Missouri Tigers Spring Football Position Previews: Running Back

Spring football is underway in Columbia, Missouri as the Tigers have been practicing since last Tuesday. Each day I’ll preview a different position, as we did with the quarterbacks over the weekend. Today, let’s talk about the running backs.

The incumbent is senior Russell Hansbrough, and the latest depth chart tells us that sophomore Ish Witter will be backing him up, followed by senior Tyler Hunt, and redshirt freshman Trevon Walters. Redshirt junior Morgan Stweard will be held out of spring football as he is still recovering from his hip injury he suffered in fall camp last year.

This is the first year Hansbrough will truly be “the guy”. He showed enough flashes as a freshman to avoid a redshirt, he shared the backup role with Marcus Murphy as a sophomore, and shared with Murphy again last year as co-starters.

Nov 15, 2014; College Station, TX, USA; Missouri Tigers running back Russell Hansbrough (32) celebrates with teammates after scoring a touchdown during the third quarter against the Texas A&M Aggies at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Hansbrough is listed at 5-foot-9 and a stocky 190 pounds. He had 1084 yards and 10 touchdowns last year on 205 carries. His biggest game last year was at Texas A&M where he ran for 199 yards and two touchdowns, albeit with some help from very poor tackling from the Aggie defense. Nevertheless he proved that he is difficult to bring down and has home run speed.

While Hansbrough should be getting the majority of the carries, Gary Pinkel would still like to keep the “running back by committee” idea with all the talent that will be in the backfield. Ish Witter is currently No. 2 on the depth chart after being the third option last year and really came along towards the end of the year

Oct 25, 2014; Columbia, MO, USA; Missouri Tigers running back Ish Witter (29) runs the ball as Vanderbilt Commodores safety Andrew Williamson (32) defends during the first half at Faurot Field. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Witter has a similar build to Hansbrough and the last several Missouri running backs at 5-foot-8 195 pounds. He only logged 27 carries for 104 yards and one touchdown last year, but was counted on to give a burst of energy for a couple yards, especially down the stretch.

His big game also came against A&M, where he ripped off a 16 yard run for the first touchdown of his career. He won’t carry the ball 177 times this year like Murphy did, but his role will expand greatly.

Tyler Hunt has been primarily used on special teams during his time at Missouri, and he only had three carries for 10 yards in his career. He likely won’t receive a lot of carries, but can provide some of the dirty work with blocking and remaining on special teams. His 5-foot-11 215 frame can get him on the field near the goal line to muscle the ball in the end zone.

Redshirt freshman Trevon Walters can do a lot of things Witter did last year. The two came in as freshmen together and Witter narrowly avoided the redshirt over Walters. Walters is a little taller at 5-foot-10 but also 195 pounds, and can spell Hansbrough and Witter when they need rest.

Aug 31, 2013; Columbia, MO, USA; Missouri Tigers running back Morgan Steward (36) runs the ball as Murray State Racers linebacker Qua Huzzie (15) attempts the tackle during the second half of the game at Faurot Field. Missouri won 58-14. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Morgan Steward will be unavailable until the summer, but if he can come back 100% he can shake things up and make the rotation very interesting. Steward is the biggest back that’s currently on the roster at 6-1 210 pounds and apparently was the fastest back on the team during last year’s spring football.

There is a stable of running backs again for Pinkel, and they will be counted on for the majority of the time because of the inexperience of the receivers. Throw in 4 star JUCO running back Chase Abbington in the summer and they’ll be even deeper. Hansbrough will be the primary back, but all will contribute in some way.

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