Camp Notes: August 22nd
Missouri held its second scrimmage of fall camp on Saturday. It could prove to be a costly one. Cornerback Christian Holmes separated his right shoulder making a tackle and will miss at least a good portion of the season. He is slated to have surgery perhaps as soon as this week.
"Really unfortunate," head coach Barry Odom said. "Had a lot of ideas and thoughts on what kind of player he was going to be for us. And it doesn't change for me on what we think he's gonna do."
"Obviously it's a huge blow, I feel really bad for him," secondary coach Ryan Walters said. "Luckily we've got a lot of smart guys in our room and we'll try to pick up the slack where he left off."
Odom said Missouri has not yet ruled Holmes out for the season. He said Charles Harris had a similar injury and if Holmes follows a similar timetable he could play later in the year.
"I know he's going to attack it and get back as fast as he can," Odom said. "We're going to approach it as if we're going to get him back. But we've also got to err on the side of can we get him back and be productive and play meaningful snaps?"
DeMarkus Acy and Logan Cheadle have been tracking as the starters during camp. With Holmes out, Finis Stribling could see an increased role. Odom has praised his progress throughout camp.
"That's why it's so important to get guys ready to go play," Odom said. "Looking at the way I was last year, I don't think I did that well enough on getting the twos and threes maybe enough reps to be game ready.
"We're going to have to do it by committee."
Other candidates to fill playing time would be Jerod Alton and true freshmen Adam Sparks and Terry Petry.
"(Sparks) had a really good scrimmage last Saturday. He just has continued to grow throughout camp," Walters said. "His technique gets better and better every time he steps on the field. He cares about it. He wants to be good and that's more than half the battle right there. I expect him to be ready to go and see the field and get significant playing time this year."
"Jerod probably has been as productive and as good as I've seen since he's been here," Odom said.
OTHER INJURY NOTES
Defensive end Marcell Frazier was also held out of drills on Tuesday with strained quadriceps. Tailback Ish Witter has a mild hamstring injury and was limited. Running backs Dawson Downing (foot sprain) and Jerney Jones (shoulder) were also out.
Lingering injuries from last week include Nate Strong (knee), Richaud Floyd (concussion protocol) and Logan Christopherson (high ankle sprain). Odom indicated that Christopherson's injury will likely force him to redshirt. Receiver Justin Smith and tight end Jason Reese both were full speed on Tuesday and both scrimmaged over the weekend.
FRESHMAN UPDATE
Last week, Odom listed Chris Turner, Larry Rountree, Jordan Ulmer and Jamal Brooks as freshmen who were likely to see the field. After the latest scrimmage, more decisions are being made on redshirts that will be burned.
"(Joshuah) Bledsoe's going to have a chance. If not week one, we're close, maybe get into the next week for him," Odom said. "(Adam) Sparks is going to play. Brooks will play. And I think Aubrey Miller's got a chance to help us on special teams."
"Ulmer's been a tremendous addition with his size, his frame, his knowledge of the game has been a pleasant addition," Walters said. "Been really impressed with his ability to grasp what we're doing defensively and get us in the right call."
CAPTAINS ANNOUNCED
At the end of practice, Odom recognized the team-elected captains. Quarterback Drew Lock, right tackle Paul Adams, defensive end Jordan Harold and linebacker Eric Beisel were named the 2017 captains.
Last year, Odom named captains each week. The coaching staff still may recognize an extra captain or two for each game based on performance that week, but those four will be permanent captains for the season.