason and Johnathon Johnson in the receiving corps.

That also means all seven of the offensive linemen — Alec Abeln, Paul Adams, Samson Bailey, Jonah Dubinski, Tyler Howell, Kevin Pendleton and Adam Ploudre — who started this year and ranked 16th in the nation in sacks allowed per game (1.17) and first in tackles for loss allowed per game (3.00).

All from a group that was supposed to be a liability coming into the season.

The only piece Missouri should have to replace is tight end Sean Culkin, who proved an invaluable blocker for the Tigers as well as having a career year catching passes. But there’s good news there as well: rising junior Kendall Blanton is basically a taller Culkin clone, with just as much on the ball blocking and catching.

So, yeah, the future on offense is bright.

4. The Defense Needs to Find Some Answers

Think of the Tigers’ defensive regression as the inverse to the offense’s progression. Last year, Missouri sixth in the FBS in total defense at 302 yards allowed per game. This year, it fell to 117th in the FBS at 479.7 yards allowed per game.

And the Tigers are losing a bunch of pieces from all levels of the defense to boot.

Rickey Hatley and Josh Augusta will be gone from the interior of the defensive line…and if draft prognostications are correct, end Charles Harris should depart a year early after two breakout seasons.

Emotional and tackles leaders Michael Scherer and Donavin Newsom will be gone from the linebacking corps, and corners Aarion Maxey-Penton and John Gibson — who basically played every snap at their positions over the season’s final four weeks — will be gone as well.

So defensive coordinator DeMontie Cross and Odom — who, really, took over a lot of the coordinating and playcalling roles as the season wore on — need to have a keen eye for what the Tigers have left and how to accentuate the strong points while covering up the weak ones.

5. But the Cupboard’s Not Bare

Now, the good news. Missouri’s got some decent pieces around which to build.

On the line, end Marcell Frazier had 6.5 sacks over the final three games and Terry Beckner Jr. comes back from his second knee surgery after an impressive first half of the season.

At linebacker, Eric Beisel and Cale Garrett both showed glimpses of being stalwart run-stoppers and T.J. Warren played a capable nickelback.

The back end is a little more problematic, but there are options there as well. Logan Cheadle and DeMarkus Acy got meaningful game reps at corner, and Cam Hilton, Ronnell Perkins, Anthony Sherrils and Thomas Wilson shared time at the two safety spots. Remember, also, that Kansas State transfer Kaleb Prewett is eligible to suit up next year.

It might be a challenge seeing how all of these pieces fit together — especially as a high-paced offense makes life difficult on a defense looking for its footing with fast drives and little opportunity for rest — but Odom and Cross won’t be at a loss for choices.

Photos: Nicholas Mebruer | MebruerActionPhotography.com

The post Five Thoughts as Missouri Football Heads to the Offseason appeared first on ZOUNation Magazine.