Tigers’ Spread Attack Will Challenge SEC Defenses

Don’t count Florida football coach Will Muschamp as one of the critics who think Missouri’s spread offense won’t work in the SEC. Muschamp offered his opinion on the difficulties Missouri’s offense can create during a conference call Tuesday.

Per the Columbia Tribune‘s Dave Matter:

“From a formation standpoint, it’s going to be an adjustment for our league,” he said during yesterday’s SEC coaches teleconference. “With” James “Franklin and the quarterback runs, what it does is create matchups. It creates what I call space plays, where you’ve got to make plays in space versus those guys.”

Muschamp faced Missouri’s offense as Texas’ defensive coordinator, so he knows what he’s talking about. With the SEC’s tendency to run the ball and build defenses designed to stop the run, the players forced to defend against Missouri’s spread attack will be larger and not necessarily as fast as the players on the defenses the Tigers faced in the Big 12.

While it’s exaggeration to predict Missouri instantly becoming the SEC’s offensive juggernaut and steamrolling over all its opponents, the core principles of the Tigers’ offense allow it to match up well against SEC defenses.

Although Missouri’s rushing offense was very good last year, they’re not planning on trying to run the ball up the middle against the SEC’s massive defensive linemen. Instead, they will continue to use the zone reads that have been a staple of the Tigers’ running game. Missouri has always emphasized stretching the field with horizontal runs to create holes in the defense.

The passing game will continue to be predicated on slants and short routes that allow the quarterback to quickly get the ball into the spaces created by spreading the field, but with the emergence of receivers Marcus Lucas and L’Damian Washington, and the arrival of five-star recruit Dorial Green-Beckham, the Tigers will also be able to take plenty of deep shots downfield to keep the defense from playing close to the line of scrimmage.

As long as quarterback James Franklin has the same velocity on his throws that he did before his shoulder surgery, Missouri’s offense is diverse and skilled enough to succeed in the SEC, especially in the SEC East.