Camp is open
The Missouri Tigers went through a two-and-a-half hour workout on Faurot Field Monday afternoon, marking the official opening of fall camp 2005. Per NCAA rules, the Tigers practiced in helmets and shorts. As we will be throughout fall camp, PowerMizzou.com was on hand to take notes on the action. Here are the things we noticed during the first day:
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*First of all, we'll get you familiarized with the new players. Listed are the incoming players and their uniform numbers:
Connell Davis, TB, #2
Chase Daniel, QB, #10
Darnell Terrell, CB, #11
Matt Casaday, P, #14
Chad Washington, DB, #17
Hardy Ricks, DB, #28
Chad Marshall, DE, #30
Brock Christopher, LB, #35
Jon Gissinger, TE, #43
Chase Coffman, TE, #45
Chris Hudgins, TE, #46
james Stigall, OL, #51
DeMarcus Scott, DT, #58
Louis Pintola, OL, #67
Dain Wise, OL, #68
Matt Russell, OL, #69
Kurtis Gregory, DT, #78
Herman King, DE, #87
Jamar Smith, DE, #92
Evander Hood, DL, #94
Jaron Baston, DT, #96
Tarell Corby, DE, #97
*In addition, there were some personnel notes, as usual, from day one. Calcius Williams and Aaron Saunders have left the program for personal reasons. Alex Woodley was dismissed for disciplinary reasons. Greg Bracey did not participate in practice due to mononucleosis. Jerrill Humphrey had a death in the family and missed practice. Phinney Troy has moved from defensive line to offensive line.
*Other injury notes: Dedrick Harrington and Van Alexander wore red tank tops. However, Gary Pinkel said both of those were simply precautionary moves and both players would be ready to go when the Tigers put the pads on Thursday.
*First impressions: A couple of things stood out about the incoming recruiting class. Connell Davis almost looks like a small forward. He's very tall, but he's lean and will probably redshirt to add weight. However, Tony Temple told us after practice that Davis was a great athlete and had really impressed him over the summer. Chad Washington is a lot bigger than I expected. He broke up a pass early in practice and looked pretty impressive. Jaron Baston looks big enough to play right now. He might.
*Speaking of firsts, Chase Daniel completed his first collegiate pass in 7-on-7 drills. He hit Lucas Null on about a 12-yard out pattern. Daniel was a little up and down, but had a good first day overall.
*The Tigers did not work on kickoff returns. However they worked out Jason Simpson, Marcus Woods, William Franklin, Trenile Washington and Earl Goldsmith as punt returners.
*Matt Casaday and Scott Russell were the only kickers who kicked at practice. A third kicker was injured, who we believe to be Trey Teas, a walk-on from the spring.
*In one-on-one line drills, Brian Smith blew right around Joel Clinger to start things off. Smith told us he is nearing 230 pounds and expects to be an every down player this season.
*Marcus King is back on the team. He started as a second-team corner, but will be putting heat on current starter Calvin Washington all month long.
*Martin Rucker made the first "Oh, wow," play of camp. He caught a pass and came to a dead stop as Simpson flew by. Rucker went upfield for a short gain after making the safety miss.
*Speaking of the passing game, Brad Smith looked very good. He hit on three passes of more than 25 yards during 7-on-7. He found Brad Ekwerekwu for 45 and 30 yards and then hit Rucker for 25 later in practice.
*The depth chart is very preliminary for now. DeQuincy Howard and Tommy Saunders were among those that got reps with the first-team offense. It appeared Temple and Woods just about split the first-team duties.
*Smith looked good on the run as well. On back to back plays during 11-on-11, Smith went untouched for the first ten yards. All quarterbacks have to do is be touched to be down, but the defense couldn't corral him.
*On defense, the Tigers showed a lot of the 4-2-5 look featuring three safeties. Simpson and David Overstreet are the current starters in the 4-3 look, but the third safety is redshirt freshman William Moore. Overstreet was very excited about the possibilities of all three being on the field.
*Play of the Day: It wasn't the most noticed play, but since I said Harrington was under more pressure than any player this camp, I'll reward him. The Tigers' first-team offense threw a screen and Deke sniffed it out. The play would have lost yardage. Coach Dave Steckel rushed across the field to encourage Harrington afterwards.
*Player of the day: I'm giving this one to Alexander. Pinkel said most players wouldn't be on the field if they'd had his injury. Alexander was not only on the field, he looked nearly full strength. It might take a few weeks to get completely there, but it is a good sign he was practicing on day one.
PowerMizzou.com will be your most complete source for news throughout fall camp. We will be at every practice and update you on the day's happenings live. Stay tuned for a photo gallery and interviews from the opening day of camp. To talk about it with other Tiger fans, visit our premium forum, The Tigers' Lair.