3/11/2024 football Edit

Mizzou Spring Ball Notebook: Scrimmage, “Growth Week” and standouts

Jarod Hamilton • PowerMizzou

Staff Writer

Missouri is two-thirds of the way through spring ball, with the team holding a scrimmage last Saturday one week before its annual Black & Gold game.

The Tigers have made some strides as a team and while there is some room for improvement they think they’ve gotten better as a team during camp, led by several standouts.

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Saturday's scrimmage

Saturday's scrimmage was a closed one. So, the media wasn't allowed to see what happened, but from the sounds of it, both the offense and defense have things to be proud of and things they've got to work on.

For the first-team offense, they got off to a fast start with a touchdown drive to start followed up by some other scoring drives, but the biggest positive was red zone play.

Mizzou was the third-best team in red zone conversion rate last season at 96% (56-of-58) but 35% (20-of-56) of those scores resulted in field goals.

One of second-year offensive coordinator Kirby Moore's biggest goals of spring camp and (throughout the 2024 season) is turning more red zone opportunities into touchdowns.

"For the ones, it was very good from a red zone standpoint," Moore said. "Those guys, I thought did a nice job of executing. I do not believe we had a penalty with the first group in the red zone. And that was a huge part of our issue (last season). Statistically, in the red zone this season (2023), we had 15 drives where we had a penalty and 11 of them we kicked field goals. So, that is something we point to very often."

Moore didn't hang his hat on what specific detail he feels the offense needs to improve on. Instead, he chose to harp on consistently handling the details from play to play.

"(We) had a few other drives where we scored, (on) other ones where we got to be more consistent and take care of the little things from an offensive standpoint," Moore said. "That's all things. That's pre-snap, that's knowing our assignments and just cleaning up the little things."

On the opening touchdown drive of the scrimmage, wide receiver Theo Wease had a contested catch that caught Moore's eye. The former Sooner admitted that the team started fast but is trying to work on keeping that early momentum going throughout the contest.

"We started pretty fast. We had two quick third downs on the first drive and that first drive ended in a touchdown," Wease said. "I think our second and third drives were a little slow. So, just trying to start fast and maintain it and just keep going without having any dip showing. That's our plan.

"Just executing the calls (is the key to consistency). Just fully trusting the calls that Coach Moore calls in and also just trusting our technique."

Defensively, the Tigers, who are in their first spring camp with defensive coordinator Corey Batoon, as well as defensive ends coach Brian Early, are much more of a work in progress than the offense. But that is to be expected.

However, the defense is putting up a fight every day in these battles and Batoon believes they're genuinely getting better because of the talent on the other side of the ball.

"It's great. You don't want to have a false sense of confidence," Batoon said. "I've been in programs that we can go through the spring and you get a false sense of where you're at. And when we compete against that offense on the daily, you have a really good sense of, 'Hey, we did a good job today and we improved. And when we don't, they come after you and they attack you.

"So, it's been very good. You know, like a give and take each day. So, eight days in, I've been very happy with the competition. And the gains, you really feel positive about those gains, because they're against good people that understand their scheme on that side of the ball."

Safety Joseph Charleston thinks the defense made some plays during the scrimmage but at the same time, he realizes the unit is still a bit behind the eight-ball as they learn nuances of Batoon's scheme. He also second what Batoon was saying about the offense helping them.

"Yeah, I think it went good," Charleston said. "We was playing fast out there today. We had a turnover today, which is good. Some things that we can work on is just understanding the scheme a little bit better. But that comes with running through it more and repping Coach Batoon's scheme. That's going to take time but I think it went good today.

"The offense, they motion a lot which is good for us, because I think that it helps us during practice kind of have a feel of different formations and having to switch different coverages and things like that on the go in real game speed time."

“Growth Week”

The basis for spring camp for every program throughout the country is individual improvement, and it's no different for Mizzou even though it has two new coaches on the defensive side of the ball.

Even though Batoon also runs a 4-2-5 defense similar to what Blake Baker ran, he's still learning the playbook and has said multiple times learning the scheme and implementing some of the things he wants to do can be reserved for later. But spring ball is just about developing players and position groups more and more.

One of the main things he wanted to focus on during "Growth Week" last week, was communication, particularly in the back end with his safety group.

"I think that second week of spring camp is always where 一 your mindset is, 'Okay, I understand the calls. I understand the situations I've been in those,'" Batoon said. "And now it's about trying to make that next step about being intentional about certain things.

"For instance, on the back end, making a big emphasis (on the) point of communication. Volume reflecting confidence and knowing it to an extent that, 'I can be loud. And if I can communicate in such a way that reflects that confidence, then the guys around me have more confidence in my calls.' So, with everything new that's happening, the guys are doing a great job about making the corrections day to day, but continuing to develop that volume and confidence."

For Moore, "Growth Week" is all about the small things adding up. The fundamentals are certainly important but in year two of the scheme, he wants to expand the playbook. And part of that expansion is getting a little better each day and seeing what the results look like as a whole down the line.

"We just got to focus on the process," Moore said. "Little by little. Little becomes a lot and that's every position, play to play. This is our mentality."

Camp standouts

There have been a plethora of players who have stood out through the first seven of 15 spring practices. The players of the day for Saturday's scrimmage were walk-on receiver Logan Muckey, Charleston, walk-on running back Chris Kreh, offensive guard Logan Reichert and defensive end Zion Young.

Reichert is one of several players entrenched in a position battle for the starting right guard spot. He alongside JUCO transfer Jayven Richardson, who was named player of the day for last Wednesday's practice, are players who have performed well this spring.

"I think the big thing for me is, especially the more you get reps within the system and play with more confidence, which is what those guys are doing, the faster you play," Moore said. "They're playing faster (and) with that they've played at a higher level."

Behind them, someone who has taken advantage of having more opportunities this spring is walk-on quarterback Brett Brown, who has been able to get more reps in due to Sam Horn being out as he recovers from Tommy John surgery last month.

The same can be said for wide receiver Speedy Johnson, who proved to be an explosive deep threat last season as a true freshman.

"Yeah, there's a multitude of guys. From a quarterback perspective. I do think Brett Brown is a guy who's made the most of his opportunities," Moore said. "He has to continue to do that, but he's made some big throws the last couple of practices.

"Marquis Johnson has to continue to take that next step. We've seen what he can do down the field, but just from a reacting not thinking process in terms of our play calls because we do have a lot of pre-snap, whether it's motion or different pictures for the defense, we have to continue to communicate. 'Hey, what's my alignment? What's my landmark?' So, he's playing very, very fast."

The transfer running back duo of Nate Noel and Marcus Carroll have also made waves during camp in very different ways.

Noel, who stands at about 5-foot-10 and 190 pounds, is more of a receiving scat back. Meanwhile, Carroll, who is 5-foot-10 and 210 pounds, has played the role of a bruiser and downhill back, much like Cody Schrader.

"Yeah, we're still working through that process (of how to use the running backs)," Moore said. "Today, right away, Nate making a few plays out in space. Making guys miss. (He) catches the ball in the open field. You think he's going to get tackled, right? No. Puts the juke move on, and then from Marcus Carroll just physical downhill inside zone. (He) made several nice runs throughout the day."

Moore also briefly mentioned how he believes running backs Jamal Roberts and Tavorus Jones are playing faster because they're thinking less.

Lastly, tight end Brett Norfleet is a player that the team is really excited to see develop. He gave a massive boost to the position last year, but Moore wants to get him involved more in the passing game.

"Brett is up to I believe 255 to 257 (pounds and) looks really good," Moore said. "(He's) playing fast (and) confident. You saw last season, going into LSU, just the physicality that he brought. That's continued. From a detail standpoint, I think he's progressing as a receiver. We get in third-down situations, I don't think going forward we have to focus on the receivers. The tight end should be a huge part of that."

Defensively, cornerback Dreyden Norwood has probably been the top standout or at the very least one of the top standouts throughout camp. Norwood, who has been CB3 behind Ennis Rakestraw and Kris Abrams-Draine the last two seasons, is expected to be one of the team's two starters at the position come the fall.

"The Norwood kid has had a really good camp. He's made some plays on the ball. He's been very consistent," Batoon said. "I think on the back end, he's really stood out. Makes some plays. I mean, Joe (Charleston) has had a really good camp, DC (Daylan Carnell) has had a very good camp."

The transfer trio of defensive ends Young and Darris Smith, as well as linebacker Corey Flagg, have also caught Batoon's eye.

Young and Smith are looking to fill in the three vacant spots in the two-deep, while Flagg may earn a healthy snap load off the bench.

"(I'm) very happy with a couple of the new EDGE pieces that we have in Zion and Darris," Batoon said. "(They're) are going to be very complementary. They figured some things out pretty quickly and you start to see some of the physical tools that they have.

"(Flagg) is very solid. Very workmanlike. A guy that when you come up here at odd hours, he's up here, and is trying to figure things out. (He) always asks questions. I think it's important to him by his commitment level, and the amount of time I see him up here. (He) has a very good understanding. He's played under a lot of different systems. And now I think I saw it happen this week, where the game is starting to slow down for him a little bit. And now it's starting to make sense to him."

Lastly, Marvin Burks, who is expected to be the team's starting free safety has had a solid camp following a true freshman campaign that saw him rack up 16 tackles, a tackle for loss, a sack and a fumble recovery.

"I think about day five, the game started to slow down for him," Batoon said. "Being more communicative (with) more volume. I've noticed that and that shows that he's more confident about what he's seeing. But, eager to learn, very mindful of his corrections. Takes it seriously. (I've) been very happy with him. (I'm) anxious to see what he can improve in the next seven days."