Tiger's Roar

Mizzou Opener to be on ESPN

RHATER is Gone. — Mon, 26 May 2008 23:38:07 GMT

Mizzou's 2008 opener against regional rival Illinois will be televised nationally on ESPN. It will again be on the neutral field of the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, MO. The game, scheduled to start at 6:45 PM, on Saturday, August 30th, will be a rematch of last year's thriller that Mizzou won 40-36, that was saved by a final minute interception by Pig Brown with Illinois driving into Mizzou territory. This year's game definitely will be a good one, with both teams going to New Year's Day Bowls last year (Mizzou blowing out Arkansas in the Cotton, while Illinois laid an egg against USC in the Rose). Illinois, though losing some important players like J-Leman and Rashard Mendenhall, still has Jr. QB Juice Williams along with another strong recruiting class from coach Ron Zook. Mizzou, on the other hand, will be starting the season most likely ranked in the top 10 with high hopes of retaining their Big 12 North title and evenmore, winning the Big 12 Championship. Chase Daniel, a Heisman finalist, will be returning, along with outstanding receivers Jeremy Maclin, Tommie Saunders, and Chase Coffman.

It will be interesting to see how Mizzou plays out in its season opener against a good team. If the Mizzou gets a convincing victory over a likely top 25 team, poll voters definiteliy will know this team is for real in 08, not just a flash in the pan from 07. The game being on ESPN will be even better to gain publicity. Overall, this will be one of the best season openers we have had for awhile and I already can't wait for college football season to start.

Mizzou's Jeremy Maclin started out his college career with a bang, scoring two TDs in the '07 braggin' rights game against Illinois.

Mizzou's 2008 Preview

my time has come — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 00:10:39 GMT

With 16 starters returning off a team that was in line to play for the national championship last season, there is just one place to insert Missouri in the preseason polls.

The Tigers will likely be installed as the Big 12 favorite and will certainly be favored to repeat as North Division champions after going 12-2 last season with a rout of Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl.

With quarterback Chase Daniel returning to engineer an explosive offense and versatile receiver Jeremy Maclin around to produce potentially more all-purpose yards, the Tigers should not have any trouble moving the football.

There are some concerns along the offensive line after the Tigers lost two starters, plus valuable tight end Martin Rucker is no longer part of the receiving corps.

Where the Missouri staff must scrutinize candidates is on defense, where it ranked 59th nationally last season with a 380.3-yard allowance. That wasn't bad, though defensive tackle Lorenzo Williams will be tough to replace up front, where he commanded considerable attention and freed linebackers to make plays.

The good news for the Tigers is they'll operate with as much confidence as at any time under Gary Pinkel, who enters his eighth season as coach. After taking considerable heat for fielding underachieving teams that suffered inexplicable defeats, the run last season by Pinkel's Tigers was encouraging.

Notes

Spring Objectives: Missouri must audition talent like every college team in the spring, but it will do so while brimming with confidence stemming from a 12-2 finish last season. The return of 16 starters helps, too. Although it took more time than some impatient Missouri fans wanted to give him, eighth-year coach Gary Pinkel has established his principles and has the Tigers rolling. A combination of coaching and recruiting, essential elements to building a winner, position Missouri as the preseason favorite in the Big 12.

Building Blocks: With QB Chase Daniel returning to engineer the Missouri attack, the Tigers should be explosive again despite the loss of two key contributors, TE Martin Rucker and RB Tony Temple. WR Jeremy Maclin set an NCAA freshman record for all-purpose yardage by averaging 208.7 yards. He was a huge threat on returns. The Tigers' second-leading tackler, FS William Moore, also led the Big 12 with seven interceptions. LB Sean Weatherspoon is back after leading Missouri with 121 tackles.

Schedule Situation: Although Missouri has built its program to where it will be favored to repeat in the North Division, if not win the Big 12 title, the Tigers will not be tested in non-conference, except for its opener against Rose Bowl participant Illinois on a neutral field in St. Louis, Mo. Southeast Missouri, Nevada and Buffalo fill out the non-conference portion before the Tigers visit Nebraska to open conference play.

Strategy & Personnel

Stars Of 2008:

QB Chase Daniel-A finalist for the Heisman Trophy last season, Daniel will be among the top candidates to win that award as he attempts to improve on the impressive numbers he posted last season. Daniel ranked fourth nationally in total offense, throwing for 4,170 yards and 33 touchdowns while completing 69.7 percent of his attempts.

WR/KR Jeremy Maclin-A threat to score any time he touched the football, Maclin averaged 5.9 receptions and 78.7 yards receiving per game and also was a threat anytime he returned punts and kickoffs.

FS William Moore-Although he must sit out spring drills after undergoing surgery for a torn labrum he played with for half the 2007 season, Moore brings stability to the Tigers' secondary after leading the Big 12 with seven interceptions.

Top Newcomers:

P Jake Harry-Tops the list of candidates so far as the Tigers look to replace Adam Crossett. Harry, a junior-college transfer, is the lone scholarship player listed at the position, though Missouri is auditioning three walk-ons.

WR Blake May-A walk-on, May worked exclusively with the first team during one of Missouri's early spring practices as the Tigers attempt to build depth among receivers.

DE Michael Keck-A prized recruit, Keck redshirted last season as a freshman in order to repair a strained shoulder and will now attempt to make an impact off the edge, which may be more suitable for a player with his frame (6-5, 230 pounds).

OG Dan Hoch-The top high school recruit who could play right away, Hoch will get some looks when he reports in the fall. The only Missouri signee rated higher was QB Blaine Gabbert, though he figures to redshirt behind Daniel.

- Jay (StLDieHard)
**aka: Skip Schumaker**

Mizzou Freshman Preview: Andrew Jones

RHATER is Gone. — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 21:31:19 GMT

I haven't been able to get to this blog lately, and I'm trying to get it together again. Sorry for the long absence.

Andrew Jones, TE, Smithville High School, Smithville, MO

Andrew Jones is a 6' 5", 234 pound tight end. Andrew was committed to Mizzou from the start, and stuck with the Tigers even after touring Notre Dame. He says it is the school he feels most at home at, even though he lives near Kansas City, which is a hot bed for KU recruits. A major factor in making his choice was top Mizzou recruit Blaine Gabbert, who he is good friends with. He played both sides of the field in high school, with 50 catches for 612 yards and six TDs on offense, while recording 45 tackles, 8 sacks, an interception, 2 FF, and two fumbles recovered. In the Scout.com Kansas City Combine, Jones received Overall MVP honors. Also according to Scout.com, he is ranked 9th out of all TE recruits in the country, and even #5 by some other recruiting sites. He received All-State honors three times in a row, and played in the 2008 U.S. Army All American Bowl.

Jones has good size and a strong frame for a high school prospect. His has great hands and can catch the ball both in his chest and away from his body. He has good height and displays the ability to extend his hands above his head and make the grab. Before he starts his route, he can trick defenders into believing he is blocking. He can also make a catch while in traffic. Jones is a good runner, but is not a guy that can stretch the field. However, his strength and determination make him hard to take down. He runs hard after the catch and does not go down without a fight. He won't be able to make many defenders miss at the college level, but he runs with power and is still deceptive for someone his size. Jones has the skills to become successful because of his size and ability.

With the leave of All-American TE Martin Rucker, and senior Chase Coffman taking over he #1 TE position, Jones will look to continue Mizzou's streak of having the best TE-duo in the country. He could be another large target for Chase Daniel, especially in the end zone, where Mizzou struggled last year. But even if he isn't, his size will be a great prescence on the O-line in running plays. Mizzou likes to run a variety of shotgun formations, so Jones should get plent of opportunities his freshman year to stand out. Jones has an easy-going type of attitude and will be fun to be around for his team mates. Even more importantly, he helps Mizzou recruit, by heavily persuading other top prospects to join him in the Black and Gold.

Andrew Jones Highlights:

Columbia NIKE TE Camp Highlights

WR vs DB - Jones makes a few appearances here. He wears #9, in white.

2008 U.S. Army Bowl Highlights - Jones makes one appearance, but on defense, I think. He wears #9, in white, again. Also notice Blaine Gabbert's bomb for a touchdown pass. Should've included that earlier.

Game Highlights

Mizzou Freshman Preview: Dan Hoch

RHATER is Gone. — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 14:33:41 GMT

Dan Hoch (pronounced "hoke", not "hock"), OT, Harlan Community High School, Harlan, IA

Dan Hoch is a 6'7", 315 pound offensive tackle from Harlan High in Iowa coming to Mizzou, after also being previously committed to Nebraska, like Blaine Gabbert (Its what those Cornhuskers should get, after years of stealing so many recruits from us). Hoch is give 4 stars at his postion rating, if that has any significance to you. Hoch was Iowa's Gatorade Player of the Year, and was the top recruit coming out of the state. He was part of an offensive line that helped their team gain an average of 5.7 per rushing play and 182.7 rushing yards total per game. Hoch earned All District, All Southwest Iowa, and All State honors as a junior.

Hoch is a good offensive line prospect for Mizzou. He has the frame many coaches are looking for. He has good size and with he should be able to continue to get bigger and be a good 300-pound plus player with some more training. He has good contact off the ball hand placement. His ability to move his feet can move a defender off the line and help open up holes for the running game. He stays under control and has nice footwork. He also has a great nasty streak that can really give defenders pain after the play. One spot of improvement would be using his lower body strength while blocking. He can get low and fire though a defender to cut him. Hoch has the body and skill to become a great player, if he improves his recognition of different defensive rushing situations and how to get in the best position to block.

At Mizzou, Hoch definitely will fit into the pass blocking scheme nicely, but will need to work on his technique to not surrender as much ground to defenders. In college, the little things may make bigger differences than they did in high school, where Hoch was well above all the other players. He defenitely is a great improvement and brings more size to the line, which was a major problem in the OU games, where Mizzou was just dominated in size. Dan Hoch has some good days of football ahead of him at Mizzou.

Dan Hoch Highlights (these may not load)

There's also an interview on YouTube, just search Dan Hoch, but its pretty hard to hear, and not very relevant.

Mizzou Freshman Preview: Wes Kemp

RHATER is Gone. — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 14:47:24 GMT

Wes Kemp, WR, DeSmet High School, Creve Coeur, MO

Wes Kemp is the top wide receiver recruit coming into Mizzou from this class. Originally committed to Wisconsin, he decommitted and signed with Missouri, thanks to Blaine Gabbert. When the two were both sophomores in St. Louis, they had promised each other they would go to Mizzou together. When Gabbert committed to Mizzou, he called Kemp, and Kemp came too. Kemp had an amazing sophomore year, catching 46 passes for 1,062 yards and 7 TDs. In his junior year, he was injured for 3 games but still caught 39 passes for 769 yards and 8 TDs. His biggest moment was the in the MSHSAA Class 6 State Championship whe he caught about 12 passes and went over 200 yards in the game.

Kemp is a big bodied wide receiver who might move inside to tight end at Mizzou. He is big, athletic and has the frame to really bulk up to be strong receiver. He shows good speed. He has good hands and focus on the ball and his 6'4" size can be a big target in the endzone for Chase Daniel. He is a much better underneath target than he is a vertical threat because his speed is not explosive to stretch the field. He lacks great route awareness and aggressiveness to attack the ball on a consistent basis. He could improve his route running and work on his moves, to have more big play potential, and also be a bit quicker off the line. He is a great downfield threat and has the ability to beat jams.

At Mizzou, Kemp would play well in the spread offense and can learn better route running from Jeremy Maclin. After losing so many receivers like Will Franklin and Martin Rucker, Kemp should step in to keep Mizzou's receiving corps deep. He could run underneath routes to complement Jeremy Maclin's deep threat, or vice-versa, since both can do either.

Here's a some video of Wes Kemp in action:

Wes Kemp Highlights-This is when he still was committed to Wisconsin, but it shows a lot of his high school action. Notice how he can go deep but also underneath. He's #88 in the game, but #24 in the beginning (in gray). The one part that I think he could've worked on is breaking tackles after the catch, on that little swing pass.

Mizzou Freshman Preview: Drew Temple

RHATER is Gone. — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 17:10:53 GMT

Drew Temple, RB, Rockhurst High School, Kansas City, MO

Drew Temple comes to Mizzou with big shoes to fill: his brother Tony's. Temple left Mizzou on a high note with a record setting performance in the Cotton Bowl. Drew ended his high school career at Rockhurst on a similar note. He helped his Rockhurst Hawklets win the MSHSAA Class 6 championship against DeSmet. In his senior year, Temple rushed for more than 1,400 yards and 20 touchdowns, after he injured his ankle in his junior year.

Temple has great cutback ability and acceleration, making him a big play type of guy. He keeps his legs moving, even on contact, which might help Mizzou's red zone rushing. He can catch passes out of the backfield, which is one of Missouri's specialties. He is good at finding tight gaps and seams where he can cut and break out. However, Temple is a bit undersized, leaving him more vulnerable to big hits and harder to break tackles. He lacks leg strength to be a consistent, up the middle runner that can push the pile. He still can develop and become a good runningback.

Temple should redshirt this year, because Missouri already has three decent runningbacks who served as #2 backs to Tony Temple: Derrick Washington, Denario Alexander, and Jimmy Jackson. I expect Jackson to be the more downhill, pound it out, runner, while Alexander will use his quickness on 3rd and longs on short screen/option plays or delays.

Mizzou Freshman Preview: Blaine Gabbert

RHATER is Gone. — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 13:54:05 GMT

Blaine Gabbert, QB, Parkway West High School, Ballwin, MO

Blaine Gabbert is definitely the best recruit of Mizzou's 2008 recruiting class. Initially headed for Nebraska, this 5 star recruit (4 star on some other scouting sites), changed his mind after coach Bill Callahan was fired, along with the great success of Mizzou. Although his overall rank dropped this year, due to separating his shoulder for much of the season, he still has amazing potential. He was invited to attend the Elite 11 QB Camp, and won MVP honors there. In his junior season, which most consider his best, he passed for 1523 yards and 20 TDs. He also rushed for 458 yards and 8 TDs.

Gabbert has one of the strongest arms in the league, and is a strong pocket passer. He stands tall, and has a quick delivery. He also has amazing mobility and is able to avoid blitzes nicely, while still throwing the ball with a tight spiral. He also is good at making play action and pump fakes, and carries out his fakes well on running plays too. If he can stay healthy, he should have a great career at Mizzou.

I think it would be best for Gabbert to redshirt his freshman year, and learn from Chase Daniel to get more used to the spread offense. Gabbert already as more size and athleticism than Daniel, but needs to learn how to play the game better. I think Daniel will be a great teacher for Gabbert, and I can't wait to see results in 2009. Yet there still is a chance Gabbert could be backup, if he has an amazing training camp, but I would expect the spot would go to Chase Patton, who is a junior.

Here are some videos of Blaine Gabbert in action.

Blaine Gabbert in Action vs. Francis Howell North at the 2007 CBC Jamboree-Gabbert starts in action at aroun 2:20 in the movie. Check out his great mobility and fakes. Many of his passes were bobbled, which were not his fault.

Blaine Gabbert at Nebraska QB Camp Highlights-This was when he was still commited to Nebraska. He is #11 and see how good his agility is and how he can still accurately hit the target.

The Group

my time has come — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 20:26:50 GMT

This group is basically just for the Mizzou Tigers and NCAA in general. Join if you would like. I will have weekly blogs, messages, and different polls here and there. It should be a very interesting and fun fangroup. Please join if you would like and GO TIGERS!!!

Click here to join