Spring Football Questions: Missouri

By Brian Smith FOXSportsSouthwest.comPractice Begins: March 8 Spring Game: April 16Maybe its the location, well north of the new center of the Big 12 Conference (Austin). Maybe its the low-key profile and the tendency to steer clear of huge non-conference matchups. Maybe its the personality of the coach, mild-mannered and calculated, always looking for another way to expose a defense. Whatever the reason, Missouri has never been mentioned as a favorite to win the conference title.But have you noticed whats happening in Columbia lately? The Tigers have started to put players into the NFL at a regular rate. This April, two former Mizzou players could very easily go in the first round of the NFL Draft. Gary Pinkel and his staff have pulled in recruits from Texas by the truckload. MU has won 40 games in the last four seasons alone. Its time to start taking Missouri seriously as a championship contender, especially with the 19 starters they have returning from a 10-3 season in 2010. Spring camp opens for the Tigers tomorrow, and even though we know most of the familiar faces, questions remain before Missouri makes that big leap from contender to champion.1.With James Franklin stepping behind center, what new wrinkles will be added to the offense?It wouldnt make sense for Gary Pinkel to name a starting quarterback before the first spring practice, but right now it appears James Franklin has the early lead. After all, hes the only competitor in the quarterback race who has actually taken snaps in a college game. A sophomore from Dallas, Franklin threw a total of 14 passes in his first season at Mizzou, completing 11 of them. However, Franklin did not attempt a pass after the Colorado game on October 9. Even though Blaine Gabbert showed his athleticism during the Combine, its clear that Franklin is the most versatile quarterback Pinkel has had at his disposal since Brad Smith became a superstar in 2005. As a senior at Lake Dallas High School, Franklin threw for over 2,000, ran for 1,200 and scored a total of 41 touchdowns. Hes explosive as a runner but also has a strong arm. Franklin also has a strong football pedigree as his father, Willie, played tight end for the University of Oklahoma and the NFLs Baltimore Colts.As Pinkel has mentioned before, any time the first-string quarterback leaves, his offense will undergo a transition. Thats not to say that the Tigers are headed for a transition season. On the contrary, nine of eleven offensive starters return this year. The only absences: Gabbert and all-conference center Tim Barnes, who anchored the Mizzou offensive line for the past three seasons. In Pinkels offense, receivers might be the most important group on the field outside of quarterbacks. Wideouts must run precise routes, recognize coverages and develop an on-field connection with the passer. Fortunately, Franklin wont have to worry about breaking in a new group of receivers. He also has the ability to expand Missouris playbook by quite a bit. Smith was a four-year starter in Columbia and became the first player in history to throw for 8,000 yards and rush for 4,000. The zone read should become a bigger feature in the Tigers playbook, as should designed rollouts. Often times last season, the Tigers used tight end Michael Egnew as a slot receiver in five wide sets. Will Egnew move in and be used more as a blocker this season? The spring should at least give us a little insight into how Franklins versatility changes the offense next season.2.Can T.J. Moe break the state of Oklahomas chokehold on the best receiver conversation?Mizzou fans shouldnt have been surprised at sophomore wideout T.J. Moes breakout season last year. Moe began generating buzz starting in the spring after an injury-riddled freshman year in 2009. Moes tenacity to fight through several knicks and bruises speaks volumes about his ability. Pinkel could have shut his freshman receiver down early in the year so that he could receive a redshirt, but the coach truly believed Moe could contribute even when hurt.Moe made his name known early and often during Missouris 2010 season. Nobody on the team made a bigger play for the Tigers last year than Moe did against San Diego State. Faced with a 24-21 deficit and just over a minute to play, the Tigers were almost 70 yards away from the end zone. Fans in Columbia knew they needed a miracle. Moe provided one by catching a short pass, slamming on the brakes to elude a defender, then sprinting down the sideline for a Mizzou touchdown. At that point in the year, nobody believed the Aztecs would turn out to be a very good team. A loss could have easily derailed Missouris season, especially since conference play hadnt even began.Despite its importance, that catch was only one of 92 made by the virtually unguardable Moe, who deserves to be mentioned as one of the conferences top four or five receivers along with Oklahoma States Justin Blackmon, Oklahomas Ryan Broyles and Jeff Fuller at Texas A&M. Moe was Mizzous go-to guy whenever the team needed a third down conversion or a quick-hitter on first or second down. Hell see a lot more attention this fall, but the question remains: can Moe break the Oklahoma chokehold in the best receiver discussion?Even though theyre breaking in a new quarterback, the Tigers will still throw the ball plenty. With seniors Jerrell Jackson and Michael Egnew returning, defenses cant focus on one receiver and expect to stop the Missouri offense. No matter whos throwing the passes, with five targets on the field, hes bound to find at least one of them open. Moes combination of speed and toughness make him the most reliable option between the hashmarks and along the flats. He proved he was a big-game player by saving the most productive game of the season for last, catching 15 passes for 152 yards in the Insight Bowl against Iowa. Though he doesnt have the same amount of experience, Moe is every bit as fast as Oklahomas Ryan Broyles. He didnt get the insane amount of catches that Broyles did in 2011, but Moe also wasnt targeted as often. It will be interesting to see if Mizzou tries to split Moe out in the open field more often to take advantage of his speed. Though hes listed at six feet tall, Moe is probably closer to 5-foot-10, so he doesnt have the height to battle for balls in the air. Still, theres no doubt that T.J. Moe belongs in the conversation when discussing the best receivers in the Big 12. 3.Will the Tigers stick with the run game?The Missouri offense has become notorious for its ability to fling the ball around. Chase Daniel really set the standard for quarterbacks at Mizzou with his eye-popping statlines on a weekly basis. Daniel eclipsed the 4,000 yard barrier in each of his final two seasons as a starter for the Tigers and threw for 72 touchdowns, compared with just 29 interceptions. Although he didnt quite reach the heights of his predecessor, Blaine Gabbert still threw for over 3,000 yards in both of his two seasons as the starting quarterback for the Tigers. Gabbert also set a new standard as a caretaker of the ball, throwing just 18 interceptions in 933 career pass attempts. What most fail to mention about Missouris offense, though, is that the run game is an extremely integral part of it. In 2010, the Tigers attempted 490 passes, or about 38 per game. However, they also attempted 439 rushes. That ratio breaks down to 53 percent pass and 47 percent run. Even the most diehard Mizzou fan probably wouldnt have guessed that the offense was really that balanced.A striking difference between 2010 and the several seasons prior is that the Tigers really seemed to depend on the run game when inside the opponents 20-yard line. Mizzou scored 28 touchdowns on the ground last season compared to just 17 through the air. The rushing attack for MU seemed very boom-or-bust depending on the quality of the defense it played against. The Tigers shredded Kansas State for 232 yards on the ground, but only managed 98 yards against Illinois tough frontline.The key to establishing a consistent running attack might be finding a reliable every-down back. Missouri thought it had one in Derrick Washington, but unfortunately off-field trouble forced the senior off the team before the season began. In Washingtons place, UM relied on a three-headed attack of freshman Henry Josey, sophomore Kendial Lawrence and junior DeVion Moore. All three backs pretty much split carries equally and combined to run for 1,376 yards. It was actually Gabbert who ended up tallying the most carries; however, the NCAA includes sacks as rush attempts so those numbers are a bit skewed.As many backs will tell you, its hard to get comfortable running the ball when youre only on the field for a few plays at a time. Most runners want to get into a rhythm; not only within themselves but also with the offense, most notably the linemen blocking for them. Is there one back that can stand out head-and-shoulders above the other two? Based on evidence from last season, each one has his own specialty and there may not be one back with the complete skill set needed to be on the field at all times. Spring gives us the first opportunity to see how much everyone has bulked up or trimmed down depending on what the coaches asked him to do so maybe Josey, Lawrence or Moore will emerge. 4.How much will early injuries set back critical contributors?Injuries in the spring are usually a good newsbad news proposition. The good news: at least they happened early, so that guys can get back on the field in time for the fall. The bad news: missing time in the spring hurts, especially if you plan to change up the system at all. Thats probably not the case at Missouri, where the coaching staff remained intact and most of the starters return. However, if for no other reason, spring can be beneficial for conditioning purposes. Some of Missouris most important players will miss part (or all) of the spring with various injuries.Left tackle Elvis Fisher will miss his second straight spring after undergoing shoulder surgery in the winter. Fisher played in every game last year so it doesnt appear like this will affect his 2011 season, but playing against a talented end in Brad Madison for 15 practices would definitely give Fisher some good experience in the offseason. Senior linebacker Will Ebner, who missed the beginning of the season last year but came on strong and made nine tackles in the Insight Bowl, will also miss some time at the beginning of spring drills. Ebner had surgery on his foot in the offseason and should get slowly eased back into contact drills later on during the spring. Senior linebacker Luke Lambert, who received a medical hardship waiver after suffering his second straight season-ending injury in 2010, also wont be ready for the start of practices because he is recovering from knee surgery. Injuries will also impact the defensive line as end Marcus Malbrough and tackle Dominique Hamilton are trying to get shoulder and ankle injuries healed, respectively.Its unusual for most teams to have this many players still dealing with injuries from last year. However, at least two players Fisher and Lambert have experience with surgeries and it appears as if everyone but Fisher will at least get some action during the spring. A few positions will start out slightly undermanned, but that will give time for younger players to step up and show what they have. Look for sophomore linebacker Andrew Wilson to emerge in place of Ebner and Lambert. Wilson was an early enrollee in the 2009 class but redshirted during his first season on campus. He saw time in all 13 games last season and managed to chalk up 42 tackles. Wilson and junior Zaviar Gooden form a solid pair of young backers who can step in at anytime.5.Where is the ceiling for Missouris program?It wasnt too long ago when Mizzou was known as a losing program. Of course, in this day and age, coaches rarely stay at one place for longer than four or five years. Gary Pinkel will be on the sidelines at Faurot Field for his 11th season this year, but before his time, there wasnt much too write home about when talking about Tiger football.Thats changed, especially in the last four years. Missouri has won 40 games during that time frame and has a claim to at least a share of the Big 12 North title three times. Now that the conference has shrunk to just ten teams and the divisions have been eliminated, what does that mean for the Tigers? Last summer, Mizzou was thought to be a lock for the new-look Big Ten. Instead, Nebraska bolted and left the Tigers in the wake of an even more Texas-centric Big 12.But that can be a good thing for Missouri. It still has the allure of playing in a Texas conference to kids who either want to go out of state or dont get recruited by the Longhorns or Sooners. The Texas recruiting pipeline cannot be understated. Chase Daniel played his high school football at Southlake Carroll, and James Franklin is a Dallas native. According to the spring roster listed on Missouris Web site, 30 current Tigers hail from the state of Texas. In the eyes of a prospect from the Lone Star State, the Big 12 certainly has more allure and relevance than the Big Ten.Also, Missouris main competition for dominance in the northern part of the conference is now out of the picture. The only schools left from the old North are Iowa State, Kansas and Kansas State. Mizzou definitely has the best program of the four and went 3-0 against them last season. Missouri also beat Oklahoma and Texas A&M in 2010. Even though they arent a traditional power, the Tigers have a much greater roar than they once did in the conference. Is ten wins per season now the expectation in Columbia? With so many starters returning and another weak non-conference slate, Missouri should at least expect to contend for the conference crown. Spring probably wont tell us much about the Tigers chances to take home a Big 12 Title, but it will give us a glimpse as to whether or not they can at least compete for it.