Front Porch FootballMissouri: 2016 Preseason Preview
By Brendan Paschal
The Tigers went 5-7 last season. Their season consisted of injuries, interceptions, and heart breaking losses. Missouri’s defense was one of the best in the nation, their offense on the other hand was one of the worst. Disagree?
Look at the numbers. Missouri held the Georgia Bulldogs to a mere 9 points and Vanderbilt to 10, yet they still lost to both of these teams. It was unbelievably painful to watch a Missouri game last year, and unfortunately, it’s not going to get any better this season.
Preseason Preview: Missouri
Record: 4-8 (1-7)
Missouri has a stout defense returning, but that won’t help them. Although they were ranked second in the SEC for points allowed and total yards allowed, Missouri was dead last in the SEC for, rushing yards, passing yards, and scoring. They have yet to fix their problem in the offense and will have trouble scoring yet again.
Missouri’s Biggest Strengths:
1. Defensive Line: This defensive line was able to free up their linebackers to make some serious damage in the backfield. Their defensive ends, Charles Harris and Walter Brady, were also able to place pressure on quarterbacks last season, splitting 14 sacks. Their defensive line remains in tact and will continue to wreak havoc upon offenses.
2. Linebackers: Even with the loss of their leading season tackler, Kentrell Brothers (152 tackles), the Tigers have a talented linebacker core. Senior, Michael Scherer will lead the defense this year at middle linebacker and plans to keep Missouri in the top 5 in the nation in points allowed. They have talent in sophomores, Brandon Lee and Terez Hall at OLB. Their most under-rated player however, is senior, Donavin Newson who had 9 tackles for loss despite backing up Kentrell Brothers.
3. Special Teams: Lord knows Missouri needs a solid special teams. Imagine if their defense is able to hold their opponents to ten points or less again. True freshman Tucker McCann holds the state of Illinois’s field goal record of 60 yards, and should be able to help the Tigers win those close games. Punter Corey Fatony was part of the reason Missouri’s defense was so successful. His ability to place their opponents deep into their own territory gave the Tiger’s defense the edge. He returns and expects a great sophomore year.
Biggest Concerns
1. Offensive Line: This was probably Missouri’s biggest disappointment last season. They had so much potential with four returning starters, lead by center Evan Boehm, but he started the season off with an injury that hindered his performance the entire year. Injuries derailed this offensive line throughout the entire season, forcing other players to step in. The scary part about this is that guard, Nate Crawford, is the only true returning starter. Missouri knows better than anybody that the offense starts and ends in the trenches.
2. Passing Game: Is this really any surprise? Quarterback Drew Lock was thrown into the furnace last season as a true freshman. While most fans are hoping that the experience will help him this season, I am more skeptical. Lock threw twice as many interceptions as he did touchdowns, and landed 14th in total passing yards in the SEC. The future is not looking up with an unproven offensive line and a new offensive coordinator.
3. Running Game: The Tigers were also dead last in the SEC in rushing yards. Russell Hansbrough’s ankle injury prevented him from consistently taking handoffs, which meant more rushing attempts for Ish Witter. However, Ish Witter didn’t have much more success than Hansbrough. In fact, Witter and Hansbrough’s rushing yards didn’t even add up to 1,000. If the Tigers can’t produce a consistent running game than their entire offense will struggle, especially in the SEC.
Key Losses
- Kentrell Brothers – LB
- Russel Hansbrough – RB
- Evan Boehm – C
- Connor McGovern – LT
Impact Players
- Charles Harries – DE
- Michael Scherer – LB
- Corey Fatony – P
- Chris Black – WR
Biggest Game of the Year: at South Carolina
This game could very easily decide whether or not either team makes it to a Bowl Game, or finishes last in the East. While both teams could realistically end their season with a record below .500 they cannot afford a loss this late in the season to a team they can beat. You can expect this game to be low scoring and painful to watch.
