Review and Preview: Offensive line
The 2018 football season is officially in the books. In this series, PowerMizzou will go position-by-position to look back at the Tigers' 8-5 2018 campaign while also previewing the depth chart for the 2019 season. Today, we finish out the offense by taking a look at the offensive line.
2018 recap
Missouri’s offensive line entered the season with high expectations after returning all five starters from a 2017 line that gave up just 13 sacks and 37 tackles for loss — the fewest in the nation. Even though the group had the benefit of continuity, however, they had to adjust to a new, more complex offensive system under offensive coordinator Derek Dooley as well as a new position coach in Brad Davis. There were a few bumps along the way, but for the most part, the group performed well this season.
Missouri struggled to run the ball during the first few games of the season, and Dooley put that on the shoulders of the offensive line, challenging the group to do a better job run blocking. The unit responded. Missouri rushed for more than 200 yards in six of its last nine games. The line also did a good job of protecting quarterback Drew Lock, which was a top priority this season. Lock was sacked just 13 times again this season. The unit looked overmatched in a matchup against Alabama and in a brutal second half against Kentucky in which the offense failed to record a first down, but aside from those instances, the Tiger offensive line played well.
2019 preview
Departing: Paul Adams, Kevin Pendleton
Missouri will finally have to face a bit of turnover on the offensive line next season. Adams and Pendleton both started nearly every game for the past three years, so they won’t be easy to replace.
Returning: Trystan Colon-Castillo, Tre’Vour Wallace-Simms, Yasir Durant, Hyrin White, Case Cook, Larry Borom
The good news for Missouri is that it appears to have developed some depth at the offensive line. Aside from Colon-Castillo, Wallace-Simms and Durant, who each started the past two seasons, Cook and White both saw action this season. Cook struggled with penalties when he saw the field, but White impressed while filling in for Durant when Durant missed part of the Purdue game due to an injury. In addition, rising redshirt sophomore Borom has been with the program for two seasons now, and he could be able to play either tackle or guard. Of the three newcomers on the line this season, all of whom redshirted, Mike Ruth appears to be most likely to break into the starting lineup next year.
Incoming: Jack Buford, Thalen Robinson, Luke Griffin
The Tigers will likely look to add one more linemen between now and the February signing period. Due to the depth at the position, it’s very unlikely any of these players burn a year of eligibility in 2019.
Projected 2019 starters: Trystan Colon-Castillo (C), Tre’Vour Wallace-Simms (G), Larry Borom (G), Yasir Durant (T), Hyrin White (T)
Barring injury, Colon-Castillo, Wallace-Simms and Durant should be locks to start. There will be offseason competition for the other two spots. White, Borom, Cook and Ruth figure to be the most likely contenders.
Offseason storylines to watch:
We’ve discussed this pretty thoroughly already, but we’ll certainly keep our eye on which players seize the two opening starting spots and how they gel with the rest of the group. Perhaps more importantly, it will be interesting to see how an offensive line that has blocked for a pocket passer in Lock adapts to the changes in scheme that will be put in for Kelly Bryant. The group appeared to adapt well to a new offensive coordinator and position coach last offseason, so the challenge should be manageable.