On Senior Night, Witter is a Star
It was somehow fitting. Almost too perfect. On the night he finally, and emphatically, stepped out of the shadows and into the center of the spotlight, Ish Witter declined interviews.
It’s the first time anyone could remember Witter declining to talk to reporters. He was still at Faurot Field, collecting his rock from the hill and talking to family members who had made the trip from Texas to see the final home game of his career.
“For him to come out on senior night and ball out the way he did, I’m so happy for him. I love that kid,” offensive guard guard Kevin Pendleton said. “He’s a great dude. I’m so happy for him. He’s got big things ahead of him.”
For three years, Witter was the ultimate role player. He did everything that was asked of him. He was never Missouri’s main man in the backfield and never one who garnered many headlines.
But since Damarea Crockett went down in the first half of the Georgia game with a shoulder injury, Witter has stepped to the forefront of the Tiger offense. He has run the ball 60 times for 413 yards and four touchdowns. He also has five receptions for 49 yards and a score.
“That’s hard work paying off,” fellow senior J’Mon Moore said. “I’m just glad that it’s coming together for him his senior year at the end of the season. No better time. I’m real happy for him.”
Witter saved his best—at least so far—for his last game on Faurot Field. He ran for a career-high 216 yards on 24 carries…and watched the entire fourth quarter from the sideline. Witter was the last of 19 seniors introduced to the crowd before the game. Barry Odom was asked what he said to his starting tailback in the tunnel.
“I said we need you to run for about 216 yards tonight. Average about nine yards a carry,” Odom joked. “And he did it.”
The effort vaulted him past Marcus Murphy, Bob Steuber, Tommie Stowers and Derrick Washington into 13th place on the all-time rushing list. He also went over 2,000 yards for his career. Perhaps more quietly than any of the others around him on the list.
Witter has received the highest praise from his coach. Odom has called him the ultimate teammate throughout the year. But in the final weeks of his career, the long-time supporting actor has shined in a leading role.
“A lot of guys have come through, a lot of guys have played,” quarterback Drew Lock said. “Since I’ve been here, I’ve never seen a guy give so much to the University. Whether that’s his time in this building, whether that’s him running out there and knowing willingly three guys are about to take his head off and sticking his nose in there for us to get a first down. There was one play tonight where I looked at it, he’s stretching left, there’s nowhere for him to go and he just stuck his nose in there and took it. It takes a man. It takes a guy that really wants this program to be successful. And that’s what this program needs for us to keep playing ballgames.”
“Ish was really quiet on Wednesday. He had a heck of a practice but usually he’s got a little more bounce in his step,” Odom said. “There’s a little red flag there to make sure everything’s okay. And he said Coach I’m just really focused on finishing this the right way. He is a heck of a competitor. Talk about being a great teammate. If you could paint the picture, it would be him.”
Witter’s night was a yard less than half of a stellar rushing performance for the Tigers. It was the second week in a row Missouri owned the line of scrimmage and shoved a fellow SEC East team up and down Faurot Field seemingly at will. The Tigers ran for 433 yards…a year after they ran for 420 on the Volunteers in a 63-37 loss in Knoxville last season.
“It’s those games you dream about,” freshman running back Larry Rountree III said. “Just going out there and getting as many carries as you can, getting North and South, running downhill and making a defender pay when they try to tackle you.”
Even now, when he has assumed a starring role, Witter is sharing the spotlight. Rountree, a true freshman, posted a career-high 155 yards on 18 carries including a 64-yard bolt on third down and seven in the final minute of the first half that changed the course of the game. Missouri looked content to head to halftime in a 17-17 tie until Rountree burst through the left side to the eight-yard line. He scored three plays later to give the Tigers a halftime lead that they would add on to for the final 30 minutes. Odom said the goal was to get a first down to potentially set up a couple of shots down the field in the closing seconds.
“When he called the play I kind of looked at the defense, noticed that they were slacking a little bit probably thinking we were just going to run the ball,” Rountree said. “But when I saw all that green grass, I just hit up North and South and just ran as fast as I could. I did get hawked down, so I’m kind of mad about that.”
The big plays for this Missouri offense are no longer limited to the passing game. The Tigers are averaging 195.6 yards a game on the ground, a figure that has moved them to 37th in the country.
“It’s a mindset,” Pendleton said. “I know the guys we have in the room. Those guys are going to run as hard as they can every chance that they get. If we just give them a chance, they can do some special things. Do I push it a little bit? Did I pick up a headset and tell Heupel what to do? I won’t say.”
Witter likely won’t relish his big night for too long. He may soak in some love from his family members for a few hours on Saturday night. But soon, he will soon turn his attention to Vanderbilt and getting his team to a bowl game. He’s one of the few Tigers who has been to one before. He was a freshman on the 2014 team that won the SEC East and played in the Citrus Bowl. He ran for 101 yards on 27 carries that year. He was, of course, a role player.
This time, it’s different.