Notebook: Missouri may get creative to uphold pass-rushing tradition
Missouri has earned the nickname “D-Line Zou” thanks to a succession of prolific pass-rushing defensive ends, many of whom have gone on to enjoy NFL success. After the graduation of Marcell Frazier, the most recent Tiger sack machine, the defense is left with an inexperienced bunch of defensive ends. The top four players at the position listed on Missouri’s first depth chart of the spring — Tre Williams, Nate Anderson, Chris Turner and Franklin Agbasimere — have combined to record 4.5 career sacks.
Following Missouri’s second practice of the spring Thursday morning, defensive line coach Brick Haley said inexperience won’t be an excuse. He expects this year’s defense to uphold the team’s tradition of pressuring opposing quarterbacks.
“Tradition doesn’t graduate,” Haley said. “Players do, tradition doesn’t.
“We’re expecting (new players) to do the same things that those guys did. That’s why we brought you here.”
Due to the cold weather, Missouri held practice in the Devine indoor practice facility Thursday. In one end zone, Haley ran defenders through a series of drills designed to mimic a sack. Using dummies with footballs attached by Velcro, players practiced stripping the ball from a quarterback’s grip while at the same time securing the tackle. It wasn’t just the defensive ends who participated in the drill — the interior defensive linemen rotated through, as did the linebackers and even the safeties.
That provided a glimpse as to how the Tigers plan to make up for the production of Frazier. His workload won’t be thrust onto one or two players, but the defense as a whole will work to create pressure in unique ways.
“You try to find opportunities and advantages just by scheme in ways to pressure the quarterback,” head coach Barry Odom said. “We do feel like we’ve got some young guys that can step in and help in that area (defensive end), but also as coaches we feel like we’ve got to do a great job schematically putting us in position to bring pressure the way that we need to from all different areas.”
Another way Haley said he plans to boost Missouri’s edge pass rush is by training a few of the team’s defensive tackles to play on the end. The Tigers boast an extremely deep crop of interior defensive linemen, headlined by Terry Beckner Jr. Haley listed sophomore Jordan Elliott, a transfer from Texas who sat out a season ago, sophomore Akial Byers and redshirt freshman Caleb Sampson as candidates to see playing time at defensive end.
“One guy, he may play tackle at this practice and then he’s going to play end at the next practice,” Haley said. “So we’re cross-training a bunch of guys to be able to go outside and inside.”
Nate Brown showing sense of urgency
Newly-promoted wide receivers coach A.J. Ofodile called wide receiver Nate Brown a “man of few words.” While Brown hasn’t said as much, Ofodile said it has been evident watching the senior work this offseason that Brown feels a sense of urgency entering his final season of eligibility.
“Even when he doesn’t know that you’re looking, he’s been so consistent in his individual preparation to get himself ready,” Ofodile said.
Brown, who burst onto the scene in 2015 with 27 receptions for 326 yards and four touchdowns as a sophomore, has been limited by injuries the past two seasons. He missed all of 2016 after undergoing ankle surgery. Then, last year, he had shoulder surgery in fall camp and slipped down the depth chart. He finished the season with 11 catches for 89 yards and no scores.
However, due to the departure of J’Mon Moore, Brown began this spring listed at the top of the depth chart. Ofodile said that is a result the “relentless” work ethic Brown displayed during the offseason.
“It’s extra stretching, extra maintenance, extra treatment, catching extra balls, running extra routes,” Ofodile said. “He’s relentless. He’s just non-stop.”
Despite the fact that he is not the most vocal player, Ofodile said Brown, one of two scholarship seniors among the wide receiver corps, has become a leader by example. That leadership should prove valuable for a group that has already seen two newcomers join the team in January and will have at least five more arrive before the start of next season.
“His professionalism has been really, for me, it’s been exciting to see,” Ofodile said. “He’s a leader in the room because of that.”
Running backs ‘excited’ about role in Dooley’s system
The majority of the talk surrounding new offensive coordinator Derek Dooley and the system he plans to implement has focused on how the scheme will impact senior quarterback Drew Lock. Missouri running backs coach Cornell Ford said Thursday that his unit will be impacted as well — and so far, the players are in favor of the changes.
Ford echoed Dooley’s comments from Tuesday that the new system is not yet fully in place, but he said he has noticed that the running backs’ responsibilities in pass protection are different than they were under Josh Heupel. Dooley also plans to use the backs as receivers out of the backfield more often than in the past. The most striking difference, Ford said, has been an increase in the use of the I-formation, in which the quarterback is positioned under center and two backs line up directly behind him. The running backs are excited about the I-formation because it is a fixture of NFL offenses.
“They’re excited about being in the ‘I,’” Ford said. “Every running back envisions themselves coming out of the ‘I’ backfield. … NFL backs are usually in the ‘I,’ and our kids are excited about that.”
Injury report
Only one new player, walk-on linebacker Jacob Trump, wore a red, non-contact jersey Thursday morning. Odom said Trump sprained his knee, but that Trump should be fine to participate fully when the Tigers don full pads for the first time on Saturday.
A.J. Harris, Jamal Brooks, Tavon Ross and Tyree Gillespie all remained in red jerseys after wearing them on Tuesday.