Camp notebook: August 20

With classes at Missouri beginning Monday, a few things have changed at Tiger football practices. There are more players on the field, for one; the team was limited to 110 participants during fall camp, but now that camp is over, there is no cap on the number of walk-ons who can practice.

The substance of Tuesday morning’s practice was a bit different, as well. No longer is the focus squarely on constructing the depth chart and installing the playbook. Head coach Barry Odom said the team has begun to gameplan specifically for its first opponent, Wyoming, which will host Missouri on Aug. 31.

“Still tried to do good on good crossover work today, but we had 20 minutes of heavy preparation for our first game,” Odom said.

Odom said that, if the Tigers kicked off their season today, the staff would have a pretty firm idea of which 22 players would start. Now, the focus is making sure those players who will see action backing up the starters are ready to contribute.

The team used Saturday’s scrimmage to address that area of concern. The scrimmage was closed to the media, but senior cornerback DeMarkus Acy said the first team “toned it down” and didn’t play as much as the reserves. Odom said the staff wants to make sure there isn’t a dropoff when some backups inevitable rotate into game action.

“We have so many guys labeled, I guess, as a ‘two’ right now that would play almost as much as our first group,” Odom said. “So that’s a good thing, but also there’s some uneasiness there for me because they don’t have the game experience. How are they going to react when the lights are on? So try to put them in two-minute drill, red zone, two-point plays today in the game-like situations that we can to teach off of.”

One of the lingering offseason questions surrounding this Missouri team appears to have finally been answered. Odom said that, if the season began today, senior Tucker McCann, who also handles placekicking duties, would start at punter. Sean Koetting and Aaron Rodriguez also took reps at punter Tuesday, but appears the job is McCann’s to lose.

“He’s earned it,” Odom said. “He’s done a nice job, and until somebody goes and takes it from him, he’s going to be the guy, and I am excited about the work he’s done.”

McCann has maintained throughout camp that he wants the best player to win the starting job, but he admitted Tuesday that he would be happy if asked to both punt and kick.

“I love it,” he said of punting. “I just love getting opportunities to go out there and show what I can do and provide for the team.”

Odom said he hopes the team doesn’t have to overuse McCann, especially in the punting game. But McCann appeared unconcerned about the physical demands of handling punts, kickoffs and placekicking.

“I’ve been listening to my body really well, taking care of myself really well outside of here every day, stretching for hours, rolling out, cold tub twice a day,” he said. “All the stuff I can do, I’m doing it.”

Missouri’s defensive line is tired of answering questions about the pass rush. A season after the Tigers ranked No. 66 in the country with 27 sacks, the front four has been the subject of much discussion throughout the offseason. The team hasn’t hid from the fact that the pass rush needs to improve this offseason — even Tuesday, Odom brought it up.

“There’s only so many blitzes that you can dial up that you’re going to win, so at some point our guys gotta beat their guys,” Odom said. “So working hard to get there.”

Defensive tackle Jordan Elliott believes the group is primed to prove its doubters wrong. He praised the defensive ends, specifically junior Chris Turner and sophomore Jatorian Hansford, who have been working with the first team, for the consistency they’ve displayed during fall camp.

“I don’t expect people to know it yet — you know, the season hasn’t started — but things are different,” Elliott said. “Those guys, those ends, they’ve been putting in work during the offseason and it’s paying off. It’s showing on the field consistently, and that’s the biggest thing, the consistency piece.”

Elliott said the entire defensive line has tried to make pressuring the passer part of its identity. Last season, when the line was led by senior tackles Terry Beckner Jr. and Walter Palmore, its emphasis was stuffing opponents’ rushing attacks. While doing so will still be a goal this season, Elliott said the group is trying to take pride in being more quick and explosive as a whole.

“It’s night and day,” he said. “We’re not even the same d-line as last year. Our identity is different. We’re still finding it, but it’s not the same one as last year where we just stopped the run, couldn’t really rush like that. This year, I feel like we’re a redefined line.”

Last week, Odom said he hopes to get each of Missouri’s true freshmen on the field in up to four games, which would allow them to preserve their first year of eligibility. However, Odom has shown that he is not afraid to play newcomers more and shed their redshirts. Last season, 11 of the team’s 22 newcomers played in more than four games.

Odom has already mentioned tight end Niko Hea as a likely contender to play past the four-game mark this season. Tuesday, he provided a few more names, listing wide receiver Maurice Massey, safeties Stacy Brown and Martez Manuel, defensive tackle Darius Robinson and offensive linemen Thalen Robinson as players who have put themselves in position to play all season.

“Massey has done a nice job in the receiving spot,” Odom said. “Stacy Brown on the back end, in the secondary. (Darius) Robinson keeps coming on some special teams things. Martez Manuel has done some really good things.”

Hearing that Massey could carve out a role at wideout this season comes as little surprise, as he has turned heads throughout camp by making some highlight-reel catches. However, Odom said he needs to develop more consistency. Thalen Robinson is the most surprising name of the bunch, as it has become rare for offensive linemen to see the field in their first season on campus. Robinson has been working with the second-team offense at right guard and has seen some action on special teams as well.

“Up front, it’s hard to play as a true freshman, but he’s done some things that has earned the opportunity to kind of see what he can do for us,” Odom said.

Expectations are high for Missouri tight end Albert Okwuegbunam. Tuesday morning, the Associated Press voted him to its preseason All-American first team. In the past week, CBS Sports and Sports Illustrated have done the same.

While the junior has certainly shown he’s capable of producing gaudy offensive numbers, he needs to be on the field in order to do so. Since injuring his shoulder against Florida on Nov. 3 of last year, Okwuegbunam has spent far more time watching from the sidelines than playing on the field. He missed the final four games of last season, then all of spring practices, and just when it looked like he was back to full health at the outset of fall camp, he went down once again with a knee sprain. Though the injury was reportedly minor, Okwuegbunam missed about a week’s worth of practices, including the team’s first scrimmage on Aug. 10.

Finally, on Saturday, Okwuegbunam took the field for his first somewhat-live-action session in more than eight months. He said he participated in the team’s scrimmage, although the coaching staff limited what he was allowed to do.

“I did the little things,” Okwuegbunam said. “I did participate a little bit, but just to be precautionary, they had me limited.”

Okwuegbunam’s return has to be encouraging for Missouri fans. Not only has he been tabbed as one of the best tight ends in the country, but his position group has been thinned by injury, with junior Brendan Scales suffering a broken bone in his foot that is expected to keep him out for six to eight weeks and Daniel Parker Jr. missing some practice time as well.

PowerMizzou will have a full injury update Thursday, when the Tigers return to the practice field and Odom provides an injury report.