Thursday Practice Report
The Missouri Tigers were back at work on Thursday, gearing up for the second scrimmage of the spring with a two-hour-plus workout inside the Devine Pavilion. PowerMizzou.com runs down all the news of the day.
*The number of healthy scholarship tailbacks is officially at zero. DeVion Moore was limited by a strained groin. However, trainer Rex Sharp said Moore should be ready to scrimmage on Saturday morning.
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*A few depth chart notes. As always, these are not official, but are based on me keeping an eye on both stretching lines and drills:
Brad Madison appears to have moved at least even with Marcus Malbrough at defensive end. Line coach Craig Kuligowski told me it was "unbelievable" what Madison had been able to do in such a short time since moving over from the offensive side of the ball.
As I mentioned on Tuesday, George White is second-team at defensive tackle. He said he has put on 30 pounds since getting to campus and hopes to be at 285 before the season. White drew high praise from his coach and teammates. I'll have more in a story on Friday.
The second-team secondary appeared to include Munir Prince and Trey Hobson at corner and Zaviar Gooden and Jarrell Harrison at safety. Robert Steeples and Del Howard appear to be running third team right now.
*Couple of notes from one-on-one receiving drills:
Michael Egnew made a good move to get behind Hobson. However, when the ball came, Egnew couldn't hang on to it. Hobson showed nice closing speed, but he didn't get a hand on the ball or anything.
Blaine Gabbert had a number of impressive throws, particularly a low bullet on an out route. He has the arm to make every throw and is clearly in charge of the quarterback position in my opinion.
I'm really interested to see what Jerrell Jackson can do. He made a short catch, stopped on a dime, spun and ran away from Kenji Jackson. Jerrell appears to have very good speed and I think he could be a major weapon.
Tyler Crane had good coverage, but Shawn Scott made an impressive catch in the end zone that drew applause from teammates. Scott, for today at least, was the No. 1 tailback.
*I paid close attention to the line drills today. Running with the second team were Travis Ruth (right guard) and Daniel Jenkins (right tackle).
Tim Barnes has consistently impressed me with his play this spring. I think center is in good hands.
White stood out on one play when he beat Kurtis Gregory. However, the offense jumped to an 18-8 lead in the individual matchups.
The defense came back to win the next ten before Taylor Davis stonewalled Mike Taylor.
The units were tied at 20 when the ones went against ones. Dan Hoch beat Jacquies Smith and Gregory shut out Terrell Resonno to give the offense a 22-20 win.
*The defense got some revenge in the 11-on-11 period. At the goal line, Dominique Hamilton stepped up to make a stop on a run up the middle.
*Gabbert consistently showed off good mobility in the 11-on-11. He can run, but more than that, he shows an ability to sidestep tacklers and keep a play alive.
*Jarrell Harrison had one of the bigger hits of the day, forcing a fumble from one of the backup tailbacks after a swing pass.
*Play of the Day: One play after getting sacked, Blaine Dalton took revenge on the second-team defense. Dalton lofted a beautiful pass down the right sideline. Zaviar Gooden tried to bat it down, but missed and the pass found a wide open Beau Brinkley who streaked the rest of the way for a touchdown.
The Tigers return to the practice field with a 9 a.m. scrimmage on Saturday. PowerMizzou.com will have complete coverage.
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